[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 84 (Friday, April 30, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23811-23812]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-9745]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-930-03-1610-DS-005G]


Notice of Availability of Proposed Plan and Final Environmental 
Impact Statement

AGENCY: National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 
Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a proposed plan and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for El Camino Real de Tierra 
Adentro National Historic Trail, and proposed amendments to the Taos, 
Mimbres, and White Sands Resource Management Plans (RMPs), New Mexico.

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SUMMARY: The NPS and the BLM announce the availability of the proposed 
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail Comprehensive 
Management Plan (CMP) and FEIS. The proposed plan would provide for 
active resource protection, preservation, and visitor use, reflecting 
the public's vision for managing the trail between El Paso, Texas, and 
San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico. Trail management would be conducted 
cooperatively with both public and private partners. The proposed plan 
also would amend the BLM's Taos, White Sands, and Mimbres RMPs related 
to protection of scenic values.
    Added to the National Trails System in October 2000, El Camino Real 
de Tierra Adentro (Royal Road of the Interior) National Historic Trail 
(NHT) recognizes the primary route between the colonial Spanish capital 
of Mexico City and the Spanish provincial capitals at San Juan de Los 
Caballeros (1598-1600), San Gabriel (1600-1609), and then Santa Fe 
(1610-1821). The NHT, as designated, extends 404 miles from El Paso, 
Texas, to San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico. This CMP/FEIS focuses on the 
NHT's purpose and significance, issues and concerns related to current 
conditions along the NHT, resource protection, visitor experience and 
use, and long-term administrative and management objectives. Elements 
of the plan have been developed in cooperation with Federal, State, and 
local agencies, as well as nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations 
`` the entities that will form the core of partnerships with the NHT. 
Community meetings were held in Alcalde, Espa[ntilde]ola, Santa Fe, 
Albuquerque, Socorro, Truth or Consequences, Sunland Park, and Las 
Cruces, New Mexico, as well as in El Paso, Texas; meetings also were 
held with several North American Indian Pueblos. The preferred 
alternative from the Draft CMP/DEIS is carried forward in the proposed 
CMP/FEIS as the proposed comprehensive management plan. The preferred 
alternative (proposed plan) would implement the provisions of the 
National Trails Systems Act, reflect the public's vision for the 
administration and management of the trail, and implement an ambitious 
program of resource preservation and visitor use. Trail administration 
and partners would work cooperatively to provide coordinated 
programming and activities that integrate themes, resources, and 
landscapes at certified sites on private land or protected sites on 
public land. Resources that best illustrate the trail's significance 
would be identified and protected on both public and private land 
(high-potential sites and segments). Certification priorities would be 
placed upon sites and segments supporting interpretive and educational 
programming and protecting significant resources. An auto tour route 
would be established. A bi-national approach with Mexico would promote 
activities such as interpretation, events, and signage. The BLM's Taos, 
White Sands, and Mimbres RMPs would be amended to protect important 
scenic values.

DATES: Protests on the New Mexico BLM State Director's proposed 
decisions must be received within 30 days from the date that the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes a notice of availability and 
filing of the proposed plan/FEIS in the Federal Register. Please see 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for instructions 
on filing protests.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Team Leader Harry Myers, El Camino 
Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, National Park Service, 
Long Distance Trails Office, P.O. Box 728, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-
0728; or Team Leader Sarah Schlanger, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro 
National Historic Trail, Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State 
Office, P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502-0115.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft CMP/EIS was made available for 
public review and comment from October 18, 2002, to January 15, 2003. 
Six public meetings were held to solicit comments; comments were also 
provided by mail, e-mail, and through the project Web site 
www.elcaminoreal.org. A total of 54 individuals representing private 
concerns, State, or Federal agencies outside BLM and NPS submitted 47 
comments documents. Of these, 18 were exact text duplicates printed on 
separate letterhead. Comment documents generated some 66 separate 
comments that were assessed and utilized in strengthening the CMP/FEIS. 
The preferred alternative presented in the draft CMP/EIS has been 
brought forward, with minor modifications, as the proposed CMP.
    Copies of this document have been mailed to individuals who 
submitted original letters or e-mails, or who provided comments at the 
public meetings, as well as appropriate state and Federal agencies and 
local and tribal governments. In addition, copies have been sent to 
those persons who received copies of the draft and requested to be on 
the mailing list for the CMP/FEIS. The CMP/FEIS is available for review 
at the Camino Real Administration Office, 1100 Old Santa Fe Trail, 
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505. The document is also available on the 
Internet at www.elcaminoreal.org.
    The BLM planning regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any 
person who participated in the planning process and has an interest 
which may be adversely affected may protest. A protest may raise only 
those issues which were submitted for the record during the planning 
process. The protest must be filed within 30 days of the date that the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of receipt of the 
Proposed Plan/FEIS. All protests must be in writing and mailed to the 
following address:
Regular Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box 
66538, Washington, DC 20035.
Overnight Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, 1620 L 
Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036.

The protest must contain:

[[Page 23812]]

    a. The name, mailing address, telephone number, and interest of the 
person filing the protest.
    b. A statement of the part or parts of the plan and the issue or 
issues being protested.
    c. A copy of all documents addressing the issue(s) that the 
protesting party submitted during the planning process or a statement 
of the date they were discussed for the record.
    d. A concise statement explaining why the protestor believes the 
New Mexico BLM State Director's decision is wrong.
    E-mail and faxed protests will not be accepted as valid protests 
unless the protesting party also provides the original letter by either 
regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest 
period. Under these conditions, BLM will consider the e-mail or faxed 
protest as an advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If 
you wish to provide BLM with such advance notification, please direct 
faxed protests to the attention of the BLM protest coordinator at 202-
452-5112, and e-mails to [email protected].
    Plan approval will be documented in a Record of Decision that will 
be made available to the public and mailed to all interested parties. 
The Camino Real Administration plans to use the CMP as the framework 
for pursuing collaborative management of trail resources. Comprehensive 
management plan implementation usually involves on-the-ground 
management actions and permitted uses that require further analysis and 
decision making including public involvement and allows for appeals of 
decisions under applicable regulations.

Carsten F. Goff,
Acting State Director, BLM--New Mexico/Oklahoma/Texas.
Michael D. Snyder,
Deputy Regional Director, NPS, Intermountain Region.
[FR Doc. 04-9745 Filed 4-29-04; 8:45 am]
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