[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 82 (Friday, April 28, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21004-21005]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-10545]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
General Management Plan/Development Concept Plans Organ Pipe
Cactus National Monument, Arizona; Notice of Availability, Draft
Environmental Impact Statement
Summary: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (P. L. 91-190, as amended), the National Park
Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a draft environmental
impact statement (DEIS) that describes and analyzes a proposed action
and an alternative strategy for the general management of Organ Pipe
Cactus National Monument. The official responsible for a decision on
the proposed action is the Regional Director, Western Region, National
Park Service.
[[Page 21005]] Comments: Comments on the DEIS must be postmarked no
later than July 10, 1995. Public meetings regarding the DEIS will be
held in several communities in southern Arizona and northern Sonora,
Mexico, and the Tohono O'odham reservation. Written responses to the
DEIS should be submitted to the Superintendent, Organ Pipe Cactus
National Monument, Route 1, Box 100, Ajo, AZ 85321.
Public Meetings: Public meetings will be held May 8-11, 1995, in
Sonoyta, Mexico, and Ajo, Phoenix, and Tucson, Arizona. Meetings to be
held on the Tohono O'odham reservation will be scheduled before July
10, 1995. Meetings will be advertised via local media including
newspapers and radio. Information can also be obtained from the
superintendent of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, or the Planning
Team Leader, Organ Pipe Cactus General Management Plan, National Park
Service, Denver Service Center-TWE, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, CO 80225-
0287, (303) 969-2210.
Review Copies: Copies of the DEIS will be available for review at
three locations: (1) Office of Public Affairs, National Park Service,
Department of the Interior, 18th and C Streets, NW, Washington, DC
20240, (202) 208-6843; (2) Western Regional Office, National Park
Service, 600 Harrison St., Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107-1372,
(415) 744-3968; (3) Headquarters, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument,
Route 1, Box 100, Ajo, AZ 85321, (520) 387-7661. A limited number of
copies of the DEIS are available on request from either the
superintendent or planning team leader.
Supplementary Information: The Draft General Management Plan/
Development Concept Plans/Environmental Impact Statement presents a
proposed action and an alternative strategy for the management, use,
and preservation of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The proposed
action, designated in the DEIS as Alternative 1, The Preferred Future,
recognizes the full range of scientific, wilderness, and recreational
values of the Sonoran Desert. The proposal seeks to ensure the
continued existence of threatened and endangered species and their
habitat; reduce impacts to historic properties; provide facilities that
would more adequately serve the needs of visitors and staff; establish
trails that minimize impacts on natural and cultural resources; and
reduce vandalism and the threat of vandalism, especially in the
southern sections of the monument.
Major features of the proposal include increased regional, tri-
national, and inter-agency cooperative efforts, preservation treatments
for several significant cultural resources, new facilities and other
improvements in the Twin Peaks, Lukeville, and Quitobaquito Springs
areas, and redesignation of the monument to Sonoran Desert National
Park. The National Park Service also proposes to facilitate a
cooperative planning effort to make the portion of State Route 85
within the monument more compatible with the wildland setting, enhance
protection of monument resources, and increase visitor safety. Major
consequences of implementing the proposal would be to enhance
protection, understanding, and recognition of the Sonoran Desert and
further strengthen relations with local communities, the Tohono O'odham
Nation and Mexico. Implementing the proposed actions could also lead to
an expansion of the National Wilderness Preservation System by 2,130
acres and help perpetuate the existence of endangered and sensitive
species, including the Quitobaquito desert pupfish and Quitobaquito
snail.
Alternative 2, A Continuation of Existing Conditions, continues the
present course of action as specified in approved documents guiding
park management and development. Many actions are similar to
Alternative 1, except that fewer developments and programs are
proposed. In general, the consequences of this alternative are also
similar, but with two major exceptions. The persistent degradation of
the only known habitat for the Quitobaquito desert pupfish and
Quitobaquito snail could potentially jeopardize their continued
existence. Secondly, unregulated traffic along State Route 85 would
continue to eliminate wildlife along this corridor. Although the
National Park Service would work with the state of Arizona to reduce
adverse impacts, this alternative would not result in a cooperative
planning effort that addresses reductions in traffic speed and volume
within the monument.
The official responsible for a decision on the proposed action is
the Regional Director, Western Region, National Park Service.
Dated: April 18, 1995.
Stanley T. Albright
Regional Director, Western Region.
[FR Doc. 95-10545 Filed 4-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P