[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 127 (Monday, July 2, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34949-34950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-16497]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


General Management Plan, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 
Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Availability of draft environmental impact statement and 
general management plan for devils tower national monument.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service announces the 
availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and General 
Management Plan (DEIS/GMP) for Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming.

Date: The DEIS/GMP will remain available for public review until August 
31, 2001.
    Comments: If you wish to make comments, you may submit them by any 
one of several methods. You may mail comments to Devils Tower National 
Monument, Planning Team, P.O. Box 10, Devils Tower, WY, 82714. You may 
also send comments by email to: [email protected]. If you do not 
receive a confirmation from the system that we have received your email 
message, you may contact Chris Moos [(307) 467-5283 ext 15)] at Devils 
Tower National Monument. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to Park 
Headquarters/Administration Office, Devils Tower National Monument. 
Please include your name and return address regardless of the method 
you choose to make comments. 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 
identity, 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. 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.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the DEIS/GMP are available from the 
Superintendent, Devils Tower National Monument, P.O. Box 10, Devils 
Tower, WY, 82714. Public reading copies of the DEIS/GMP will be 
available for review at the following locations:

Office of the Superintendent, Park Headquarters (Administration 
Office), Devils Tower National Monument, P.O. Box 10, Devils Tower, WY, 
827124, Telephone: (307) 467-5283.
Planning and Environmental Quality, Intermountain Support Office-- 
Denver, National Park Service, 12795 West Alameda Parkway, P.O. Box 
25287, Denver, CO 80225-0287,

[[Page 34950]]

Telephone: (303) 969-2851 [or (303) 969-2377].
Office of Public Affairs, National Park Service, Department of the 
Interior, 18th and C Streets NW, Washington, D.C. 20240, Telephone: 
(202) 208-6843.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS/GMP analyzes a ``no-action'' 
alternative and 4 ``action'' alternatives:
     Alternative 1 (the no-action alternative) represents the 
continuation of existing conditions and management at the monument.
     Alternative 2 would reduce overall development to improve 
the monument's natural setting; institute a reservation system during 
periods of peak visitation; convert the parking area at the base of the 
Tower to a pedestrian plaza; selectively restore natural vegetation; 
improve trail accessibility; and reduce the size of the Belle Fourche 
River campground.
     Alternative 3 (the NPS preferred alternative) would 
institute a shuttle system for use during peak visitation periods; 
construct a shuttle staging area and visitor orientation facilities 
within the monument; convert the parking area at the base of the Tower 
to a pedestrian plaza; remove the Belle Fourche River campground and 
restore/revegetate disturbed areas; construct and reconfigure trails.
     Alternative 4 would also institute a shuttle system, but 
would construct/relocate staging and visitor orientation facilities, 
along with headquarters and maintenance facilities, outside the 
monument boundaries; convert the parking area at the base of the Tower 
to a pedestrian plaza; retain camping in a portion of the Belle Fourche 
River campground; convert another part of the campground to a shuttle 
stop with visitor facilities; construct and reconfigure trails.
     Alternative 5 would continue to offer visitor experiences 
similar to those presently available, but would expand, pave, and 
upgrade parking areas and roads, and/or add facilities to reduce 
visitor congestion.
    The DEIS/GMP evaluates the environmental consequences of the 
proposed action and the other alternatives on natural resources (e.g. 
air quality, soils, vegetation, wildlife, wetlands, floodplains, 
threatened and endangered species); cultural resources (e.g. 
ethnographic resources of importance to American Indian tribes, 
Civilian Conservation Corps-constructed roadway features, etc.); the 
visitor experience; and socioeconomic resources (e.g. local businesses, 
construction-related employment, etc.).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Superintendent, Devils Tower 
National Monument, at the above address and telephone number.

    Dated: June 14, 2001.
Jack Neckels,
Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 01-16497 Filed 6-29-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P