[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 5919]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-2716]


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

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Cuyahoga Valley National Park EIS Availability

AGENCY: National Park Service.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft rural landscape management 
program Environmental Impact Statement for Cuyahoga Valley National 
Park, Ohio.

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

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) announces the 
availability of the draft rural landscape management program 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Cuyahoga Valley National 
Park, Ohio (hereafter ``the Park'').

DATES: There will be a 60-day public review period for comments on this 
document. Comments on the DEIS must be received no later than 60-days 
after the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice of 
availability in the Federal Register. Public open houses for 
information about, or to make comment on, the DEIS will be announced in 
the local media and the Park's web site when they are scheduled. 
Information about meeting time and place will be available by 
contacting the Park's communications center at 440-526-5256 or visiting 
the Park's web site at: http://www.nps.gov/cuva/management/rmprojects/ruraleis/.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the DEIS are available by request by writing to 
Superintendent, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 15610 Vaughn Road, 
Brecksville, OH 44141, by phone 440-546-5903, or by e-mail [email protected]. A downloadable on-line version of the document 
is available at: http://www.nps.gov/cuva/management/rmprojects/ruraleis/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Cuyahoga Valley 
National Park, 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville, OH 44141, or by phone 
440-546-5903.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The preservation of the rural landscape is 
central to the Park's legislative mandate. The law, that established 
the Park, mandates the ``preservation of the historic, scenic, natural, 
and recreational values of the Cuyahoga Valley'' (Public Law 93-555, 
1974). One component of the historic and scenic values of the Park is 
the rural landscape--lands and structures modified by humans for 
agricultural use. Throughout the Park's history, efforts to preserve 
the rural landscape have been sporadic; there has never been a 
comprehensive program to manage the rural landscape. As a result, many 
of the Park's rural landscape resources have been lost. Therefore, the 
Park is proposing to better protect and revitalize this cultural 
resource by implementing an integrated rural landscape management 
program, with the goal of more effectively and systematically 
preserving and protecting the rural landscape resources in the Park. 
The DEIS describes and analyzes the environmental impacts of 
alternatives and their associated impacts. In the Park's preferred 
alternative (alternative 2--Countryside Initiative), the rural 
landscape would be managed largely by issuing long-term leases to 
private individuals for the purpose of conducting sustainable 
agricultural activities. Two additional action alternatives and a no 
action alternative are evaluated in this EIS.
    Persons wishing to comment may do so by any one of several methods. 
They may attend the open houses noted above. They may mail comments to 
Superintendent, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 15610 Vaughn Road, 
Brecksville, OH 44141. They also may comment via e-mail to [email protected] (include name and return address in the e-mail 
message). Finally, they may hand-deliver comments to Park Headquarters, 
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville, OH 
44141.
    The NPS' 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. 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.
    The responsible official is Mr. William Schenk, Midwest Regional 
Director.

    Dated: December 17, 2002.
William W. Schenk,
Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 03-2716 Filed 2-4-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P