[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59541-59542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24064]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Draft Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the U.S. Department of the Interior, 
National Park Service (NPS) will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) on the Feasibility Study (Special Resource Study) on 
the Preservation of Civil War Battlefields and Related Historic Sites 
along the Vicksburg Campaign Trail in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, 
and Tennessee. These sites will each be examined with a view to how 
they might best be preserved and linked together into the Vicksburg 
Campaign Trail. The study process entails evaluating the national 
significance, suitability, feasibility, and management options for each 
identified site according to NPS standards and criteria established by 
the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil 
War Battlefields (1993).
    For each site, experts and professional historians will determine 
whether it qualifies as Tier I (nationally significant), Tier II 
(regionally or state significant), or Tier III (locally significant). 
Based on this evaluation, some sites may be recommended for addition to 
the National Park System. Protection and interpretation of sites not 
recommended for addition to the National Park System will be sought via 
other arrangements, that may include management by other Federal 
agencies, State or local governments, non-profit organizations or 
private owners. These different management options form the basis for 
various alternatives, the environmental impacts of which will be 
analyzed in the DEIS. Through the scoping process, the NPS welcomes 
suggestions from the public both of potential sites and possible 
management options.

DATES: Public meetings will be conducted during the course of the 
project. Additional scoping opportunities such as public meetings, 
newsletters, etc. will be announced in the local media. Representatives 
of the NPS will be available to discuss issues, resource concerns, and 
the planning process at each of the public meetings. This Notice will 
also serve as an additional scoping method. Persons who may be 
interested in or affected by the Feasibility Study/DEIS are invited to 
participate in the scoping process by responding to this Notice with 
written comments. The scoping process will help define issues or 
problems facing the feasibility study.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the Vicksburg Campaign Trail Feasibility Study, 
potential sites, management options, and environmental issues that 
should be addressed should be directed to Bill Koning, National Park 
Service Planner, Denver Service Center, PO Box 25287, 12795 W. Alameda 
Parkway, Denver, CO 80225-0287.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for information concerning 
dates and background on the feasibility study, including a brochure 
describing the process should be directed to William O. Nichols, 
Superintendent, Vicksburg National Military Park, 3201 Clay Street, 
Vicksburg, MS 39183, (601) 636-0583, or Bill Koning, National Park 
Service Planner, Denver Service Center, PO Box 25287, 12795 W. Alameda 
Parkway, Denver, CO 80225-0287, (303) 969-2390.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 4, 1863, after an eight-month 
campaign and siege, heavily-fortified Vicksburg, Mississippi 
capitulated to Federal forces commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant. 
This surrender gave the Union control of the Lower Mississippi River 
and effectively cut the Confederate States of America in half. It was 
regarded by many at the time, including President Abraham Lincoln, as 
one of the pivotal events of that great conflict; contemporary Civil 
War historians continue to regard it in that light. Grant's monumental 
campaign to capture the ``Gibraltar of the Confederacy'' is seen by 
military historians as a brilliant logistical exhibition, encompassing 
long and difficult flanking maneuvers, cavalry raids, pitched battles, 
naval engagements, and siege warfare. Grant's triumph at Vicksburg 
paved the way for his subsequent battles at Chattanooga in November 
1863, and then--as commander of all Union armies--at the Wilderness and 
Petersburg; ultimately, it made possible his starring role at 
Appomattox as well as his eventual election as President of the United 
States.
    In November 2000, Public Law 106-487 authorized a feasibility study 
on the preservation of Civil War battlefields along the Vicksburg 
Campaign Trail. The task is to examine and evaluate a variety of sites 
in four states associated with the Civil War events of the Vicksburg 
Campaign. The feasibility study is to be completed within three years 
and is to examine a large number (over 400) and wide variety of sites 
in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Each site will be 
evaluated for national significance, as well as the suitability and 
feasibility of adding it to the National Park System. This DEIS will 
examine the potential environmental effects of different management 
options for the sites found to be eligible for inclusion in the 
National Park System.
    The legislation directs a review of current NPS programs, policies, 
and criteria to determine the most appropriate means of preservation; 
to make evaluations for the establishment

[[Page 59542]]

of a site and management entity consisting of a unit of government or 
private non-profit organization; and to make recommendations to the 
states regarding the management, preservation, and interpretation of 
natural, cultural and historical resources associated with the various 
sites. Furthermore, the legislation directs that partnerships among 
Federal, State, and local governments, regional entities, and the 
private sector be identified where they would provide an effective 
means of preserving specific battlefield sites. Finally, the 
legislation requires that methods of ensuring continued local 
involvement in the management of battlefield sites be explored.
    The responsible official for this DEIS is Jerry Belson, Regional 
Director, National Park Service, Southeast Region, 100 Alabama Street 
SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

    Dated: June 19, 2002.
W. Thomas Brown,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 02-24064 Filed 9-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P