[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 26, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72077-72078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-28115]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, 
Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, VA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102 (2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended), the National 
Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Draft General 
Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for Cedar 
Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, Virginia.
    Consistent with National Park Service laws, regulations, policies, 
and the purposes of the National Historical Park, the Draft GMP/EIS 
describes and analyzes four alternatives (A-D) to guide the management 
of the park over the next 20 years. The alternatives incorporate 
various management prescriptions to addresss the following issues: 
protecting park resources and values, interpretation, visitor 
facilities and services, access and circulation, related resources, 
partnership collaboration, and technical assistance.
    Alternative A is continuation of current management practices. 
Visitors would experience the park at sites owned and independently 
managed by the Key Partners. The NPS would provide technical assistance 
and bring national recognition and visibility to the park by virtue of 
being part of the national park system.
    Under Alternative B, visitors would experience the park at sites 
owned by the Key Partners and through electronic media and NPS ranger 
led tours and programs. Visitors would access the park via auto-touring 
routes and a few non-motorized trails located on Key Partner 
properties. The primary NPS role would be to provide interpretive 
programs and technical assistance. The Key Partners would have the 
responsibility for land and resource protection. There would be 
increased collaboration among the NPS and the Key Partners, with the 
NPS serving as a coordinator for resource and planning issues.
    Under Alternative C, visitors would experience the park at a NPS-
developed and managed visitor center and at visitor focal areas owned 
and managed by the NPS and the Key Partners. The NPS and the Key 
Partners would coordinate interpretive programs at these sites. 
Visitors would access the park via auto-touring routes and a system of 
non-motorized trails that provides opportunities for interpretation. 
The NPS and the Key Partners would develop a coordinated land 
protection plan focused on protection of key historic sites that would 
become focal areas. The NPS and the Key Partners would develop formal 
agreements to undertake special projects and general park management.
    Alternative D is the preferred alternative. Under this alternative, 
visitors would experience the park at a NPS-developed and managed 
visitor center and at visitor focal areas owned and managed by the NPS 
and the Key Partners. The NPS and the Key Partners would coordinate 
interpretive programs at these sites. Visitors would access the park 
via auto-touring routes and an extensive system of non-motorized trails 
that provides opportunities for interpretation and recreation, that 
connect focal areas, and that tie to communities and resources outside 
the park. The NPS and the Key Partners would develop a coordinated land 
protection plan focused on protection of cultural landscapes, sensitive 
natural resource areas, and lands providing connections between NPS and 
Key Partner properties. The NPS and the Key Partners would develop 
formal agreements that define responsibilities for special projects, 
programs, events, and specific park operations.
    The Draft GMP/EIS evaluates the potential environmental 
consequences of implementing the alternatives. Impact topics include 
the cultural, natural, and socioeconomic environments. This notice also 
announces that public meetings will be held to solicit comments on the 
Draft GMP/EIS during the public review period. Dates, times, and 
locations will be announced on the agency's planning Web site http://parkplanning.nps.gov/cebe, in local papers, and can be obtained by 
calling the park office at (540) 868-9176.
    Public Review: There are several ways to view the document:
     An electronic version of the document will be available 
for download, review, and comment on the agency's planning Web site 
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/cebe.
     CDs and a limited number of printed copies can be 
requested by contacting the park at (540) 868-9176 or by e-mailing park 
planner Christopher Stubbs at [email protected].
     The document will be available for review at the park 
office at 7718\1/2\ Main St., Middletown, VA 22645.
    The National Park Service will accept comments on the Draft GMP/EIS 
from the public for a period of 90 days following publication of the 
Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of Availability in the Federal 
Register. Interested persons may check the planning Web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/cebe for dates, times, and places of public 
meetings to be conducted by the NPS, or by calling (540) 868-9176.

[[Page 72078]]

    If you wish to comment, you may do so by any one of several 
methods. The preferred method of comment is via the internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/cebe. You may mail your comments to Superintendent 
Diann Jacox, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove NHP, P.O. Box 700, Middletown, 
VA 22645. You may also hand deliver your comments to the National Park 
Service office at 7718\1/2\ Main St., Middletown, VA. If you include 
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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National 
Historical Park was created by Congress in December 2002 to help 
preserve, protect, and interpret a nationally significant Civil War 
landscape and antebellum plantation; to tell the rich story of 
Shenandoah Valley history; to preserve historic, natural, cultural, 
military, and scenic resources; and to serve as a focal point within 
the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. The park 
is located in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, adjacent to the historic 
towns of Middletown and Strasburg, and is within the counties of 
Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren. The park consists of approximately 
3,712 acres that includes prehistoric resources, ecologically important 
areas, evidence of valley settlement and early European history of the 
region, examples of plantation life and culture, and significant Civil 
War resources. In the enabling legislation for the park, Congress 
established a Federal Advisory Commission to advise in the preparation 
of a GMP, and Key Partner organizations who may continue to own and 
manage properties within the park.
    The Draft GMP/EIS sets forth alternative visions (management 
alternatives) for the development and operation of Cedar Creek and 
Belle Grove National Historical Park. This plan is the product of 
collaboration between the National Park Service, the Federal Advisory 
Commission, and the Key Partners to provide for the preservation and 
public enjoyment of the National Historical Park for the next 15 to 20 
years.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diann Jacox, Superintendent, Cedar 
Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, (540) 868-9176.

    Dated: February 7, 2008.
Dennis R. Reidenbach,
Regional Director, Northeast Region, National Park Service.

    Editorial Note: This document was received in the Office of the 
Federal Register on November 21, 2008.

[FR Doc. E8-28115 Filed 11-25-08; 8:45 am]
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