[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 209 (Monday, October 30, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63352-63353]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-8952]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Final Environmental Impact Statement/General Management Plan, 
Minidoka Internment National Monument, Jerome County, ID; Notice of 
Approval of Record of Decision

    Summary: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended) and the 
implementing regulation promulgated by the Council on Environmental 
Quality (40 CFR 1505.2), the Department of the Interior, National Park 
Service has prepared, and the Regional Director, Pacific West Region 
has approved, the Record of Decision for the General Management Plan 
for Minidoka Internment National Monument. The formal no-action period 
was officially initiated July 28, 2006, with the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency's Federal Register notification of the filing of the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
    Decision: As soon as practicable the monument will begin to 
implement as its new General Management Plan the

[[Page 63353]]

Preferred Alternative (Alternative C) contained in the Draft and Final 
EIS. The selected plan features a deliberate, long-term strategy 
emphasizing on-site education and interpretation and the extensive 
treatment and use of cultural resources in telling the Minidoka story. 
A range or preservation techniques to protect and enhance historic 
resources will be employed, including delineation; stabilization, 
restoration, or rehabilitation; and limited reconstruction. A complete 
barracks block exhibit in its original location will be established. A 
visitor contact facility area will be developed by adaptively reusing 
existing historic buildings; there will be minimal new development. As 
document in the EIS, this course of action was also deemed to be the 
``environmentally preferred'' alternative. The proposed plan and three 
alternatives were identified and analyzed in the Final EIS, and 
previously in the Draft EIS (the latter was distributed in June 2005). 
The full spectrum of foreseeable environmental consequences was 
assessed, and appropriation mitigation measures identified, for each 
alternative. Beginning with early scoping, through the preparation of 
the Draft and Final EIS, scores of public meetings were conducted and 
over 2000 interested individuals participated overall. Approximately 
375 written comments were received during the scoping phase or in 
response to the Draft EIS (given the minor nature of comments received 
on the Draft EIS, an abbreviated format was used for the Final EIS). 
Key consultations or other contacts that aided in preparing the EIS 
involved (but were not limited to) the Jerome County Office of Planning 
and Zoning, Jerome County Historical Society, State Historic 
Preservation Offices in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, the Advisory 
Council on Historic Preservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
native American Tribes, Japanese American Citizens League, South 
Central Idaho Tourism Association, and adjoining land managing 
agencies. Local communities, county and city officials, and interested 
organizations were contacted extensively during initial scoping and 
throughout the GMP planning process.
    Copies: Interested parties desiring to review the Record of 
Decision may obtain a complete copy by contacting the Superintendent, 
Minidoka Internment National Monument, P.O. Box 570, Hagerman, Idaho 
83332-0570; or via telephone request at (208) 837-4793.

    Dated: September 6, 2006.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 06-8952 Filed 10-27-06; 8:45 am]
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