[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 209 (Friday, October 29, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63171-63172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-24174]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary


National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; Westfield River, 
Massachusetts

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOI.

ACTION: Approval of application.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Interior hereby announces approval of an 
application by the Governor of Massachusetts to expand the designation 
of the Westfield River, Massachusetts and tributaries as a State- and 
local-administered component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 
System. The effect of this action will be that 34.8 miles of river will 
be added to the previously designated 43.3 miles. The river and 
affected lands will continue to be administered by State and local 
authorities without expense to the United States.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jamie Fosburgh, National Park Service, 
Northeast Region, 15 State Street, Boston, MA 02109, (617) 223-5191 
([email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the authority granted the 
Secretary of the Interior by section 2(a)(ii) of the Wild and Scenic 
Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1273(a)(ii)), and upon proper application of the 
Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 34.8 miles of the 
Westfield River, its three branches, and headwater tributaries are 
hereby added to the 43.3 miles of the Westfield River previously 
designated as State-administered components of the National Wild and 
Scenic Rivers System on November 16, 1993.
    On April 26, 2002, the Governor of the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts petitioned the Secretary of the Interior to add 34.8 
miles of the Westfield River and tributaries to the National System. 
These river segments had been designated a Local Scenic River on 
December 5, 2001, pursuant to the Massachusetts Scenic and Recreational 
Rivers Act. In response to the Governor's request, the National Park 
Service conducted a complete review of the State application and 
documents associated with the designation decision. As a result of that 
review, the Secretary has determined that 34.8 miles of the Westfield 
and its tributaries should be designated as a State-administered 
component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, as provided 
for in section 2(a)(ii) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA).
    The State of Massachusetts has fulfilled the requirement of the 
WSRA by designating these segments as ``Local Scenic River'' and by 
adopting a program of action that will adequately protect the river 
from adverse State actions. The National Park Service evaluation of the 
river concluded that these segments of the Westfield River meet the 
criteria for wild, scenic, and recreational classification under the 
WSRA. Accordingly, the following river segments are classified as wild, 
scenic, or recreational pursuant to section 2(b) of the WSRA to be 
administered by State and local government: Wild: Shaker Mill Brook, 
2.6 miles from Brooker Hill Road in Becket to its headwaters. Scenic: 
Upper East Branch, 6.6 miles from the Windsor/Cummington town line to 
its confluence; Upper East Branch Tributaries--Drowned Land Brook, 1.5 
miles; Center Brook, 2.5 miles; and Windsor Jambs Brook, 1.3 miles; and 
Headwater Tributaries of the West Branch--Shaker Mill Brook, 1.2 miles 
from Brooker Hill Road in Becket to its confluence; Depot Brook, 4.5 
miles; Savery Brook, 2.9 miles; Watson Brook, 1.9 miles; and Center 
Pond Brook, 1.6 miles from Center Pond to its confluence.
    Recreational: Lower Middle Branch, East Branch, and Main Stem, 3.2 
miles in the Town of Huntington and the Upper East Branch, 5.0 miles 
from its confluence with Sykes Brook to its confluence with the West 
Branch.
    This action is taken following public involvement and consultation 
with the Departments of Agriculture, Army, Energy, and Transportation, 
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency as required by section 4(c) of the WSRA. A 45-day 
period for public comment on the State's application and river 
management plan of the proposed national designation was provided from 
April 10, 2003, to May 27, 2003. All comments received have been 
carefully considered. A 30-day period of public comment on the 
environmental assessment was provided from May 4, 2004, to June 4, 
2004. No comments were received on the Environmental Assessment.
    Notice is hereby given that, effective upon this date, the above-
described river segments are approved for inclusion in the National 
Wild and Scenic Rivers System to be administered

[[Page 63172]]

by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and local jurisdictions.

    Dated: September 28, 2004.
Gale A. Norton,
Secretary of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 04-24174 Filed 10-28-04; 8:45 am]
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