[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 135 (Thursday, July 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41516-41517]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-17761]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[2031-A153-422]
Vegetation and Deer Management Plan/Environmental Impact
Statement, Morristown National Historical Park, New Jersey
AGENCY: Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
for a Vegetation and Deer Management Plan, Morristown National
Historical Park, New Jersey.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42
U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service is preparing an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a Vegetation and Deer
Management Plan at Morristown National Historical Park (NHP), New
Jersey. The purpose of this plan is to provide the framework for
managing vegetation and deer browsing in order to promote a naturally
regenerating hardwood forest with mixed-aged classes of trees that
reflect the historic and naturally diverse character of the park.
Action is needed now to meet the Congressional intent and the direction
in the park's general management plan (GMP) of maintaining a naturally
regenerating and sustainable forested landscape.
DATES: The National Park Service will accept comments from the public
through August 15, 2011. The National Park Service intends to hold two
public scoping meetings within the park at Washington's Headquarters
Museum during the scoping period. Details regarding the exact dates and
times of these meetings will be announced in the scoping newsletter, on
the Internet (at http://www.nps.gov/morr and http://parkplanning.nps.gov/morr), and through local media at least 15 days in
advance of the meetings.
ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment
online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/morr and at Washington's
Headquarters Museum in Morristown National Historical Park, 30
Washington Place, Morristown, NJ 07960.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Morristown National
Historical Park (973-539-2016, ext. 200).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Morristown NHP was established and is
managed to reflect an 18th-century landscape pattern of field, forest,
orchard and clearings that was present during the winter encampments of
the Continental Army under General George Washington. The park's
General Management Plan (GMP) further indicates that rather than
recreate an exact replica of the encampment period, Morristown NHP will
protect and foster the landscape to include a broader cultural and
ecological context. The GMP also specifies that an important piece of
this landscape and both its cultural and ecological contexts is a
naturally regenerating mixed hardwood forest that reflects historic
character, natural diversity, and natural processes. However, this
critical element of the landscape is currently threatened, as native
species show little or no regeneration.
Studies and ongoing monitoring show that the loss of regeneration
appears to be primarily due to two forces: current levels of deer
feeding and browsing, which contribute to lower tree seedling
regeneration rates; and the expansion of non-native invasive species,
which are outcompeting native species and depressing or eliminating
native tree seedling regeneration rates over much of the forest.
Over time, the absence of regeneration will result in either: (1)
Replacement of forest stands with species that do not reflect the
forest's historic character or natural diversity, or (2) the
disappearance of mixed hardwoods altogether.
The National Park Service will prepare a scoping newsletter which
will present the issues and statements of purpose, need, and objectives
of the Vegetation and Deer Management Plan that the NPS has identified
to date during its internal scoping meetings. The newsletter also will
provide information on upcoming public scoping meetings that will be
held to gather feedback on these topics. Copies of that information
will be available
[[Page 41517]]
online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/morr or at Morristown NHP's
Washington's Headquarters Museum, 30 Washington Place, Morristown, New
Jersey.
If you wish to comment on the purpose, need, objectives, or on any
other issues associated with the plan, you may submit your comments by
one of several methods: Via the Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/morr (preferred method); at upcoming public
scoping meetings; and by mailing or hand-delivering comments to
Superintendent, 30 Washington Place, Morristown, NJ 07960. Before
including your address, phone number, e-mail 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.
Dennis R. Reidenbach,
Regional Director, Northeast Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-17761 Filed 7-13-11; 8:45 am]
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