[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 217 (Friday, November 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67187-67188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26872]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-MWR-OZAR-13117; PX.P0097321D.00.1]
Notice of Availability of the Draft General Management Plan/
Wilderness Study/Environmental Impact Statement for the Ozark National
Scenic Riverways, Missouri
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of
the Draft General Management Plan/Wilderness Study/Environmental Impact
Statement (GMP/WS/EIS) for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways
(Riverways) in Missouri.
DATES: The Draft GMP/WS/EIS will remain available for public review and
comment for 60 days following the publishing of the Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Draft GMP/WS/EIS will be available to the
public by request by writing to the Superintendent, Ozark National
Scenic Riverways, 404 Watercress Drive, PO Box 490, Van Buren, MO
63965. The document is available on the Internet at the NPS Planning,
Environment, and Public Comment Web site (PEPC) at http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/ozar.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent Bill Black, at the
address above, or by telephone at 573-323-4236.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the NPS, announce the availability of
the Draft GMP/WS/EIS for the Riverways.
[[Page 67188]]
This plan will guide the management of the Riverways for the next 15 to
20 years. The GMP/WS/EIS considers and describes four draft conceptual
alternatives--a no-action and three action alternatives, including the
NPS preferred alternative. The anticipated environmental impacts of
these alternatives are also analyzed.
The no-action alternative would extend existing conditions and
management trends into the future. This no-action alternative serves as
a basis of comparison for evaluating the action alternatives. The NPS
would maintain the Big Spring Wilderness Study Area's primitive,
natural character to maintain its wilderness eligibility.
Alternative A would focus on creating visitor experiences and
providing resource conditions that help visitors better understand the
riverways of the past, including traditional river recreation
activities reminiscent of those that occurred when the Riverways was
established. Management would emphasize greater opportunities for
traditional, non-mechanized forms of recreation and visitor experiences
that are quieter, less crowded, and slower paced. Management would also
focus on protecting natural resources and systems. Under this
alternative, most of the Big Spring Wilderness Study Area would be
recommended for wilderness designation.
Alternative B, the NPS preferred alternative, would enhance
opportunities for visitors to discover and learn about the natural
wonders and Ozark heritage of the Riverways, while maintaining a mix of
traditional recreational and commercial activities. Emphasis would be
placed on increasing opportunities for visitor education and
connections to natural resources and cultural landscapes. Most of the
Big Spring Wilderness Study Area would be recommended for wilderness
designation.
Alternative C would seek to provide a diversity of outdoor
recreational opportunities and experiences while maintaining the highly
scenic natural setting and cultural resources. The Riverways would be
managed to support higher levels and diverse types of recreational
opportunities, with a focus on more intensive management to ensure that
excessive impacts on resources or public safety would not occur. In
addition, land-based recreational opportunities would be increased
under this alternative. Approximately half of the Big Spring Wilderness
Study Area would be recommended for wilderness designation.
The Draft GMP/WS/EIS focuses on key natural and cultural resources,
visitor uses and experiences, soundscapes, park operations, and
socioeconomic characteristics that have the potential to be affected if
any of the alternatives were implemented.
If you wish to comment, you may submit your comment by any one of
several methods. You are encouraged to submit comments via the PEPC Web
site at the address above. You may mail comments to the National Park
Service, Chris Church, Project Manager, Denver Service Center Planning
Division, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, CO 80225. Finally, you may mail
comments to the Superintendent at the address above. Before including
your address, telephone number, email address, or other personal
identifying information in your comments, 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
comments to withhold your personal identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. We will make
all submissions from organizations or businesses, from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials, of
organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their
entirety.
Dated: May 16, 2013.
Michael T. Reynolds,
Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2013-26872 Filed 11-7-13; 8:45 am]
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