[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 66 (Friday, April 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17181-17182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-6447]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Draft Environmental Impact Statement/General Management Plan, 
Pinnacles National Monument, San Benito and Monterey Counties, CA; 
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

SUMMARY: In accord with section 102(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the National Park Service 
(NPS) has undertaken a conservation planning and environmental impact 
analysis process for updating the General Management Plan (GMP) for 
Pinnacles National Monument. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
will be prepared concurrently with the GMP. The GMP will address 
desired conditions for the Monument, uses or treatment needs for 
resource protection, visitor use and other management goals thus 
serving as a ``blueprint'' to guide management of natural and cultural 
resources and visitor use during the next 15-20 years. This notice 
supersedes the previous notice published in the Federal Register on 
November 19, 1998 (Vol. 63, No. 223).
    Background: Pinnacles National Monument preserves an ecologically-
rich, geologically-spectacular, and culturally-significant landscape in 
the Central Coast region of California. Established in 1908 and named 
for dramatic rock formations that are the remains of an ancient 
volcano, the Monument preserves a landscape shaped by earthquake, fire, 
and flood. The Monument is rich in plant and animal life that inhabit 
the park's chaparral, oak woodland, talus cave, riparian, and rock-and-
scree habitats. In 2003, Pinnacles became the home once again to the 
California condor, one of the nation's most endangered species, 
elevating the Monument's profile substantially throughout the region.
    Pinnacles preserves a rich human history with archeological sites 
reaching back at least 2,000 years, revealing use by indigenous people. 
Sites from the 1800s reflect the homesteading history of the area. In 
the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps played the central role in 
the development of the Monument that visitors enjoy today, evidenced by 
roads, a visitor center, numerous park structures, and an outstanding 
trail system that stands as an important cultural resource in itself.
    Located 100 miles south of the greater San Francisco Bay Area, 
Pinnacles is on the edge of one of the state's most populated and 
fastest-growing areas. Since 1976, Pinnacles has grown from 16,271 
acres to 24,436 acres. In 1976, 15,985 acres were designated by 
Congress as Wilderness (and several tracts of land since transferred 
from the BLM bring the Wilderness total acreage to 16,048). Also, 
acquisition of the 2,000-acre Pinnacles Ranch during the spring of 2006 
has added substantial new resources, infrastructure, recreational 
opportunities, and management challenges.
    A new GMP reflecting contemporary issues and challenges facing 
Pinnacles in the future is essential. The plan will provide direction 
for park management through the establishment of management zones, user 
capacities and appropriate types and levels of development and 
recreational use for all areas of the park. Resource protection, 
visitor experiences, community relationships, and relationships with 
neighboring land management agencies will be improved through 
completion and implementation of the GMP.
    Scoping Process: The purpose of the scoping outreach efforts is to 
elicit public comment regarding issues and concerns, the nature and 
extent of potential environmental impacts (and appropriate mitigation 
measures) that should be addressed in the plan. Major issues 
anticipated to be addressed in the EIS include:
     What are the desired conditions for native/endemic 
ecosystems?
     What are the desired conditions for Wilderness areas?
     What are the desired conditions for cultural resources and 
cultural landscapes?
     What areas and structures are appropriate for museum 
collections storage, preservation and accessibility for research?
     What is the desired visitor experience throughout the 
Monument (east side, west side, high peaks, Bear Gulch, Chalone, 
Chaparral, Pinnacles

[[Page 17182]]

Ranch, campground, backcountry, Wilderness)?
     What are appropriate visitor use levels for different 
parts of the Monument?
     What transportation options should be considered for 
providing access to and within the Monument? What types of trail (or 
other) access are appropriate, and where?
     What is the appropriate level of development in different 
parts of the Monument, and what areas are appropriate for park 
administration and operations activities?
     How should the NPS work with nearby communities to 
encourage community understanding of the Monument and to address 
potential effects of development and population growth in neighboring 
communities on ecological, scenic, and Wilderness values of the 
Monument?
     Are there any recommendations for changes in the 
authorizing legislation for Pinnacles National Monument that should be 
considered in the GMP?
    Comments: Through the outreach activities planned in this final 
scoping effort, the NPS welcomes additional information and suggestions 
from the public regarding resource protection, visitor use, and land 
management. This notice formally resumes the public scoping comment 
phase for the EIS process for the GMP. All interested persons, 
organizations, agencies, and American Indian tribes wishing to express 
new concerns or provide information about management issues which 
should be addressed in the GMP and environmental impact analysis 
process are encouraged to contact the Superintendent (previous 
responses are contained in the administrative record and do not need to 
be resubmitted). All comments received will become part of the public 
record. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    At this time, public scoping meetings are anticipated to be held 
during the spring of 2007; details will be announced widely in local 
and regional news media, via direct park mailings and through the GMP 
Web site: (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/pinn). All attendees will be 
given the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments to the 
planning team. The 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.
    All written comments regarding the preparation of the EIS/GMP must 
be postmarked or transmitted not later than May 31, 2007 and should be 
submitted directly to General Management Plan Team, Pinnacles National 
Monument, 5000 Hwy 146, Paicines, CA 95043 (or electronically through 
the Web site noted above).
    Decision Process: At this time, the draft EIS/GMP is expected to be 
released for public review during the fall of 2008; following due 
consideration of all comments as may be submitted, the final document 
is anticipated to be completed in the summer of 2009. Formal 
announcement of the availability of both documents will be published in 
the Federal Register, publicized via local and regional media and the 
internet, and via direct mailing to the project mailing list. 
Responsibility for approving the Final EIS/GMP is delegated to the NPS, 
and the official responsible for the final decision is the Regional 
Director, Pacific West Region; subsequently the official responsible 
for implementing the approved GMP is the Superintendent, Pinnacles 
National Monument.

    Dated: January 26, 2007.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
 [FR Doc. E7-6447 Filed 4-5-07; 8:45 am]
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