[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 18 (Monday, January 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4914-4915]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 08-327]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Draft Environmental Impact Statement and General Management Plan;
San Juan Island National Historical Park, San Juan County, WA; Notice
of Availability
Summary: Pursuant to Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended), and the Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR Part 1500-1508), the National
Park Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the proposed General
Management Plan (GMP) for San Juan Island National Historical Park
located in San Juan County, Washington. This DEIS describes and
analyzes three GMP alternatives that respond to both NPS planning
requirements and to the public's concerns and issues, identified during
the scoping and early public involvement process. Each alternative
presents management strategies for resource protection and
preservation, education and interpretation, visitor use and facilities,
land protection and boundaries, and long-term operations and management
of the park. The potential environmental consequences of all the
alternatives, and mitigation strategies, are identified and analyzed in
the DEIS. In addition to a baseline ``no-action'' alternative, an
``environmentally preferred'' alternative is identified.
Background: A Notice of Intent formally initiating the conservation
planning and environmental impact analysis effort necessary for
updating the general management plan was published in the Federal
Register on February 5, 2003. The National Park Service (NPS) organized
an interdisciplinary planning team consisting of staff at San Juan
Island National Historical Park and the NPS Pacific West Regional
Office in Seattle, Washington to identify preliminary issues to be
addressed in updating the GMP. The last GMP was prepared in 1979. The
official public scoping process began in March 2003 when the NPS
produced and distributed an initial newsletter announcing the start of
the planning process and soliciting feedback on issues to be addressed
in the plan. The newsletter was mailed to the park's 216 person mailing
list, and also posted on the park's website. In addition, 4,000 copies
of the newsletter were inserted into The Journal of the San Juan
Islands newspaper, which reaches approximately 3,000 island residents
and approximately 1,000 residents off-island. An additional 2,500
copies were distributed to area libraries, civic buildings, business,
churches, museums, universities, communities, dignitaries and elected
officials.
Three public workshops were held in April 2003, with two in Friday
Harbor, Washington, and one in Seattle, Washington. Presentations about
the mission of the NPS and purpose and significance of San Juan Island
national Historical Park were followed by small group work sessions
that allowed people to present and discuss issues, experiences, and
ideas for the park. Approximately thirty-nine people attended the San
Juan Island workshops, and an additional four participated in the
Seattle workshop. Eighteen written responses were also collected during
the scoping period.
A second newsletter was produced in November 2003 summarizing the
comments received, written and oral, during the scoping period. The
comments covered a broad range of issues, concerns, personal
experiences, and recommendations for the park. When compiled, over 224
different comments or ideas were represented. The comments can be
broadly organized in the following topics: Resource preservation and
management; visitor experience and services; park facilities,
operations, management and maintenance, and park administration
[[Page 4915]]
and planning. Though many new actions and ideas were suggested by the
public during this comment period, no new issues were identified.
Proposed Plan and Alternatives: Alternative A constitutes the
``baseline'' No Action Alternative and assumes a continuation of
existing management and trends at San Juan Island National Historical
Park. The primary emphasis would continue to be placed on protection
and preservation of cultural resources. Since 1966, the park has been
listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a National
Historic Landmark. Management of cultural landscapes around the
immediate encampment areas at American Camp and English Camp would
continue to emphasize cultural landscape management while respecting
the natural environment and natural processes. No new construction
would be authorized.
Alternative B would increase visitor opportunities and outreach at
both English Camp and American Camp, as well as in the town of Friday
Harbor, through additional visitor facilities, recreational
opportunities, programs, and services. Natural and cultural resources
interpretation would be enhanced through more extensive facilities and
programs. Off-island interpretation would be enhanced through
partnerships. The park would propose boundary adjustments at both camps
to include important natural and cultural resources related to the
purpose of the park.
At English Camp, the road system would be reconfigured as a one-way
loop road by connecting a road segment approximately one-fifth mile
long from the entrance road to the administrative road. The road would
follow the existing historic road alignment where possible. The Crook
house would be rehabilitated as a visitor contact facility on the
ground floor and for administrative use on the second floor.
At American Camp, the 1979 double-wide trailer that serves as the
temporary visitor center at American Camp would be removed, the site
restored to natural conditions, and a new enlarged visitor center would
be constructed north of the redoubt. The new visitor center would
include space for a collections study room for natural and cultural
resource items, including a portion of the military-era collections.
The existing road to the redoubt off Pickett's Lane would be removed
and converted to a trail. The cultural landscapes would be enhanced to
aid visitor understanding and interpretation through a variety of
techniques. The prairie would be restored to native plant species.
Alternative C is the NPS Preferred Alternative and would broaden
the scope of resource management and interpretation programs to
emphasize the connections and interrelationships between the park's
natural and cultural resources. New facilities, trails and programs
would provide opportunities for visitors to understand the importance
of the park's natural resources in defining the cultural landscapes and
influencing the settlement and historic events of San Juan Island.
At English Camp, the Crook house would be retained, stabilized, and
used as an exterior exhibit while the hospital would be rehabilitated
and opened to the public for interpretation. The 1979 double-wide
trailer that serves as the temporary visitor center at American Camp
would be removed and replaced with a permanent, enlarged visitor center
at the existing site, allowing for improved exhibits and staff space. A
collections study room for natural and cultural resource items,
including a portion of the military-era collections would be relocated
to the park.
Additional buildings would be open to the public for interpretation
as well as research and academic study. As in Alternative B, the
existing road to the redoubt would be removed and converted to a trail
and the prairie would be restored to native plant species. Historic
buildings from the encampment period still existing on the island would
be repatriated back to their original locations within the camps. Off-
island interpretation would be enhanced through partnerships. The park
would propose boundary adjustments at both camps to include important
natural and cultural resources related to the purpose of the park. As
documented in the DEIS, Alternative C is deemed to be the
``environmentally preferred'' alternative.
Public Review and Comment: The DEIS/GMP is now available for public
review. All written comments must be postmarked or transmitted not
later than 60 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register
of the EPA's notice of filing of the EIS; as soon as this date is
confirmed, it will be announced on the project website and via local
and regional media. During the review period, several options are
available for providing written comments: (1) Online via an electronic
comment form provided on the NPS Planning, Environment and Public
Comment System at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/sajh; (2) A postage-paid
comment response form is included in the Draft General Management Plan
Alternatives Newsletter; additional pages may be attached to this form
as necessary; (3) Written letters can also be directly mailed to:
Superintendent, San Juan Island National Historical Park, 650 Mullis
Street, Suite 100, Friday Harbor, Washington 98250. In addition,
comments may be made in person at one of the upcoming public workshops
that the NPS will conduct in mid-February 2008. Confirmed details on
dates, locations and times for these workshops will be announced in
local newspapers, in the Draft General Management Plan Alternatives
Newsletter, online at the above Web site, or may be obtained via
telephone at (360) 378-2240. A limited number of printed copies of the
Draft EIS/GMP can be obtained at the address noted above. In addition,
the document is available for review at the public library in Friday
Harbor, Washington.
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.
Decision: Following the opportunity to review the DEIS/GMP, all
comments received will be carefully considered in preparing the final
document. This document is anticipated to be completed during the fall
of 2008 and its availability will be similarly announced in the Federal
Register and via local and regional press media. As a delegated EIS,
the official responsible for the final decision is the Regional
Director, Pacific West Region; subsequently the official responsible
for implementation would be the Superintendent, San Juan Island
National Historical Park.
Dated: October 12, 2007.
Cynthia Ip,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 08-327 Filed 1-25-08; 8:45 am]
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