[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 212 (Friday, November 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62270-62271]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-21575]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Final General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, 
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, Oyster Bay, NY

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Final General Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement, Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended), the National Park 
Service announces the availability of the Final General Management Plan 
and Environmental Impact Statement (Final GMP/EIS) for Sagamore Hill 
National Historic Site in New York. Consistent with Federal laws, 
regulations, and National Park Service policies, the Final GMP/EIS 
describes the proposed federal action to establish a programmatic 
framework for park management in the form of a general management plan 
that is consistent with the purposes of the park as set forth in the 
park's enabling legislation An Act to Authorize Establishment of the 
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace and Sagamore Hill National Historic Sites 
(Pub. L. 87-547; 76 Stat. 217).
    The Final GMP/EIS evaluates alternatives to guide the management 
and development of Sagamore Hill NHS over the next 15 to 20 years. 
Under Alternative 1--Status Quo, the park would continue to be managed 
in accordance with existing plans and in compliance with legal and NPS 
policy mandates. This alternative provides a baseline for evaluating 
and comparing the other alternatives. Alternative 2--Building Capacity 
emphasized building the park's capacity to meet its basic visitor 
service and operational needs. Alternative 3--Past Meets Present, the 
agency's preferred alternative, emphasizes rehabilitation of the park's 
cultural resources and improvements to its visitor services and 
facilities to offer expanded opportunities for visitors to explore the 
site's contemporary relevance in the same context in which they explore 
its history. The Final GMP/EIS describes the affected environment and 
evaluates the potential environmental consequences of each alternative. 
Impact topics evaluated include cultural resources, natural resources, 
visitor use and experience, park operations, and the socioeconomic 
environment.
    The Draft GMP/EIS was made available for public review and comment 
in January 2007. A public open house was held in Oyster Bay on February 
1, 2007. On March 8, 2007, a ``Notice of Availability'' formally 
announcing the public availability of the Sagamore Hill National 
Historic Site Draft General Management Plan/ Environmental Impact 
Statement was published in the Federal Register (72 FR 10555). The 
public review period ended on May 8, 2007.

DATES: The NPS will prepare a Record of Decision concerning the 
selection of a management alternative no sooner than 30 days following 
publication by the Environmental Protection Agency of the Notice of 
Availability of the Final GMP/EIS in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: The Final GMP/EIS is available on-line at www.nps.gov/sahi. 
Copies of the Final GMP/EIS are available upon request by writing to: 
Ellen Carlson, Project Planner, National Park Service, Northeast 
Region, 15 State Street, Boston, MA 02109; e-mailing [email protected], or calling (617) 223-5048. The Final GMP/EIS is also 
available for pick up in person at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site 
at 20 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster Bay, New York, at the park's 
administrative offices in the Old Orchard Museum during regular 
business hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Marshall, Superintendent, 
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, 20 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster 
Bay, NY 11771-1809, phone (516) 922-4452, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A General Management Plan/Environmental 
Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) proposes a long-term approach to managing 
Sagamore Hill NHS, consistent with the park's mission and NPS policy 
and other laws and regulations. NPS planners, park staff, and key park 
partners collaborated in the development of the Draft GMP/EIS. A 
previous master plan was prepared for the park in 1963 but was not 
fully approved. Project scoping for the GMP began in May 2003. Formal 
public scoping sessions were held in Oyster Bay and NYC in April 2004. 
A preliminary alternatives newsletter was prepared and distributed in 
April 2005 followed by two community meetings.

[[Page 62271]]

    The Draft GMP/EIS was made available for public review and comment 
in January 2007. The formal public comment period ended on May 8, 2007. 
A public open house was held in Oyster Bay on February 1, 2007. At that 
time, the park also hosted a meeting for park neighbors to solicit 
their feedback. During the comment period, 27 sets of formal written 
comments were received. The majority of respondents supported one or 
both of the action alternatives with most expressing their support for 
the National Park Service's preferred alternative.
    The Final GMP/EIS addresses the following issues--improving the 
visitor experience, broadening and diversifying the park audience, 
improving operational efficiency, and enhancing resource protection. 
Key park partners closely involved in the development of planning 
alternatives include the Theodore Roosevelt Association, the Friends of 
Sagamore Hill, and the park's Volunteer Advisory Board. The target date 
for the Record of Decision is fall 2007.
    The park's mission is ``to preserve in public ownership and 
interpret the structures, landscape, collections, and other cultural 
resources associated with Theodore Roosevelt's Home in Oyster Bay, New 
York to ensure that future generations understand and appreciate the 
life and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, his family, and the significant 
events associated with him at Sagamore Hill.'' Theodore Roosevelt 
bought land in Oyster Bay in 1880, where he built his family home and 
lived until his death in 1919. Throughout his life, Roosevelt attracted 
national and international figures from every walk of life to this 
home. Sagamore Hill was the summer White House between 1902 and 1908.
    The Final GMP proposes strategies for resource protection and 
visitor services; identifies development proposals and associated 
costs; addresses carrying capacity and park boundaries; examines 
changes in visitor use patterns and visitor experience; and considers 
the park's relationship with other Theodore Roosevelt-related sites 
within the general vicinity of the park as well as across the country.

    Dated: September 13, 2007.
John A. Latschar,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, National Park Service.
 [FR Doc. E7-21575 Filed 11-1-07; 8:45 am]
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