[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 42 (Friday, March 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12877-12878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-5096]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-NER-HPPC-1220-9136; 4780-NERI-409]


Record of Decision for the General Management Plan/Abbreviated 
Final Environmental Impact Statement for New River Gorge National 
River, West Virginia

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service announces the availability of the 
Record of Decision for the Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the General Management Plan for New River Gorge National 
River, West Virginia. The Record of Decision selects the approved 
general management plan for New River Gorge National River for the next 
15 to 20 years.

ADDRESSES: A printed copy of the Record of Decision may be obtained by 
contacting Superintendent Don Striker, New River Gorge National River, 
P.O. Box 246, Glen Jean, West Virginia 25846; (304) 465-0508; [email protected]. An electronic copy of the Record of Decision 
can be downloaded from the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment 
(PEPC) Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/neri).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 7, 2011, the Regional Director 
of the National Park Service (NPS) Northeast Region signed the Record 
of Decision selecting Alternative 5 as the approved General Management 
Plan for New River Gorge National River. Alternative 5 was identified 
as the NPS preferred alternative in the General Management Plan and 
Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) issued on 
October 7, 2011. The Record of Decision includes:
     A statement of the decision made;
     A synopsis of other alternatives considered;
     The basis for the decision;
     A description of the environmentally preferable 
alternative;
     A listing of measures to minimize environmental harm; and
     An overview of public involvement in the decision-making 
process.
    The approved General Management Plan will guide long-term 
management of the New River Gorge National River. As soon as feasible, 
we will begin to implement the selected alternative.
    The purpose of a General Management Plan is to provide a decision-
making framework that ensures that management decisions effectively and 
efficiently carry out our mission for the next 15 to 20 years. The GMP/
EIS planning process at New River Gorge National River allowed us to 
respond to new issues and changing conditions and revise the prior GMP 
approved in 1982. This planning process was initiated in 2005 and 
conducted with extensive public and agency involvement. The planning 
team held meetings with and/or contacted key stakeholders, agencies, 
tribes, resource experts, and members of the public throughout 2005 and 
2006. Stakeholders, agencies, and the interested public were briefed 
with newsletters and press releases and provided the opportunities to 
provide input at fifteen public meetings held in 2006 and 2007.

Review Process for the Management Plan and Environmental Impact 
Statement

    Consistent with Federal laws and regulations, and with National 
Park Service policies, the Draft GMP/EIS was released for public review 
and comment from January 13, 2010, through April 16, 2010. The Draft 
GMP/EIS described and analyzed the environmental impact of five 
alternatives to guide the development and future management of the 
National River: Alternative 1, the No-Action Alternative, and Action 
Alternatives 2-5. Action Alternative 5, the NPS Preferred Alternative, 
would:
     Preserve areas for primitive recreational experiences from 
end to end of the park;
     Intersperse cultural and interpretive resource focal 
areas;
     Establish a north-south, through-park connector of scenic 
roads and trails;
     Develop partnerships with gateway communities; and
     Improve rim-to-river experiences.
    Copies of the Draft GMP/EIS were sent to individuals, agencies, 
tribes, and organizations, and were made available to the public at the 
park office, by request, and on our Planning, Environment and Public 
Comment (PEPC) Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/neri). Public open 
houses were held on March 9, 10, and 11, 2010 in Hinton, Beckley, and 
Fayetteville, WV, respectively.
    The comments received on the Draft GMP/EIS required only minor 
responses and editorial corrections; thus, an abbreviated format was 
used for the Final GMP/EIS. The Abbreviated Final GMP/EIS, issued on 
October 7, 2011, included an analysis of agency and public comments 
received on the Draft GMP/EIS with NPS responses, errata sheets 
detailing editorial corrections to the Draft GMP/EIS, and copies of 
agency

[[Page 12878]]

and substantive public comments. No changes were made to the 
alternatives or to the impact analysis presented in the Draft GMP/EIS. 
Therefore, Action Alternative 5 remained as the NPS Preferred 
Alternative and the environmentally preferred alternative.

Why NPS Selected Alternative 5

    We selected Alternative 5 because it best fulfills the purposes of 
the park and conveys the greatest number of beneficial results in 
comparison with the other alternatives. The selected alternative:
     Results in major beneficial impacts to natural and scenic 
resources, primarily as a result of managing large areas of the park as 
unfragmented backcountry forest.
     Addresses the long-term preservation needs of the park's 
cultural resources and, through the park's leasing program, provides an 
income stream for their long-term maintenance.
     Emphasizes primitive recreational experiences throughout 
the park and along the new through-park connector by linking portions 
of scenic roads and trails along the length of the park. In the long 
term, we will develop additional segments of trail limited to hiking/
biking only to create a through park trail. New facilities will expand 
visitor opportunities in the vicinity of river gateway communities and 
in focal areas.
     Addresses the majority of visitor use issues and provides 
the greatest direct and indirect economic impact in terms of jobs, 
earnings, NPS spending, and visitor spending. More aggressive 
partnering with gateway communities will better enhance relevance of 
the park to local visitors and better enable us to respond to concerns 
of local residents about how the park is managed.
    The Abbreviated Final GMP/EIS and the Draft GMP/EIS constitute the 
principal documentation upon which this Record of Decision is based.

    Dated: February 10, 2012.
Dennis R. Reidenbach,
Regional Director, Northeast Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-5096 Filed 3-1-12; 8:45 am]
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