[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 228 (Monday, November 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66641-66642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30857]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft General Management Plan/
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Tallgrass Prairie National 
Preserve, Kansas.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service announces the 
availability of the Draft General Management Plan/Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (DGMP/DEIS) for the Tallgrass Prairie National 
Preserve. This notice also announces public open houses for the purpose 
of receiving public comments on the DGMP/DEIS.

DATES: There will be a 60-day public review period for comments on this 
document. Comments on the DGMP/DEIS must be received no later than 
January 19, 2000. Public open houses for information about, or to make 
comment on the DGMP/DEIS will be held at the following times and 
locations: Tuesday, November 30, 1999, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the 
Chase County Community Building (Swope Park), Walnut and County Road, 
Cottonwood Falls, Kansas; Wednesday, December 1, 1999, 6:00 p.m. to 
8:30 p.m. at the Great Plains Nature Center, 6232 E. 29th Street North, 
Wichita, Kansas; and Thursday, December 2, 1999, 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 
at the Holiday Inn, 200 McDonald Drive, Lawrence, Kansas.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the DCMP/DEIS are available by request by writing 
the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, P.O. Box 585, Cottonwood 
Falls, Kansas 66845, by phone 316-273-6034, or by e-mail from 
TAPR__S[email protected]. The document can be picked-up in person 
at the Tallgrass National Preserve administrative headquarters, 226 
Broadway, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. The document also can be downloaded 
via the Internet at http://www.nps.gov/tapr/.
    If you wish to comment, you may submit your comment by any one of 
several methods. You may attend one of the open houses noted above. You 
may mail comments to Superintendent, Tallgrass Prairie National 
Preserve, P.O. Box 585, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas 66845. You also may 
comment via e-mail to TAPR__S[email protected]. If you attach a 
file to your e-mail, please ensure the file is in ASCII format avoiding 
the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Please also 
include your name and return address in your e-mail message. If you do 
not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received your 
e-mail message, contact the Superintendent directly at 316-273-6034. 
Comments also may be submitted electronically through a form on the 
Preserve's website (http://www.nps.gov/tapr/). Finally, you may hand-
deliver comments to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve 
administrative headquarters at 226 Broadway, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. 
Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of 
respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. 
Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address 
from the record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. 
There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the 
record a respondent's identify, as allowable by law. If you wish us to 
withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at 
the beginning of your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous 
comments. We will make all submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses available 
for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Tallgrass Prairie 
National Preserve, at P.O. Box 585, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas 66845 or 
at telephone number 316-273-6034.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the General Management Plan 
is to set forth the basic

[[Page 66642]]

management philosophy for the Preserve and to provide the strategies 
for addressing issues and achieving identified management objectives. 
The DGMP/DEIS describes and analyzes the environmental impacts of a 
proposed action and four action alternatives for the future management 
direction of the Preserve. A no action alternative is also evaluated.
    Alternative A is the no-action alternative. It provides a baseline 
for comparison of the other alternatives. Each of the action 
alternatives would strive to achieve all desired futures for the 
preserve, including those related to prairie enhancement, natural and 
cultural resources protection, and visitor experiences. The primary 
difference between alternatives is their central focus. The Preferred 
Alternative (Proposed Action) would focus on the integrated management 
of the natural and cultural resources of the Preserve. The alternative 
is based on the ideas that the Preserve was established to preserve, 
protect, and interpret a remnant of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem and 
that the remnant prairie exists today because of a complex history of 
interaction between people and the land. Alternative B would focus 
primarily on the preservation, protection, and interpretation of the 
Preserve's cultural resources, although the prairie ecosystem would be 
enhanced and natural resources protected. Alternative C would emphasize 
visitor experience goals. This alternative would provide the broadest 
range of visitor experiences over the largest area of the Preserve. 
Alternative D would center on the story of ranching in the Flint Hills 
region, along the story of human interaction with the tallgrass prairie 
ecosystem. Finally, Alternative E would more fully focus on management 
of the natural landscape, including unplowed prairie and associated 
creeks, springs, and seeps.
    The responsible official is Mr. William Schenk, Midwest Regional 
Director, National Park Service.

    Dated: November 15, 1999.
William W. Schenk,
Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 99-30857 Filed 11-26-99; 8:45 am]
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