[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 138 (Tuesday, July 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42727-42728]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-18149]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-NCR-MANA-0411-7316; 3840-SZM]
Notice of Availability of a Record of Decision on the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan,
Manassas National Battlefield Park
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, 83 Stat. 852, 853, codified as amended at 42 U.S.C.
4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability
of the Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the General Management Plan (FEIS/GMP), Manassas National
Battlefield Park, Virginia.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ed W. Clark, Superintendent, Manassas
National Battlefield Park, at Manassas National Battlefield Park, 12521
Lee Highway, Manassas, Virginia 20109-2005, by telephone at (703) 754-
1861, or by e-mail at EdWClark @NPS.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 25, 2011, the Regional Director
of the National Capital Region, NPS, approved the Record of Decision
for the project. As soon as practicable, the NPS will begin to
implement the Preferred Alternative contained in the FEIS/GMP issued on
September 19, 2008. The following course of action will occur under the
Alternative B, the selected alternative.
Alternative B is the NPS-selected alternative. Under this
alternative, the park would focus on interpreting the two battles of
Manassas as distinct military events. This alternative has been
modified from the Alternative B presented in the FEIS/GMP as discussed
below. The initial stop in the park will be a new visitor center; where
visitors will receive their first orientation to the battlefield. The
interpretive information will focus on putting the two battles into
context. Visitors will receive a more thorough orientation to each
battle from two visitor contact areas--Henry Hill for First Manassas
and Brawner Farm for Second Manassas. From these access points,
visitors may explore the many historic sites associated with each event
throughout the park. The experience for each battle will be distinct,
with stand-alone visitor areas and automobile tour routes. Separate,
chronological automobile and bicycle tours will be developed for each
battle. In this alternative, the rehabilitation of the historic
landscape will be critical to visitor understanding of the events and
military tactics associated with each battle. Development of a visitor
center near Stone Bridge was discussed as part of Alternative C in the
FEIS/GMP. By including it in the selected alternative, the NPS believes
the park can provide a more comprehensive approach to interpretation of
both battles that will enhance the visitor experience. It should be
noted that while Alternative C places the visitor center near Stone
Bridge, future planning and compliance may determine a more appropriate
location for such a facility. The new visitor center will provide
context for the battles of First and Second Manassas battles; the
visitor contact station at Henry Hill will continue its sole focus on
the battle of First Manassas, while the visitor contact station at
Brawner Farm will focus solely on the battle of Second Manassas. Given
its location within the cultural landscape and space limitations,
expanding the interpretive focus at Henry Hill is not feasible. By
constructing a new visitor center the park can more effectively achieve
the management goals of the park. Site-specific analysis, compliance
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 106 of
the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) will be conducted as
appropriate before development of the new visitor center. As part of
this planning effort, due to the sensitive nature of the cultural
landscape and resources in the park, the NPS will explore a range of
alternatives regarding the potential site of the new facility (both
inside and outside of the park boundaries), and would seek sites that
minimize impacts to park resources especially those resources related
to the two battles. In addition, the NPS will consider the operational
needs of the park and how a new visitor center could meet those needs
more efficiently (i.e., office space, interpretation, cooperative
agreements, curatorial requirements, and utilization of the current
visitor facilities within the park); potentially allowing for a
reduction in the size of the current visitor facilities within the park
in the future.
Full implementation of this alternative assumes the completion of
the Manassas National Battlefield Park Bypass (Bypass). The Bypass will
permit the removal of heavy commuter and commercial truck traffic from
the portions of U.S. Route 29 and VA Route 234 that run through the
park. Through traffic will be further limited with the addition of
controlled access points. Visitors will experience a battlefield
landscape that resembles its wartime appearance. Key interpretive views
will be preserved and re-created to help visitors understand how the
battles unfolded and the importance of certain locations. Wartime
structures will be preserved and other historic structures will be
retained to mark the site of wartime buildings.
Key Actions
Under the selected alternative, the following actions will occur:
Separate automobile and bike paths will be developed for each battle.
The NPS will upgrade current trails and interpretive media along the
First Manassas and Second Manassas hiking trails as necessary. New
portions of the Second Manassas hiking trail will be created as
necessary. Because of safety concerns posed by the high traffic volumes
on U.S. Route 29 and VA Route 234, separate automobile and bicycle tour
routes will not be implemented until the completion of the Bypass. Once
the Bypass is completed, through traffic will be limited in the park
with the addition of controlled access facilities at the park's four
main entry points.
A new visitor center will be constructed, designed as the initial
stop and primary orientation point for the park. The visitor contact
station at Henry Hill will focus entirely on First Manassas.
The battle of Second Manassas visitor contact station will be
located at Brawner Farm. The site will be open for year-round
visitation once necessary improvements have been completed.
The cultural landscape will reflect conditions in 1861-1862 in
several key areas of the park through a combination of tree removal,
clearing, and reforestation. The cleared areas will be managed as
grassland communities (or in a few instances as shrub communities) that
will provide desirable habitat and restore historic vistas for
visitors. Maintaining the historic appearance of some of these areas
with a lawnmower or other machinery may be prohibited because of
terrain. In those cases, following appropriate compliance, other
approved methods will be utilized to maintain the landscape. Prescribed
fire may be considered as a potential management tool; however, this
will require extensive compliance to ensure that it be used safely and
have the expected results. The park staff will continue to
[[Page 42728]]
work cooperatively with neighboring jurisdictions related to
rehabilitation of the historic scene. In addition, plans detailing how
the various landscapes will be managed will be developed prior to the
implementation of any rehabilitation activities. The following
rehabilitation activities have been identified; the highest priority
tasks are listed first:
Approximately 45 acres of woods along the west side of
Chinn Ridge will be cleared and replaced with open fields and
grasslands to reestablish the view between the ridge and the site of
the New York Monuments.
Approximately 35 acres of trees will be removed from
Matthews Hill and the open fields will be rehabilitated.
Trees will be thinned at the top of the slope along the
east side of the Chinn Ridge to reestablish the view between Chinn
Ridge and Henry Hill while minimizing the amount of vegetation removed.
The riparian buffer along Chinn Branch will be retained.
Approximately 15 acres of land on Stuart's Hill that is
currently open space will be reforested.
Approximately 20 acres of land that is currently open
space south of Stuart's Hill will be reforested.
Approximately 20 acres along the north-central portion of
Dogan Ridge will be reforested, and a small area of 3 acres along the
curve of the Sudley-Manassas Road will be cleared and managed as open
fields.
To the north of the Matthews Hill area, an area of
approximately 25 acres will be reforested.
An additional 5 acres of land along Bull Run to the west
of Poplar Ford will be reforested.
The current Stuart's Hill clearing will be expanded by
approximately 30 acres to the east. The clearing will restore the view
from General Lee's headquarters toward Centreville during the Second
Battle of Manassas.
The historic landscape around the Cundiff House will be
rehabilitated to wartime conditions. Approximately 40 acres of trees
will be removed and converted to grassland and/or scrubland.
The NPS will continue to preserve historic structures and features,
including those that date from the battles, such as Stone House, L.
Dogan House, Thornberry House, and the Unfinished Railroad. Buildings
and structures that do not date from the battles, but are historic or
mark the site of wartime structures, will be stabilized and
rehabilitated to function as important interpretive sites or will be
maintained for park uses. These structures include the Brawner Farm
House, Henry House, J. Dogan House, Pringle House, and Stone Bridge.
In addition to continuing to protect these structures, the NPS will
initiate several actions:
Complete work necessary to support year round visitation
of the Brawner Farm House as part of the Second Battle of Manassas tour
route.
Explore a range of options to support interpretation of
the Robinson House ruins from the Civil War period.
Preserve and stabilize the J. Dogan House. This
preservation effort will include removing nonconforming structural
elements such as siding, and removing the nonconforming modern garage.
As part of the Bypass, the existing U.S. Route 29 Bridge
over Bull Run will be removed to eliminate modern intrusions from the
battlefield landscape and to return the site to a more historic
appearance. In addition, a new bridge will be constructed to allow
continued access along U.S. Route 29. The new location will be chosen
so there will be fewer impacts to the cultural landscape.
In the selected alternative, a boundary adjustment to the park will
be necessary to include the four tracts of land; the Davis Tract, the
Stonewall Memory Garden Tract, the Conservation Trust Parcel, and the
Dunklin Monument. These tracts are described in detail in the FEIS and
in the Record of Decision. This adjustment will require Congressional
action to amend the existing boundary.
Implementation of each of these specific actions will require
additional site-specific planning and compliance with NHPA and NEPA.
The Preferred Alternative and two other alternatives were analyzed
in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the General Management
Plan (DEIS/GMP) and FEIS/GMP. The full range of foreseeable
environmental consequences was assessed, and appropriate mitigating
measures were identified.
The Record of Decision includes a statement of the decision made,
synopses of other alternatives considered, the basis for the decision,
a description of the environmentally preferable alternative, a finding
on impairment of park resources and values, a listing of measures to
minimize environmental harm, an overview of public involvement in the
decision-making process, and comments received on the DEIS/GMP.
Copies of the Record of Decision may be obtained from the contact
listed above or online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/MANA.
Dated: April 19, 2011.
Woody Smeck,
Acting Regional Director, National Capital Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-18149 Filed 7-18-11; 8:45 am]
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