[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 17 (Friday, January 25, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5492-5494]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-01461]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-PWR-PWRO-11522; PX.P0131800B.00.1]
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Merced Wild and Scenic
River Comprehensive Management Plan, Yosemite National Park, Madera and
Mariposa Counties, CA
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), and the Council on Environmental Quality
Regulations (40 CFR part 1500-1508), the National Park Service (NPS)
has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the
proposed Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan
(Merced River Plan). The Merced River Plan will fulfill the
requirements of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, 16 U.S.C. 1271-1287,
and will provide long-term protection of river values and a user
capacity management program for 81 miles of the Merced River that flow
through Yosemite National Park and the El Portal Administrative Site.
Consistent with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA), the purposes
of the Merced River Plan/DEIS are to protect the Merced River's free-
flowing conditions, and to: (1) Review, and if necessary revise, the
river corridor boundaries and segment classifications, and provide a
process for protection of the river's free-flowing condition in keeping
with the WSRA; (2) Refine descriptions of the river's outstandingly
remarkable values (ORVs), which are the unique, rare, or exemplary in a
regional or national context, and the river-related/river-dependent
characteristics that make the river eligible for inclusion in the
national wild and scenic rivers system; (3) Identify management
objectives for the river, and specific management measures that will be
implemented to achieve protection and enhancement of river values; (4)
Establish a user capacity program that addresses the kinds and amounts
of public use that the river corridor can sustain while protecting and
enhancing the river's ORVs; (5) Commit to a program of ongoing studies
and monitoring to ensure that the ORVs are protected and enhanced over
the life of the plan.
The Merced River Plan/DEIS evaluates the potential adverse and
beneficial environmental consequences of implementing a range of five
action
[[Page 5493]]
alternatives, including a no action alternative in accordance with
NEPA; and for the potential to cause adverse effects to historic
properties in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act. Both the agency preferred and environmentally
preferred alternatives are identified. Actions called for in the 1980
Yosemite General Management Plan (GMP) addressing management within the
Merced Wild and Scenic River corridor would be amended and are outlined
in the Merced River Plan/DEIS.
DATES: The NPS will be accepting public comments on the Merced River
Plan/DEIS for 90 days. All comments must be transmitted or postmarked
no later than 90 days from the date of publication of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's notice of filing for this Draft EIS
in the Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact Kathleen Morse,
Planning Division, Yosemite National Park, P.O. Box 577, Yosemite, CA
95389; telephone (209) 379-1110.
Development of Proposal and Alternatives: On April 11, 2007, the
NPS published a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS in the Federal
Register. This initial scoping period included three public meetings
and resulted in 191 responses. Public scoping was reopened with a
Federal Register notice on June 30, 2009, and through multiple public
notices in newspapers throughout northern California and the Yosemite
region. The second scoping period was extended until February 4, 2010
and resulted in 576 responses. Also throughout this period, e-
newsletters were sent to 5,700 recipients and postcards to 25,000
Yosemite campers.
The Merced River Plan/DEIS has been developed through consultation
with traditionally associated American Indian tribes, the State
Historic Preservation Officer, and other federal and state agencies.
Gateway communities, organizations, and interested members of the
public have provided more than 1,460 pieces of correspondence
(including letters, faxes, emails, comment forms, and public meeting
flip-chart notes). The NPS has conducted more than 40 public meetings,
presentations, workshops, field visits, and open houses in support of
the EIS process. Two preliminary alternatives concept workbooks were
prepared and distributed for public review and comment prior to
completion of the Merced River Plan/DEIS.
Based on a thorough examination of the river's baseline conditions
at the time of designation (1986), a multi-faceted approach to river
management and stewardship is proposed. To address the WSRA mandate to
protect and enhance river values, many of the plan's actions would be
common to all the action alternatives, including: (1) All WSRA
management elements (boundaries, classifications, Sec. 7 determination
process); (2) actions to protect and enhance river values (e.g.,
ecological restoration components); (3) removal and/or relocation of
numerous facilities and services; (4) actions to improve traffic
circulation and reduce congestion; (5) implementation of a monitoring
program that sets thresholds for when management actions must be taken
to protect river values; and (6) numeric limits on use through a user
capacity management program.
In keeping with the expressed purpose and need, the DEIS identifies
and evaluates five action alternatives for management of the river
corridor, and a No-Action alternative. The action alternatives vary
primarily in the degree of restoration and the amount of visitor use
that could be accommodated by the commensurate level of facilities and
services necessary to protect river values under each scenario. The
interdisciplinary and public involvement effort provided varying
perspectives and experiences that were considered during the
alternative development process.
Alternative 1 (No-Action; baseline conditions) would continue
current management and trends, including ongoing localized impacts
associated with impacts to free flowing condition of the river and
connectivity of meadows, permanent facilities in the Merced River
floodplain, and pedestrian-vehicle conflicts at major intersections. In
2011, the peak daily visitation recorded for East Yosemite Valley was
20,900 people over a 24-hour period. Under the existing GMP, East
Yosemite Valley visitation would be approximately 18,241 people.
Actions Common to Alternatives 2-6: All five action alternatives
would protect and enhance river values by improving conditions that
threaten sensitive meadows, archeological resources, and scenic vistas,
and would differ primarily in the kinds of visitor opportunities
available at Yosemite Valley and the Merced Lake High Sierra Camp.
Restoration actions common to alternatives 2-6 include the removal of
revetments, abandoned infrastructure, informal trails, and encroaching
conifers in meadows; restoring riparian areas and meadow hydrology;
regulating river access; and cultural resource protection and scenic
resource protection. All alternatives would accommodate traditional
cultural practices by American Indian tribes and groups. The action
alternatives included in the Merced River Plan more closely align
capacity with visitation to improve the visitor experience and allow
for more extensive resource protection.
Alternative 2: Self-Reliant Visitor Experiences and Extensive
Floodplain Restoration would include major restoration within the 100-
year floodplain, significant reduction in facilities and services, and
significantly lower visitor use than today. Given the conditions in
this Alternative, visitation to East Yosemite Valley would be
approximately 13,900 people per day over a 24-hour period.
Alternative 3: Dispersed Visitor Experiences and Extensive
Riverbank Restoration would include significant restoration within 150
feet of the river, marked reduction in visitor facilities and services,
and significantly lower visitor use than today. Given the conditions in
this Alternative, East Yosemite Valley visitation would be
approximately 13,200 people per day over a 24-hour period.
Alternative 4: Resource-based Visitor Experiences and Targeted
Riverbank Restoration would include targeted restoration within 150
feet of the river, reduced commercial services with a significant
increase over current camping opportunities, and slightly lower visitor
use than today. Given the conditions in this Alternative, East Yosemite
Valley visitation would be approximately 17,000 people per day over a
24-hour period.
Alternative 5 (agency-preferred): Enhanced Visitor Experiences and
Essential Riverbank Restoration would include essential restoration
within 100 feet of the river, reduced commercial services with moderate
increases to current camping opportunities, and approximately the same
level of visitor use as today. Given the conditions in this
Alternative, East Yosemite Valley visitation would be approximately
19,900 people per day over a 24-hour period. This preferred course of
action is also identified as the ``environmentally preferred''
alternative.
Alternative 6: Diversified Visitor Experiences and Selective
Riverbank Restoration would include limited restoration within 100 feet
of the river, expanded facilities and services with the largest
increase over current camping opportunities, and some growth in visitor
use over time. Given the conditions in this Alternative, East Yosemite
Valley visitation would be allowed to increase to approximately
[[Page 5494]]
21,800 people per day over a 24-hour period.
How To Comment: At any time during the 90 day public review period,
comments may be transmitted electronically through the NPS Planning,
Environment and Public Comment Web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yose_mrp, or through the Yosemite National Park Web site at [email protected]. Alternately, written comments may be mailed to
Superintendent, Yosemite National Park, Attn: Merced River Plan DEIS,
P.O. Box 577, Yosemite, California 95389, or may be hand-delivered at
one of the scheduled public meetings.
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.
Public meetings and site visits will be hosted in Yosemite Valley
and in several gateway communities, and San Francisco. Any individual
or organization who wants to express an opinion about the effects of
the plan on natural or cultural resources and/or the visitor experience
is encouraged to attend. All in-park meetings will be available through
the park's Web site at https://yose.webex.com. All meeting locations
and dates will be announced via the Yosemite electronic newsletter,
press releases, and posted on the park's Web site http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/mrp.htm.
Printed or CD format documents may be requested through email
([email protected]), or by telephone at (209) 379-1110. In
addition, the DEIS will be available at public libraries in local
communities. Electronic versions will be available online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yose_mrp, which can be accessed directly through
the Yosemite National Park Web site (noted above).
Decision Process: All comments submitted on the Merced River Plan/
DEIS will be duly considered in preparing the Final Environmental
Impact Statement (Final EIS). The Final EIS/Merced River Plan is
expected to be available in Spring of 2013; availability will be
announced similarly as the DEIS, including notice in the Federal
Register. A Record of Decision will be prepared not sooner than 30 days
after release of the FEIS. As a delegated EIS process, the official
responsible for final approval is the Regional Director, Pacific West
Region, National Park Service; subsequently, the official responsible
for implementation of the approved Merced River Plan is the
Superintendent, Yosemite National Park.
Dated: November 19, 2012.
Christine S. Lehnertz,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 2013-01461 Filed 1-24-13; 8:45 am]
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