[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 131 (Monday, July 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38898-38899]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-6074]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


General Management Plan for Lava Beds National Monument Siskiyou 
and Modoc Counties, California; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190) and Council on Environmental 
Quality's implementing regulations (40 CFR 1502.9(c)), the U.S. 
Department of Interior, National Park Service (NPS), is initiating the 
scoping phase of the conservation planning and environmental impact 
analysis process for updating the General Management Plan (GMP) for 
lava Beds National Monument (Monument). Following the scoping phase and 
consideration of public concerns and other agency comments, a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for the GMP will be prepared and 
released for public review. The GMP will address desired conditions for 
the Monument, uses or treatment needs for resource protection, visitor 
use and other management goals; it will serve as a ``blueprint'' to 
guide future management for the next 15-20 years. The purpose of the 
scoping outreach efforts is to elicit early public comment regarding 
issues and concerns, the nature and extent of potential environmental 
impacts (and as appropriate, mitigation measures), and alternatives 
which should be addressed in the plan update.
    Consistent with NPS Planning Program Standards the updated GMP 
will: (1) Describe the Monument's purpose, significance, and primary 
interpretive themes; (2) identify the fundamental resources and values 
of the Monument, its other important resources and values, and describe 
the condition of these resources; (3) describe desired conditions for 
cultural and natural resources and visitor experiences throughout the 
Monument; (4) develop management zoning to support these desired 
conditions; (5) develop alternative applications of these management 
zones to the Monument landscape (i.e., zoning alternatives); (6) 
address user capacity; (7) analyze potential boundary modifications; 
(8) ensure that management recommendations are developed in 
consultation with interested stakeholders and the public and adopted by 
NPS leadership after an adequate analysis of the benefits, 
environmental impacts, and economic costs of alternative courses of 
action; and (9) identify and prioritize subsequent detailed studies, 
plans and actions that may be needed to implement the updated GMP.
    Scoping: Through the outreach activities planned in the scoping 
phase, the NPS welcomes information and suggestions from the public 
regarding resource protection, visitor use, and land management. This 
notice formally initiates the public scoping comment phase for the EIS 
process for the GMP update. All scoping comments must be postmarked or 
transmitted not later than September 2, 2006. All written responses 
should be submitted to the following address: General Management Plan, 
Lava Beds National Monument, Attn.: Craig Dorman, Superintendent, 1 
Indian Well Headquarters, Tulelake, CA 96134. As noted, a key purpose 
of the scoping process is to elicit early public comment on matters 
which should be considered in updating the GMP in order to inform the 
development of the Draft EIS. At this time it is expected that three 
public meetings will be hosted in towns near the Monument during June 
5-8, 2006. Detailed information regarding these meetings will be posted 
on the GMP Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/labe). All attendees 
will be given the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments to 
the planning team. The GMP Web site will provide the most up-to-date 
information regarding the project, including project description, 
planning process updates, meeting notices, reports and documents, and 
useful links associated with the project.
    It is the practice of the NPS to make all comments, including names 
and addresses of respondents who provide

[[Page 38899]]

that information, available for public review. NPS will make all 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organzations 
or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. 
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 comments. Respondents using the 
Web site 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    This unit of the National park System was established in 1925 to 
protect and interpret volcanic and natural features of scientific 
interest, and evidence of prehistoric and historic human settlement, 
use, and conflict. The 46,560 acre Monument covers 10% of the Medicine 
Lake shield volcano which lies on the margin of the Cascade Range and 
Great Basin Geologic Provinces. This remote landscape contains 
outstanding, diverse, abundant and well-preserved lava flows, cinder 
cones, Maar volcanoes, and other volcanic features associated with the 
Medicine Lake shield volcano, including one of the largest 
concentrations of lava tube caves in the continental United States. The 
Monument's geologic resources provide many opportunities for 
exploration and research of unique habitats.
    The dramatic volcanic landscape served as the setting for the Modoc 
War (1872-1873) and contains archeological evidence of over 11,000 
years of human occupation. The lands are significant to Modoc people as 
part of their traditional homeland. In addition, the Monument has two 
designated units of the National Wilderness Preservation System 
totaling 28,460 acres. Wilderness areas provide a primitive recreation 
experience for visitors in a volcanic Great Basin landscape, as well as 
invaluable scientific and educational opportunities as surrounding 
landscapes and social conditions continue to change.
    The Monument is primarily surrounded by public lands. The northern 
edge is bounded by the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The western, 
southern and eastern edges are bounded by the Modoc National Forest. A 
small area on the northeast corner is bounded by privately owned lands, 
and a commercial forest products inholding is adjacent to the Monument 
to the south. Petroglyph Point, a detached unit of the Monument, is 
surrounded by, or very close to, private lands.
    The previous GMP, completed in June 1996, identified needed 
infrastructure and other improvements. Most of the recommendations in 
this prior plan have since been implemented, including construction of 
a research center and a new visitor center. Resource management, 
interpretation, visitor protection and other GMP components were not 
addressed in the last plan. New inventories and research have been 
completed since the last GMP including the discovery of additional 
caves within the Monument, a macro-invertebrate study, and study of 
fire effects on exotic plants. Drafts of a Wilderness Plan and a Cave 
Management Plan have also been completed. Future management direction 
is needed for staff to address changing patterns of visitor use and for 
effective and long term management of natural and cultural resources.

Decision Process

    Availability of the forthcoming Draft EIS for public review and 
written comment will be formally announced through the publication of a 
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, as well as through 
local and regional news media, direct mailing to the project mailing 
list, and via the Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/labe. 
Following due consideration of all agency and public comment, a Final 
EIS will be prepared. As a delegated EIS, the official responsible for 
the final decision on the proposed plan is the Regional Director, 
Pacific West Region, National Park Service. Subsequently, the official 
responsible for implementation of the approved plan is the 
Superintendent, Lava Beds National Monument. It is anticipated that the 
final plan will be available in winter 2009.

    Dated: May 3, 2006.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 06-6074 Filed 7-7-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-GE-M