[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 20 (Monday, January 31, 2000)]
[Unknown Section]
[Pages 4625-4626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-2024]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the General Management Plan for Cane River Creole National 
Historical Park, Louisiana.

SUMMARY:  Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act, the National Park Service will prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement to assess the potential impacts of future development 
and management options in conjunction with the General Management Plan 
(GMP) for Cane River Creole National Historical Park, Louisiana.
    Preparation of a draft GMP began in 1996 and included preparation 
of a draft Environmental Assessment. Scoping for the plan has included 
interdisciplinary team meetings with the Cane River National Heritage 
Area Commission, interested agencies, organizations, and individuals. 
Meetings with the general public were conducted in January and 
February, 1996, March and April 1997, and March and April 1998. The 
scoping process has indicated that the proposals being considered may 
constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality 
of the human environment. Therefore, the preparation of an EIS in 
conjunction with the plan is appropriate.
    The General Management Plan and EIS will investigate alternatives 
ranging from no action to a variety of development and management 
proposals designed to guide visitor use, resource protection, and 
partnership relationships. Federal, state, and local agencies, and 
other individuals and organizations who may be interested in, or 
affected by, the future development of Cane River Creole National 
Historical Park are further invited to participate in refining or 
identifying issues.
    Preparation of the plan and EIS is expected to take about 11 
months. The draft plan and EIS should be available for public review by 
early spring, 2000 with the final plan and EIS and Record of Decision 
expected to be completed by

[[Page 4626]]

early fall, 2000. Schedules for public meetings to solicit comments on 
the draft plan/EIS will be announced in the local press at the time of 
plan completion.

ADDRESSES:  Written comments concerning preparation of the EIS or 
requests for information or to be added to the project mailing list, 
should be sent to: Superintendent, Cane River Creole National 
Historical Park, 4386 Highway 494, Natchez, Louisiana 71456. Telephone: 
318-352-0383. E-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Cane River Creole 
National Historical Park, at the above address and telephone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Cane River Creole National Historical Park 
was designated November 2, 1994. Congress established the park to: (1) 
Assist in the preservation and interpretation of, and education 
concerning, the Creole culture and diverse history of the Natchitoches 
region, and (2) to provide technical assistance to landowners and 
preservation organizations. The park includes a total of 63 acres of 
historic plantation properties located at two distinct sites along the 
Cane River in northwestern Louisiana near the city of Natchitoches: (1) 
44 acres of Oakland Plantation and (2) 19 acres of Magnolia Plantation. 
The plantations were owned and continuously operated by the same French 
Creole families for eight generations. They retain an extensive number 
of outbuildings and have retained the appearance and integrity of 
modest family plantations. Most of the structures are classic Creole 
architecture with roots in African and early French architecture. 
Oakland Plantation includes the remaining core plantation 
infrastructure of 26 buildings, ranging from the main house and 1835 
bottle garden, to numerous outbuildings, including the plantation 
store, pigeonniers, a large seed house, workshops, and two quarters. 
The Magnolia Plantation unit is comprised of 17 outbuildings and 
dependencies, including the slave hospital/overseer's house, a unique 
complex of eight brick quarters clustered in two rows, the plantation 
store, a blacksmith shop, and a large gin barn that houses a rare 
cotton press and two types of cotton gins.
    The 1994 legislation also created the Cane River National Heritage 
Area and Commission. This national heritage area was created to 
complement the park and provide a culturally sensitive approach to 
preserving the heritage of the Cane River region through local 
partnerships, thereby minimizing the need for federal land acquisition 
or management. The Commission is advisory to the National Park Service 
in the preparation of the general management plan.
    In accordance with NPS park planning policy, the GMP/EIS will 
ensure the park has a clearly defined direction for resource 
preservation and visitor use. It will be developed in consultation with 
the public and based on adequate analysis of existing and potential 
resource conditions and visitor experiences, environmental impacts, and 
costs of alternative courses of action.
    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 rulemaking record, which we will honor to 
the extent allowable by law.
    There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the 
rulemaking record a respondent's identity as allowable by law. If you 
wish for 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 themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available 
for public inspection in their entirety.
    The environmental review of the GMP/EIS for the park will be 
conducted in accordance with requirements of the NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4371 
et seq.), NEPA regulation (40 CFR 1500-1508), other pertinent Federal 
regulations, and National Park Service procedures and policies.

    Dated: January 19, 2000.
W. Thomas Brown,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 00-2024 Filed 1-28-00; 8:45 am]
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