[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59535-59536]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24065]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Giacomini Wetlands Restoration Point Reyes National Seashore, 
Marin County, California; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement

SUMMARY: The National Park Service, in accordance with the provisions 
of the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), is 
undertaking a conservation planning and environmental impact analysis 
process for a proposed wetlands restoration project at the former 
Giacomini Ranch in Marin County, California. The area of proposed 
restoration is located within the boundary of the Golden Gate National 
Recreation Area; this portion of the Golden Gate National Recreation 
Area is administered by Point Reyes National Seashore. Notice is hearby 
given that a public scoping process has been initiated with the purpose 
of eliciting public comment regarding the spectrum of issues and 
concerns (including suitable range of alternatives, the nature and 
extent of potential environmental impacts, appropriate mitigation 
strategies, and ecological benefits) that should be addressed in 
drafting the forthcoming environmental document.

Background

    The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is a unit of the 
National Park System located in the San Francisco Bay Area, in central 
California. Congress established GGNRA ``in order to preserve for 
public use and enjoyment certain areas of Marin and San Francisco 
Counties, California, possessing outstanding natural, historic, scenic, 
and recreational values, and in order to provide for the maintenance of 
needed recreational open space necessary to urban environment and 
planning * * * (Public Law 92-589).'' Point Reyes National Seashore, a 
nearby unit of the National Park System, is wholly located in Marin 
County, California. It was established by Congress ``to save and 
preserve, for the purpose of public recreation, benefit, and 
inspiration, a portion of the diminishing seashore of the United States 
that remains undeveloped'' (Public Law 87-657). By prior management 
agreement, Point Reyes National Seashore administers the north district 
of GGNRA within Marin County.
    In certain instances, the National Park Service (NPS) has expanded 
upon the concept of ``preservation'' to incorporate restoration, as 
well as conservation. In its 2001 Management Policies, the NPS 
emphasized that it will ``* * * strive to achieve a longer term goal of 
net gain of wetlands across the national park system through 
restoration of previously degraded or destroyed wetlands (Sec.  
4.6.5).'' Furthermore, the new Policies encourage units of the National 
Park System to ``* * * protect, preserve, and restore the natural 
resources and functions of floodplains (Sec.  4.6.4).''
    In keeping with these resource conservation policies, the NPS 
proposes to restore wetlands at a 563-acre historic coastal salt marsh 
site formerly known as the Giacomini Ranch in Tomales Bay. Tomales Bay 
is a 12-mile-long coastal bay that borders Point Reyes National 
Seashore to the north. This area of coastal salt marsh was diked in 
1946, and these lands had been utilized by the Waldo Giacomini family 
as a dairy since then. In 2000, the NPS purchased the Giacomini 
property using a combination of federal and state funds. State funding 
was provided by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), 
which was under obligation to the California Coastal Commission to 
mitigate for impacts resulting from road repairs on Highway 1 in Marin 
County conducted in the early 1990s. The California Coastal Commission 
permitted Caltrans to mitigate for the road repair impacts through 
transfer of funds to the NPS to purchase, restore, and manage a wetland 
site at the Giacomini Ranch.
    The NPS believes that the potential value of restoring the 
Giacomini Ranch would be important not only for these national park 
lands and resources, but to the Tomales Bay watershed ecosystem as a 
whole. By some accounts, the state of California has suffered the loss 
of more than 95 percent of its coastal wetlands. The percentage of loss 
is not quite as high in Tomales Bay, but a large percentage of the 
coastal wetlands once present were lost when this deltaic land at the 
head of the bay was reclaimed for agricultural purposes. Coastal 
wetlands provide essential ecosystem functions benefiting both humans 
and wildlife through floodwater storage, food production, and 
filtration of nutrients and sediments. Increasing the acreage of 
coastal wetlands could increase wetland functions and result in 
improved environmental conditions for both humans and wildlife in the 
Tomales Bay watershed. The San Francisco District of the Regional Water 
Quality Control Board has determined that Tomales Bay is impaired by 
sediment, nutrients, fecal coliform, and mercury (pursuant to Sec.  
303(d) of the Clean Water Act). This condition jeopardizes not only the 
bay's well-known oyster fisheries, but the wildlife species that use 
Tomales Bay for breeding or foraging habitat such as Pacific harbor 
seals, seal lions, gray whales, California brown pelican, and Pacific 
herring.

Alternatives and Environmental Issues

    Point Reyes National Seashore is in the initial stages of the 
conservation planning process for this initiative, and the park desires 
public input on a suitable range of alternatives. It is anticipated 
that methods for restoring the Giacomini wetlands area would likely 
involve some type of geomorphic-topographic alterations aimed at 
recovering natural hydrologic and ecological processes. These potential 
alterations could change the current hydrologic regime within the 
proposed project area, leading either to muted tidal action, full tidal 
action, and/or natural creek action (i.e., allowing

[[Page 59536]]

creeks to meander naturally). A ``no-action'' alternative, entailing no 
changes in current hydrologic regime, will also be assessed. 
Restoration actions undertaken as part of the initiative would be 
designed to ensure that flood risks to adjacent private residences and 
property will not be aggravated beyond current conditions. As part of 
the alternatives development, the NPS will also explore the potential 
for both land- and water-based recreational opportunities (but which do 
not conflict with Tomales Bay ecosystem processes).
    The possible larger-scale issues or concerns associated with the 
proposed restoration project include potential impacts (both positive 
and negative) to threatened or endangered species protected under the 
federal Endangered Species Act; potential impacts to soils designated 
as Farmland of Statewide and Local Importance; change in land use; 
opportunities for and constraints on public access; and potential 
effects (both positive and negative) on flooding and saltwater 
intrusion into local groundwater supplies, including Point Reyes 
Station, stemming from implementing restoration actions.

Scoping/Comment Process

    As noted, the NPS will undertake a conservation planning and 
environmental impact analysis process to address issues and identify 
alternatives for the Giacomini Wetlands Restoration Project. Federal, 
state, and local agencies, affected individuals, and interested 
organizations and groups are encouraged to participate in the scoping 
process. The level of California state or local involvement in the 
environmental impact analysis process is also yet to be determined. If 
an environmental document is required under the California 
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the NPS will coordinate the NEPA-CEQA 
public involvement and analysis process with the designated local lead 
agency (or agencies) responsible for fulfilling requirements under 
CEQA.
    A key opportunity during the scoping phase will be a public meeting 
to be held on October 19, 2002. For those persons unable to attend the 
meeting, a scoping document will be available through the Seashore. At 
this time, primary topics expected to be addressed at the public 
meeting include: background information on the purpose and need for 
restoring the wetlands; local issues and concerns (i.e., opportunities 
and constraints) in developing the restoration project; potential 
alternative courses of action with regards to restoration; potential 
impacts of these courses of action; and appropriate strategies for 
mitigation and monitoring, if needed. All interested individuals, 
organizations, and agencies are encouraged to provide comments or 
suggestions. Written comments regarding the Giacomini Wetland 
Restoration Project must be postmarked not later than 45 days following 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register. As soon as this 
date has been determined, it will be announced on the park website 
(noted below). To provide comments or information pertinent to the 
proposal, inquire about the public meeting, or to request a copy of the 
scoping document, please contact the Superintendent, Point Reyes 
National Seashore, Attn: Giacomini Wetlands Restoration Project, Point 
Reyes Station, CA 94956 (Telephone (415) 464-5102; FAX (415) 663-8132; 
E-mail: [email protected]). Duplicate informational updates are to be 
regularly posted on the Point Reyes National Seashore Web site http://www.nps.gov/pore/home_mngmntdocs.htm, as well as the GGNRA Web site 
http://www.nps.gov/goga/admin/planning/index.htm.
    If individuals submitting comments request that their name or\and 
address be withheld from public disclosure, it will be honored to the 
extent allowable by law. Such requests must be stated prominently in 
the beginning of the comments. There also may be circumstances wherein 
the NPS will withhold a respondent's identity as allowable by law. As 
always: the NPS will make available for public inspection all 
submissions from organizations or businesses and from persons 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
and businesses; and, anonymous comments may not be considered.

Decision

    At this time, the draft EIS is expected to be available for public 
review in winter 2003/2004; and the final environmental document will 
be completed in winter 2004/2005. As a delegated EIS, the official 
responsible for the final decision is the Regional Director, Pacific 
West Region. Subsequently the Superintendent, Point Reyes National 
Seashore, would be responsible for implementing the approved 
restoration and management actions.

    Dated: August 20, 2002.
Arthur E. Eck,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 02-24065 Filed 9-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P