[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23335-23337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10042]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-PWR-PWRO-01-20-6605; 2310-0087-422]


Wilderness Stewardship Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, 
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Tulare and Fresno Counties, CA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

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ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare Environmental Impact Statement for 
Wilderness Stewardship Plan, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Sec.  102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (PL91-190) Sequoia and Kings Canyon 
National Parks (SEKI) are initiating the conservation planning and 
environmental impact analysis process required to inform consideration 
of alternative strategies for the future management of SEKI wilderness. 
The Sequoia-Kings Canyon and John Krebs Wildernesses (an 808,000-acre 
expanse of wild High Sierra lands that were designated by the 
California Wilderness Act of 1984 and the Omnibus Public Land 
Management Act of 2009) are contained wholly within these two national 
parks. Through this process, SEKI will identify and analyze a range of 
alternatives for achieving wilderness stewardship objectives, which 
include providing appropriate types and levels of access for visitors 
and authorized users, preserving wilderness character, protecting 
cultural and natural resources, and adhering to legally-mandated 
management and preservation requirements.
    This planning process represents a significant commitment by SEKI 
to complete a Wilderness Stewardship Plan (WSP) for these two national 
parks. On April 30, 1997, SEKI published a Notice of Intent to prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in the Federal Register to 
notify the public of the intent to prepare a WSP, and had previously 
held seven public scoping sessions in communities throughout California 
between May 28 and October 5, 1996. Based on an analysis of the 
numerous scoping comments received, and with consideration of a variety 
of other factors, SEKI determined that the WSP/EIS process should be 
suspended and that SEKI should instead first prepare a new General 
Management Plan for the parks.
    The General Management Plan (GMP) process was initiated in October 
1997 and culminated with a Record of Decision in September 2007 (the 
Final EIS/General Management Plan/Comprehensive River Management Plan 
and associated Record of Decision are available at http://www.nps.gov/seki/parkmgmt/gmp.htm). The GMP provides broad, programmatic direction 
for wilderness management. Importantly, however, the GMP commits SEKI 
to preparing a tiered plan for the management of wilderness resources, 
and explains that this tiered plan would be an implementation level 
plan focused on both SEKI wilderness stewardship overall, as well as 
stock use within wilderness.
    As an implementation level plan, the WSP will provide detailed 
guidance on a variety of issues including, but not limited to: Day and 
overnight use; wilderness permitting; use of campfires; wildlife and 
proper food storage; party size; camping and campsites; human waste 
management; stock use; meadow management; research activities; wildlife 
management in wilderness; cultural resources in wilderness; maintenance 
of trails, bridges, or other necessary infrastructure; and the 
``minimum requirement'' for administration of the areas as Wilderness. 
Also to be analyzed and determined is the extent to which commercial 
services are necessary to fulfill the recreational and other purposes 
of SEKI's Congressionally designated wilderness areas. This ``extent 
necessary'' determination for commercial services will be performed to 
ensure compliance with Sec.  4(d)(5) of the Wilderness Act.
    The WSP will reevaluate existing wilderness-related plans and 
guidance, such as the 1986 Backcountry Management Plan and the 1986 
Stock Use and Meadow Management Plan. The WSP will also provide for 
more detailed management direction on provisions of the California 
Wilderness Act of 1984, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, 
the NPS Management Policies (2006), and current interagency policies 
regarding the preservation of wilderness character as they relate to 
wilderness within SEKI.
    How to Comment: In consideration for the complexity and scope of 
wilderness stewardship issues in SEKI, the period during which comments 
will be accepted will extend for 90 days. SEKI encourages comments 
regarding the range of issues which should be addressed, alternative 
approaches to managing SEKI wilderness areas, and other concerns 
regarding SEKI wilderness areas or the wilderness planning process. All 
written comments must be transmitted, postmarked, or hand-delivered no 
later than July 25, 2011.
    The status of the Draft EIS (DEIS) will updated periodically at 
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/sekiwild. You may request to be added to 
the project mailing list by mailing or faxing your request to: 
Superintendent Karen F. Taylor-Goodrich, Sequoia and Kings Canyon 
National Parks, Attn: Wilderness Stewardship Plan, 47050 Generals 
Highway, Three Rivers, CA 93271. So that we may plan accordingly, 
please note in your request whether you will prefer to receive a 
printed or compact disk copy of the DEIS/WSP when it is released, or 
just wish to receive a notice that the document is available for review 
on the Web site (to assist in reducing costs, the public is strongly 
encouraged to accept compact disks versus printed copies).
    In order to ensure that information you may provide or any concerns 
expressed are fully considered, you may use either of two methods to 
respond during this scoping period. To respond electronically, you may 
submit your comments online to the NPS Planning, Environment and Public 
Comment (PEPC) Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/sekiwild). To 
submit written comments (e.g., in a letter), you may send them by U.S. 
Postal Service or other mail delivery service, or hand deliver your 
comments to the address provided above. Written comments will also be 
accepted during public scoping meetings. Comments in any format 
(written or electronic) submitted by an individual or organization on 
behalf of another individual or organization will not be accepted. It 
is the practice of the NPS to make all comments available for public 
review, after the close of the EIS process.
    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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At this time SEKI anticipates hosting five 
public scoping meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles 
Area, and in Fresno, Visalia, and Bishop--these are expected to occur 
during April 25 through April 29, 2011. Confirmed details will be 
posted on the project Web sites. In addition, a scoping newsletter will 
be distributed to publicize the meeting details, and to provide a 
summary of issues and concerns developed through the previous scoping 
efforts, as well as present additional information about SEKI 
wilderness areas and the wilderness planning process. This newsletter 
will be posted on the park planning Web site (http://www.nps.gov/seki/parkmgmt/planning.htm) and the PEPC Web site (noted above), and sent to 
the SEKI mailing list.

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    Following due consideration for all comments obtained through this 
scoping effort, SEKI will prepare the DEIS/WSP. This document will 
state the purpose and need for Federal action, describe and analyze a 
range of ``action'' alternatives (and a ``no action'' baseline 
alternative), assess potential environmental consequences of each 
alternative and provide appropriate impact mitigation strategies, 
identify the ``environmentally preferred'' course of action, and 
explain the process and rationale for determining the ``agency-
preferred'' alternative. The DEIS/WSP will also include an analysis of 
the extent to which commercial services in wilderness are necessary to 
realize Wilderness Act purposes. The release of the DEIS/WSP will be 
formally announced by publication of a Notice of Availability in the 
Federal Register, and via Web site postings and announcements in local 
and regional news media. Notifications will also be sent to the project 
mailing list, as well as to local, State, Federal, and Tribal 
governments.
    Decision Process: Following careful analysis of all responses 
received concerning the DEIS/WSP, a Final EIS/WSP will be prepared and 
its availability similarly announced in the Federal Register. 
Thereafter, but not sooner than 30 days after release of the Final EIS/
WSP, a Record of Decision would be prepared. As a delegated EIS, the 
official responsible for final approval of the SEKI Wilderness 
Stewardship Plan is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region. 
Subsequently the official responsible for implementation of the 
approved plan would be the Superintendent, Sequoia and Kings Canyon 
National Parks.

    Dated: January 5, 2011.
Christine S. Lehnertz,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-10042 Filed 4-25-11; 8:45 am]
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