[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 133 (Friday, July 11, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41398-41399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-17549]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Availability of the Wilderness Study, Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, 
Wisconsin

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) announces 
the availability of the draft wilderness study/environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin. This 
notice is being furnished as required by NEPA Act Regulations 40 CFR 
1501.7.

DATES: There will be a 90-day public review period for comments on this 
document. Comments on the draft wilderness study/EIS must be received 
no later than 90 days after the Environmental Protection Agency 
publishes its notice of availability in the Federal Register. As 
required under section 3(d) (1) of the Wilderness Act, a public hearing 
will be held on the

[[Page 41399]]

draft wilderness study on August 27, from 2-4:30 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m. 
at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. The center is located on 
County Road G, one-half mile west of the junction of U.S. 2 and State 
Highway 13, west of Ashland, Wisconsin. In addition, public open houses 
for information about, or to make comment on, the draft wilderness 
study/EIS will be held in the region during the comment period. These 
open houses will be announced in the local media and on the park Web 
site when they are scheduled. Information about meeting times and 
places will be available by contacting the park's headquarters at 715-
779-3398, extension 102, or visiting the park's Web site at http://www.nps.gov/apis/wstudy.htm.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft wilderness study/EIS are available by 
request by writing to Mr. Jim Nepstad, Wilderness Study Coordinator, 
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Route 1, Box 4, Bayfield, Wisconsin 
54814, by phone 715-779-3398, extension 102, or by e-mail message at 
[email protected]. The document can be picked-up in person at the 
park's headquarters at 415 Washington Avenue, Bayfield, Wisconsin.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jim Nepstad, Wilderness Study 
Coordinator, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Route 1, Box 4, 
Bayfield, Wisconsin 54814, or by calling 715-779-3198, extension 102.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Wilderness Act and the NPS management 
policies require all lands administered by the NPS be evaluated for 
their suitability for inclusion within the national wilderness 
preservation system. The purpose of this wilderness study is to 
determine if and where lands and waters within the Apostle Islands 
National Lakeshore should be proposed for wilderness designation. The 
study identifies four possible wilderness configurations within the 
park, including a no wilderness alternative, and evaluates their 
effects. Based on the findings of this study, a formal wilderness 
proposal may be submitted to the Director of the NPS for approval and 
subsequent consideration by the Department of the Interior, the 
President, and Congress under the provisions of the Wilderness Act.
    Persons wishing to comment may do so by any one of several methods. 
They may attend the public hearing or open houses noted above. They may 
mail comments to Mr. Jim Nepstad, Wilderness Study Coordinator, Apostle 
Islands National Lakeshore, Route 1, Box 4, Bayfield, Wisconsin 54814. 
They also may comment via e-mail to [email protected] (please 
include name and return address in the e-mail message). Finally, they 
may hand-deliver comments to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore 
headquarters at 415 Washington Avenue, Bayfield, Wisconsin.
    It is the practice of the NPS 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 identify, 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. Ernest Quintana, Acting Midwest 
Regional Director, NPS.

    Dated: June 6, 2003.
David N. Given,
Acting Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 03-17549 Filed 7-10-03; 8:45 am]
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