[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 19 (Friday, January 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4842-4843]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1914]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Winter Use Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, Yellowstone
National Park
AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
for a Winter Use Plan, Yellowstone National Park.
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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 (NPS) is preparing an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a Winter Use Plan for
Yellowstone
[[Page 4843]]
National Park, located in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
The purpose of the EIS is to establish a management framework that
allows the public to experience Yellowstone's unique winter resources
and values. This plan will determine whether motorized winter use of
the park (including wheeled motor vehicles, snowmobiles, and
snowcoaches) is appropriate, and if so, the types, extent, and location
of this use.
A Winter Use Plan is needed at this time because: (1) Yellowstone
offers unique winter experiences that are distinct from other times of
the year; (2) the National Park Service provides opportunities for
people to experience the park in the winter, but access to most of the
park in the winter is limited by distance and the harsh winter
environment, which present challenges to safety and park operations;
and (3) the legal authority for oversnow vehicle use (snowmobiles and
snowcoaches) at Yellowstone expires after the winter of 2010-2011. A
decision is needed about whether this use should continue, and if so,
how to structure use to protect resources and values and to provide for
visitor use and enjoyment.
Alternatives considered in the EIS process will focus on responding
to the purpose and need, and will also address the objectives of the
EIS. The EIS will consider a variety of alternatives for managing
winter use in the park, including the use of snowmobiles, snowcoaches,
and wheeled vehicles, as well as requirement for professional guides to
lead oversnow vehicles into and out of the park. The EIS will evaluate
the environmental effects of winter use on air quality and visibility,
wildlife, natural soundscapes, employee and visitor health and safety,
visitor experience, and socioeconomics.
The NPS will be inviting several other government agencies to
participate in the development of the EIS as cooperating agencies,
including the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho; the counties of
Park and Teton, WY; Gallatin and Park, MT; and Fremont, ID; the
Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
and the U.S. Forest Service.
A scoping brochure has been prepared that details the issues
identified to date, and includes the purpose, need and objectives of
the EIS. Copies of the brochure may be obtained online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/YELL (click on the link to the Winter Use Plan) or
from Yellowstone National Park, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National
Park, WY 82190, 307-344-2019.
The NPS is interested in obtaining comments from the public on the
scope of the EIS; the purpose, need, and objectives; the issues that
the EIS should address; and the alternatives that should be considered
in the EIS. Comments submitted during this scoping period will allow
the NPS to address public concerns as the EIS is prepared.
Background: The NPS is preparing this EIS to develop a long-term
plan to allow the public to experience Yellowstone's unique winter
resources and values. Currently, the vast majority of access to the
park in winter is automobile access in the northern portion of the park
and snowmobile and snowcoach access through the park's North, South,
and East entrances. Snowmobile and snowcoach access in the park are
currently authorized by an interim regulation, which allows their use
for the winters of 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. The regulation mandates
that the authorization of snowmobile and snowcoach use ends following
the winter of 2010-2011, so their use will cease unless a new
regulation is promulgated. Among other issues, the EIS will consider
whether continued use of snowmobiles and snowcoaches is appropriate. If
a determination is made that continued use of snowmobiles and/or
snowcoaches is appropriate, this EIS is intended to satisfy the
National Environmental Policy Act requirements for any new regulation.
Because the interim regulation's authorization of oversnow vehicle
use is only in effect through the winter of 2010-2011, the NPS intends
to complete this EIS and issue a new regulation, if necessary, based
upon the outcome of the EIS process, prior to the start of the 2011-
2012 winter season.
More information regarding Yellowstone in the winter, including
educational materials and a detailed history of winter use in
Yellowstone, is available at http://www.nps.gov/yell/planvisit/winteruse/index.htm.
DATES: The National Park Service will accept comments from the public
for 60 days from the date that this Notice is published in the Federal
Register. The National Park Service intends to hold public scoping
meetings in Idaho Falls, ID, and Billings, MT, the week of February 15,
2010; and in Cheyenne, WY, and Washington, DC, the week of March 15,
2010. Details regarding the exact times and locations of these meetings
will be announced on the park's Web site, at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/YELL (click on the link to the Winter Use Plan),
and through local media.
ADDRESSES: Information specific to the EIS process will be available
for public review and comment online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/YELL (click on the link to the Winter Use Plan), and at Yellowstone
National Park headquarters, Mammoth Hot Springs, WY.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Sacklin, P.O. Box 168,
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, (307) 344-2019, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment on the scoping
brochure or on any other issues associated with the plan, you may
submit your comments by any one of several methods. We encourage you to
comment via the Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/YELL (click on
the link to the Winter Use Plan). You may also comment by mail to:
Yellowstone National Park, Winter Use Scoping, P.O. Box 168,
Yellowstone NP, WY 82190. Finally, you may hand deliver your comments
to: Management Assistant's Office, Headquarters Building, Mammoth Hot
Springs, Yellowstone National Park, WY. Comments will not be accepted
by fax, e-mail, or in any other way than those specified above.
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.
Dated: January 8, 2010.
Michael D. Snyder,
Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-1914 Filed 1-28-10; 8:45 am]
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