[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 246 (Monday, December 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78242-78243]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-32170]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Environmental Impact Statements, Dayton Aviation Heritage 
National Historical Park, Ohio

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
for the general management plan amendment for Dayton Aviation Heritage 
National Historical Park, Ohio.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the National Park Service (NPS) is 
preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the general 
management plan amendment for Dayton Aviation Heritage National 
Historical Park (DAAV). This effort will result in a comprehensive 
general management plan that encompasses preservation of natural and 
cultural resources, visitor use and interpretation, roads, and 
facilities. In cooperation with the United States Air Force at Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), attention will also be given to 
resources outside the boundaries of DAAV that affect the integrity of 
DAAV. Major issues to be addressed in the EIS include boundary 
adjustments in three geographic areas; motorized vehicle access between 
the Wright Memorial and Huffman Prairie Flying Field; management of 
resources in The Wright Cycle Company complex; the most appropriate 
designation for the Paul Laurence Dunbar House site; and DAAV/
partnership staffing, responsibility, and functions.

DATES: The NPS will accept comments through February 6, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment 
in the office of the Superintendent, Dayton Aviation Heritage National 
Historical Park, 22 South Williams Street, Dayton, Ohio 45409.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Blake, Superintendent, Dayton 
Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, PO Box 9280, Wright 
Brothers Station, Dayton, OH 45409, (937) 225-7705.

[[Page 78243]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Wright Cycle Company Complex includes 
The Wright Cycle Company building, the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive 
Center, the Aviation Trail Visitor Center, and two historic residential 
structures. Several boundary adjustments have been suggested to 
facilitate and improve the management and functionality of DAAV.
    There are 84.41 acres within the actual limits of the Huffman 
Prairie Flying Field. The flying field and surrounding lands are owned 
by the U.S. Air Force and are part of WPAFB. It may be appropriate to 
expand the boundaries of DAAV at this site to facilitate management and 
improve access and interpretation. Expansion or modification of the 
existing boundaries would require amendment of DAAV's authorizing 
legislation by Congress. The 27-acre Wright Memorial is on WPAFB and is 
not within the current boundaries established for DAAV. However, DAAV's 
authorizing legislation states, ``the Secretary may provide 
interpretation of Huffman Prairie Flying Field on Wright Brothers Hill, 
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.'' Through an agreement with the 
Air Force, the NPS will staff and provide interpretive exhibits and 
programming at the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center, an 
Air Force facility constructed on Wright Brothers Hill. Possible 
boundary change options in this area could include, but may not be 
limited to: expanding DAAV to include the entire 27-acre Wright 
Memorial site; expanding DAAV to include only the portion of the site 
that includes the visitor center; and expanding DAAV to include 
additional lands outside of the Wright Memorial in the vicinity of the 
southwest end of the proposed Gateway Project. Expansion or 
modification of the existing boundaries would require amendment of 
DAAV's authorizing legislation by Congress. Huffman Prairie Flying 
Field currently is within a secure area of WPAFB. The general 
management plan amendment will consider alternatives for providing 
access to Huffman Prairie Flying Field and for linking the interpretive 
center at the Wright Memorial with the flying field site. Alternatives 
could range from no additional action to constructing any one of six 
proposed configurations for the Gateway Project, which could include a 
bridge across State Route 444 and Kauffman Avenue.
    The general management plan amendment will investigate the most 
appropriate designation to convey the Paul Laurence Dunbar story.
    Although Dunbar was a friend of the Wright brothers and a classmate 
of Orville Wright, he had little connection with the development of 
aviation in Dayton. Moreover, DAAV's ability to present Dunbar's 
importance as the first African-American to gain widespread recognition 
for his literary accomplishment may be obscured by the aviation theme 
of the remainder of DAAV. The NPS is committed to ensuring the 
protection, preservation, and interpretation of Paul Laurence Dunbar's 
home as a unit of the National Park System and is interested in 
determining the designation that will most effectively assist the NPS, 
in partnership with the Ohio Historical Society in achieving that 
objective. Options could include continuing the site's current status 
as part of the DAAV, or designating a separate Paul Laurence Dunbar 
National Historic Site. In the latter case, the general management plan 
amendment will determine if the site should be administered in 
conjunction with or separately from DAAV.
    Adjacent to the Wright Cycle Company, at 26 and 30 South Williams 
Street, are two historic houses owned by the city of Dayton. The City 
Commission has voted to donate these properties to DAAV and DAAV is now 
working with the city to complete the legal transfer. While the people 
who lived at 26 South Williams were neighbors and documented 
acquaintances of the Wright brothers, the house and family do not have 
critical significance related to the Wright brothers' story. The 
general management plan amendment will address whether the structure 
should be rehabilitated or restored, and establish the most appropriate 
use.
    The house at 30 South Williams Street has been rehabilitated by the 
city of Dayton and, as an interim use, is serving as the DAAV 
headquarters and offices for the Dayton Aviation Heritage Commission. 
The general management plan amendment will address the structure's most 
appropriate use after operational activities move to the Hoover Block.
    The NPS has multiple partners in the ownership and operation of 
DAAV. The general management plan amendment will evaluate alternatives 
for responsibilities and functions, potentially including staffing 
issues, with the U.S. Air Force, Ohio Historical Society, Carillon 
Historical Park, and Aviation Trail, Inc.; ensuring security at WPAFB; 
and providing space for storage and maintenance at the Wright Cycle 
Company/Hoover Block Complex. Additional issues to be addressed in the 
EIS may be identified during the scoping process. Federal, State, and 
local agencies, individuals, and organizations are invited to 
participate in the scoping process. That process includes:
    Identification of potential issues.
    Identification of potential impact topics, and topics to be 
analyzed in depth.
    Determination of potential cooperating agencies and assignment of 
responsibilities.
    Public scoping will begin in September. Public notice of scoping 
processes such as meetings and open houses will be issued. A newsletter 
will be prepared which details the issues identified to date. Copies of 
the newsletter may be obtained from Superintendent, Dayton Aviation 
Heritage National Historical Park, 22 South Williams Street, Dayton, 
Ohio 45509.
    If you wish to comment on the scoping newsletter or on any other 
issues associated with the plan, you may submit your comments by any 
one of several methods. You may mail comments to Superintendent, Dayton 
Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, PO Box 9280, Wright 
Brothers Station, Dayton, OH 45409. You may also comment via the 
Internet to [email protected]. Please also include your name and 
return address in your Internet message. Request a return receipt when 
you prepare your message and a confirmation should be forwarded back 
when your message is received. If you do not receive a confirmation 
from the system that we have received your Internet message, contact us 
directly at (937) 225-7705 and ask for Ann Honious. Finally, you may 
hand-deliver comments to 22 South Williams Street, Dayton, Ohio. 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 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.

    Dated: October 22, 2002.
William W. Schenk,
Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 02-32170 Filed 12-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P