[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 65593]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22723]



[[Page 65593]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

 National Park Service


 Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) on the Special Resource Study for Castle Nugent Farms, 
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) on the Special Resource Study for Castle Nugent Farms, 
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, and National Park Service (NPS) policy in 
Director's Order 2 (Park Planning) and Director's Order 12 
(Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis, and Decision-
making), the NPS will prepare an EIS for the Special Resource Study 
(SRS) for Castle Nugent Farms.
    The NPS will conduct local public meetings to receive input from 
interested parties on issues, concerns and suggestions believed to be 
relevant to the future of Castle Nugent Farms and its potential 
inclusion as a unit of the National Park System. Of particular interest 
to the NPS are suggestions and ideas for managing cultural and natural 
resources, interpretation, and the visitor experience at Castle Nugent 
Farms. The Draft EIS will formulate and evaluate environmental impacts 
associated with various types and levels of visitor use and resources 
management at the site.

DATES: The dates and times of the public scoping meetings will be 
published in local newspapers and on the internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov. These dates and times may also be obtained by 
contacting the NPS Southeast Regional Office, Division of Planning and 
Compliance. Scoping suggestions will be accepted throughout the 
planning process. The NPS anticipates that the Draft EIS will be 
available for public review by January 2009.

ADDRESSES: The locations of the public scoping meetings will be 
published in local newspapers and on the internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov.
    Suggestions and ideas should be submitted in writing to the 
following address: John Barrett, Planning Team Leader, Castle Nugent 
Farms Special Resource Study, NPS Southeast Regional Office, Division 
of Planning and Compliance, 100 Alabama Street, SW., 6th Floor, 1924 
Building, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Barrett, Planning Team Leader, 
Castle Nugent Farms Special Resource Study, 404-562-3124, extension 
637.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Castle Nugent Farms consists of 
approximately 1,400 acres on the southeastern shore of St. Croix. The 
rolling terrain consists of a mixture of dry forest, native vegetation, 
and rangeland that slopes down from an elevation of 750 feet to the 
sea. The property has a long and diverse history of farming dating back 
to the 1730s when it was first established as a cotton and sugar 
plantation. In the 19th century, N'Dama cattle breeding was brought to 
Castle Nugent Farms. This breed was a prominent part of the farm's 
operations until the 1950s, when attention shifted towards raising an 
N'Dama cross breed of cattle known as Senepol. Today, Senepol cattle 
are still bred under an agreement between the property's owners and the 
University of the Virgin Islands. Issues currently being considered for 
the SRS/EIS include a determination of Castle Nugent Farm's national 
significance and an assessment of the site's suitability and 
feasibility as a potential addition to the National Park System. The 
Draft EIS will identify cultural and natural resources of Castle Nugent 
Farms and evaluate a range of potential management options that might 
adequately protect these resources and provide for public use and 
enjoyment.
    Our practice is to make comments, including names, home addresses, 
home phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of respondents, available for 
public review. 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. We will always make submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

    Authority: The authority for publishing this notice is contained 
in 40 CFR 1506.6.
    The responsible official for this EIS is Art Frederick, Acting 
Regional Director, Southeast Region, National Park Service, 100 Alabama 
Street, SW., 1924 Building, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

    Dated: September 19, 2007.
Art Frederick,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. E7-22723 Filed 11-20-07; 8:45 am]
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