[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 8, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16006-16007]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7921]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Environmental Impact Statement/General Management Plan; Channel 
Islands National Park, Ventura County, California; Notice of Intent To 
Expand Scope of the Environmental Impact Statement

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), and in accord with 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations including 40 CFR 
1501.7, the National Park Service is expanding the scope of the 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) which is being prepared for the 
General Management Plan (GMP) for Channel Islands National Park. As 
part of this conservation planning effort, the EIS will include a 
wilderness study to determine if any portions of the park should be 
recommended for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation 
System as defined in the Wilderness Act of 1964. This new element will 
be included as part of the EIS currently in preparation. Accordingly 
this notice supplements and updates the original Notice of Intent 
published with regard to initiation of the GMP project in the Federal 
Register on November 8, 2001. As a result, the scope of the EIS will be 
expanded to include an evaluation of foreseeable effects associated 
with possible designation of wilderness within the park.
    As noted previously, the GMP will establish the overall direction 
for the park, setting broad management goals for managing the area over 
the next 15 to 20 years. The GMP will prescribe desired resource 
conditions and visitor experiences that are to be achieved and 
maintained throughout the park. Based on the desired conditions, the 
GMP will outline what resource management and visitor activities, and 
what limited developments, that would be appropriate in the park. Among 
the topics that have been addressed thus far are ecosystem management, 
preservation of natural and cultural resources, landscape restoration, 
island access, road and trail systems, facility and staff needs, 
research needs, and education and interpretive efforts. A range of 
reasonable alternatives for managing the park, including ``no-action'' 
and ``preferred'' alternatives, will be developed through the planning 
process and included in the EIS. The EIS will evaluate the potential 
environmental consequences of all alternatives, and identify 
appropriate mitigation strategies. An ``environmentally preferred'' 
alternative will be identified, and any potential for unacceptable 
impacts or impairments to park values will also be disclosed.
    Scoping Process: To facilitate full and complete conservation 
planning and analysis of environmental impact, the National Park 
Service (NPS) is gathering information relevant to the GMP/Wilderness 
Study and the associated EIS, and is obtaining new suggestions and 
relevant information from the public on the scope of issues to be 
addressed (comments previously provided to the planning team need not 
be re-submitted). In concert with local, state, tribal, and other 
federal agencies, consideration will also be made for cooperative 
management of resources outside park boundaries that affect the 
integrity of the park. Comments and participation in this final phase 
of the scoping process are encouraged. Persons not previously 
participating and now wishing to provide relevant information or 
comment about issues or concerns may do so as follows: written comments 
may be sent via regular mail to Channel Islands NP Planning Team, NPS-
Denver Service Center, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80225 (or 
transmitted via the Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov). They may 
express their concerns at public meetings to be held in Santa Barbara 
and Ventura (to be scheduled during spring-summer, 2009). Finally, they 
may hand-deliver written comments to the park headquarters in Ventura, 
California. 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.

DATES: All written comments on the scope of the GMP/Wilderness Study/
EIS must be postmarked, hand delivered, or electronically transmitted 
August 6,

[[Page 16007]]

2009. An update will also be posted on the project Web site.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As noted above, persons who previously 
submitted comments on the proposed GMP need not resubmit those 
comments. The NPS already is considering that input as planning 
continues. However, persons who have not previously submitted comments 
on the scope of the EIS, or who wish to submit additional comments 
related to consideration of the Wilderness Study are encouraged to do 
so.
    Previously three public scoping sessions were held at Ventura, 
Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles during the week of November 12, 2001. 
Additional public meetings will be held during spring-summer, 2009, in 
Santa Barbara and Ventura to address the new wilderness study and to 
provide a GMP project update (a summary of all scoping results will 
also be available). The confirmed dates, times and locations of these 
meetings will be posted on the park's web site, announced via local and 
regional news media, or may be obtained by telephone at (805) 658-5730.
    The conservation planning and environmental impact analysis 
supporting preparation of the GMP/Wilderness Study will be conducted as 
noted above in accord with requirements of NEPA, CEQ and other 
appropriate Federal regulations, and NPS Director's Order 12, 
Director's Order 41, and other NPS procedures and policies. For further 
information, please contact the Superintendent, Channel Islands 
National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA 93001-4354; telephone 
(805) 658-5730. General information about Channel Islands National Park 
is available on the Internet at http://www.nps.gov/chis.
    Decision Process: Following final completion of the scoping phase 
and consideration of all public concerns and other agency comments, a 
Draft EIS and proposed GMP will be prepared and released for public 
review. The subsequent availability of the Draft EIS/GMP will be 
announced by Federal Register notice and in local and regional news 
media. As a delegated EIS, the official responsible for the final 
decision on the GMP is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region, 
National Park Service. Following approval of the GMP the official 
responsible for implementation will be the Superintendent, Channel 
Islands National Park.

    Dated: February 19, 2009.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. E9-7921 Filed 4-7-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE