[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 107 (Thursday, June 4, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31919-31920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13634]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-SER-BISC-0017910; PPSESEROC3, PMP00UP05.YP0000]
Final General Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact
Statement, Biscayne National Park, Florida
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of
a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan
(Final EIS/GMP) for Biscayne National Park, Florida (national park).
Consistent with NPS laws, regulations, and policies and the purpose of
the national park, the Final EIS/GMP will guide the management of the
area over the next 15 to 20 years.
DATES: The NPS will execute a Record of Decision (ROD) no sooner than
30 days following publication by the Environmental Protection Agency of
its Notice of Availability of the Final EIS/GMP in the Federal
Register.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Final EIS/GMP will be available
online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/BISC. To request a copy, contact
Morgan Elmer, National Park Service, 12795 W. Alameda Parkway, P.O. Box
25287, Denver, Colorado 80225-0287, telephone (303) 969-2317. A limited
number of compact disks and printed copies of the Final EIS/GMP will be
made available at Biscayne National Park Headquarters, 9700 SW. 328
Street, Homestead, Florida 33033-5634.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Carlstrom, Superintendent,
[[Page 31920]]
Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW. 328 Street, Homestead, Florida 33033-
5634; telephone (786) 335-3646.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final EIS/GMP responds to, and
incorporates agency and public comments received on the Draft EIS/GMP
and Supplemental Draft EIS/GMP. The Draft EIS/GMP was available for
public review from August 19, 2011, through October 31, 2011, and the
Supplemental Draft EIS/GMP was available for public review from
November 14, 2013, through February 20, 2014.
Regarding the Draft EIS/GMP, the NPS published newsletters and held
multiple rounds of public meetings between 2001 and 2011 to keep people
informed and involved in the planning process. The public was asked to
provide comments throughout the development of the draft plan through
three primary avenues--participation in public meetings, responses to
newsletters, and comments on the NPS planning Web site. During the
August 2011, public comment period, approximately 18,000 comments were
received.
Due to concerns raised on the Draft EIS/GMP, the NPS undertook an
evaluation process to consider a number of management actions that
could be enacted to better achieve its objective of providing a
diversified visitor use experience. Several public meetings were held
and additional consultations were conducted with federal and state
authorities, resulting in the release of the Supplemental Draft EIS/
GMP. Approximately 14,000 pieces of correspondence were received on the
Supplemental Draft EIS/GMP, containing approximately 1,800 comments.
The NPS responses to substantive agency and public comments are
provided in Chapter 5 of the Final EIS/GMP, Consultation and
Coordination section.
Presented in the Final EIS/GMP is the final NPS preferred
alternative (alternative 8) as well as alternatives 1 through 5 from
the 2011 Draft Plan and alternatives 6 and 7 from the 2013 Supplemental
Plan.
Alternative 1 (no action) consists of existing park
management and trends and serves as a basis for comparison in
evaluating the other alternatives.
Alternative 2 would emphasize the recreational use of the
park while providing resource protection as governed by law, policy, or
resource sensitivity. This concept would be accomplished by providing a
high level of services, facilities, and access to specific areas of the
park.
Alternative 3 would allow all visitors a full range of
visitor experiences throughout most of the park and would use a permit
system to authorize a limited number of visitors to access some areas
of the park. Management actions would provide strong natural and
cultural resource protection and diverse visitor experiences.
Alternative 4 would emphasize strong natural and cultural
resource protection while providing a diversity of visitor experiences.
Some areas would be reserved for focused types of visitor use. A key
component of this alternative was a marine reserve zone where fishing
would be prohibited to enhance the quality and type of visitor
experience and improve the condition of coral reefs condition by
increasing its resiliency to other impacts.
Alternative 5 would promote the protection of natural
resources, including taking actions to optimize conditions for
protection and restoration. A permit system would be used in some parts
of the park to provide specific experiences.
Similar to alternative 4, alternatives 6 and 7 would
emphasize strong natural and cultural resource protection while
providing a diversity of visitor experiences. Alternatives 6 and 7
include a special recreation zone that would be managed as part of an
adaptive management strategy to achieve the goal of a healthier coral
reef ecosystem within the zone to provide a more enjoyable and diverse
visitor experience, including fishing.
The final NPS preferred alternative (alternative 8) would
support strong natural and cultural resources protection while
providing improved opportunities for quality visitor experiences. This
alternative is a hybrid of alternatives 4 and 6 and combines the ``no
fishing'' marine reserve zone with other management zones described in
alternative 6.
When approved, the plan will guide the management of the national
park over the next 15 to 20 years.
The responsible official for this Final EIS/GMP is the Regional
Director, NPS Southeast Region, 100 Alabama Street SW., 1924 Building,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303.
Dated: May 26, 2015.
Barclay C. Trimble,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2015-13634 Filed 6-3-15; 8:45 am]
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