[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2351-2352]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-997]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, Amistad 
National Recreation Area, Texas

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
for a general management plan for Amistad National Recreation Area.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, 
the National Park Service is preparing an environmental impact 
statement for a general management plan for Amistad National Recreation 
Area. This effort

[[Page 2352]]

will result in a comprehensive general management plan that provides a 
framework for making management decisions regarding the preservation of 
natural and cultural resources, visitor use and interpretation, and 
development of appropriate park facilities. In cooperation with the 
Texas State Historic Preservation Office, the Texas Game and Fish 
Department, and the Texas Department of Water Quality, attention will 
also be given to resources outside the boundaries that affect the 
integrity of Amistad National Recreation Area. Alternatives to be 
considered include no-action, the proposed action, and other reasonable 
alternatives.
    Major issues at Amistad National Recreation Area include:
    1. Declining water levels in the reservoir have exposed numerous 
significant archeological sites to erosion, vandalism, and damage from 
livestock;
    2. Lower water levels have reduced the number of access points to 
the reservoir, affecting recreational uses at the park and leading to 
the creation of a network of social trails;
    3. Increasing numbers of domestic livestock and exotic game species 
are grazing on park land, posing potential impacts on cultural sites 
and habitat for native species;
    4. The need to consider establishing fees for hunting in the park;
    5. The need to address the potential acquisition of additional 
private lands within the legislated boundaries of the park;
    6. The need for a new administration facility and visitor center;
    7. Trans-boundary issues and the need for increased cooperation 
between the NPS and its counterparts in the government of Mexico.
    A public forum for comment on the full range of appropriate visitor 
experiences and areas in which these experiences may be in conflict 
will be provided throughout the course of the GMP process. Public 
involvement is essential for the development of creative solutions to 
guide future park management. A briefing statement has been prepared 
that summarizes the issues identified to date. Copies of that 
information may be obtained from: Superintendent, Amistad National 
Recreation Area.

DATES: The Park Service will accept comments from the public for 30 
days from the date this notice is published in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment 
in the office of the Superintendent, Alan Cox, Amistad National 
Recreation Area. The director, Intermountain Region, National Park 
Service will approve the environmental impact statement.
    The National Park Service will conduct public scoping (public 
meetings and solicitation of comments from state, county and town 
agencies and organizations; park neighbors; state historic preservation 
officer; and associated American Indian tribes) for the Amistad General 
Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement from January, 2003 to 
August, 2005. Public involvement will play a critical role in the 
preparation of the environmental impact statement that will analyze the 
impacts of the management alternatives in the draft general management 
plan.

DATES: The National Park Service will conduct further public scoping 
for the draft alternatives and environmental impact statement for a 
period of 30-days beyond publication of this Notice of Intent.

ADDRESSES: You may mail comments to: Superintendent's Office, Amistad 
National Recreation Area, HCR 3 Box 5J, Hwy 90 West, Del Rio, TX 83012. 
You may also hand-deliver comments to the Superintendent's Office, 
Amistad National Recreation Area, Del Rio, TX. (Attn: General 
Management Plan).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent Alan Cox at 
830.775.7491 x201 or Management Assistant M. Mark Morgan at 
830.775.7491 x234 e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 address from the record, which we will honor to 
the extent allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your 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: November 5, 2002.
Michael Snyder,
Deputy Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 03-997 Filed 1-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P