[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4413-4414]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1568]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
a General Management Plan Amendment/Wilderness Study, for Gates of the 
Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
for a General Management Plan Amendment/Wilderness Study, for Gates of 
the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), the National Park Service (NPS) is preparing an 
environmental impact statement for a general management plan amendment, 
including a wilderness study, for Gates of the Arctic National Park and 
Preserve, Alaska. The environmental impact statement will be approved 
by the Regional Director, Alaska Region.
    A notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for 
a backcountry management plan/general management plan amendment for 
Gates of the Arctic was published in the September 23, 2002, Federal 
Register 67(184). However, that plan was never completed. This notice 
of intent replaces the September 23, 2002, notice.
    The general management plan amendment will establish the overall 
direction for both the park and preserve (referred to hereafter as 
park), setting broad management goals for managing the area during the 
next 15 to 20 years. The plan will prescribe desired resource 
conditions and visitor experiences that are to be achieved and 
maintained throughout the park based on such factors as the park's 
purpose, significance, special mandates, the body of laws and policies 
directing park management, resource analysis, and public input. The 
plan also will outline the kinds of resource management activities, 
visitor activities, and developments that would be appropriate in the 
park in the future. In addition, the plan will generally address 
visitor-use related issues and provide management direction for the six 
designated wild rivers within the park. The wilderness study will 
evaluate portions of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve for 
possible recommendation for wilderness designation. The wilderness 
study will be included as part of the general management plan 
amendment.
    A range of reasonable alternatives for managing the park will be 
developed through this planning process and will include, at a minimum, 
a no-action and a NPS preferred alternative. Major issues the plan 
amendment will address include visitor access and use of the park, 
level of administrative and scientific research activities, management 
of natural and cultural resources, protection of the wilderness 
character, management adaptations to climate change, external threats 
the park is or will be facing, partnership opportunities, and 
collaboration with other land managers to address regional issues. The 
environmental impact statement will evaluate the potential 
environmental impacts of the alternative management approaches and the 
possible proposal for additional wilderness designation within the 
park.
    As the first phase of the planning process, the National Park 
Service is identifying the issues to be addressed in the general 
management plan amendment/wilderness study/environmental impact 
statement. All interested persons, organizations, and agencies are 
encouraged to submit comments and suggestions on issues and concerns 
that should be addressed in the general management plan amendment/
wilderness study/environmental impact statement, and the range of 
appropriate alternatives that should be examined.

DATES: The National Park Service is planning to begin public scoping in 
January 2010 via a newsletter to State and Federal agencies; associated 
native corporations; neighboring communities; borough; local 
organizations, researchers and institutions; the congressional 
delegation; and other interested members of the public. In addition, 
the National Park Service will hold public scoping meetings regarding 
the general management plan amendment in the winter of 2010 in 
Anchorage, Fairbanks, and many of the resident zone communities of 
Gates of the Arctic. Specific dates, times, and locations will be 
announced in the local media, on the Internet at http://www.nps.gov/gaar, and will also be available by contacting the park headquarters. 
In addition to attending the scoping meetings, people wishing to 
provide input to this initial phase of developing the general 
management plan/wilderness study/environmental impact statement may 
mail or e-mail comments to the park at the address below.
    Written comments concerning the scope of the general management 
plan/wilderness study/environmental impact statement will be accepted 
for 60 days from the publication of this notice.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment on any issues and opportunities 
associated with the plan, you may submit your comments by any one of 
several methods. You may comment via the Internet to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/gaar. You may also mail comments to Gates of the 
Arctic National Park and Preserve, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, Alaska 
99709. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to the park at the above 
address.
    General park information and requests to be added to the project 
mailing list should be directed to: the Superintendent, Gates of the 
Arctic National Park and Preserve, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, Alaska 
99709.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Dudgeon, Superintendent, at the 
address above. Telephone: 907-457-5752. General information about Gates 
of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is available on the Internet 
at http://www.nps.gov/gaar.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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.


[[Page 4414]]


    Dated: January 11, 2010.
Sue E. Masica,
Regional Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2010-1568 Filed 1-26-10; 8:45 am]
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