[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 127 (Thursday, July 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38228-38230]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-16319]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-PWR-PWRO-17880; PX.PR099106F.00.1]


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for General Management Plan, 
City of Rocks National Reserve, Cassia County, Idaho

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS), in cooperation with the Idaho 
Department of Parks and Recreation and the Bureau of Land Management, 
has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and General 
Management Plan (GMP) for City of Rocks National Reserve (Reserve). The 
DEIS evaluates four GMP alternatives for management of the City of 
Rocks National Reserve. When approved, the GMP will allow for 
implementation of a range of management actions to improve protection 
of natural and cultural resources and visitor experience within the 
Reserve.

DATES: All comments must be postmarked or transmitted not later than 60 
days from the date of publication in

[[Page 38229]]

the Federal Register of the Environmental Protection Agency's notice of 
filing and release of the DEIS. Immediately upon confirmation of this 
date, all entities on the project mailing list will be notified, and 
public announcements about the DEIS review period will be posted on the 
project Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ciro) and distributed via 
local and regional press media.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact GMP Planning Team 
Leader Amanda Schramm at (206) 220-4112.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: City of Rocks National Reserve (Reserve) was 
designated as a unit of the national park system on November 18, 1988, 
by the Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-696) and is 
managed cooperatively by the NPS and Idaho Department of Parks and 
Recreation (IDPR). The Reserve is located in the Albion Mountains in 
southwest Idaho and is one of many publicly owned areas within the 
region. The Reserve contains unique and diverse resources. The geologic 
features are world-renowned both for rock climbing and academic study. 
Vegetation communities include sagebrush steppe, pinyon-juniper 
woodlands, mountain mahogany woodlands, and higher elevation forest 
communities of aspen, subalpine fir, lodgepole pine, and limber pine. 
Idaho's only known population of cliff chipmunk is found in the Reserve 
and on adjacent lands. Other wildlife species include mule deer, 
coyote, bobcat, mountain lion, moose, elk, and bighorn sheep.
    The Reserve preserves and protects 6.2 miles of the California 
National Historic Trail, 1.8 miles of the Salt Lake Alternate, and the 
surrounding cultural landscape, which includes remnant historic trail 
ruts, more than 350 emigrant signatures on 22 rocks, and portions of 
the Mormon Battalion Trail and the Kelton-Boise Stage Route. The 
Reserve comprises an area of 14,407 acres. Of that total, approximately 
9,680 acres are federally-owned, 4,087 acres are privately-owned, and 
640 acres are owned by the State of Idaho. Private land within the 
Reserve is regulated by Cassia County zoning and subdivision 
ordinances. Although considered nontraditional uses in most national 
park units, cattle grazing and hunting occur within the Reserve. The 
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes also continue traditional uses, such as 
seasonal hunting and pine nut gathering.
    The GMP is needed because the 1996 City of Rocks National Reserve 
Comprehensive Management Plan is outdated and no longer provides 
adequate guidance to address the policy and operational issues now 
facing the Reserve. Many of the actions in the comprehensive management 
plan have been implemented, but other actions are either outdated, 
cost-prohibitive, or cannot be executed for other reasons, including 
current property ownership. The new GMP seeks to: (1) Describe purpose, 
significance, special mandates, fundamental resources and values, and 
primary interpretive themes for the Reserve through foundation 
planning; (2) clearly define resource conditions, visitor uses, and 
experiences to be achieved within the Reserve; (3) provide a framework 
for Reserve managers to guide decisions about protecting Reserve 
resources and providing high-quality visitor experiences through 
management of visitor activities and facilities; and (4) develop a 
foundation for NPS decision-making in consultation with interested 
stakeholders and IDPR leadership, based on analysis of the benefits, 
impacts, and costs of the alternatives.
    The new GMP will address several issues facing the Reserve. In 1996 
when the Comprehensive Management Plan was produced, approximately 50 
percent of the land within the Reserve was in public ownership. Today, 
that percentage is approximately 70 percent, resulting in additional 
planning opportunities for newly acquired parcels. A land protection 
plan (LPP) currently underway will be completed following the 
publication of the GMP. The LPP will define those land interests that 
are most important to fulfilling the purpose of the Reserve, the 
resource protection reasons for acquisition, and the priority for and 
types of acquisition, as developed in consultation with the Reserve 
superintendent. Any lands proposed for acquisition would be by willing 
seller only, and would be consistent with Reserve legislation and NPS 
policies.
    Visitation within the Reserve rose from approximately 81,000 
visitors in 1993 to more than 99,439 in 2011. Population growth in the 
nearby metropolitan areas of Salt Lake City and the Pocatello/Idaho 
Falls area is expected to increase in the next 20 years, potentially 
affecting visitation and use within the Reserve. Because of increased 
visitation, there is a need to evaluate existing facilities. The 
temporary visitor center serving both the Reserve and Castle Rocks 
State Park is located in a 100-year-old house that is inadequate to 
accommodate the use of the thousands of visitors that pass through for 
orientation and information.
    Although many campsites in the Reserve that existed when the 
Reserve was established have been closed or rehabilitated, there are 
lingering issues that need to be addressed including campsites that 
conflict with day use activities, safety and visual issues with some 
roadside campsites, and the need for additional toilets. Most campsites 
in the Reserve are located along the southern and western rim of Circle 
Creek Basin--these sites offer prime views of the ``Inner City'' 
pinnacles, as well as more expansive views of Granite Ridge that 
completes the northern encirclement of the basin. Intensive use during 
some seasons has caused parking conflicts, especially associated with 
horse trailer and large recreational vehicle parking. The GMP includes 
a development concept plan to address these specific issues, including 
comprehensive assessment of the trail system with associated parking, 
picnicking, and trailheads.
    Several plans completed since the 1996 comprehensive management 
plan are now due for revision, and additional plans are needed to 
better inform Reserve management. Among these plans are the grazing 
management plan, fire management plan and vegetation management plan. 
The GMP is intended to provide more direction for their development.
    The DEIS also includes a wilderness eligibility assessment because 
all lands administered by the NPS must be evaluated for their 
eligibility for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation 
System. The assessment concludes that lands within the Reserve boundary 
do not meet the requirements necessary to qualify on their own for 
designation by Congress as Wilderness. However, while Reserve lands 
alone do not meet the criteria, the area could contribute to a larger 
area of potential wilderness, if the Sawtooth National Forest were to 
reconsider its management plan prescription for inventoried roadless 
areas immediately north of the Reserve.
    Current management zoning for the Reserve uses both zones and 
subzones and covers both private and public land. Many of the 
prescriptions for these are overlapping or contradictory and at times 
confusing for Reserve managers. In addition, a section of the Reserve 
at the eastern boundary was not zoned on the 1996 management zoning map 
and needs to be corrected.
    Alternatives: Four GMP alternatives are identified and analyzed in 
the DEIS, and are briefly described below. In addition, a Development 
Concept Plan (DCP) is included for the ``Rim'' area of the Reserve (the 
western rim of Circle

[[Page 38230]]

Creek Basin) to provide a framework to enhance and improve visitor 
facilities and visitor experience in this area. The DCP addresses a 
broad spectrum of issues and use conflicts between recreational 
activities--in particular, day-use activities and overnight camping.
    Alternative A (No Action Alternative) would continue current 
management, programming, facilities, staffing, and funding at their 
current levels, and existing plans would be implemented.
    Alternative B: Silent City of Rocks (preferred alternative) would 
focus on the spectacular scenery, geology, biological richness, and 
cultural landscape experienced by past and present visitors. It would 
emphasize a backcountry-type visitor experience that would allow for 
self-discovery within a minimally developed western outdoor 
environment.
    Alternative C: A Stage for Stewardship would protect resources 
through research activities, educational opportunities, and 
partnerships by emphasizing the national significance of the Reserve. 
Visitors would be provided opportunities to learn about the history and 
the natural wonders within the Reserve.
    Alternative D: Treasured Landscapes Inspiring Stories would tell 
stories of the Reserve through the people who pass through, live, and 
recreate within it, focusing on the California Trail and the ranching 
heritage. It would emphasize a frontcountry, day-use experience with 
more formal and structured recreational opportunities and programs.
    Public Engagement: Public scoping formally began on August 25, 
2009, with the Federal Register publication of a Notice of Intent to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, followed by widespread 
mailing of Newsletter #1 which generally described the conservation 
planning and environmental impact analysis process and the purpose and 
need for the planning effort. Five public meetings (in Almo, Burley, 
Pocatello, Boise, and Ketchum, Idaho, during September 21--October 22, 
2009) provided an early opportunity for the public to identify issues. 
Newsletter #2 distributed in winter, 2009/2010 summarized public 
scoping comments. A third newsletter presenting preliminary 
alternatives followed in April 2011. In addition to a public meeting at 
park headquarters in Almo, Idaho, numerous meetings with stakeholders, 
including the Bureau of Land Management, occurred following 
announcement of the preliminary alternatives. Newsletter #3 and the 
stakeholders meeting were announced via news releases to several media 
outlets, including local newspapers and radio and television stations. 
Lastly, a fourth newsletter distributed in March 2012, summarized the 
more than 150 public comments on the preliminary alternatives.
    To facilitate public review of DEIS/GMP, the Reserve Superintendent 
and NPS planning team will host a public meeting at park headquarters 
in Almo, Idaho with another meeting possible in Twin Falls, Idaho. As 
soon as confirmed date(s), specific location(s), and time(s) are 
determined, this information will be announced via local and regional 
news media and on the Reserve's Web site (www.nps.gov/ciro). 
Participants are strongly encouraged to review the Executive Summary 
and/or complete document prior to attending a meeting. The format will 
include a brief presentation on the essential elements of the DEIS/GMP, 
followed by the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments. All 
meeting locations will be accessible for disabled persons. A sign 
language interpreter may be available (request in advance by contacting 
the Reserve at (208) 824-5911).
    How to Comment: Information about the 60 day public review and 
comment period will be announced via local and regional news media. An 
Executive Summary newsletter for the DEIS/GMP will be mailed to 
interested parties. Printed copies of the complete document will be 
available for review at park headquarters in Almo, Idaho, as well as in 
local public libraries in Burley and Twin Falls, Idaho. Electronic 
versions of the document will also be available on the Reserve's Web 
site (www.nps.gov/ciro), and limited numbers of printed or CD format 
documents may be requested by contacting the Reserve at (208) 824-5911.
    Written comments should be addressed to: Superintendent, ATTN: City 
of Rocks General Management Plan, City of Rocks National Reserve, P.O. 
Box 169, Almo, ID 83312. Reviewers may also submit comments 
electronically at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ciro. Before including 
your address, phone number, email 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.
    Decision Process: Following due consideration of all agency and 
public comments which are received, a Final Plan/EIS will be prepared; 
at this time it is anticipated the final document will be available for 
public inspection during winter, 2015/2016. Because this is a delegated 
EIS process, the official responsible for the final decision on the GMP 
is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region, National Park Service. 
The official responsible for implementation of the approved GMP is the 
Superintendent, City of Rocks National Reserve.

    Dated: March 13, 2015.
Christine S. Lehnertz,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.

    Editor's note:  This document was received by the Office of the 
Federal Register on June 29, 2015.

[FR Doc. 2015-16319 Filed 7-1-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-FF-P