[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 50 (Friday, March 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12366-12368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6208]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


General Management Plan Revision, Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the General Management Plan Revision for Petrified Forest 
National Park.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 
U.S.C. 4332(C), the National Park Service announces the availability of 
a draft Environmental Impact Statement and General Management Plan 
Revision for Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona.

DATES: The draft Environmental Impact Statement and General Management 
Plan Revision will remain available for public review through May 13, 
2003. No

[[Page 12367]]

public meetings are scheduled at this time.
    If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments by any one of 
several methods. You may mail comments to Superintendent, Petrified 
Forest National Park, P.O. Box 2217, Petrified Forest National Park, 
Arizona 86028. You may also comment via the Internet to [email protected]. Please submit Internet comments either as an ASCII 
file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption, 
as a Microsoft Word file, or as a Word Perfect file. Please also 
include your name and return address in your Internet message. If you 
do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received 
your Internet message, contact us directly by calling Suzy Stutzman at 
303-987-6671. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to the Petrified 
Forest National Park visitor center or the Intermountain Support 
Office-Denver, 12795 W. Alameda Parkway, Lakewood, CO (room 186) 80228.
    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. 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. 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.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft Environmental Impact Statement and 
General Management Plan Revision are available from the Superintendent, 
Petrified Forest National Park, P.O. Box 2217, Petrified Forest 
National Park, Arizona 86028. The plan is also available on the 
Internet at: http://planning.nps.gov/plans.cfm.
    Public reading copies of the document will be available for review 
at the following locations:
Petrified Forest National Park,
P.O. Box 2217,
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona 86028,
Telephone: 928-672-2700.
Planning and Environmental Quality,
Intermountain Support Office--Denver,
National Park Service,
12795 W. Alameda Parkway,
Lakewood, CO 80228,
Telephone: (303) 987-6671.
Office of Public Affairs, National Park Service,
Department of Interior,
18th and C Streets NW.,
Washington, DC 20240,
Telephone: (202) 208-6843.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Petrified Forest 
National Park, at the above address and telephone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This General Management Plan Revision / 
Environmental Impact Statement describes and analyzes four alternatives 
for managing Petrified Forest National Park. The approved plan revision 
will help managers make decisions about managing resources, visitation, 
and development for the next 15 to 20 years. Issues addressed by the 
plan revision relate to use of Painted Desert Inn National Historic 
Landmark, staff housing needs, cultural landscape values, use and 
treatment of Painted Desert headquarters complex, museum collections, 
accommodating researchers, concessions, and providing for resource 
protection and visitor experience/understanding in different areas of 
the park.
    Alternative 1, the no-action alternative, would continue present 
management. It provides a baseline for understanding changes and 
impacts of the other alternatives. There would be no new construction 
or major changes, and the park would be operated and maintained as 
before. Resources would be protected as funding allows. Visitor and 
operational facilities would remain concentrated in the Painted Desert 
and Rainbow Forest areas. Some areas would be closed or access modified 
to address harmful resource impacts. Visitor uses would be reassessed 
and revised as new information about natural and cultural resource 
impacts becomes available. Museum collections would be stored offsite 
and in the park, some in substandard facilities. In alternative 2, the 
preferred alternative, reusing and maintaining the historic integrity 
of Painted Desert headquarters complex would be a priority. Visitor 
services at Painted Desert Inn (rehabilitated) would be expanded. 
Facility improvements would be made at Rainbow Forest. Park lands would 
be managed similar to now, but with greater protection for natural and 
cultural resources from increased monitoring and adapting to new 
information. Some trails and turnouts would be added, and visitor hours 
would be expanded in the north. Most park collections would be housed 
in a new facility at headquarters. In alternative 3, the park would be 
managed as a fossil resource preserve. Painted Desert Inn and the 
headquarters complex would be rehabilitated and adaptively reused. 
Improvements would be made at Rainbow Forest developed area. This 
alternative would provide the most protection for natural and cultural 
resources. Visitors would be encouraged to explore the park primarily 
in selected frontcountry areas. Some sensitive areas would be closed to 
visitor use. Backcountry access would be managed with permits and/or 
other methods (e.g., guided access only). Interpretive services would 
be expanded to increase understanding of park resources. Park 
collections would be reunited at the park in a new facility. In 
alternative 4, resources would be protected while more opportunities to 
experience park resources would be provided. Visitor services at 
Painted Desert Inn (rehabilitated) would be expanded. Painted Desert 
headquarters complex would be demolished and rebuilt in phases in the 
same location. Improvements would be made at Rainbow Forest developed 
area. New trails, turnouts, and other options would expand 
opportunities to experience and understand park resources. Visitor 
hours would be expanded in the north. Park collections would be moved 
to institutions and/or agency facilities outside the park that meet 
National Park Service standards.
    This document includes discussion of the potential environmental 
consequences of each alternative. Notable impacts of alternative 1 
include adverse impacts to the Painted Desert headquarters complex and 
historic residences near the Painted Desert Inn from continued 
deterioration; adverse impacts on museum collections from inadequate 
facilities, limited work space, and inaccuracies in recordkeeping; 
adverse impacts on archeological resources and petrified wood and other 
fossils, primarily from visitor use; adverse impacts on visitor 
experience and appreciation from dated interpretive materials and lack 
of opportunities and accessibility. Notable impacts of alternative 2 
include potential adverse impacts to archeological sites and petrified 
wood from new trails; adverse impacts to Rainbow Forest cultural 
landscape from parking and walkway realignment; beneficial impacts to 
park collections from construction of a new collections facility; 
beneficial impacts on visitor experience and appreciation from new 
turnouts, trails, and facility improvements; beneficial impacts to

[[Page 12368]]

park operations from improved work conditions and facilities. Impacts 
of alternative 3 include adverse impacts to Rainbow Forest cultural 
landscape from parking and walkway realignment; beneficial impacts on 
archeological sites and petrified wood from reducing trails and 
controlling backcountry use; adverse impacts to operations from new 
visitor programs; beneficial impacts on park operations from improved 
work conditions and facilities. Impacts of alternative 4 include 
adverse impacts to Rainbow Forest cultural landscape from parking and 
walkway realignment; adverse impacts to archeological sites and 
petrified wood from new trails and turnouts; beneficial impacts on 
visitor experience and appreciation from new facilities, turnouts, 
trails, and expanded services; beneficial impacts to park operations 
from new facilities and removal of deteriorating structures.

    Dated: January 24, 2003.
Karen P. Wade,
Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 03-6208 Filed 3-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P