[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 148 (Thursday, August 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 46604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18513]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-MWR-IATR-13283; PPMWMWROW2/PPMPSAS1Y.YP0000]


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the General 
Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for the Ice Age National 
Scenic Trail Interpretive Site, Wisconsin

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of 
the Record of Decision (ROD) for the General Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for the Ice Age National 
Scenic Trail (Trail) Interpretive Site, Wisconsin.

ADDRESSES: Copies may be picked up in person or by mailing a request in 
writing to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail Headquarters Office, 700 
Rayovac Drive, Suite 100, Madison, WI 53711, by telephone at (608) 441-
5610, or by email at: [email protected]. Copies of the ROD 
are available at the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment Web 
site http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/iatr or at the Trail Web site 
http://www.nps.gov/iatr.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent John Madden, at the 
address above or by telephone at (608) 441-5610.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the NPS, have issued a ROD for the GMP/
EIS for the Trail Interpretive Site near Cross Plains, Wisconsin. As 
soon as practicable, the NPS will begin to implement the selected 
alternative.
    We have selected Alternative 5 as described in the Final GMP/EIS. 
The selected alternative (which was the preferred alternative) will 
provide visitors with interpretation of the evolution of the complex 
from the last glacial retreat and opportunities to enjoy appropriate 
low-impact outdoor recreation. Ecological resources will largely be 
managed to reveal the glacial landscape. The most sensitive ecological 
areas will be carefully protected, and visitor access will be highly 
controlled in these areas. Visitors will experience a wide variety of 
indoor and outdoor interpretive programming. Under this alternative, 
the Ice Age Complex will serve as the headquarters for the Trail.
    Other alternatives considered included Alternative 1, no action, 
which described a continuation of existing management at the Trail and 
provides a baseline for evaluating the changes and impacts of the other 
alternatives. In Alternative 1, the Ice Age Complex would have remained 
undeveloped for visitor use and minimally maintained. The segment of 
the Trail would still have been built (by the Ice Age Trail Alliance) 
within the identified corridor under this alternative, but other trails 
would not have been constructed.
    Alternative 2 emphasized ecosystem management and restoration. 
Vegetation would have been restored to conditions prior to the 
settlement of Europeans and managed to reveal glacial landscapes. 
Visitors would have experienced a sense of remoteness through hikes and 
trails.
    Alternative 3 emphasized interpretation and education on how the 
Ice Age Complex evolved over time since the retreat of the last 
glacier. Throughout most of the complex, ecological resources would 
have been managed to reveal the glacial landscape. Visitors would have 
had an opportunity to experience a wide variety of resources, both 
ecological and geological, as well as remnants of human use of the 
site. The visitor experience would have involved sheltered and indoor 
settings at the core of the property and hiking throughout most other 
areas of the site. The Ice Age Complex would have served as the 
headquarters for the Trail.
    Alternative 4 emphasized low impact outdoor recreation experiences 
in support of, and compatible with, preserving and interpreting the 
glacial significance of the complex and restoring and managing the 
ecosystem. Visitors would have experienced resources in diverse ways, 
participating in interpretive programming in indoor and outdoor 
settings. The Ice Age Complex would have served as the headquarters for 
the Trail under this alternative.

    Dated: July 19, 2013.
Patricia S. Trap,
Deputy Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2013-18513 Filed 7-31-13; 8:45 am]
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