[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 160 (Thursday, August 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 51394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21084]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[2031-A047-409]
DRAFT General Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact
Statement, Biscayne National Park, FL
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft General Management Plan and
Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42
U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS) announces the
availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
General Management Plan (GMP) for Biscayne National Park (Park),
Florida.
Consistent with NPS laws, regulations, and policies and the purpose
of the Park, the Draft EIS/GMP describes the NPS preferred
alternative--Alternative 4--to guide the management of the Park over
the next 20 to 30 years. The preferred alternative incorporates various
management prescriptions to ensure protection, access and enjoyment of
the park's resources.
An up-to-date GMP is needed to address how visitors access and use
the park and the facilities needed to support those uses, how resources
are managed, and how the NPS manages its operations. Recent studies
have enhanced the NPS's understanding of resources, resource threats,
and visitor use in the park.
DATES: The NPS will accept comments from the public on the Draft EIS/
GMP for at least 60 days, starting from the date the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes this Notice of Availability. The date,
time, and location of the public meetings on the Draft EIS/GMP will be
announced through the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment
(PEPC) Web site: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/BISC and media outlets.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Draft EIS/GMP will be available
online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/BISC. To request a copy, contact
Biscayne National Park Superintendent Mark Lewis, 9700 SW 328 Street,
Homestead, FL 33033-5634.
Comments may be submitted by several methods. The preferred method
is commenting via the internet on the PEPC Web site above. An
electronic public comment form is provided on this Web site. You may
also mail comments to Superintendent, Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW
328 Street, Homestead, FL 33033-5634. Finally, you may hand-deliver
comments to the park. Before including your address, phone number, e-
mail address, or other personal identifying information in your
comment, please 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. We will always make submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives of or officials of organizations or
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. A
limited number of compact disks and printed copies of the Draft GMP/EIS
will be made available at Biscayne National Park headquarters, 9700 SW
328 Street, Homestead, FL.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public meetings, newsletters, and internet
updates have kept the public informed and involved throughout the
planning process. The draft GMP provides a framework for management,
use, and development of the national park for the next 20 or more
years. It presents and analyzes five alternatives: Alternative 1 (no
action) provides a baseline for evaluating changes and impacts of the
four action alternatives. Alternative 2 provides the highest level of
visitor services in the form of increased facilities and access to
areas of the park. Alternative 3 adds a visitor permit system and
marine reserve zone. Alternative 4 is the NPS Preferred Alternative. It
was crafted to emphasize strong natural and cultural resource
protection while providing a diversity of visitor experiences. Visitor
opportunities in this alternative would range from the challenges of
exploring the natural environment alone to the conveniences of built
surroundings. A limited amount of moderate resource impacts would be
tolerated in high-use areas of the park. While the majority of the park
would be open for public enjoyment and appreciation, some areas would
be closed to visitors to protect sensitive resources and allow wildlife
a respite from people. Alternative 5 provides the highest protection of
natural and cultural resources on the park, including a larger marine
reserve zone.
The five alternatives are described in detail in chapter 2 of the
draft plan. The key impacts of implementing the five alternatives are
detailed in chapter 4 and summarized in chapter 2.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Biscayne National Park Superintendent
Mark Lewis, 9700 SW 328 Street, Homestead, FL 33033-5634 or telephone
at (305) 230-1144. The authority for publishing this notice is
contained in 40 CFR 1506.6
The responsible official for this Draft EIS is the Regional
Director, NPS Southeast Region, 100 Alabama Street SW., 1924 Building,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303.
Dated: August 8, 2011.
Gordon Wissinger,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-21084 Filed 8-17-11; 8:45 am]
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