[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 227 (Monday, November 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 71044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-27705]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Intent To Prepare a General Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement for Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 
South Dakota

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare a General Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement for Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 
South Dakota.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), the National Park Service 
(NPS) is announcing its intent to prepare a General Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for Mount Rushmore National 
Memorial (Memorial), South Dakota.
    This effort will update the 1980 GMP.
    The GMP/EIS will establish the overall direction for the Memorial, 
setting broad management goals for managing the area over the next 15 
to 20 years. The GMP/EIS will prescribe desired resource conditions and 
visitor experiences that are to be achieved and maintained throughout 
the Memorial based on such factors as the Memorial's purpose, 
significance, special mandates, the body of laws and policies directing 
Memorial management, resource analysis, and the range of public 
expectations and concerns. The GMP/EIS also will outline the kinds of 
resource management activities, visitor activities, and developments 
that would be appropriate in the Memorial in the future.
    A range of reasonable alternatives for managing the Memorial will 
be developed through this planning process and will include, at a 
minimum, a no-action and a preferred alternative. Major issues the GMP/
EIS will address include changes in visitor use patterns and special 
events, adequacy and sustainability of existing facilities for visitor 
opportunities and activities and for Memorial operations, and 
partnership roles and opportunities. The need for new facilities such 
as maintenance, museum curation and storage, and interpretation will be 
examined. The GMP/EIS will evaluate the potential environmental effects 
of the alternative management approaches.
    As the first phase of the planning process, the NPS is beginning to 
scope the issues to be addressed in the GMP/EIS. All interested 
persons, organizations, Agencies, and Tribes are encouraged to submit 
comments and suggestions on issues and concerns that should be 
addressed in the GMP/EIS, and the range of appropriate alternatives 
that should be examined.

DATES: The NPS will begin public scoping soon. Public scoping meetings 
regarding the GMP, including specific dates, times, and locations, will 
be announced in the local media, at the Web site http://parkplanning.nps.gov/, or by contacting the Superintendent.

ADDRESSES: General park information requests or requests to be added to 
the project mailing list should be directed to: Gerard Baker, 
Superintendent, Mount Rushmore National Memorial 13000 Highway 244, 
Building 31, Suite 1, Keystone, South Dakota 57751-0268; telephone: 
605-574-2523; e-mail: [email protected]. If you wish to comment on any 
issues associated with the GMP/EIS, you may submit your comments by any 
one of several methods. You may mail comments to Mount Rushmore 
National Memorial, 13000 Highway 244, Building 31, Suite 1, Keystone, 
South Dakota 57751-0268. Once the public comment period commences, you 
may comment via the Internet at http://www.planning.nps.gov/; simply 
select Mount Rushmore National Memorial from the list of parks, and 
then select the GMP/EIS. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to the 
Memorial at the address above. Before including your address, telephone 
number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comments, 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 comments to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so. We will make all submissions 
from organizations or businesses, from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials, or organizations or 
businesses available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Jarvis, Project Manager, Planning 
Division, Denver Service Center, National Park Service, 12795 West 
Alameda Parkway, P.0. Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80225-0287; 
telephone: 303-969-2263; or e-mail: greg [email protected]. General 
information about Mount Rushmore National Memorial is available on the 
Internet at http://www.nps.gov/moru.

    Dated: November 4, 2008.
Ernest Quintana,
Regional Director, Midwest Region.
 [FR Doc. E8-27705 Filed 11-21-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M