[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 10, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69120-69121]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28426]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR


National Natural Landmark Designations

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Public Notice of National Natural Landmark Designations.

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SUMMARY: On January 16, 2009, then Secretary of the Interior Dirk 
Kempthorne designated the following National Natural Landmarks: Big 
Bone Lick, Boone County, Kentucky; Cave Without a Name, Kendall County, 
Texas; Chazy Fossil Reef, Grand Isle County, Vermont and Clinton 
County, New York; and Nottingham Park Serpentine Barrens, Chester 
County, PA

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Margaret Brooks, National Natural 
Landmark Program Manager, at 520-791-6470.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Secretary of the Interior established 
the National Natural Landmarks Program in 1962, under the authority of 
the Historic Sites Act of 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.). The National 
Park Service manages this program using regulations found at 36 CFR 
part 62. Potential natural landmarks are identified in studies by the 
NPS and from other sources, evaluated by expert natural scientists, and 
if determined nationally significant, designated as landmarks by the 
Secretary of the Interior. When designated, a landmark is included in 
the National Registry of Natural Landmarks, which currently lists 586 
National Natural Landmarks nationwide. Of the 586 listed landmarks, 
half are administered solely by public agencies; i.e., Federal, State, 
county or municipal governments. Nearly one-third are owned solely by 
private parties.
    National Natural Landmark designation is not a land withdrawal, 
does not change the ownership of an area, does not dictate activity, 
and does not imply a right of public access. However, Federal agencies 
should consider impacts to the unique properties of these nationally 
significant areas in carrying out their responsibilities under the 
National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). Designation 
could result in State or local planning or land use implications. 
National Natural Landmark preservation is made possible by the long-
term, voluntary commitments of public and private owners to protect the 
outstanding values of the areas. Information on the National Natural 
Landmarks Program can be found in 36 CFR part 62 or on the Internet at 
http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl.
    Site Descriptions:
    The Big Bone Lick site is located within the State of Kentucky, 
southwest of Cincinnati, Ohio, and is unique in the Interior Low 
Plateaus for its combination of salt springs and associated late 
Pleistocene bone beds. Many types of animals, especially large 
herbivores, were attracted to the springs for salt, and became mired in 
the mud. The site became a burial ground over time. Layers of 
disarticulated bones have been uncovered to depths of 30 feet. The site 
has been referred to as a major New World fossil locality, and

[[Page 69121]]

plays an important role in the development of scientific thought on the 
concept of extinction and the relationship of geology/paleontology.
    Cave Without a Name is located outside of Boerne, Texas, and is 
significant for some of the largest and best examples of speleothems in 
the Edwards Plateau region. Blue speleothems found in the cave are the 
only ones known to exist in Texas and are exceedingly rare nationally. 
The cave also contains a rich fauna and significant paleontological 
deposits.
    The Chazy Fossil Reef is a surface exposure of an Ordovician fossil 
reef, approximately 450 million years old. It is significant as the 
oldest known occurrence of a biologically diverse fossil reef, the 
earliest appearance of fossil coral in a reef environment, and the 
first documented example of the ecological principle of faunal 
succession.
    The Nottingham Park Serpentine Barrens site is an outstanding 
example of the serpentine barren natural feature in the Piedmont Upland 
region. This feature is characterized by thin soils that are high in 
concentrations of metals which are toxic to many plant species. The 
site supports shallow serpentine soils, rock outcrops, and unique 
vegetation communities, including serpentine grasslands and open 
savanna that contain rare and endemic species. The site is within a 
county park and is actively used for science and education.

    Dated: December 22, 2009.
Herbert C. Frost,
Associate Director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science.

    Editorial Note: This document was received in the Office of the 
Federal Register on November 5, 2010.
[FR Doc. 2010-28426 Filed 11-9-10; 8:45 am]
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