[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 50 (Friday, March 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 12368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6200]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR


Notice of Availability of a General Management Plan

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a General Management Plan, Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service announces the 
availability of a draft Environmental Impact Statement and General 
Management Plan (DEIS/GMP) for Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C. The 
DEIS/GMP evaluates four alternatives for the park. The document 
describes and analyzes the environmental impacts of three action 
alternatives and a no-action alternative. When approved, the plan will 
guide management actions during the next 15-20 years.
    Alternatives: Alternative A would improve visitor safety, better 
control traffic volumes and speeds through the park, enhance 
interpretation and educational opportunities, and improve the use of 
park resources, especially cultural resources. It generally would 
retain the current scope of visitor uses. In Alternative B, the no 
action alternative, Rock Creek Park and the Rock Creek and Potomac 
Parkway would be maintained as they have evolved thus far. There would 
not be any major changes in resources management, visitor programs, or 
facilities beyond regular maintenance. The current park road system 
would be retained and existing traffic management would continue. 
Developed in response to comments by members of the public who want to 
promote non-motorized recreation, Alternative C would eliminate traffic 
in much of the northern part of the park by closing three sections of 
Beach Drive to automobiles at all times. These would be the same three 
segments that currently are closed on weekends. It also would implement 
traffic-reducing and traffic-calming measures on roads in the southern 
portion of the park and on the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. Under 
Alternative C management of resources other than traffic would be the 
same as those listed above for Alternative A. Alternative D was 
developed in response to a letter sent to the National Park Service by 
the Mayor of Washington, DC. Alternative D, the National Park Service's 
preferred alternative, would close three segments of Beach Drive in the 
northern portion of the park to motorized vehicles for a 6-hour period, 
from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. These would be the same 
segments that currently are closed on weekends. For the other 18 hours 
of each weekday, including both rush-hour periods, traffic management 
would be similar to Alternative B, although traffic-calming measures 
like those in Alternative A would be used to reduce speeds. Under 
Alternative D management of resources other than traffic would be in 
the same manner as presented above for Alternative A.
    Public Review: A 90-day public review period for comment on the 
draft document will begin after publication of this notice. In order to 
facilitate the review process, public reading copies of the DEIS/GMP 
will be available for review at the following locations:

Rock Creek Park, 3545 Williamsburg Lane,Washington, DC 20008.
National Capital Region, National Park Service, Lobby,1100 Ohio Drive, 
NW., Washington, DC 20242.

    In addition, the document will be posted on the National Park 
Service Planning site under: http://www.nps.gov/rocr/. Comments on the 
draft DEIS/GMP should be received (or transmitted by e-mail) no later 
than 60 days after publication of this Federal Register notice. Written 
comments may be submitted to: Craig Cellar, National Park Service, P.O. 
Box 25287, Denver, CO 80225-0287 or e-mailed to: [email protected].
    All comments received will be available for public review at Rock 
Creek Park headquarters. If individuals submitting comments request 
that their name and/or 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 National Park Service will withhold a 
respondent's identity as allowable by law. As always, the National Park 
Service will make available for public inspection all submissions from 
organizations or businesses and from persons identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations and businesses. Anonymous 
comments may not be considered.
    There will also be a public meeting with a date and location to be 
determined. The meeting will take place no later than two weeks prior 
to the closing of the public comment period. The date, time and 
location of the meeting will be identified in local newspapers as well 
as on the Internet at http://www.nps.gov/rocr.
    Decision Process: Notice of the availability of the final document 
will be published in the Federal Register. Subsequently, notice of an 
approved Record of Decision will be published in the Federal Register 
not sooner than 30 days after the final document is distributed. The 
official responsible for the decision is the Regional Director, 
National Capital Region, National Park Service; the official 
responsible for implementation is the Superintendent of Rock Creek 
Park.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Superintendent Adrienne Applewhaite-
Coleman, Rock Creek Park, 3545 Williamsburg Lane, Washington, DC 20008, 
phone 202-895-6000, fax 202-895-6015, e-mail: [email protected].

Terry R. Carlstrom,
Regional Director, National Capital Region.
[FR Doc. 03-6200 Filed 3-13-03; 8:45 am]
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