[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 13, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73795-73796]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23966]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact for the 
General Management Plan, Rock Creek Park, and the Rock Creek and 
Potomac Parkway

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 
U.S.C. 4332(c), the National Park Service announces the availability of 
the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management 
Plan, Rock Creek Park and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway (FEIS/
GMP), a unit of the National Park System within the District of 
Columbia.

DATES: The FEIS/GMP will be made available to the public for review and 
comment until February 13, 2006. During the 60 day period the National 
Park Service will take no action and will accept further public comment 
on the final plan. A 90-day public review period took place on the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan, 
Rock Creek Park and Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway (DEIS/GMP) from 
April 15 to July 15, 2003 (68 FR 12368). Responses to public comment 
are addressed in the FEIS/GMP.

ADDRESSES: The document will be available for public review at:
     Office of the Superintendent, Rock Creek Park, 3545 
Williamsburg Lane, NW., Washington, DC 20008-1207;
     Office of the Chief of Planning, National Capital Region, 
National Park Service, 1100 Ohio Drive, SW., Washington, DC 20242, 
(202) 619-7277;
     Office of Public Affairs, National Park Service, 
Department of the Interior, 18th and C Streets, NW., Washington, DC 
20240, (202) 208-6843;
     http://parkplanning.nps.gov
     http://www.nps.gov/rocr/pphtml/documents.html

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS/GMP analyzes four alternatives for 
managing Rock Creek Park and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. The 
plan is intended to provide a foundation to help park managers guide 
park programs and set priorities for the management of Rock Creek Park 
and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway for the next 15 to 20 years. The 
FEIS/GMP evaluates the environmental consequences of the preferred 
alternative and the other alternatives on natural and cultural 
resources, traditional park character and visitor experience, public 
health and safety, regional and local transportation and community 
character.
    Alternative A, ``Improved Management of Established Uses,'' is the 
National Park Service's Preferred Alternative. Alternative A would 
improve visitor safety, better control traffic speeds through the park, 
enhance interpretation and education opportunities and improve the use 
of park resources, especially cultural resources. It generally retains 
the current scope of visitor uses. Traffic management within the park 
and parkway would be improved through the use of traffic calming 
devices, such as speed tables, and speed enforcement measures. The 
existing park roadway system would be retained and nonrecreational 
through-traffic would be accommodated. However, to improve visitor 
safety and the quality of the visitor's experience, traffic speeds 
would be reduced as compared to the No Action Alternative.
    The ``No Action'' Alternative (Alternative B) is a continuation of 
the present management course of visitor use and resource protection.
    Alternative C, ``Non-motorized Recreation Emphasis,'' would 
eliminate automobile traffic along much of the northern portion of 
Beach Drive and implement automobile traffic along much of the northern 
portion of Beach Drive and implement traffic-calming measures on the 
roads in the southern portion of the park and on the parkway. 
Management of resources other than traffic would be the same as in 
Alternative A.
    Alternative D, ``Mid-weekly Recreation Enhancement,'' would 
eliminate automobile traffic along much of the northern part of Beach 
Drive from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. Management of resources 
other than traffic would be the same as in Alternative A. Alternative D 
is the environmentally preferred alternative. In the DEIS/GMP, 
Alternative D was the National Park Service's preferred alternative. 
Following issuance of the DEIS/GMP, the National Park Service 
considered a proposal to create a variation called D-1, which would 
close Beach Drive from Broad Branch Road to Joyce Road during the same 
time as in Alternative D, but concluded this new variation was not 
needed since it was essentially contained in the existing Alternative 
D. As a result of the comments received from the public and government 
agencies as well as analysis of the scientific and regulatory 
components and review of the conclusions of the DEIS/GMP, the National 
Park Service's preferred alternative is now Alternative A.
    You may submit your comments on the FEIS/GMP by any of several 
methods. Comments may be: Mailed to the Superintendent, Rock Creek 
Park, 3545 Williamsburg Lane NW., Washington, DC 20008-1207; e-mailed 
to [email protected]; or submitted via an electronic link at 
http://parkplanning.nps.gov. Click on the link ``Plans/Documents Open 
for Comment,'' and follow that link to ``Rock Creek Park GMP/EIS.''
    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

[[Page 73796]]

extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which we 
would 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: Superintendent, Rock Creek Park, 3545 
Williamsburg Lane NW., Washington, DC 20008-1207, (202) 895-6004.

    Dated: September 23, 2005.
Joseph M. Lawler,
Regional Director, National Capital Region.
[FR Doc. 05-23966 Filed 12-12-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-M