[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 151 (Wednesday, August 6, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46661-46662]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19963]


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DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

National Park Service


Fire Management Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, Bandelier 
National Monument, NM

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Fire Management Plan for Bandelier National Monument.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 
U.S.C. 4332 (C) the National Park Service is preparing an Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Fire Management Plan for Bandelier National 
Monument. This effort will result in a new wildland fire management 
plan that meets current policies, provides a framework for making fire-
related decisions, and serves as an operational manual. Development of 
a new fire plan is compatible with the broader goals and objectives 
derived from the park purpose that governs resources management. 
Alternatives to be considered in addition to the required no-action 
alternative include: 1. In-park comprehensive action alternative, 2. 
the cooperative comprehensive management alternative, and 3. the 
limited strategies alternative. The no-action alternative maintains the 
current 1997 fire management plan strategy of suppression, wildland 
fire use, and prescribed burning. The In-park comprehensive alternative 
is a fully integrated fire management plan with all strategies 
available for use within park boundaries including suppression, 
mechanical thinning and prescribed and natural fires that meet 
management objectives. The cooperative comprehensive management 
alternative also is a fully integrated fire management plan with all 
strategies available. Opportunities for cooperative planning with 
interagency partners and adjacent land managers would be encouraged. 
The limited strategies alternative would allow the limited use of 
prescribed burning, limited manual (i.e.: chainsaw) thinning in 
developed areas only, and does not allow wildland fire use.
    Major issues are environmental effects of the FMP that are 
potential problems. These include: protection of cultural resources, 
restoration of plant and wildlife habitats, habitat protection for 
threatened and endangered species, protection of park neighbors' 
properties, protection of air quality values, protection of life and 
property, and changes in landscape-scale vegetation patterns.
    A scoping brochure has been prepared describing the issues 
identified to date. The brochure is available for downloading as a pdf 
document from Bandelier National Monument's Web site at http://www.nps.gov/band. To obtain a paper copy of the brochure, write to the 
Fire Management Office, Bandelier National Monument, HCR 1, Box 1, 
Suite 15, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544.

DATES: The Park Service will accept comments from the public through 
September 5, 2003.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment on the scoping brochure, you may 
submit your comments by any one of several methods. You may mail 
comments to Fire Management Office, Bandelier National Monument, HCR 1, 
Box 1, Suite 15, Los Alamos, NM 87544. You may also comment via e-mail 
to BAND

[[Page 46662]]

[email protected]. Please submit electronic comments as an ASCII file 
avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. If 
you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received 
your message, contact us directly at Bandelier Fire Management Office 
at 505-672-3861 x512. Finally you may hand-deliver comments to 
Bandelier National Monument or at public meetings that will be held Los 
Alamos and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Whittington, Bandelier National 
Monument, 505-672-3861 x512.

    Dated: June 11, 2003.
Michael D. Snyder,
Deputy Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 03-19963 Filed 8-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-EW-M