[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 248 (Wednesday, December 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76860-76862]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7893]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Final Environmental Impact Statement; Fire Management Plan for 
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area; Los Angeles and 
Ventura Counties, CA; Notice of Availability

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended), and the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the 
National Park Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) identifying and evaluating four 
alternatives for a Fire Management Plan for the Santa Monica Mountains 
National Recreation Area (SMMNRA). Potential impacts, and appropriate 
mitigations, are assessed for each alternative. When approved, the plan 
will guide all future fire management actions in the SMMNRA for the 
next five years. The FEIS documents the analysis of three action 
alternatives and a ``no action'' alternative.
    An updated fire management program is needed to meet public safety, 
natural and cultural resource management, and wildland/urban interface 
protection objectives in the federally managed property of the SMMNRA. 
The ``action'' alternatives concentrate on wildland/urban interface 
community protection work and ecosystem protection, and vary in their 
mix of treatments available for completing work. The ``no action'' 
alternative describes the existing fire management program, which the 
park has not been able to effectively implement to protect neighboring 
lives and property. As a result, the risk of catastrophic fire has 
increased in recent decades.
    Proposal and Alternatives Considered: Alternative 2 (determined to 
be the ``environmentally preferred'' alternative) is proposed for 
implementation as the new Fire Management Plan (FMP). Termed the 
Mechanical Fuel Reduction/Ecological Prescribed Fire/Strategic Fuels 
Treatment alternative, it provides the maximum potential environmental 
benefits and minimizes the adverse impacts of fire management actions. 
Alternative 2 is the most flexible alternative, utilizing all available 
fire management strategies identified to be appropriate in the Santa 
Monica Mountains. Although strategic fuels reduction has the potential 
for both impacts and benefits in most of the impact areas analyzed, 
individual

[[Page 76861]]

strategic fuels reduction projects would be evaluated for their 
potential risk: benefit ratio. Work would be accomplished with a 
combination of NPS and other agency fire crews and by contract.
    Alternative 1 (No Action Alternative) would continue the current 
NPS fire and vegetation management program to create a landscape mosaic 
of varying aged chaparral stands through the application of prescribed 
fire in separate watersheds, minimizing brush clearance. It should be 
noted that large scale burning has not been feasible to implement in 
accordance with the goals of the previous Fire Management Plan because 
of regulatory constraints on prescribed fire, especially those relating 
to air quality standards. Alternative 3 (Mechanical Fuel Reduction/
Ecological Prescribed Fire) relies exclusively on prescribed burning to 
provide resource enhancement including control of exotic species and 
restoration of natural communities. Mosaic burning is eliminated. Fuel 
reduction is concentrated at the wildland urban interface to protect 
existing development and emphasizes mechanical or biomechanical fuel 
modification. This alternative provides effective protection of homes 
by focusing mechanical fuel reduction at the interface between homes 
and wildland vegetation, and provides ecological benefits from resource 
prescribed burning. Alternative 4 (Only Mechanical Fuel Reduction) 
relies exclusively on mechanical or biomechanical fuel modification at 
the wildland urban interface. Prescribed fire is eliminated. This 
alternative provides effective protection of homes by focusing 
mechanical fuel reduction at the interface between homes and wildland 
vegetation.
    Alternatives Considered but Rejected: Three additional alternatives 
were considered but rejected from further deliberation because the 
interdisciplinary team determined that they were not feasible for one 
or more specific reasons. Alternative 5 (Suppression Only/No Vegetation 
Manipulation) was found to be inconsistent with NPS policies and 
guidelines as well as with the objectives of the SMMNRA fire management 
program, and inadequate to protect public safety. Alternative 6 
(Mechanical Fuel Reduction on a Landscape Level) was also found to be 
inconsistent with NPS policies and guidelines as well as the objectives 
of the SMMNRA fire management program. Alternative 7 (Wildland Fire 
Use) could be a threat to public safety if implemented and logistically 
infeasible to implement along the wildland-urban interface.
    Planning Background: Public outreach was initiated in June 2001 
coinciding with a planning workshop for agencies, cooperators and other 
partners. A Notice of Scoping for an environmental document was 
published in the Federal Register March 26, 2002, encouraging comments 
through an extensive scoping period ending August 31, 2002. Four public 
scoping meetings were hosted in Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Malibu and 
Thousand Oaks, California. Two additional meetings were held to gain 
additional input on the preliminary alternatives from fire agencies, 
cooperators and other partners. Letters were also sent to Native 
American representatives, requesting their comments and concerns 
related to cultural activities, practices or resources. Concerns raised 
in these meetings included: how to provide for public and firefighter 
safety; how to optimize the effectiveness of fuels treatments in the 
wildland-urban interface for property protection and to minimize 
impacts; the need to promote operational and policy coordination among 
all the agencies within the SMMNRA, including consistent brush 
clearance policies; the impact of fire management activities including 
suppression actions; containing the spread of invasive plants and 
animals; the use of prescribed fire for restoration activities, and 
appropriate land use planning. Based on the issues and concerns raised 
it was determined that an environmental impact statement rather than an 
environmental assessment would be completed. This would allow 
sufficient analysis to be undertaken in assessing the effects of 
particular alternatives and to ensure adequate involvement by the 
public and interested agencies.
    The distribution of Draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for 
the FMP began in May, 2004. Approximately 250 DEISs were distributed; 
85 went to local libraries, 20 were handed out at the SMMNRA Visitor 
Center, and the remainder was provided to individuals by mail or in 
person at public meetings. A notice of availability of the DEIS was 
published in the Federal Register June 16, 2004, providing an 
opportunity for public review and comment through September 15, 2004. 
In order to facilitate public review and understanding of the proposed 
plan, four public meetings were held during July, 2004 in Calabasas, 
Woodland Hills, Malibu and Thousand Oaks, California. The meetings were 
advertised through the print media, on the SMMNRA website and via 350 
invitations sent to community leaders, neighborhood organizations, 
local agencies and stakeholder groups.
    The NPS received a total of 25 written responses, generated either 
from the public meetings or from public notices. All of these comments 
were duly considered in finalizing in the FEIS. Two main issues and 
concerns were expressed by the respondents: that the FEIS and FMP 
should prioritize public and firefighter safety as well as the 
protection of the unique Mediterranean ecosystem which the SMMNRA was 
established to protect. All alternatives provide numerous provisions 
for public and firefighter safety. Alternatives 2, 3 and 4 incorporate 
strong controls to protect native flora and fauna, minimizing the 
spread of invasive grasses and forbs. The Environmental Protection 
Agency expressed environmental concerns due to insufficient 
information. SMMNRA staff consulted closely with the EPA in preparing 
the FEIS. All comments and responses are documented in Appendix F of 
the FEIS.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS may be obtained from the Superintendent, 
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, 401 W. Hillcrest 
Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360, Attn: Fire Management Plan, or by e-
mail request to: [email protected] (in the subject line, type: Fire 
Management Plan). The FEIS will be sent directly to those who 
previously received the DEIS or who have requested subsequently. The 
FEIS will also be available at local libraries in Agoura Hills, Beverly 
Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, Oak Park, Oxnard, Santa Monica, Thousand 
Oaks, Westlake Village and selected locations in Los Angeles; and at 
regional libraries in Ventura County and selected locations in Los 
Angeles County. A comprehensive list of these locations, as well as the 
document itself, is posted on the park's Web page (http://www.nps.gov/samo/pphtml/documents.html).
    Decision: As a delegated EIS, the official responsible for the 
final decision is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region; a Record 
of Decision may be approved by the Regional Director not sooner than 30 
days after EPA's publication of the notice of filing of the FEIS in the 
Federal Register. Notice of the final decision will be also posted in 
the Federal Register. Following approval of the Fire Management Plan, 
the official responsible for implementation will be the Superintendent, 
SMMNRA.


[[Page 76862]]


    Dated: November 3, 2005.
George J. Turnbull,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
 [FR Doc. E5-7893 Filed 12-27-05; 8:45 am]
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