[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8730-8731]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03185]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-MWR-KNRI-14233; PPMWMWROW2/PPMPSAS1Y.YP0000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Archeological Resources Management 
Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for Knife River Indian Villages 
National Historic Site, North Dakota

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) announces its 
intent to prepare an Archeological Resources Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement (Plan/EIS) for Knife River Indian 
Villages National Historic Site, North Dakota.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the Plan/
EIS. Notices of any public scoping meetings regarding this Plan/EIS, 
including specific dates, times, and locations, will be announced in 
the local media; in project newsletters; on the project Web site at 
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/KNRI; or may be obtained directly by 
contacting the Superintendent at the address below.

ADDRESSES: Superintendent, Knife River Indian Villages National 
Historic Site, P.O. Box 9, Stanton, ND 58571-0009. You are encouraged 
to provide comments or requests to be added to the mailing list 
electronically through the project Web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/KNRI or by contacting the Superintendent.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent Wendy Ross, Knife River 
Indian Villages National Historic Site, at the address above, or by 
telephone at (701) 745-3300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NPS is announcing its intent to prepare 
an archeological resources management plan and environmental impact 
statement (Plan/EIS) for comprehensive archeological resource 
protection from Knife River bank erosion, infrastructure placement, 
vegetation encroachment, and burrowing mammal activity at Knife River 
Indian Villages National Historic Site.
    The project objective is to support the NPS mission to ``conserve 
the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife 
therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and 
by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future 
generations.'' To this end, the project will define desired conditions 
and management actions that conform to The Secretary of the Interior's 
Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties, while providing a suite 
of various reasonable alternatives capable of achieving these goals.
    Past planning and emergency efforts have focused on streambank 
protection; however, this plan will encompass all threats to 
archeological resources and all reasonable and feasible alternatives to 
stop or reduce resource impacts. The plan will explore some of the 
following during the course of alternative development: Stream bank 
control, erosion control, pest abatement, vegetation control, 
archeological excavation and documentation, and interpretation of 
archeological resources. A full range of reasonable alternatives for 
the management of archeological resources will be developed through 
this planning process and will include, at minimum, a no-action and a 
preferred alternative. The potential environmental effects of each 
alternative will be evaluated.
    The purpose of the formal public scoping process is to determine 
relevant issues that will influence the scope of the environmental 
analysis, including alternatives, and guide the process for developing 
the Plan/EIS. All interested persons, organizations, agencies, and 
Tribes are encouraged to submit comments and suggestions on issues and 
concerns that should be addressed in the Plan/EIS, and the range of 
appropriate alternatives that should be examined.
    The NPS will use the public involvement process established by the 
National Environmental Policy Act to

[[Page 8731]]

satisfy the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, as provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). Federal, 
State, and local agencies that may be interested or affected by 
decisions related to this project are invited to participate in the 
scoping process and, if eligible, may request to participate as a 
cooperating agency.
    We welcome your comments and assistance in our efforts, but before 
including your address, telephone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in a 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 comments to withhold your personal identifying information from 
public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. We 
will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, from 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials, or 
organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

    Dated: September 27, 2013.
Patricia S. Trap,
Acting Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2014-03185 Filed 2-12-14; 8:45 am]
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