[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 155 (Friday, August 12, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47225-47226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15936]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

National Park Service

[ID 231 1610 DQ 051D]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Management Plan and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Craters of the Moon 
National Monument and Preserve

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

ACTION: Issuance of a Notice of Availability of a Final EIS for a 
Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP)/General Management Plan 
(hereinafter, Proposed Plan/Final EIS), for the Craters of the Moon 
National Monument and Preserve. The Monument is located in Blaine, 
Butte, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Power Counties, in Idaho.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, the National Park and Recreation Act of 1978, and the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the BLM and the NPS have jointly 
prepared a Proposed Plan/Final EIS for the Craters of the Moon National 
Monument and Preserve. The Proposed Plan would provide direction for 
the management of approximately 740,000 acres of federally-managed land 
in Blaine, Butte, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Power Counties in south-
central Idaho. In would replace the NPS' Craters of the Moon National 
Monument General Management Plan and portions of the following BLM 
plans: Big Desert, Big Lost, and Sun Valley Management Framework Plans; 
and the Monument RMP.

DATES: No decision on the Proposed Plan will be made for at least 30 
days after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its 
notice of availability of this final EIS in the Federal Register. BLM 
regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any person who participated in 
the planning process and has an interest that may be adversely affected 
may protest those proposed decisions that would be implemented on BLM-
administered lands. The protest must be filed within 30 days of the 
date that the EPA publishes its notice of availability.
    The NPS regulations do not provide a formal protest process. 
Persons wishing to communicate with the Regional Director of the NPS 
during the 30 days after the EPA's notice is published may do so, 
however, by writing to Jonathan B. Jarvis, Regional Director, National 
Park Service, 1111 Jackson Street, Oakland CA 94607. Instructions for 
filing protests with the BLM are included in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this notice.

ADDRESSES: The Proposed Plan/Final EIS is posted on Web sites at http://www.id.blm.gov/planning/craters/index.htm or http://www.nps.gov/crmo 
and has been mailed to those who have indicated that they want to 
receive it in hard copy or on a compact disk. Additional copies in both 
paper and digital format are available in limited numbers. To receive a 
copy, write or call one of the individuals identified in the next 
paragraph.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard VanderVoet, Monument Manager, 
Bureau of Land Management, Shoshone Field Office, 400 West F Streets, 
Shoshone, ID 83352-1522, phone (208) 732-7200; or Jim Morris, 
Superintendent, National Park Service, P.O. Box 29, Arco, ID 83213, 
phone (208) 527-3257.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  Established in 1924, the Craters of the 
Moon National Monument was expanded by Presidential Proclamation 7373 
on November 9, 2000, for the purpose of protecting the entire Great 
Rift volcanic zone and associated lava features, all objects of 
scientific interest. On August 21, 2002, Public Law 107-213 
redesignated the National Park Service portion of the expanded Monument 
as a National Preserve. The BLM and NPS are managing the National 
Monument and Preserve cooperatively and are preparing one management 
plan to be implemented by both agencies.
    The Final EIS discusses public and agency comments received on the 
draft EIS, and describes and analyzes four alternative management 
strategies, each presenting a different approach to resolving issues 
identified through public scoping. Alternative A is the ``no action'' 
or continuation of present management alternative. Alternative B would 
promote more travel and accesses within the Monument. Alternative C 
would emphasize retention and enhancement of the Monument's primitive 
character. The Proposed Plan is Alternative D, the agency preferred 
alternative from the draft Plan/EIS, refined by public comment. 
Alternative D, which emphasizes protection and restoration of physical 
and biological resources, is also considered to be the environmentally 
preferred alternative.
    The key components of the Proposed Plan are as follows:
     Promotes use of partnerships at off-site facilities such 
as visitor centers and state parks to provide Monument information and 
interpretation.
     Emphasizes protection of vegetation resources in North 
Laidlaw Park.
     Maintains a road network suitable for aggressive fire 
suppression and restoration activities within the Monument.
     Encourage outfitter and guide services in the expanded 
portion of the Monument, instead of new agency-provided services and 
facilities.
     Promotes a proactive Integrated Weed Management Program.
     Proactively protects and restores sagebrush steppe 
communities.
     Continues to focus visitor experience within the Monument 
on the existing lands and facilities located at the north end of the 
Monument.
     Continues management of the wilderness area within the 
original National Monument boundary and the wilderness study areas that 
are awaiting Congressional action. Proposes a joint NPS/BLM wilderness/
WSA management plan.
    Protests regarding proposed decisions affecting BLM-administered 
lands must be in writing and filed with the BLM Director. Protests may 
raise only those issues that were submitted for the record during the 
planning process. 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 the 
protest period. Under these conditions the BLM will consider the e-mail 
or faxed protest as an advance copy, and it will receive full 
consideration. If you wish to provide the 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]. Please direct the follow-up letters to the 
appropriate address provided below. To be considered complete, your 
protest must contain at minimum, the following information:
    (1) The name, mailing address, telephone number and interest of the 
person filing the protest; (2) at statement of the issue or issues 
being protested; (3) A statement of the part or parts of the plan being 
protested; (4) a copy of all documents addressing the issue or issues 
that were submitted during the planning process by the protesting party 
or an indication of the date the issue or issues were discussed for the 
record; and (5) a concise statement explaining why the State Director's 
decision is believed to be wrong. A protest merely expressing 
disagreement with the State

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Director's proposed decision without providing any supporting data will 
not be considered a valid protest.
    All written protests must be mailed to one of the following 
addresses:
    Regular Mail: Director, WO-210/LS-1075, Bureau of Land Management, 
Attn: Brenda Hudgens-Williams, Department of the Interior, P.O. Box 
66538, Washington, DC 20035
    Overnight Mail: Director, WO-210/LS-1075, Bureau of Land 
Management, Attn: Brenda Hudgens-Williams, Department of the Interior, 
1610 L Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036
    To be considered timely, your protest must be postmarked no later 
than the last day of the protest period. Though not a requirement, it 
is suggested that protests be sent by certified mail, return receipt 
requested. You are also encouraged, but not required, to forward a copy 
of your protest to the Monument Manager at the address listed above 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. This may allow the BLM to 
resolve the protest through clarification of intent or discussion with 
the protestor.
    Please note that protests, including names and street addresses, 
are available for public review and/or release under the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA). Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. Respondents who wish to withhold their name and/or 
street address from public review or from disclosure under FOIA must 
state so prominently at the beginning of the written correspondence. 
Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representing organizations or businesses, 
will be made available for public inspection in their entirety.
    Following resolution of any protests of the proposed decision, a 
joint record of decision will be signed by the Regional Director of the 
Pacific West Region of the National Park Service and the State Director 
of the Bureau of Land Management for Idaho. A notice of availability of 
the record of decision will be published in the Federal Register and 
through local news media.

    Dated: April 20, 2005.
K. Lynn Bennett,
Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Director.
    Dated: April 27, 2005.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
National Park Service, Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 05-15936 Filed 8-11-05; 8:45 am]
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