[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2356-2357]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1003]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Interagency Regional Trail Management Plan; Santa Monica 
Mountains National Recreation Area Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, 
CA; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

    Summary: In accord with Sec.  102(2)(c) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190), the National Park 
Service is initiating the conservation planning and environmental 
impact analysis process for an interagency regional trail management 
plan (TMP) for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The 
TMP will serve as a ``blueprint'' establishing the overall direction of 
future development and management of the trail network over the next 
ten to fifteen years. Based on desired conditions to be identified for 
park natural, cultural and recreational resources, the TMP will 
prescribe policies to streamline interagency management of the trail 
network throughout the national recreation area, and will also include 
a trail policy map depicting the planned trail network. The TMP could 
potentially result in a program modifying current trail policies, 
recreational use patterns, and future trail openings and closures.
    The National Park Service has invited the California Department of 
Parks and Recreation and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) 
to be cooperators in the preparation of the TMP. Following publication 
of this notice to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the 
state of California will issue a notice of preparation initiating a 
complementary Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The official 
responsible for the EIR will be Ruth Coleman, Acting Director, 
California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR).
    Background: The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 
(NRA) encompasses 150,050 acres, with approximately 71,300 acres of 
public parkland and the rest in private or other government ownership. 
Within the NRA there is a 320-mile public trail network made up of 
trails and dirt service roads. The greater Santa Monica Mountains trail 
network adjacent to the NRA

[[Page 2357]]

features over 80 additional miles of public trails, several of which 
are linked to the NRA network. Public lands and trails in the NRA are 
managed by federal, state and local agencies with varying management 
policies. Additionally, much of the trail network consists of utility 
and old ranch roads that were inherited with the land and are not 
necessarily constructed to public trail management standards. After 
almost 25 years of continuous land acquisition, the public trail 
network has grown significantly, and several trails now cross-parkland 
jurisdictional boundaries. There is the need to formulate an 
interagency regional trail plan to compile trail management policies to 
facilitate a seamless recreational experience for trail users and to 
prepare a vision for the final trail network and future development of 
trail-related facilities, ranging from trail network signs to 
backcountry trail camps.
    Alternatives: In cooperating to prepare a regional trails plan, the 
NPS, CDPR and SMMC will jointly identify and analyze several 
alternative trail network designs, consistent with agency policies. At 
this time, it is anticipated that alternatives to be compared and 
analyzed will include ``No Action'' (maintaining existing conditions 
and management), a ``Preferred'' alternative, and several other options 
for contrasting recreational use patterns. The TMP EIS/EIR will 
evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the alternatives, and 
identify suitable mitigation strategies. An ``environmentally 
preferred'' alternative will be identified, and any potential 
impairments to national park values will also be disclosed. The 
alternatives will be based on input from the community, an 
environmental constraints analysis using current environmental 
condition information, trail network maintenance costs, and several 
visitor recreational use surveys conducted in the national recreation 
area.
    Issues: The draft TMP EIS/EIR will address environmental and social 
impacts associated with the national recreation area's trail network. 
Environmental issues will include, but not be limited to, trail and/or 
trailhead adjacency to sensitive plant and animal species' habitats; 
adjacency to cultural and archaeological resource sites; trail erosion 
and impacts on water resources; soils and geology impacts from trail 
presence and new trail construction; back country camp impacts 
including fire hazard potential. Social impacts will include, but not 
be limited to, allowable uses and user conflicts on trails; trail 
network public access; trail network compliance with Americans with 
Disabilities Act requirements; proposed trail and trailhead 
construction; trail network management and operation guidelines; and 
trail network signs.
    Public Involvement: The NPS will conduct a conservation planning 
and environmental impact analysis for the proposed interagency regional 
TMP. Written comments that identify concerns and issues, provide 
essential environmental information, and suggest reasonable design 
alternatives are desired in initiating the TMP EIS/EIR process. All 
respondents will later have an opportunity to review the draft TMP EIS/
EIR and submit additional comments.
    Public scoping for a interagency trail plan began with the Santa 
Monica Mountains Area Recreational Trails (SMMART) project that 
culminated in the 1997 SMMART Report. The SMMART Report is available 
for review at http://www.nps.gov/samo/trails. The SMMART Report 
contains the public's recommendations regarding missing links in the 
trail network, back country camps along the regional Backbone Trail, 
trail network sign guidelines, multiple use trail guidelines, and trail 
system design. The report also identified priority coordination issues, 
including interagency cooperation, volunteer commitment, and multi-
agency trail crew and equipment sharing. In addition, all information 
on trail-related issues previously received during public comment 
regarding the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area General 
Management Plan/EIS will also be considered in preparing the draft TMP 
EIS/EIR.
    Any new issues or concerns, or information relevant to TMP process, 
are requested at this time. All such written comments must be 
postmarked or transmitted not later than 45 days following the 
publication of this Notice in the Federal Register. As soon as this 
date has been determined, it will be posted on the project Web site and 
included in direct mailings. Comments should be addressed to the 
Superintendent, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Attn: 
Interagency Regional Trail Management Plan, 401 W. Hillcrest Drive, 
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360. Comments may be faxed to (805) 370-1850, or e-
mailed to [email protected].
    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: NPS will make available to 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.
    Future Information: Updated information about this conservation 
planning and environmental impact analysis process will be distributed 
via mailings, regional and local news media, and the park's webpage 
(http://www.nps.gov/samo/trails). Responses to this Notice will be used 
to update the mailing list of people interested in receiving future 
information as the environmental documents are developed. Please notify 
the National Park Service by mail, e-mail, or fax at the appropriate 
number to request placement on the mailing list. For all types of 
requests please be sure to include your mailing address.
    Decision Process: Availability of the draft TMP EIS/EIR for review 
and written comment will be officially announced by Notice of 
Availability in the Federal Register, as well as through local and 
regional news media, the above listed Web site, and direct mailing. At 
this time the draft TMP EIS/EIR is anticipated to be distributed in 
fall, 2003. After due consideration of all comments on the draft TMP 
EIS/EIR, a final TMP EIS/EIR would be prepared which at this time is 
anticipated could be completed by July, 2004. As a delegated EIS, the 
official responsible for the final decision is the Regional Director, 
Pacific West Region; subsequently the official responsible for 
implementation would be the Superintendent, Santa Monica Mountains 
National Recreation Area.

    Dated: December 2, 2002.
Holly Bundock,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 03-1003 Filed 1-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P