[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 113 (Wednesday, June 11, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33109-33111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12965]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Coastal Wetlands Restoration at Prisoners Harbor, Santa Cruz 
Island, Channel Islands National Park, Santa Barbara County, CA; Notice 
of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

    Summary: The National Park Service, in accordance with the 
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq. ), will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to 
consider suitable means for restoration of a wetland and stream 
corridor at Prisoners Harbor and lower Canada del Puerto drainage on 
Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara County, California. The Prisoners 
Harbor area is part of Channel Islands National Park managed by the 
National Park Service (NPS). The EIS will analyze alternatives for 
ecological restoration of the wetland and lower stream corridor, 
ensuring public access, and protecting cultural and historical 
resources.
    Background: Channel Islands National Park is headquartered in

[[Page 33110]]

Ventura, California. Congress established the park ``[i]n order to 
protect the nationally significant natural, scenic, wildlife, marine, 
ecological, archeological, cultural, and scientific values of the 
Channel Islands'' (Pub. L. 96-199). The park proposes to restore a 
functional, self-sustaining ecosystem at a former 9-acre backbarrier 
coastal wetland site known as Prisoners Harbor and an associated 40-
acre stream corridor in the lower Canada del Puerto watershed on Santa 
Cruz Island. The proposed wetland restoration site includes what was 
once the largest backbarrier coastal wetland on the Channel Islands. 
The wetland and stream corridor have been extensively modified over the 
past 150 years by filling of wetlands, intentional planting and 
accidental introduction of non-native vegetation such as stone pines, 
eucalyptus, and kikuyu grass in the area, and construction of a levee, 
buildings, corral, and unsurfaced roads. These modifications to the 
creek and floodplain have altered channel hydraulics, resulting in 
reduced ecosystem function, and contributed to the estimated 95% 
decline of California's wetlands statewide.
    The loss of natural wetland and riparian ecosystems in the 
Prisoners Harbor area has resulted in locally diminished habitat for 
federally listed Santa Cruz Island barberry, Santa Cruz Island silver 
lotus, Santa Cruz Island gooseberry, endemic Santa Cruz Island scrub 
jay, Santa Cruz Island deer mouse, the rare Channel Islands slender 
salamander, western harvest mouse, loggerhead shrike, other passerine 
birds, and migratory waterfowl. Proliferation of non-native eucalyptus 
trees in the riparian corridor has severely reduced plant and wildlife-
diversity and negatively affected habitat for species of special 
concern and passerine birds.
    Preliminary Alternatives and Environmental Issues: The park 
proposes to restore wetland and riparian ecosystem function by removing 
fill from the historic wetland, reconnecting the Canada del Puerto 
stream with its floodplain, removing non-native eucalyptus and other 
vegetation in the lower drainage, and recreating habitat for special 
status species (both flora and fauna), passerine birds, and migratory 
waterfowl. Additionally the project proposes to protect significant 
cultural resources, and provide for an enhanced visitor experience. A 
successful project would meet the following goals:
     Restore functional wetland and riparian ecosystems and 
reduce the impact of non-native species on local biological diversity.
     Consistent with restoring functional ecosystems, recreate 
and maintain habitat adequate to support populations of special status 
species, passerine birds, and migratory waterfowl.
     Develop a restoration design that identifies and, to the 
extent possible, mitigates factors that reduce the site's full 
restoration potential.
     Protect archaeological resources from erosion during both 
normal and flood conditions.
     Provide access to the Central Valley inland from the 
affected area, NPS property east of Prisoners Harbor, and Nature 
Conservancy inholdings on NPS property upstream from the area of 
potential effect.
     Reduce risk of exposure to flooding that could damage the 
roadway and historic buildings.
     Provide visitor access and resource interpretation that 
are compatible with protection of resources.
     Enhance visitor knowledge and understanding of the 
prehistory, recent human history, and natural history of the Prisoners 
Harbor area.
    Channel Islands National Park seeks public input to assist with 
identifying issues and developing a suitable range of alternatives for 
restoration of the lower Canada del Puerto watershed and Prisoners 
Harbor wetlands area. Restoration methods could include topographic 
alterations aimed at recovering natural hydrologic and ecological 
processes. These potential alterations could change the current 
hydrologic regime within the proposed project area, leading to either 
resumption of seasonal flooding of a fully restored wetland/floodplain 
or limited flooding of a partially restored wetland/floodplain. A ``no-
action'' alternative, entailing no changes in current hydrologic 
regime, will also be assessed. An archeological site and some historic 
structures are located within the area of potential effect. Any 
restoration actions undertaken would be designed to ensure flood risks 
to the archeological site and historic resources will not be aggravated 
beyond current conditions and that influence of non-native species, 
including eucalyptus, on a restored ecosystem dominated by native 
species is reduced. As part of the effort to develop preliminary 
alternatives, the NPS will explore options for improved public access 
and enhacing educational opportunities consistent with ecosystem 
restoration.
    Preliminary public outreach was initiated by the park in 2007. 
Concern was expressed about the possibility of removing cattle corrals 
constructed on filled coastal wetland. The corrals were built in the 
1950's as part of rancher Carrie Stanton's conversion to a cattle 
operation. The corrals are considered a ``small scale feature'' in the 
2004 Cultural Landscape Inventory and deemed to be a contributing 
element to the eligibility of the Santa Cruz Island Ranching District 
to the National Register of Historic Places. The park has acknowledged 
this concern and will work with the State Historic Preservation Office 
in developing mitigation measures common to all alternatives or 
safeguards specific to a particular alternative if necessary. Other 
issues or concerns known at this time include potential effects upon: 
Threatened and endangered species protected under the federal and state 
Endangered Species Acts, floodplain and stream corridor, native flora 
and fauna; historic and archeological resources, land use, and 
opportunities for and constraints on public use.
    Public Scoping and Comment Process: Notice is hereby given that the 
final public scoping phase is underway, with the express purpose of 
eliciting additional public comment regarding a suitable range of 
alternatives, the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts 
and benefits, and appropriate mitigation strategies that should be 
addressed in the forthcoming conservation planning and environmental 
impact analysis process. For those who have commented previously, it is 
not necessary to re-submit comments. Federal, state, and local 
agencies, Tribes, and interested organizations are also encouraged to 
participate in the scoping process. Whether California state or local 
involvement in the environmental impact analysis process is necessary 
is yet to be determined. If an environmental clearance document is 
required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the NPS 
will coordinate the NEPA/CEQA process with the designated state agency 
(or agencies).
    A timely opportunity to learn more about the proposed restoration 
and provide information is a public meeting to be held during summer 
2008. Information expected to be provided at the public meeting 
includes the history of the Prisoners Harbor/Canada del Puerto area, 
purpose and need for the proposed restoration, opportunities and 
constraints in developing the restoration design, potential alternative 
courses of action with regards to restoration, potential effects of 
these courses of action, and appropriate strategies for mitigation and 
monitoring. All interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are 
encouraged to provide comments or suggestions. For those

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persons unable to attend the meeting, information about the project 
will be available at http://parkplanning.nps.gov or by contacting the 
park as noted below.
    All written scoping comments must be postmarked or transmitted not 
later than 45 days following publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register (immediately upon publication of this notice, the confirmed 
deadline for comments to be submitted will be posted on the park Web 
site). 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. To provide comments or information pertinent to the 
proposal, inquire about the public meeting, or to request a printed 
copy of the scoping document, please contact Paula Power, Channel 
Islands National Park, Attn: Prisoners Harbor Coastal Wetland 
Restoration Project, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA 93001, telephone 
(805) 658-5784; FAX (805) 658-5799; e-mail [email protected]). 
Duplicate informational updates will be regularly posted on the park 
Web site http://www.nps.gov/chis/home_mngmntdocs.htm and also at 
http://parkplanning.nps.gov.
    Decision Process: At this time, the draft EIS is expected to be 
available for public review in early 2009; following due consideration 
of all public and agency comments, it is expected that the final 
environmental document will be completed in late 2009. As a delegated 
EIS, the official responsible for the final decision is the Regional 
Director, Pacific West Region. Subsequently the Superintendent, Channel 
Islands National Park, would be responsible for implementing the 
approved restoration and management actions.

    Dated: April 28, 2008.
Patricia L. Neubacher,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
 [FR Doc. E8-12965 Filed 6-10-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-F6-M