[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 250 (Thursday, December 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81962-81965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33398]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
[NPS-PWR-PWRO-0927-8529; 9082-S612-409]
Final Environmental Impact Statement for General Management Plan,
Ross Lake National Recreation Area, North Cascades National Park
Service Complex, Skagit and Whatcom Counties, WA
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the
Council on Environmental Quality
[[Page 81963]]
Regulations, the National Park Service (NPS) has prepared a final
environmental impact statement (Final EIS) for the proposed General
Management Plan for Ross Lake National Recreation Area (Ross Lake NRA)
in Washington State. This Final EIS describes and analyzes four
alternatives for resource protection and preservation, education and
interpretation, visitor use and facilities, land protection and
boundaries, and long-term operations and management of the Ross Lake
NRA.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The original public information process
began in September 2006 when the NPS produced and distributed an
initial newsletter announcing the start of the planning process and
soliciting feedback on issues to be addressed in park planning. The
Notice of Intent formally announcing preparation of a draft
environmental impact statement and general management plan (GMP) was
published in the Federal Register on October 30, 2006. The NPS released
details about the public scoping period and invited public comment
through direct mailings and correspondence, press releases, public
workshops and informal meetings, the NPS Planning, Environment, and
Public Comment (PEPC) Web site and the Ross Lake NRA Web site. A
comprehensive scoping outreach effort was planned to elicit early
public comment regarding issues and concerns, the nature and extent of
potential environmental impacts, and possible alternatives that should
be addressed in the preparation of the GMP. NPS staff produced and
mailed a newsletter to approximately 350 individuals and entities on
the mailing list.
Agencies, organizations, governmental representatives, and tribal
governments were sent letters of invitation to attend the public
workshops or individual meetings. Press releases were distributed to
local and regional news media. The project was launched on the NPS PEPC
Web site: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/rola, providing access to
information about the Ross Lake NRA GMP and a method for taking public
comments. News articles featuring the public workshops were written in
the local Courier Times and East Skagit Community News and announced on
private and public radio stations. The public was invited to submit
comments by regular mail, email, fax, online, and at public workshops
and individual meetings.
The NPS held seven public workshops in western Washington and
British Columbia in October 2006 to provide the public with an
opportunity to learn about the general management planning project and
to offer comments. During the scoping period, the NPS received
correspondence from over 80 individuals and organizations that provided
a total of over 750 specific comments. All comments received were
reviewed and considered by the NPS interdisciplinary planning team for
the preparation of this GMP. The NPS conducted an additional round of
public involvement at the draft alternatives phase of the planning
process to ensure that the public fully comprehended the range of draft
alternatives and was able to comment effectively on the draft
alternatives. The primary purpose of this planning step was to
understand the public's concerns and preferences with regard to the
range of draft alternatives and to assist the planning team in refining
the draft alternatives and selecting a preferred alternative. NPS
produced and mailed the Draft Alternatives Newsletter to approximately
450 contacts on Ross Lake NRA's mailing list and announced this
planning step on the NPS Web sites. The newsletter fully outlined the
concepts and actions in the draft alternatives and proposed management
zones.
Public review of draft alternatives ran from February 2008 through
April 2008. The NPS held four public workshops in Concrete, Sedro-
Woolley, Bellingham, and Seattle in February and March 2008. Seventy
people participated in the public workshops and provided oral comments.
A total of 539 individual comments were received on the draft
alternatives and covered a broad range of topics, issues, and
recommendations for Ross Lake NRA. All comments received were again
reviewed and considered by the NPS interdisciplinary planning team for
the preparation of this GMP.
The NPS invited public comments on the Skagit Wild and Scenic River
Eligibility and Suitability Studies in fall 2008. The primary purpose
of this public comment period was to understand the public's concerns
about the preliminary eligibility findings and potentially designating
the river segments as wild and scenic rivers. This was an extra
planning step designed to provide the public with opportunities to
focus on the Skagit wild and scenic studies. A newsletter was sent to
approximately 450 contacts and announced this planning step on NPS Web
sites and through press releases. Thirty people attended the two public
meetings held on October 14, 2008 in Seattle, WA and October 15, 2008
in Sedro-Woolley, WA. Written comments were received from 52
organizations and individuals. The information gathered was used in
formulating and refining the Skagit Wild and Scenic River Eligibility
and Suitability Studies.
Public review of Draft EIS/GMP began on July 1, 2010 and ended
September 30, 2010. A Notice of Availability was published in the
Federal Register on July 16, 2010. The Draft EIS/GMP and information
about how to provide public comments were made available on the NPS Web
sites on July 1, 2010. During early July 2010, the NPS distributed
approximately 160 copies of the complete document to the state's
congressional offices, local tribes, governmental agencies, and other
interested organizations and individuals. The NPS also produced and
mailed the Executive Summary Newsletter 3 to over 900 contacts
on the mailing list. The newsletter fully outlined the four
alternatives and encouraged the public to participate in the planning
process. The public had opportunities to provide comments through
attending a public open house, submitting comments on the NPS PEPC Web
site, writing a letter or email, or providing comments on the postage
paid comment form enclosed in the newsletter. Dates, times, and
locations for the public open houses were clearly listed in the
newsletter and on the NPS Web sites. Contact information for the public
to either request more planning materials and/or comment on the draft
plan was also printed in the newsletter and available on the web.
Press releases were prepared and mailed to local media in advance
of the public open houses by the North Cascades NPS Complex staff, and
a series of posters were distributed to approximately 35 locations
throughout Ross Lake National Recreation Area and the region announcing
the public open houses and requesting public comment.
The NPS held six public open houses in Sedro-Woolley, Marblemount,
Newhalem, Seattle, Bellingham, and Winthrop in July 2010. Seventy-seven
people participated in these public open houses and provided oral
comments. The National Park Service received over 1,600 comments on the
draft plan by mail, email, fax, hand delivery, oral transcript, and the
Internet via the NPS PEPC Web site. A number of groups and individuals
submitted duplicate comments by different means, and several people
commented up to four times. Of the comments received, 7 were from
agencies and elected officials, 5 from businesses, and 22 from
organizations. The remaining comments were from individuals. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
[[Page 81964]]
assigned a ``Lack of Objections'' rating to the Draft EIS.
Comments were analyzed and grouped into broad categories. Major
areas of emphasis included: alternatives, connection to the ``National
Park,'' boundary modifications, visitor experience, facilities,
resource management, wilderness, Skagit Wild and Scenic River
Eligibility and Suitability Studies, partnerships, operations, and
planning. Substantive comments have been addressed in the FEIS. Changes
incorporated in the GMP as result of public comments are shown in the
FEIS with gray highlight or text that is in strikeout. The alternatives
have been revised or clarified for the following topics: management
zones, grizzly bear core area, motor boats, sport climbing, seaplanes,
the bridge over the Skagit River in Newhalem, campgrounds, trails,
concessions, the land acquisition associated with Diablo Townsite.
Moreover, a name change from Ross Lake National Recreation Area to
North Cascades National Recreation Area has been added. This list does
not include those changes made to clarify points, provide additional
rationale for decisions, or correct minor errors or omissions.
Proposed Plan and Alternatives
Alternative A is the No Action Alternative and assumes that
existing programming, facilities, staffing, and funding would generally
continue at their current levels. The No Action Alternative is required
by the National Environmental Policy Act and also serves as a baseline
for comparison in evaluating the changes and impacts of the other three
alternatives. The emphasis of the No Action Alternative would be to
protect the values of Ross Lake NRA without substantially increasing
staff, programs, funding supporting, or facilities. Resource
preservation and protection would continue to be high priority for the
management of Ross Lake NRA. Staff would continue to work with
neighboring agencies for collaborative ecosystem management.
Management of visitor use and facilities would generally continue
through existing levels and types of service and regulation. Additional
visitor facilities, such as new buildings, structures, roads, parking
areas, camping areas, and trails, would not be constructed. The park
would react to catastrophic events and destruction of visitor
facilities on a case-by-case basis, which could result in a net loss of
visitor facilities.
Alternative B (agency preferred) focuses on managing Ross Lake NRA
as a gateway to millions of acres of wilderness, providing enhanced
visitor opportunities along the North Cascades Highway, and making
better use of facilities along that corridor, while ensuring the long
term stewardship of natural resources, cultural resources, and
wilderness. The North Cascades Highway corridor would be managed to
provide a variety of day-use and overnight recreational opportunities
for visitors with a range of abilities and interests. Management of
wilderness and backcountry areas would focus on ecosystem preservation
and compatible recreational activities. Interpretation and education
would emphasize hands-on experiential learning and stewardship programs
delivered by both the NPS and its partners.
Recreation in Ross Lake NRA would be enhanced along the North
Cascades Highway corridor through the addition of limited new
facilities, including dayhiking trails, reconfigured parking areas, a
new Wilderness Information Center, and the modest expansion of
overnight facilities and concessions. Recreation in the wilderness and
backcountry areas of Ross Lake NRA, including Ross Lake, would focus on
providing visitors with opportunities for solitude and connections with
the natural world. Self-propelled and non-mechanized recreation would
be encouraged throughout Ross Lake NRA. Regulations for motorized water
recreation would work to maintain the ambient character and experience
on the lakes and the Skagit River, while also moving towards cleaner
technologies. An online permit system would allow visitors the
opportunity for advance trip planning. In the event of a catastrophic
event and the destruction of visitor facilities, the NPS would strive
to offer similar visitor facilities in the vicinity while ensuring no
net loss of visitor opportunities. If Seattle City Light determines
that the Hollywood area of Diablo Townsite is no longer necessary for
hydropower operations in the future, the NPS would work to acquire that
land. Alternative B is also considered the ``environmentally
preferred'' course of action.
Alternative C emphasizes the role of Ross Lake NRA in preserving
the greater North Cascades ecosystem, which includes two additional
National Park System units, two national forests, as well as provincial
parks and protected areas across the Canadian border. Park management
and education efforts would focus on broader ecosystem preservation and
enhancement through coordinated regional and international
environmental stewardship. The focus of visitor experiences would be
linked to solitude, tranquility, natural soundscapes, and scenery
through traditional outdoor activities. The NPS would actively manage
to reduce habitat fragmentation throughout Ross Lake NRA by
consolidating development, eliminating certain trails, and limiting
construction of new facilities in undeveloped areas. Educational and
interpretive opportunities would be primarily structured, and the NPS
would increasingly rely on partners to deliver educational and
interpretive programs both on-site and off-site.
Alternative C would provide visitors with recreational
opportunities along the North Cascades Highway. However, there would be
no net increase in miles of trail in Ross Lake NRA. In the backcountry
and wilderness, Alternative C would focus on resource preservation and
enhancement while limiting and/or restricting some recreational uses.
Seaplanes would not be allowed to land on the lakes, and the NPS would
recommend restricting commercial scenic air tours within Ross Lake NRA
in order to protect and enhance soundscapes and wilderness character,
experience, and values. In the event of a catastrophic weather event
and the destruction of visitor facilities, natural geomorphological
processes would be allowed to occur unimpeded wherever possible and
affected facilities, including Colonial and Goodell Campgrounds, would
be closed and restored to natural conditions.
Alternative D focuses on improving connections between visitors and
the outdoors through a variety of enhanced recreation and learning
opportunities. The emphasis of park management would be to diversify
Ross Lake NRA's visitor base and build stewardship through more hands-
on/experiential recreation and education opportunities. Interpretive
and educational programs would be offered by both the NPS and partners
with expanded offerings in the backcountry and limited areas of the
wilderness zones. Park management would continue to protect resources
and minimize impacts from visitor use.
Overnight accommodations, several new trails, and additional
visitor amenities would expand visitor opportunities in Ross Lake NRA
primarily along the North Cascades Highway corridor. The public
functions of the Wilderness Information Center would be moved to an
easily accessible location on Highway 20. A wide variety of
recreational activities would be allowed throughout Ross Lake NRA, and
there would be fewer restrictions on recreational activities than the
other action alternatives. An online reservation and permit system
would
[[Page 81965]]
allow visitors the opportunity for advance trip planning. In the event
of a catastrophic event and the destruction of visitor facilities, the
NPS would close affected facilities and build new facilities on other
locations to ensure no net loss of visitor opportunities.
Actions Common-to-All Action Alternatives
Several actions are common-to-all action alternatives (Alternatives
B, C, and D). The NPS would recommend a name change for Ross Lake NRA
to North Cascades National Recreation Area. Congressional legislation
would be required to authorize this name change. Recreation activities,
including hunting and hiking with dogs on trails, would continue. The
Thunder Creek Potential Wilderness Area would be designated as
wilderness through administrative action, as authorized in the
Washington Park Wilderness Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-668, Title IV), and
included in the Stephen Mather Wilderness. The NPS would recommend
Congressional legislation for wild and scenic river designation of the
Skagit River from Gorge Powerhouse downstream to the boundary of Ross
Lake NRA, Goodell Creek, and Newhalem Creek. Climate change impacts and
Ross Lake NRA's carbon footprint would be addressed through various
strategies and actions including the reduction of emissions, use of
green energy, adaptive management, and support for scientific research
and educational programs.
The Final GMP/EIS is now available. Interested persons and
organizations may obtain the Final EIS/GMP online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/rola or by contacting Superintendent, North
Cascades NPS Complex, 810 State Route 20, Sedro-Woolley, Washington
98284. A limited number of additional printed copies of this report are
available from the mailing address above.
If you comment, 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.
Following the release of the Final GMP/EIS, a Record of Decision
will be prepared not sooner than 30 days after the EPA has published
its notice of filing of the document in the Federal Register. Notice of
approval of the GMP would be similarly published. As a delegated EIS,
the official responsible for the final decision is the Regional
Director, Pacific West Region; subsequently the official responsible
for implementation would be the Superintendent, North Cascades NPS
Complex.
Dated: November 4, 2011.
Cynthia L. Ip,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-33398 Filed 12-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-GX-P