[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 25, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23945-23946]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6151]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Intent to Expand the Scope of the General Management 
Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement for the Addition at Big Cypress 
National Preserve, FL

SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) is expanding the scope of the 
General Management Plan (GMP)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
being prepared for the Addition lands. As part of this planning effort, 
the NPS will include a wilderness study to determine if any portions of 
the Addition Lands of Big Cypress National Preserve (Preserve) should 
be recommended for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation 
System as defined in the Wilderness Act of 1964. The NPS also will 
prepare an Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan that will address in more 
detail the management of off-road vehicles in the Addition Lands. These 
new elements will be included as part of the GMP/EIS currently in 
preparation. A Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS with that GMP was 
published in the Federal Register of June 12, 2001. That EIS now will 
be expanded to include an evaluation of the impacts associated with 
possible designation of wilderness and off-road vehicle management 
within the Addition Lands of the Preserve. This notice is being 
furnished as required by National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
regulation 40 CFR 1501.7.
    To facilitate sound planning and analysis of environmental impact, 
the NPS is gathering information necessary for the preparation of the 
GMP, the Wilderness Study, Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan and the 
associated EIS and is obtaining suggestions and information from other 
agencies and the public on the scope of issues to be addressed. 
Comments and participation in this scoping process are invited.

DATES: Open house meeting places and times will be announced by press 
release to the Naples Daily News and the Miami Herald and on the park 
Web site at: www.nps.gov.gov/bicy.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to comment may do so by any one of several 
methods. They may attend open houses noted above. They may mail 
comments to Big Cypress Planning Team, National Park Service, Denver 
Service Center, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80225. They also may 
comment via the internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov or e-mail to 
BICY--GMP--Planning@ nps.gov. Finally, they may hand-deliver comments 
to the Big Cypress National Preserve headquarters in Ochopee, Florida.
    It is the practice of the NPS to make all comments, including names 
and addresses of respondents who provide that information, available 
for public review following the conclusion of the [NEPA] process. 
Individuals may request that the NPS withhold their name and/or address 
from public disclosure. If you wish to do this, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your comment. Commentators using the 
website can make such a request by checking the box ``keep my contact 
information private.'' NPS will honor such requests to the extent 
allowable by law, but you should be aware that NPS may still be 
required to disclose your name and address pursuant to the Freedom of 
Information Act.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Big Cypress National 
Preserve, 33100 Tamiami Trail East, Ochopee, Florida, 34141-1000, 
telephone: 239-695-1103.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Persons who previously submitted comments on 
the scope of the EIS as it relates to the GMP need not resubmit those 
comments. The NPS already is considering that input as planning 
continues. However, persons who have not previously submitted comments 
on

[[Page 23946]]

the scope of the EIS, or who wish to submit additional comments related 
to the scope of the EIS in consideration of the Wilderness Study and 
Off-Road Vehicle Management plan are encouraged to do so. The 
environmental review of the GMP, Wilderness Study, Off-Road Vehicle 
Management Plan, and EIS for the Addition Lands of the Preserve will be 
conducted in accordance with requirements of the NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4371 
et seq.), NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1500 through 1508), other 
appropriate Federal regulations, and NPS procedures and policies for 
compliance with those regulations.

    Authority: The authority for publishing this notice is 40 CFR 
1506.6.

    The responsible official for this draft GMP/EIS is the Regional 
Director for the Southeast Region, Patricia A. Hooks.

    Dated: March 16, 2006.
Patricia A. Hooks,
Regional Director, Southeast Region.
 [FR Doc. E6-6151 Filed 4-24-06; 8:45 am]
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