[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 16, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 33659]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-13517]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Availability of a Record of Decision on the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement/General Management Plan, Arkansas Post 
National Memorial, Arkansas

SUMMARY: On April 2, the Director, Midwest Region approved the Record 
of Decision for the project. As soon as practical, the National Park 
Service (NPS) will begin to implement the general management plan 
described as the preferred alternative (alternative B) contained in the 
final environmental impact statement (FEIS) issued on January 6. In the 
preferred alternative, the visitor center would be rehabilitated and 
expanded to better highlight the park's cultural and natural resources. 
The park staff would develop activities such as festivals and programs 
that focus on cultures that are associated with Arkansas Post National 
Memorial (ARPO). Interpretation of the resources associated with the 
Civil War battle would be enhanced to provide for greater visitor 
appreciation and understanding. The picnic area would be retained and 
an informal overflow parking area would be developed to accommodate 
these special events. Present road systems would be retained.
    At the Osotouy Unit, an access road and a small visitor contact 
station and a parking area would be developed in an area that is now an 
agricultural field. This area would include a staging area for group 
tours. Housing for a park ranger and an adjacent small maintenance area 
would be developed near by. A small research support facility would 
also be constructed on site and would provide the necessary support for 
scientific study at Osotouy. An interpretive loop trail focusing on 
American Indian Culture, Euro-American arrival and the interaction 
between the two cultures would be developed for the visitor contact 
station to the mounds with a portion along Lake Dumond.
    This alternative was deemed to be the environmentally preferred 
alternative, and it was determined that implementation of the selected 
actions will not constitute an impairment of park resources and values. 
This course of action and three alternatives were analyzed in the draft 
and FEIS. The full range of foreseeable environmental consequences was 
assessed, and appropriate mitigating measures identified.
    The full record of decision includes a statement of the decision 
made, synopses of other alternatives considered, the basis for the 
decision, a description of the environmentally preferable alternative, 
a finding on impairment of park resources and values, and a listing of 
measures to minimize environmental harm.

Basis for Decision

    In reaching its decision to select the preferred alternative, the 
NPS considered the purposes for which Arkansas Post National Memorial 
was established, and other laws and policies that apply to lands in the 
memorial, including the Organic Act, National Environmental Policy Act, 
and the NPS Management Policies. The NPS, also, carefully considered 
public comments received during the planning process.
    To develop a preliminary preferred alternative, the planning team 
evaluated the four draft alternatives that had been reviewed by the 
public. To minimize the influence of individual biases and opinions, 
the team used an objective analysis process called ``Choosing by 
Advantages.'' This process has been used extensively by government 
agencies and the private sector. Decision points identify the key 
choices that still remain to be made after all the mandates are taken 
into account and the park's purpose and significance are considered. 
For this general management plan, three ``decision points'' were 
identified:
    1. What level of development can be allowed while still preserving 
the park's cultural and natural resources unimpaired for future 
generation?
    2. What visitor use, including local recreational use, can be 
accommodated while preserving the integrity of the park's cultural and 
natural resources?
    3. How does the park best memorialize the legislated historical 
period while preserving park resources?
    These decision points were covered by looking at the varying 
degrees of these decision points: Alternative C emphasizes the 
preservation of cultural and natural resources of the park for future 
generations. In this alternative there are limited recreational areas 
and trails are kept to a minimum, offering very little interpretation 
or orientation for the park visitor. In this alternative, recreational 
use is minimized.
    Alternative D focuses on decision points 2 and 3. In this 
alternative, trails would be expanded and the park lake would be opened 
up for recreation. This alternative would seek to develop new ways for 
the public to gain an appreciation and understanding of the park's 
natural and cultural resources. Educational and interpretive goals 
would be emphasized though an array of recreational activities and 
visitor interpretation would emphasize the parks historical 
significance. This alternative, however, opens additional areas to 
recreation and interpretation and does not focus enough on the 
preservation of the park's cultural and natural resources for future 
generations.
    The preferred alternative, alternative B, best answers all three of 
these decision points by striking a balance between recreational use, 
cultural and natural resource preservation and memorizing the 
legislated historical period. By emphasizing interpretation of the 
area's 300 years of cultural cooperation, conflict, synthesis, and 
diversity, alternative B encompasses both recreational use and 
conservation of cultural and natural resources. A no-action 
alternative, alternative A was included for comparison.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent Edward Wood, Jr., 
Arkansas Post National Memorial, 1741 Old Post Road, Gillett, AR 72055; 
telephone 870-548-2207, or http://planning.nps.gov/plans.cfm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A limited number of individual copies of the 
Record of Decision may be obtained from the Superintendent listed 
above.

    Dated: April 21, 2004.
David N. Given,
Acting Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 04-13517 Filed 6-15-04; 8:45 am]
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