[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 222 (Thursday, November 18, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63054-63056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30113]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Record of Decision, Final Environmental Impact Statement, 
Comprehensive Management and Use Plan; Oregon, California, Mormon 
Pioneer and Pony Express National Historic Trails

Introduction

    The National Park Service has developed a Comprehensive Management 
Plan / Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Oregon, California, 
Mormon Pioneer and Pony

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Express National Historic Trails. The Final Environmental Impact 
Statement presents alternatives and their environmental consequences 
for the administration and protection of resources, visitor use and 
interpretation, and agency cooperation among all the partners involved 
in this project.
    The purpose of this Record of Decision is to document the selected 
alternative from those presented in the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement. The Record of Decision highlights information contained in 
the Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Background

    In 1978 Congress authorized the Oregon and Mormon Pioneer National 
Historic Trails to commemorate these significant routes of travel and 
to promote their preservation, interpretation, public use, and 
appreciation. In 1992 it authorized the California and Pony Express 
National Historic Trails. The National Trails System Act required that 
comprehensive management and use plans be prepared. Plans for the 
Oregon and Mormon Pioneer were approved in 1981, but need to be updated 
to provide additional guidance on high-potential sites and segments, 
resource protection techniques, site certification, visitor use, 
interpretation, and cooperative management.
    The Final Environmental Impact Statement is programmatic in that 
the proposal does not call for any undertaking or action that would 
result in ground disturbances. Any future development would require 
additional environmental compliance to be carried out as required by 
state and local regulations and the provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act.

Selected Alternative

    The National Park Service selected alternative 2, the proposed 
action as described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement for 
implementation.
    Alternative 2 (enhanced conditions and a historic trails 
partnership) focuses on enhancing resource preservation and visitor 
use. To do so, it would be necessary to achieve the highest possible 
degree of cooperation among the partners, increase awareness of the 
need to work together, and communicate what is being planned and what 
is actually being done. The alternative calls for an improved visitor 
experience through integrated development and programming and a 
comprehensive strategy for resource protection, including an ambitious 
program to inventory and monitor resources that would bring together, 
in one location, information that is currently dispersed.
    Some components of this plan signal new approaches to the 
management of historic trails. A geographic information system (GIS) 
has been used to map most of the routes and the locations of the high-
potential sites and segments associated with the four trails. These 
data, in conjunction with the computerized data set of the trail 
resources generated during the planning process would become the 
starting point for a systematic and coordinated effort to use the Salt 
Lake City office as the central repository for all trail-related 
resource information.

Other Alternative Considered

    An additional alternative has been considered in addition to the 
proposed action. Alternative 1 is a continuation of current management 
practices. It reflects the wide variability in the administration and 
management, resource protection strategies, and interpretation, visitor 
experience, and use that exist today. The alternative notes how 
resource protection, trail marking, and interpretation are ongoing 
processes and how increasing levels of cooperation and coordination are 
becoming more common among the various trail partners. However, 
coordination among the different trail-managing agencies, or even 
within the same agency is inconsistent. Furthermore, the various 
existing plans that these agencies have developed seldom address trail 
resources and measures for their protection and appropriate public use.

Basis for Decision

    Alternative 2 is selected because it most fully satisfies the dual 
purposes of the National Trails System Act--to ``provide for the 
outdoor recreation needs of an expanding population,'' and ``to promote 
the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and 
appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of 
the nation.'' The proposal focuses on attaining increased efficiency, 
closer communication, and more strategic resource protection. It 
fosters interagency cooperation that would result in greater resource 
protection and make for a much more efficient cost-conscious 
administration.

Environmentally Preferable Alternative

    The environmentally preferable alternative is alternative 2. This 
alternative best protects and preserves historic, cultural and natural 
resource. The assessment of resource vulnerability, the resource 
monitoring program and the increased coordination among the trail 
partners will minimize any impacts from the increased visitation that 
might result from this alternative. Enhanced trail education programs 
and the resulting increase in public awareness will make visitors more 
sensitive to the significance and fragile nature of trail resources, in 
particular cultural landscapes. This in turn might have beneficial 
impacts on cultural landscapes, as visitors would be more likely to 
appreciate and respect resources.

Measures To Minimize Environmental Harm

    The selected alternative establishes conceptual-level guidelines 
for administering resource protection and visitor experience. Potential 
impacts of implementation have been discussed for this level of 
analysis and all practicable means to avoid or minimize environmental 
harm have been identified. The Final Environmental Impact Statement is 
a programmatic document that will require additional planning and 
compliance if specific actions were to be implemented and would cause 
any ground disturbance. At that time, NPS will consult with the partner 
agencies and the public and will document compliance with all relevant 
federal, state, and local laws, regulations and policies. Through this 
process, all site-specific impacts will be identified and all 
practicable means to avoid or minimize environmental harm will be 
adopted.

Public and Interagency Involvement

    Public involvement was extensive, including newsletters, public 
reviews, and public meetings. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
was available for a 60-day public review from August 21 to October 19, 
1998. Close to 1,000 copies were distributed for review. Public 
meetings were held in later September and early October at nine 
locations throughout the west and were attended by approximately 180 
people. Written comments were received from 32 federal, state, and 
local agencies. The Final Environmental Impact Statement has been 
revised in response to substantive comments on the draft document. In 
accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for 
implementing NEPA, all written responses from public agencies are 
reprinted as part of the Final Environmental Impact Statement. 
Substantive comments from individuals were summarized and included in 
table format.

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Conclusion

    Considering each alternative and its environmental impacts, the 
public response, the purpose of the trails, and the administrative 
objectives, the National Park Service concludes that alternative 2 is 
the best course of action for preserving trail resources and for their 
interpretation and public enjoyment.

Address

    Copies of the Record of Decision can be obtained from the following 
address: Superintendent, Long Distance Trails Office, 324 S. State 
Street, Suite 250, PO Box 45155, Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0155, 
Telephone (801) 539-4095.

    Recommended:

    Dated: November 10, 1999.
Jere L. Krakow,
Superintendent, Long Distance Trails Office.

    Approved: November 10, 1999.
Michael D. Synder,
Director, Intermountain Region.
[FR Doc. 99-30113 Filed 11-17-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P