[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 221 (Friday, November 17, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80333-80334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25142]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-VRP-WS-NPS36769; PPWOVPADW0-244-PPMPRLE1Y.LB0000]


Evaluation and Authorization Procedures for Fixed Anchors and 
Fixed Equipment in National Park Service Wilderness Areas

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of 
a draft Wilderness Stewardship Reference Manual 41 guidance governing 
the management of climbing activities in wilderness areas in the 
National Park System. We invite comments from the public, and local, 
State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.

DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before 
11:59 p.m. ET on January 16, 2024.

ADDRESSES: 
    Document availability: The draft guidance is available online at: 
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/RM41_fixed_anchors.
    Comment Submission: You may submit written comments by one of the 
following methods:
     Electronically: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/RM41_fixed_anchors.
     Mail or hand deliver to: Fixed Anchors, National Park 
Service, 1849 C Street NW, MS-2457 Washington, DC 20240.
    Instructions: Comments will not be accepted by fax, email, or in 
any way other than those specified above. Comments delivered on 
external electronic storage devices (flash drives, compact discs, etc.) 
will not be accepted. Bulk comments in any format (hard copy or 
electronic) submitted on behalf of others will not be accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roger Semler, Wilderness Stewardship 
Division Manager, National Park Service, (202-430-7615), 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Wilderness Act was passed in 1964 and signed into law by 
President Lyndon B. Johnson. This Act established the National 
Wilderness Preservation System `` . . . for the permanent good of the 
whole people.'' The Wilderness Act directs Federal land management 
agencies, including the NPS, to manage wilderness areas and preserve 
wilderness character. To support the mandates of the Wilderness Act, 
the NPS developed specific policies to address wilderness management 
and stewardship. NPS Management Policies 2006, Chapter 6, and 
Director's Order 41 (2013) help managers understand why wilderness is 
important and how they can effectively manage these areas to preserve 
wilderness character. The Wilderness Stewardship Reference Manual 41 
(RM 41) expands on policies for managing wilderness and offers 
comprehensive guidance to NPS employees responsible for managing and 
preserving wilderness character and the wilderness resource throughout 
the National Park System. RM41 addresses the management of recreational 
climbing activities in wilderness, including the evaluation and 
authorization process for fixed anchors and fixed equipment associated 
with climbing activities in NPS administered wilderness areas.

[[Page 80334]]

    The NPS updates Reference Manuals on a periodic basis to improve 
park administration. In response to the growing popularity of climbing 
on public lands, coupled with concerns regarding increasing impacts to 
wilderness resources and character, the NPS has identified the need to 
update its policy to provide consistent guidance to park managers and 
engage the public to help make informed decisions regarding climbing 
activities in wilderness areas. For these reasons, the NPS has drafted 
a proposed guidance for inclusion in RM 41 to provide a more 
comprehensive and consistent framework for evaluating potential actions 
taken by national parks to authorize the placement and replacement of 
fixed anchors and fixed equipment for recreational climbing in NPS 
wilderness areas. This includes guidance for implementing a minimum 
requirements analysis (MRA) to determine whether fixed anchors are 
necessary to preserve wilderness character and further wilderness 
values, including recreation. The guidance will clarify NPS policy on 
the management of climbing activities in wilderness in accordance with 
the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(c)).

Tribal Consultation

    As expressed in Executive Order 13175, ``Consultation and 
Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments,'' the Department is 
committed to honoring the unique government-to-government political 
relationship that exists between the Federal Government and federally 
recognized Indian Tribes as listed at 87 FR 4636 (January 28, 2022). 
Secretary of the Interior Order No. 3403 (November 15, 2021) affirmed 
the principle that the Native Hawaiian Community has a government-to-
sovereign relationship with the Federal Government and uses Native 
Hawaiian organizations as its informal representatives. Consistent with 
these commitments and principles, the NPS initiated Tribal consultation 
in March 2023. The NPS held three virtual Tribal consultation sessions 
and accepted written comments from Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
Organizations for 71 days. The NPS developed this draft guidance after 
consulting with federally recognized Indian Tribes, and the guidance 
reflects Tribal input.

Michael P. Michener,
Deputy Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection, National 
Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-25142 Filed 11-16-23; 8:45 am]
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