[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 244 (Thursday, December 20, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72372-72373]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-6103]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report; 
Creek and Wetland Restoration at Big Lagoon, Muir Beach, Golden Gate 
National Recreation Area, Marin County, CA, Notice of Availability

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Sec.  102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347), and the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508), the 
National Park Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement and Final Environmental Impact Report 
(Final EIS/EIR) for the Wetland and Creek Restoration at Big Lagoon. 
The National Park Service (NPS) and Marin County have prepared the 
Final EIS/EIR in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Final 
EIS/EIR analyzes multiple alternatives for ecological restoration, 
public access improvements, bridge replacement, and fill disposal 
locations; an ``environmentally preferred'' alternative is identified.
    Background: The project at Big Lagoon would restore a functional, 
self-sustaining ecosystem, including wetland, riparian, and aquatic 
components. This restoration project would re-create habitat for 
sustainable populations of special-status species, reduce flooding on 
Pacific Way, and provide a compatible visitor experience. This project 
is needed to address the extensive loss of natural function for channel 
conveyance, sediment transport, channel stability, and diminished 
habitat for federally endangered coho and federally threatened 
steelhead; the increased flooding on Pacific Way; and the critical need 
for sustainable habitat for the California red-legged frog. With many 
of the impacts resulting from facilities necessary to accommodate 
public and residential access, access is needed in a manner that is 
compatible with ecosystem function. A successful project would meet the 
following goals:
     Restore a functional, self-sustaining ecosystem, including 
wetland, aquatic and riparian components.
     Develop a restoration design that (1) functions in the 
context of the watershed and other pertinent regional boundaries, and 
(2) identifies and, to the extent possible, mitigates factors that 
reduce the site's full restoration potential.
     Consistent with restoring a functional ecosystem, re-
create and maintain habitat adequate to support sustainable populations 
of special status species.
     Reduce flooding on Pacific Way and in the Muir Beach 
community caused by human modifications to the ecosystem, and work with 
Marin County to ensure that vehicle access is provided to the Muir 
Beach community.
     Provide a visitor experience, public access, links to key 
locations, and resource interpretation that are compatible with the 
ecosystem restoration and historic preservation.
     Work with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to 
incorporate cultural values and indigenous archaeological sites 
resources into the restoration design, visitor experience, and site 
stewardship.
     Provide opportunities for public education and community-
based restoration, including engaging local and broader communities in 
restoration planning and site stewardship.
     Coordinate with local transportation planning efforts to 
identify project features that are compatible with transportation 
improvements and consistent with the ecosystem restoration.
    Range of Alternatives Considered: The Final EIS/EIR evaluates three 
alternatives for ecological restoration, six alternatives for public 
access, and four alternatives for a new Pacific Way Bridge and road. 
The ``agency preferred'' alternative consists of the Creek Restoration 
Alternative, 175 Cars Rotated Parallel to Pacific Way Public Access 
Alternative, and the 250 foot-long Bridge with Highest Road Bridge 
Alternative. Below is a topical summary of the alternatives under 
consideration:
    Ecological Restoration alternatives include: The No Action 
alternative would leave Redwood Creek in its current alignment and 
would not propose any large-scale physical modifications to the site. 
The Creek Restoration alternative would involve relocating 
approximately 2,000 linear feet of Redwood Creek to the topographically 
lowest portion of the valley, while maintaining a habitat mix similar 
to current conditions; the Creek and Small Lagoon Restoration 
alternative would combine riparian restoration components with 
restoration of open water and wetland habitats by creating two open-
water lagoons, one on either side of the new channel; and the Large 
Lagoon Restoration alternative would create a periodically brackish 
open-water habitat similar to historic (1853) conditions, modified to 
reflect existing constraints of Pacific Way and private property by 
creating a large lagoon with fringing wetlands extending to the 
valley's edge just landward of Muir Beach.
    Public Access alternatives include: The No Action alternative would 
retain the 175 Cars at Beach in its current configuration. The 50 Cars 
at Beach alternative would construct a 50-space parking lot at the 
beach at the site of the existing parking lot; the 145 Cars at Beach 
alternative would retain the same footprint as the existing parking 
lot, but the lower 90 feet would be removed to accommodate a maximum of 
145 vehicles; 175 Cars at Beach alternative would accommodate a maximum 
of 175 vehicles, the same number as the existing parking lot. The lot 
would be

[[Page 72373]]

about the same size as the existing parking lot, but it would be pulled 
back from the creek further than the minimum 90 feet to create a 
minimum distance of about 180 feet from the creek. It would also expand 
further northward into existing riparian habitat; the 175 Cars Rotated 
Parallel to Pacific Way alternative would have the same 175-car 
capacity but rotate the parking lot parallel to Pacific Way; the 200 
Cars at Beach alternative proposes the largest parking lot of all the 
alternatives with a maximum of 200 vehicle spaces located in the same 
area as the existing parking lot; and the 118 Cars at Alder Grove 
alternative would designate most parking away from the beach in an area 
known as the Alder Grove but would provide 14 Disabled-Accessible 
Parking Spaces and a drop-off turnaround at the beach.
    Bridge alternatives include: The No Action alternative would not 
change Pacific Way Road or the bridge. The 50 foot-long Bridge with a 
Raised Road alternative would free-span the 35 foot-wide channel and 
have a deck at 16.5 feet NGVD and be raised on the north and south 
approaches; the 50 foot-long Bridge with a Low Road alternative would 
free-span the 35 foot-wide channel and have a deck height at 
approximately 15 feet NGVD but would not be raised on the north and 
south approaches; the 150 foot-long Bridge with Raised Road alternative 
would span both the new 35 foot-wide channel and areas of riparian 
habitat and floodplain on either side of the channel and would be 
supported by 2 foot-wide piers, placed at approximately 40-foot 
intervals; and the 250 foot-long Bridge with Highest Road alternative 
would span the entire available riparian zone and floodplain from the 
Pelican Inn on the north to the existing bridge on the south and would 
have the highest deck of all the alternatives, between 16.25 and 18 
feet NGVD and be supported by two foot-wide piers, placed at 
approximately 40-foot intervals.
    Scoping And Public Review: Between December 2002 and December 2004, 
17 public meetings were held, as well as a variety of site visits and 
meetings with representatives of various agencies. On December 3, 2002, 
a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS was published in the Federal 
Register beginning the formal scoping phase and identifying goals for 
the project. Three public scoping meetings were held on October 22, 
October 29, and November 2, 2002, with a site visit for the public held 
on November 9, 2002, to solicit input on the project and its potential 
impacts. Following these meetings, a Big Lagoon Working Group 
consisting of interested individuals, agencies, and organizations was 
formed to help develop project alternatives. The working group convened 
regularly in meetings that were open to the public. In addition, two 
alternatives workshops were held for the public on September 30 and 
October 4, 2003. The results of those workshops, as well as a more 
detailed summary of the scoping process, were distributed in the 
Alternative Public Workshops Report (2004). Finally, Marin County 
circulated a Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report on 
April 27, 2004, soliciting comments on the specific issues to be 
included in the scope of CEQA environmental review. All of these 
activities informed the alternatives formulation process. The Notice of 
Availability for the Draft EIS/EIR was published December 18, 2006 in 
the Federal Register and the document was made available for a 75-day 
public review and comment period. Following release of the Draft EIS/
EIR, NPS and Marin County held two public meetings to present the 
project to interested parties and to answer questions about the 
project. These meetings were held on January 18 and 31, 2007. NPS and 
Marin County also conducted a public hearing at the Marin County 
Planning Commission in San Rafael, California, on February 26, 2007, to 
receive comments on the draft document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Copies of the Final EIS/EIR will be 
sent to affected Federal, Tribal, State and local government agencies, 
to interested parties, and those requesting copies. Paper and digital 
copies (compact disc) of the Final EIS/EIR will be available at both 
lead agency offices and at local libraries during normal business 
hours. The complete document will be available in area libraries, and 
also posted on the GGNRA's project Web site (http://www.nps.gov/goga) 
and on NPS's Planning, Environment and Public Comment Web site (http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/goga). New requests may be sent to: 
Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Fort Mason, 
Building 201, San Francisco, CA 94123 (Attn: Creek and Wetland 
Restoration at Big Lagoon). After release of the Final EIS/EIR, a 
public meeting will be scheduled (date and other details will be posted 
on the project Web site). For further information about the project's 
conservation planning process or logistics of the public meeting, 
contact Steve Ortega or Carolyn Shoulders, Building 201 Fort Mason, San 
Francisco, CA 94123, Phone: (415) 561-4841.
    Decision Process: The NPS will prepare a Record of Decision no 
sooner than 30 days following publication by the Environmental 
Protection Agency of their notice of filing of the Final EIS in the 
Federal Register. As a delegated EIS, the official responsible for 
final approval is the Pacific West Regional Director, and subsequently 
the official responsible for project implementation is the General 
Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

    Dated: November 2, 2007.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 07-6103 Filed 12-19-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-FN-M