[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 12 (Friday, January 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2573-2574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1075]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Folsom Lake State Recreation Area General Plan/Resource 
Management Plan, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior (Reclamation).

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact report /
environmental impact statement (EIS/EIR).

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) in partnership 
with the California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) intend to 
prepare a General Plan/Resource Management Plan (GP/RMP) for the Folsom 
Lake State Recreation Area (including Lake Natoma and the Folsom 
Powerhouse State Historic Park). This planning activity encompasses 
approximately 18,000 acres of publicly accessible land/water owned by 
Reclamation and managed by the CDPR's Gold Fields District. The GP/RMP 
will be the primary management document for the park unit, providing a 
defined purpose, vision, long term-goals, and management guidelines. It 
will be used by CDPR as a framework for guiding decision-making related 
to the future development potential, ongoing management, resource 
conservation, and public use of the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area 
(Folsom Lake SRA). CDPR and Reclamation will prepare a joint EIR/EIS on 
the management actions and elements included in the GP/RMP.

DATES: A total of three regional workshops will be conducted to solicit 
public input at each phase of the planning process. The first public 
workshop was held on November 20, 2002 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in 
Folsom, California.
    This workshop, and other upcoming ones, will be used to solicit 
community input on local issues, concerns and aspirations as they 
relate to the Folsom Lake SRA. The information will be used to help 
form the definition of the goals/objectives of the GP/RMP, analysis of 
opportunities and constraints, and scope of subsequent planning and 
design efforts. The workshops will also serve as the public scoping 
meetings for preparation of the EIR/EIS, identifying the range and 
scope of issues to be addressed in the environmental assessment 
documents.
    A second public workshop is planned for March/April 2003. At this 
time, the public will have the opportunity to further define their 
issues, concerns and aspirations, as well as consider and comment on 
developed alternative park unit improvement and conservation scenarios. 
At a third public workshop, tentatively scheduled for January 2004, 
plan proposals for land use, resource management, circulation and 
facilities will be presented for review and evaluation.
    These public meetings will be announced through the local news 
media, newsletters, and the CDPR Web site (http://www.parks.ca.gov) at 
least 15 days prior to the event. Comments on issues and planning 
criteria may be submitted in writing to the address listed below.

ADDRESSES: The first meeting was held at Folsom Middle School, 500 Blue 
Ravine Road, Folsom, CA 95630. Locations for the other two meetings are 
not yet determined.
    Written comments should be sent to Folsom Lake Plan Update c/o 
Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC, 1328 Mission Street, Fourth Floor, San 
Francisco, CA 94103 or email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Micheaels, Associate Park and 
Recreation Specialist, Gold Fields District, 7806 Folsom-Auburn Road, 
Folsom, California 95630, phone (916) 988-0513; or Mike Petrinovich, 
Resource Manager, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Central California Area 
Office, Folsom, CA 95639, phone (916) 989-7276.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CDPR first entered into an agreement with 
Reclamation in 1956 to manage recreation facilities at Folsom Lake and 
Lake Natoma. The area was later designated as Folsom Lake SRA. Most of 
the lands around both lakes are owned by Reclamation and managed by 
CDPR. With approximately 2.5 million visitors annually, Folsom Lake SRA 
is one of the most popular and heavily visited units within the 
California State Park System. Lake Natoma and portions of the popular 
32-mile American River Bike Trail are a part of the unit.
    The current GP for Folsom Lake SRA was completed in 1979. The plan 
currently being developed will also

[[Page 2574]]

serve as Reclamation's RMP for the area. The GP/RMP for Folsom Lake SRA 
will be a 2-year process. The GP/RMP will guide the long-term 
management of the SRA including protecting natural and cultural 
resources, providing for and management of public use and recreation 
opportunities, and outlining the development of future facilities. The 
plan update will include direction for the Folsom Powerhouse State 
Historic Park, a separate park unit that is administered in conjunction 
with Folsom Lake SRA.
    The GP/RMP will guide management decisions and activities by 
establishing long-term management direction, area-wide goals and 
objectives, actions necessary to achieve desired future conditions, 
identification of lands suitable or not suitable for resource use and 
production, and monitoring and evaluation requirements. The GP/RMP 
planning process will be an interdisciplinary effort between CDPR, 
Reclamation, other relevant agencies, stakeholders and the public. The 
CDPR and Reclamation will work collaboratively with interested parties 
to identify the management decisions that address local, regional, and 
national needs and concerns. The public participation process as 
outlined above will identify planning issues, develop planning 
criteria, and will include an evaluation of existing CDPR and 
Reclamation management plans in the context of the needs and interest 
of the public and the conservation of natural and cultural resources.
    Preliminary issues and management concerns have been identified by 
CDPR and Reclamation personnel and other agencies. The preliminary 
issues identified thus far represent the CDPR's and Reclamation's 
knowledge to date on the existing issues and concerns with current 
management, but are not limited to these. The major issue themes that 
will be addressed in the plan effort include: assessment of impacts to 
the unit's resources from adjacent development and recent road-widening 
projects; access to and transportation within the park including trails 
and boat ramp access; recreation/visitor use and safety; management and 
protection of public land resources; and potential future action 
including acquisition, and construction of new facilities. The public 
is encouraged to help identify additional management questions and 
concerns to be addressed in the plan.
    As part of the GP/RMP process, an EIR/EIS will be prepared in 
compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and 
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The EIR/EIS will 
evaluate the environmental impacts of the management actions and 
projects contained in the GP/RMP, as a whole, in a programmatic manner. 
As the GP/RMP is implemented over time, specific project proposals can 
tier from the EIR/EIS by further evaluating the details of the specific 
project through subsequent environmental review. The Draft EIR/EIS is 
projected to be available for public review for a 45-day early in 2004. 
Toward the end of the review period, a public hearing will be held in 
the vicinity of the Folsom Lake SRA to receive public comment on both 
the GP/RMP and Draft EIR/EIS.
    Our practice is to make comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents available for public review. Individual 
respondents may request that we withhold their home addresses from 
public disclosure, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. 
There may also be circumstances in which we would withhold a 
respondent's identity from public disclosure, 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 disclosure in their entirety.

    Dated: December 20, 2002.
Frank Michny,
Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 03-1075 Filed 1-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P