[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 205 (Monday, October 25, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 57481-57482] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-27700] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Environmental Statements; Notice of Intent: Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, Alabama AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for a comprehensive management plan for the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: In 1990, Congress directed the National Park Service (NPS) to study the route and events associated with the 1965 Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, for potential designation as a National Historic Trail. Completed in 1993, the feasibility study recommended that the march route be designated as the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, and be administered by NPS. ON November 12, 1996, Congress amended Section 5(a) of the National Trail System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244 (a) to establish the Selma to Montgomery NHT, and to designate 54 miles of city streets and U.S. Highway 80 from Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma to the State Capital building in Montgomery as the official trail corridor. In August 1995, at the request of Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), Governor Fob James designated the U.S. Highway 80 corridor between Selma and Montgomery as a state scenic highway. The Federal Highway Administration approved the route as part of the National Scenic Byways Program in December of the same year. In 1996 the route was also designated as an All-American Road by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The ALDOT conducted a series of public meetings in 1997 and 1998 and prepared a draft master plan for the National Scenic Byway/All- American Road. This plan provides an overview of possibilities. The National Park Service is seeking to further coordinate the efforts of both agencies by preparing a Comprehensive Management Plan that will build upon the information and options presented in the ALDOT master plan. The Comprehensive Management Plan will provide strategies for the management, visitor use, and development of the National Historic Trail. Key management concerns will include preservation of significant cultural and natural resources including historic sites, structures and the march route. Other issues involve the story of the march and facilities and programs needed to convey this story to the visitor. The Comprehensive Management Plan shall identify a resource-based framework for the trail and describe future conditions, preferred alternative, and general strategies, consistent with the trail's significance and mandates. The alternatives and general strategies required to achieve desired future [[Page 57482]] conditions would then be assessed for their environmental effects. DATES: A public meeting(s) will be held in the surrounding community during this process. Please consult with local newspapers for the times and locations or call the park for this information. Comments provided during this process should be received within 45 days from the date of this notice. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Selma to Montgomery NHT, P.O. Drawer 10, Tuskegee Institute, AL 36087, Telephone: 334-727- 6390. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Park Service is beginning this planning process and invites your comments. You may provide your comments in person at the public meeting or by mail to the Superintendent at the above address. Issues for evaluation may be suggested as well as alternatives for addressing the issues. A draft of the plan and environment impact statement is expected to be available for public review by mid-2000. Your input is appreciated. Dated: October 15, 1999. W. Thomas Brown, Regional Director, Southeast Region. [FR Doc. 99-27700 Filed 10-22-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-70-M