[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 202 (Friday, October 18, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64409-64410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-26055]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-02-930-1610-DS-005G]


Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Department of 
the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, and 
proposed amendments to the Taos, Mimbres and White Sands Resource 
Management Plans, New Mexico.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management 
announce the availability of the Draft El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro 
National Historic Trail Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) and 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The plan provides alternative 
visions for managing the trail between El Paso, Texas, and San Juan 
Pueblo, New Mexico. This plan also addresses Resource Management Plan 
(RMP) Amendments to the BLM's Taos, White Sands, and Mimbres RMP's 
related to protection of scenic values.
    Added to the National Trails System in October 2000, El Camino Real 
de Tierra Adentro (Royal Road of the Interior) National Historic Trail 
(NHT) recognizes the primary route between the colonial Spanish capital 
of Mexico City and the Spanish provincial capitals at San Juan de Los 
Caballeros (1598-1600), San Gabriel (1600-1609) and then Santa Fe 
(1610-1821). The NHT, as designated, extends 404 miles from El Paso, 
Texas, to San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico.
    This draft CMP/EIS focuses on the NHT's purpose and significance, 
issues and concerns related to current conditions along the NHT, 
resource protection, visitor experience and use, and long-term 
administrative and management objectives. Elements of the proposed plan 
have been developed in cooperation with federal, state, and local 
agencies as well as nonprofit and non-governmental organizations--the 
entities that will form the core of partnerships with the NHT. 
Community meetings were held in Alcalde, Espanola, Santa Fe, 
Albuquerque, Socorro, Truth or Consequences, Sunland Park and Las 
Cruces, New Mexico, as well as in El Paso, Texas. Meetings were held 
with several North American Indian Pueblos.
    The plan provides a range of alternatives for management direction 
for the NHT, addressing management of BLM-administered lands within the 
Las Cruces, Socorro, Albuquerque and Taos Field Offices as well as 
opportunities on other federal, tribal, state, local or private lands. 
Issues addressed in the draft plan include three statutory requirements 
(recreation, interpretation and protection of historic values), as well 
as integration with tribal and community plans, visitor services, 
education, scenic values and international interests. The following 
alternatives are discussed in the draft plan:
    Alternative A--This is the no-action alternative, which serves as 
the baseline for evaluating the changes and impacts of the other action 
alternatives. Under Alternative A, federal agencies would continue to 
manage their lands (through which the trail passes) based upon their 
existing management plans. There would be no overall administration or 
coordination of the NHT. There would be no effective coordination of 
the activities of an NHT association, private landowners, and federal, 
state, and local agencies. There would be no directed cooperation that 
would result in resource protection. Current visitor and recreational 
activities commemorating or interpreting the trail would continue.
    Alternative B--Collaborative efforts by NHT administration and 
partners would be directed toward the protection of trail resources 
(historical, cultural, and natural) on both private and public land. 
Active stewardship and certification priorities would protect 
threatened trail resources. A coordinated visitor experience along El 
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro NHT would be provided and structured to 
promote public understanding and appreciation of NHT-related resources. 
An auto tour route would be established. Existing recreational 
opportunities that are not trail-related, but provided by private 
landowners and various agencies and organizations would continue.
    Alternative C (preferred alternative)--An ambitious program of 
resource preservation and visitor use would be implemented under this 
alternative. Trail administration and partners would work cooperatively 
to provide coordinated programming and activities that integrate 
themes, resources, and landscapes at certified sites on private land or 
protected sites on public land. Resources that best illustrate the 
trail's significance would be identified and protected on both public 
and private land (high-potential sites and segments). Certification 
priorities would be placed

[[Page 64410]]

upon sites and segments supporting interpretive and educational 
programming and protecting significant resources. An auto tour route 
would be established. A bi-national approach with Mexico would promote 
activities such as interpretation, events, and signage. The BLM's Taos, 
White Sands and Mimbres Resource Management Plans would be amended to 
protect important scenic values.

DATES: Comments must be received within 90 days from the date that the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes a Notice of Availability and 
Filing of the Draft EIS in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: National Park Service, Long Distance Trails Office, 2968 
Rodeo Park Drive West, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Bureau of Land Management 
New Mexico State Office, 1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico. 
Correspondence should be addressed to: Team Leaders, El Camino Real de 
Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, P.O. Box 728, Santa Fe, New 
Mexico 87504-0728.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Team Leaders, Harry Myers and Terry 
Humphrey at the address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A limited number of individual copies of the 
draft CMP/EIS may be obtained from the address/contacts above. Copies 
are available for inspection at the Long Distance Trails Office, 2968 
Rodeo Park Drive West, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The document is also 
readily available on CD-ROM in Adobe Acrobat format that can be read by 
computer regardless of operating system. Copies can be requested from 
the team leaders at the address or phone numbers listed in the 
paragraph above. This same document is available at 
www.elcaminoreal.org. A series of public open houses will be held to 
discuss the draft plan and answer your questions. Meetings will be 
announced through press releases and the news media at least 15 days in 
advance.
    If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments by any one of 
several methods. You may mail comments to Team Leaders, Harry Myers and 
Terry Humphrey at: El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic 
Trail, P.O. Box 728, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-0728. You may also 
comment via the Internet to www.elcaminoreal.org. Please include 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 (505) 988-6717 or (505) 751-4718. 
Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to the Long Distance Trails 
Office, 2968 Rodeo Park Drive West, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Our practice 
is to make comments, including names and home addresses of 
respondent's, 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. However, we will not consider 
anonymous comments. 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: July 12, 2002.
Richard A. Whitley,
Acting State Director, BLM--New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.
Karen P. Wade,
Director, NPS, Intermountain Region.
[FR Doc. 02-26055 Filed 10-17-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P; 4310-70-P