[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 5 (Friday, January 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 1171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-400]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Draft General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement,
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Washington
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The National Park Service will prepare a General Management
Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for Fort Vancouver
National Historic Site.
A General Management Plan sets forth the basic management
philosophy for a unit of the National Park System and provides the
strategies for addressing issues and achieving identified management
objectives for that unit. In the GMP/EIS and its accompanying public
review process, the National Park Service will formulate and evaluate
the environmental impacts of a range of alternatives to address
distinct management strategies for the park, including resource
protection and visitor use. The plan will guide the management of
natural and cultural resources and visitor use of those resources for
the next 15 years. Development concept plans for selected facilities
may be included with the GMP.
Scoping is the term given to the process by which the scope of
issues to be addressed in the GMP/EIS is identified. Representatives of
Federal, State and local agencies, American Indian tribes, private
organizations and individuals from the general public who may be
interested in or affected by the proposed GMP/EIS are invited to
participate in the scoping process by responding to this Notice with
written comments. All comments received will become part of the public
record and copies of comments, including any names, addresses and
telephone numbers provided by respondents, may be released for public
inspection.
Among the major issues likely to be addressed in the Fort Vancouver
National Historic Site GMP/EIS are: (1) Interpretation and resource
management, including the NPS role in relation to Vancouver National
Historic Reserve; (2) partnership opportunities with the McLoughlin
House National Historic Site; (3) cultural resources research and
protection; (4) accessibility and availability of park collections; (5)
park maintenance and sustainability; and (6) park administration. A
full range of alternatives, including ``no action'', will be considered
in the GMP/EIS to address these and other issues that may emerge during
the planning process.
The draft GMP/EIS is expected to be available for public review by
the fall of 2000, with the final version of the GMP/EIS and the Record
of Decision to be completed by summer 2001.
Because the responsibility for approving the GMP/EIS has been
delegated to the National Park Service, the EIS is a ``delegated'' EIS.
The responsible official is John J. Reynolds, Regional Director,
Pacific West Region, National Park Service.
DATES: Public scoping meetings will be held on Wednesday, January 12,
2000, 6:30-9 p.m. at the Vancouver Water Resources Education Center,
4600 SE Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA, and Thursday, January 13, 2000, 2-
4:30 p.m., at the McLoughlin House National Historic Site, 719 Center
Street, Oregon City, OR. Written comments on the scope of the issue and
alternatives to be analyzed in the GMP/EIS should be received no later
than March 1, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning the GMP/EIS should be sent to
Superintendent, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, 612 E. Reserve
Street, Vancouver, WA 98661.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Fort Vancouver
National Historic Site, at the above address, or phone (360) 696-7655,
ext. 13.
Dated: December 16, 1999.
Rory D. Westberg,
Superintendent, Columbia Cascades Support Office, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 00-400 Filed 1-6-00; 8:45 am]
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