[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 9 (Thursday, January 14, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3190-3193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00595]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-CHCH-DTS 29367; PPSECHCH00; PPMPSAS1Z.Y00000]
Written Determination: Bicycle Use at Chickamauga and Chattanooga
National Military Park
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Written Determination.
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SUMMARY: The National Park Service determines that allowing bicycles on
certain administrative roads and two miles of existing hiking trails
within Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is consistent
with the protection of the park's natural, scenic, and aesthetic
values; safety considerations; and management objectives; and will not
disturb wildlife or park resources.
DATES: Comments on this written determination must be received by 11:59
EDT on February 16, 2021.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
(1) Electronically: Visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/chch and
click on the link entitled ``Open for Comment''.
(2) By hard copy: Mail to Park Superintendent, Chickamauga and
Chattanooga National Military Park, 3370 Lafayette Road, Fort
Oglethorpe, GA 30742.
Document Availability: The Proposed Bicycle Use Jackson Gap and
John Smartt Trails Environmental Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact provide information and context for this written
determination and are available online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/chch.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brad Bennett, Superintendent,
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, (706) 866-9241
x115, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In 1890, Congress established Chickamauga and Chattanooga National
Military Park (the park) to preserve the sites of some of the most
remarkable maneuvers and brilliant fighting of the Civil War for
historical and professional military study. In addition to the primary
purpose for which it was established, the NPS manages the park to allow
for recreational activity, which began to increase significantly in the
late 1960s and early 1970s. In the 1980s, concerned about potential
impacts from the use of mountain bicycles that were becoming very
popular at the time, the NPS limited bicycles to (1) park roads open
for motor vehicle use by the general public; and (2) a subset of
administrative roads closed to motor vehicle use by the public, but
open to motor vehicle use by the NPS for administrative purposes. This
management framework continues today. Bicycles are allowed on park
roads and on the following administrative roads:
Dalton Ford Road
Thedford Ford Road
Vittetoe Road
Mullis-Vittetoe Road
the roads located within the South Post area
the roads known as the Upper Truck Trail and the Lower
Truck Trail.
In 2015, the NPS completed the Lookout Mountain Battlefield General
Management Plan Amendment (GMPA). The GMPA establishes long-term goals
for preserving the park's natural and
[[Page 3191]]
cultural resources and improving interpretive, educational, and
recreational opportunities for visitors. During the scoping period for
the GMPA, the NPS received a request to open approximately two miles of
the Jackson Gap Trail and the upper portion of the John Smartt Trail to
bicycle use. Public comments received during the GMPA supported bicycle
use on these two trails. In order to evaluate the potential impacts
from the use of bicycles on these trails, the NPS issued the Proposed
Bicycle Use Jackson Gap and John Smartt Trails Environmental Assessment
(EA) in May 2019. The EA considered two alternatives: (1) A no action
alternative that would continue to allow only hiking on these trails;
and (2) the NPS preferred alternative that would also allow bicycling
on the portions of these trails identified in the EA. The EA was open
for public review and comment for 30 days. On September 13, 2019, the
Regional Director for DOI Unified Region 2 South Atlantic-Gulf signed a
Finding of No Significant Impact that identified the preferred
alternative in the EA as the selected alternative.
Prior to designating the trails for bicycle use, NPS regulations at
36 CFR 4.30(d)(3) require the Superintendent to determine that the
addition of bicycles is consistent with the protection of the park's
natural, scenic and aesthetic values, safety considerations, and
management objectives, and will not disturb wildlife or park resources.
The regulations require that this written determination be published in
the Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period. After the 30-
day public review period concludes, the Regional Director will evaluate
whether to approve the written determination. If the Regional Director
approves the written determination, the Superintendent may designate
the trails for bicycle use and will provide notice of such designation
to the public under 36 CFR 1.7.
During the preparation of this written determination for the
Jackson Gap and John Smartt Trails, the NPS recognized an opportunity
to evaluate bicycle use on the administrative roads where bicycles are
already allowed. NPS regulations require the Superintendent to
determine that bicycle use on administrative roads is consistent with
the protection of the park's natural, scenic, and aesthetic values;
safety considerations; and management objectives; and will not disturb
wildlife or park resources. 36 CFR 4.30(b). This is the same written
determination that must be made before allowing bicycles on the Jackson
Gap Trail and John Smartt Trails. For this reason, this written
determination applies to two separate management actions: (1)
Continuing to allow bicycles on the administrative roads identified
above; and (2) allowing bicycles for the first time on the
approximately two miles of the Jackson Gap Trail and the upper portion
of the John Smartt Trail that are identified in the EA.
Written Determination
Park Significance, Purpose, and Values
As stated above, Congress established the park in 1890 for its
historic significance. Consisting of more than 9,000 acres, the park is
the largest federally protected Civil War battlefield in the United
States. The park encompasses multiple administrative units along the
Tennessee-Georgia border and contains nearly 1,500 commemorative
features such as monuments, markers, and tablets. The park is located
in Catoosa, Dade, and Walker Counties in Georgia, and Hamilton County
in Tennessee.
A formal statement of the purpose and significance of the park is
set forth in the park's 2016 Foundation Document. The purpose of the
park is to preserve, protect, and interpret the nationally significant
resources associated with the Civil War Campaign for Chattanooga and
the 12,000 years of American Indian presence on Moccasin Bend. The
fundamental historic and cultural resources and values that contribute
to this purpose include battlefields and related sites, commemorative
features, archeological resources, strategic and important views, and
the contemplative experience.
In addition to these resources and values, the park includes one of
the few large open spaces within and near the Chattanooga metropolitan
area. The paved tour roads and hiking trails in the park provide
outstanding opportunities for recreation and alternative ways to
experience park landscapes. Use of the park for fitness activities like
walking, running, and bicycling creates a unique opportunity to engage
community members and foster the relevancy of the park with local
stakeholders. The flora and fauna protected within the park provide the
public with opportunities to view wildlife and enjoy natural beauty and
scenic views. Recreation at the park provides an opportunity for
current and future generations of visitors to experience and appreciate
the park in different ways, while at the same time respecting and
commemorating the solemnity of the battlefields.
Management Objectives
Continuing to allow bicycles on the subset of administrative roads
where they are already allowed and adding bicycles to the two miles of
existing hiking trails is consistent with the GMPA and the Foundation
Document, which emphasize improvements to the visitor experience
through the expansion of appropriate recreational activities, including
bicycling, while protecting and preserving the park's natural and
cultural resources.
Bicycling on the administrative roads has occurred for more than
100 years and is an established form of visiting and experiencing the
park. Continuing to allow bicycles on the administrative roads would
maintain an important recreational opportunity for park visitors. Many
visitors access and travel through the park on bicycles. Bicycles
provide visitors with a different experience than other forms of
recreation and transportation, such as driving, horseback riding, or
hiking. The administrative roads provide approximately 15.82 miles of
bicycling access in the park. Bicycling on administrative roads
provides more solitude than bicycling on park roads by removing
bicyclists from public motor vehicle traffic. This allows for a more
contemplative experience for those who seek to interact with and learn
about the history of the park in that type of environment.
Adding bicycles to the hiking trails on Lookout Mountain is
consistent with the GMPA and the Foundation Document, which emphasize
improvements to the visitor experience through the expansion of
appropriate recreational activities, including bicycling. These
management actions are also consistent with Secretary of the Interior
Order 3366, ``Increasing Recreational Opportunities on Lands and Waters
Managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior,'' which directs the NPS
to expand access to outdoor recreational opportunities on NPS-managed
lands and waters.
Currently, bicycle traffic in Lookout Mountain Battlefield is
limited to the Upper Truck Trail and Lower Truck Trail, administrative
roads that connect the park to the regional bicycle trail system on the
Tennessee side. Bicyclists can access the Upper Truck Trail from the
Guild Trail, which is part of the regional bicycle trail system owned
by the Lookout Mountain Conservancy. In the opposite direction, the
Upper Truck Trail connects to the Jackson Gap and John Smartt trails in
the park. These trails connect to the regional bicycle trail system in
Georgia. Under current
[[Page 3192]]
rules, when bicyclists reach the end of the Upper Truck Trail, in order
to continue riding they must turn around and exit the park on the
Tennessee side from where they entered. Otherwise, bicyclists must
carry their bikes up hiking trails to exit the park on the Georgia
side. Under these circumstances, hikers are the only user group that
has continuous access through the park from the regional trail systems
in Georgia and Tennessee. If bicycles were allowed on the two miles of
the Jackson Gap Trail and the upper portion of the John Smartt Trail
identified in the EA, then bicyclists could ride the entire 21 miles,
through the park, in either direction between Cloudland Canyon State
Park in Georgia and Chattanooga in Tennessee.
Wildlife
The NPS strives to maintain all components and processes of
naturally evolving ecosystems, including the natural abundance,
diversity, and ecological integrity of wildlife. Allowing bicycles on
the Jackson Gap and upper John Smartt Trails would increase the overall
human traffic on those trails by a small amount. The NPS expects most
of the bicycle traffic to be slow due to steep grades. Bicycling on the
Jackson Gap and John Smartt trails would occur in areas that already
receive frequent human visitation. Typically, wildlife avoid these
areas during the daylight to avoid humans. Nonetheless, bicycle use in
these locations could create the potential for collisions with
wildlife, especially along curves of the trails where forward
visibility is diminished. It is unlikely that large species, such as
deer, would be impacted. Smaller species, however, such as snakes or
lizards, could be injured or killed by bicycle tires. These risks would
likely have minimal adverse effects due to the expected low incidence
rate of collisions on the Jackson Gap and upper John Smartt Trails.
Effects upon wildlife from adding bicycles to the hiking trails were
dismissed from further analysis in the EA because the NPS concluded
they would be negligible and not likely result in unacceptable impacts.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires examination of impacts to
federally listed threatened, endangered, and candidate species. Section
7 of the ESA requires Federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service to ensure that any action authorized, funded, or
carried out by the agency does not jeopardize the continued existence
of listed species or critical habitats. NPS Management Policies 2006
require the NPS to examine the impacts to Federal candidate species, as
well as state listed threatened, endangered, candidate, rare,
declining, and sensitive species. Park records and field surveys did
not identify the potential for individual species, or habitat for any
of the known special status species, within the vicinity of the hiking
trails where bicycles would be allowed nor in proximity to the
administrative roads where bicycles are presently allowed. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service was consulted and determined the proposed
action is not expected to significantly impact fish and wildlife
resources under the jurisdiction of the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.
For these reasons, impacts to special status species from adding
bicycles to the hiking trails were dismissed from detailed analysis in
the EA.
Bicycle use on the administrative roads is considerably less than
the volume of bicycles using the park roads. Over the past 34 years,
relatively few wildlife-bicycle encounters have been observed on
administrative roads and even fewer accidents have been reported by the
public as a result of those encounters.
Cultural Resources
The NPS preserves and maintains 755 documented historic structures
within the park. Most of these are monuments and markers that
commemorate the troops that fought across the park landscapes during
the two Civil War battles. The NPS expects that allowing bicycles on
the hiking trails would result in a relatively small increase
(approximately 200 bicyclists per year) to the total number of
recreational visitors on the trails. The NPS does not expect this level
of increased use would have a measurable impact to cultural resources
within this area.
None of the park's documented commemorative features are located
along the Jackson Gap Trail or the upper John Smartt Trail. These
trails were likely constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps under
the Emergency Conservation Works Administration from either Camp Adolph
Ochs or Camp Demaray, both located on Lookout Mountain. They have
several dry laid retaining walls and wet weather drainage crossings
that are constructed of native stone. These early 20th century stone
walls and drainage features, the only extant cultural resources on the
trails, have required minor and infrequent maintenance by the NPS. NPS
staff within the Resource Management Division would increase the
frequency of monitoring the retaining walls and drainages to ensure
these resources are protected.
Staff from the NPS Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC) conducted
shovel test surveys and a metal detector survey within the area
potentially affected by bicycles on the hiking trails. Archeologists
tested six sections of the trails, including areas proposed for
widening a switchback and locations identified for sign and fence
installation. The SEAC determined there was no potential for
significant archeological resources to be harmed.
The NPS would implement management strategies to minimize impacts
to resources on the trails, including: (1) Issuing citations for off-
trail use; (2) increasing monitoring, education, and enforcement of
regulations; (3) re-evaluating trail design; and (4) requesting
assistance from trail advocates to establish a defined trail edge by
barricading short cuts.
Over the last 34 years, the NPS has not recorded any adverse
effects to historic structures or archeological resources caused by
bicycle use on the administrative roads. For this reason, the NPS does
not expect that the continued use of bicycles on the administrative
roads would adversely affect the park's cultural resources.
Natural, Scenic and Aesthetic Values
The 30-mile network of trails within Lookout Mountain Battlefield
and more than 80 miles of trail throughout the park provide ample
opportunities for hikers to view wildlife and enjoy natural beauty and
scenic views. The proposed actions would extend similar opportunities
to bicyclists on approximately two miles of the Jackson Gap Trail and
the upper portion of the John Smartt Trail and maintain similar
opportunities for bicyclists on the administrative roads. Allowing
bicycles on the hiking trails would allow more regional trail users to
experience the scenic vistas and natural features in the park.
New signs on the hiking trails would be small scale, low stature,
natural metal, and post-mounted with incised letters. Scale and
placement would minimally affect the natural landscape. Installation
would occur in disturbed locations within the trail beds. Kiosks at
trailheads and other locations would be based on standard NPS designs
that are appropriate for the selected locations. Aside from signage,
bicycle use on the trails would not require the addition of any human-
made features and would have no other visual impacts on natural
landscape. Trail width and trail tread would remain the same as they
currently are on both trails: Single-track trail with a width ranging
from 2-4 feet
[[Page 3193]]
with natural trail tread. Allowing bicycle use on these trails would
not negatively impact opportunities for other visitors to experience
scenic and aesthetic values on these trails.
Existing signs along the administrative roads provide route
information and safety messages about bicycling. The continued use of
bicycles on the administrative roads would not require the addition of
new human-made features that would impact the natural landscape at the
Chickamauga Battlefield.
Safety Considerations
The NPS will install new signs on the trails that convey safety
messages about bicycling. Due to steep grades, the hiking trails would
receive a ``Black Diamond'' designation according to the criteria that
has been developed by the International Mountain Biking Association
(IMBA). Signs and educational materials would be posted at the Jackson
Gap trailhead, at the intersection of the John Smartt Trail and Upper
Truck Trail, near switchbacks, and in other strategic locations to
convey important safety and regulatory information. Signs and
educational materials would provide guidance on trail etiquette to
mitigate the potential for user conflict and to help establish user
norms. Signs would provide route names, trail direction and appropriate
practices for yielding to others.
The Jackson Gap and John Smartt Trails are well-constructed hiking
trails within a natural zone of the park. They have existed for many
decades in good condition without a high frequency of maintenance.
Trail crews would continue to assess the Jackson Gap and John Smartt
Trail during annual condition assessments, on regular patrols, and as
reports are received concerning fallen trees or other hazards. Crews
would continue to clean all drainages and culverts, remove loose rocks
and debris, and prune vegetation as necessary. Trail rovers would
conduct monthly monitoring to assist in identifying any additional
maintenance needs. Volunteers will patrol these trails to provide
safety information.
Since the implementation of the current incident reporting system,
there have been no reports of bicycle accidents on park administrative
roads. As stated above, the administrative roads have signs conveying
wayfinding information and safety messages.
Electric Bicycles
The NPS will evaluate the environmental impacts of allowing
electric bicycles (e-bikes) on the administrative roads and hiking
trails under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) after the
conclusion of the written determination process. E-bikes will only be
considered in locations where traditional bicycles are already allowed.
E-bikes will not be allowed anywhere in the park until compliance with
the NEPA is completed and the Superintendent designates those locations
for e-bike use in accordance with 36 CFR 1.7.
Determination
Based upon the foregoing, the NPS determines that (1) continuing to
allow bicycle use on the administrative roads identified above; and (2)
allowing bicycle use on the two miles of the Jackson Gap Trail and the
upper section of the John Smartt Trail (identified in the EA) are
consistent with the protection of the park's natural, scenic and
aesthetic values; safety considerations; and management objectives; and
will not disturb wildlife or park resources.
Jon Bennett,
Superintendent.
[FR Doc. 2021-00595 Filed 1-13-21; 8:45 am]
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