[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59538-59539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24070]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Transportation Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, Mesa Verde 
National Park, Colorado

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
for the Transportation Plan, Mesa Verde National Park.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969, the National Park Service is preparing an environmental impact 
statement for the transportation plan for Mesa Verde National Park. 
This effort will result in a comprehensive transportation plan that 
considers various means to get visitors and employees into the park, 
and effectively manage use within the park in order to enhance visitor 
experience, protect resources and otherwise carry out the mission of 
the park. The plan will be developed in consultation with local 
communities, other federal and state agencies, the 24 tribes affiliated 
with the park, including the neighboring Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and 
all other interested and affected organizations and individuals. 
Alternatives to be considered include no-action, the environmentally 
preferred alternative, the agency-preferred alternative, and 
transportation options such as improving roadway, parking and trail 
facilities, using various ground and aerial guideway systems, applying 
various visitor management strategies, and other ideas that come out of 
the public process.
    Major issues include protecting natural resources, systems and 
processes; protecting cultural resources such as archeological, 
ethnographic, historic and landscape resources; changes to the visitor 
experience; requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act; local 
economic impacts that may result from any changes to visitor use; 
cultural concerns of the 24 affiliated tribes; and impacts to park 
operations and existing and future capacity constraints of any proposed 
transportation system.
    A scoping newsletter will be distributed via mail and will be 
posted on the Internet. Also, meetings will be held to solicit input 
from the public, federal and state agencies, and affiliated tribes. 
Copies of scoping information may be obtained from Larry T. Wiese, P.O. 
Box 8, Mesa Verde, CO 81330, (970) 529-4465.

DATES: The scoping period will be a minimum of 60 days and will begin 
the date this notice is published in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment 
in the Mesa Verde National Park Headquarters (970) 529-4465.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry T. Wiese, Superintendent, Mesa 
Verde National Park, (970) 529-4465.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment on the scoping 
brochure, or any other issues associated with the plan, you may submit 
your comments or questions by any one of several methods. You may mail 
comments to Patricia Trap, Planner, Mesa Verde National Park, P.O. Box 
8, Mesa Verde, CO 81330. You may also comment via the Internet to 
[email protected]. Please submit Internet comments as an ASCII 
file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. 
Please also include ``Attn: Mesa Verde Transportation Plan'' and your 
name and return address in your Internet message. If you do not receive 
a confirmation from the system that we have received your Internet 
message, contact us directly at (970) 529-4465. Finally, you may hand-
deliver comments to Mesa Verde National Park Headquarters. 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

[[Page 59539]]

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.

    Dated: May 15, 2002.
R. Everhart,
Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 02-24070 Filed 9-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P