[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 85 (Friday, May 2, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23485-23486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10907]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement on the General Management Plan Amendment and Development 
Concept Plan for Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery, an 
Administrative Unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and 
Preserve, Louisiana

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the National Park Service (Service) will 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to accompany its 
General Management Plan Amendment and Development Concept Plan (GMPA/
DCP) for Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery. The Service will 
conduct public scoping meetings in the local area to receive input from 
interested parties on issues, concerns, and suggestions pertinent to 
managing cultural and natural resource conditions and visitor 
experiences at the site.

[[Page 23486]]

Duration of the comment period for public scoping will be announced at 
the meetings and will be published on the Jean Lafitte National 
Historical Park and Preserve website at http://www.nps.gov/jela.

DATES: Locations, dates, and times of public scoping meetings will be 
published in local newspapers and may also be obtained by calling Jean 
Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. This information will 
also be published on the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and 
Preserve website.

ADDRESS: Scoping suggestions should be submitted to the following 
address to ensure adequate consideration by the Service: 
Superintendent, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, 419 
Rue Decatur, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130-1142, Telephone: 504-589-
3882.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Jean Lafitte National 
Historical Park and Preserve, 419 Rue Decatur, New Orleans, Louisiana 
70130-1142, Telephone: 504-589-3882.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Park Service has announced that 
an EIS will be prepared for this GMPA/DCP. To comply with Service and 
NEPA policy, a formal scoping period is announced.
    Comments are invited on any issue believed to be relevant to the 
management of Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery and should be 
submitted to the Superintendent whose address is given above. Public 
scoping meetings will be held in the local area and the dates and times 
may be obtained from local newspapers, the Jean Lafitte National 
Historical Park and Preserve website, or by calling Jean Lafitte 
National Historical Park and Preserve. We urge that comments and 
suggestions be made in writing.
    Our practice is to make the public comments we receive in response 
to planning documents, including names and home addresses of 
respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. 
If you wish for us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state 
this prominently at the beginning of your comment. Anonymous comments 
will be included in the public record; however, the Service is not 
legally required to consider or respond to 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.
    Issues currently being considered include determining the most 
appropriate use of existing structures, enhancement of vehicle and 
pedestrian circulation, identification of future infrastructure needs, 
and how to best fulfill the park's interpretive mission. Central to 
these issues is definition of the national battlefield and cemetery's 
mission, purpose, and significance. The plan will identify desired 
future conditions for cultural and natural resources and visitor 
experiences for various management units within Chalmette Battlefield 
and National Cemetery. A schematic site design will be developed to 
further define potential physical changes to the historic landscape. A 
draft GMPA/DCP/EIS will be prepared and presented to the public for 
review and comment, followed by preparation and availability of the 
final GMPA/DCP/EIS.
    The responsible official for this environmental impact statement is 
William W. Schenk, Regional Director, National Park Service, Southeast 
Region, 100 Alabama Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

    Dated: April 17, 2003.
W. Thomas Brown,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 03-10907 Filed 5-1-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P