[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 25, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42915-42917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-20438]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


General Management Plan; City of Rocks National Reserve, Cassia 
County, ID; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement

SUMMARY: In accordance with Sec.  102(2) (C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the 
National Park Service (NPS) is undertaking a conservation planning and 
environmental impact analysis process for creating a new General 
Management Plan (GMP) for City of Rocks National Reserve (Reserve), 
Idaho. A Land Protection Plan would accompany the GMP and provide 
priorities for both cultural and natural resource protection needs. The 
Land Protection Plan is particularly needed to guide future land 
acquisition strategies for this unit of the National Park System due to 
the complex ownership of private, state, and federal land. The GMP is 
intended to serve as a ``blueprint'' to guide management of natural and 
cultural resources and visitor use during the next 15-20 years. One or 
more development concept plans, which guide more detailed, site-
specific preservation and development, may also be included with the 
GMP. Consistent with NPS Planning Program Standards, the new GMP will: 
(1) Describe the Reserve's purpose, significance, and primary 
interpretive themes; (2) identify the fundamental resources and values 
of the Reserve, its other important resources and values, and describe 
the condition of these resources; (3) describe desired conditions for 
cultural and natural resources and visitor experiences throughout the 
Reserve; (4) develop management zoning to support these desired 
conditions; (5) develop alternative applications of these management 
zones to the Reserve's landscape (i.e. zoning alternatives); (6) 
address user capacity; (7) analyze potential boundary modifications; 
(8) ensure that management recommendations are developed in 
consultation with interested stakeholders and the public and adopted by 
NPS leadership after an adequate analysis of the benefits,

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environmental impacts, and economic costs of alternative courses of 
action; (9) develop cost estimates implementing each of the 
alternatives; and (10) identify and prioritize subsequent detailed 
studies, plans and actions that may be needed to implement the updated 
GMP.
    Scoping Process: The purpose of this scoping outreach effort is to 
elicit early public feedback regarding issues and concerns, nature and 
extent of potential environmental impacts (and appropriate 
mitigations), and GMP alternatives which should be addressed in the 
preparing the EIS. Through the outreach activities planned during the 
scoping phase, the NPS will compile suggestions from the public 
regarding resource protection, visitor use, and land management--
questions to be posed will include: (1) What is most valued about City 
of Rocks National Reserve? (2) What are the important issues facing the 
Reserve? (3) Imagining a visit to City of Rocks National Reserve 20 
years from now, describe what you would like to experience. (4) Do the 
purpose and significance statements capture the essence of City of 
Rocks National Reserve?
    All scoping comments must be postmarked or transmitted not later 
that November 15, 2009. Comments may be transmitted electronically 
through the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment Web site 
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ciro. If it is more convenient, written 
comments may be sent to: General Management Plan, Attn: Wallace Keck, 
Superintendent, City of Rocks National Monument, P.O. Box 169, Almo, 
Idaho 83312. 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.
    Beginning in mid-September, a series of public meetings will be 
hosted in Almo, Burley, Pocatello, Boise, and Ketchem, Idaho. Detailed 
information including dates, times, and specific locations for these 
meetings will be posted on the GMP Web site at http://www.nps.gov/ciro/parkmgmt/plan.htm. All attendees will be given the opportunity to ask 
questions and provide comments to the planning team. The GMP Web site 
will provide the most up-to-date information regarding the project, 
including project description, planning process updates, meeting 
notices, reports and documents, and useful links associated with the 
project.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Reserve was established in 1988 and is 
operating with an outdated 1994 comprehensive management plan (CMP). 
Production of a new GMP to replace the CMP is required by Cooperative 
Agreement between the National Park Service and Idaho Parks and 
Recreation Department, as well as a joint 2009 Operation Plan and 
Guidelines for Management of the Reserve. Major changes have occurred 
in NPS management, policy, land ownership, and practices that directly 
affect the Reserve. The preliminary spectrum of issues to be addressed 
in the GMP are as follows:
    Cultural Resource Protection and Preservation: The Reserve was 
established ``to preserve and protect the significant historical and 
cultural resources'' related to the California Trail which passed 
through the City of Rocks between 1843-1882. These resources include 
emigrant inscriptions, trail ruts, and landscape characteristics that 
contributed to prominence of City of Rocks along the trail. The Reserve 
also manages other cultural resources related to Native Americans in 
the area before the California Trail era, and homesteading and ranching 
which post-date the California Trail. These resources include 
archeological sites, remnants of homesteads, as well as archival and 
museum objects. The GMP will explore various preservation treatment 
options, management strategies, and design guidelines for the 
protection of a wide variety of cultural resources. Some cultural 
sites, such as Boise-Kelton Stage Station, are located on private land 
within the Reserve and contain important historic remnants of the 
California Trail or homesteading period. Managing cultural resources on 
both private and public land presents challenges, such as protection 
from vandalism, weathering, and impacts from visitor use and livestock 
grazing.
    Natural Resource Protection: The Reserve is home to a diversity of 
plant and animal life, as well as the dramatic granite rock formations. 
Invasive species, visitor activities, and grazing can impact these 
resources. The GMP will explore management needed for natural resource 
protection. In addition, the GMP will re-evaluate management of the 
City of Rocks Research Natural Area (RNA), status which was inherited 
from the BLM and USFS when the Reserve was established. This 312-acre 
area within the Reserve was designated for its outstanding natural 
features, natural processes, natural diversity, and ecological values. 
It contains unique geologic formations and the northern limit of the 
pinyon-juniper forest type in North America. As part of the GMP 
process, current status of RNA resources will be reviewed, and a 
determination will be made as to which recreational uses, if any, might 
be appropriate within the RNA, whether the RNA designation should 
remain, and whether other areas of the Reserve with biological 
diversity should be considered for such designation.
    Soundscape/Natural Quiet: Natural sounds are a fundamental resource 
of the Reserve, once referred to as the ``Silent City of Rocks''. 
Military and commercial overflights, especially at night, have an 
impact on both visitor experience and wildlife. Reserve operations and 
visitor activities can also contribute to the deterioration of the 
natural soundscape. Baseline acoustical monitoring has recently been 
conducted to measure and record the sounds of the Reserve. The GMP will 
present recommendations to maintain natural sounds and natural quiet.
    Air Quality and Night Skies: Air quality in and around southern 
Idaho is some of the most pristine in the nation, but it has shown 
steady deterioration over the last ten years. Pristine airsheds are a 
fundamental resource of the Reserve and visitor surveys indicate that 
air quality and scenic vistas are among the most highly valued 
characteristics of the Reserve. Southern Idaho is also one of the best 
places in the U.S. for viewing night skies. The GMP will evaluate ways 
to protect viewsheds, particularly vistas associated with the 
California National Historic Trail that bisects the Reserve, and to 
protect the night sky in and around the Reserve.
    Climate Change: The potential effects of global climate change may 
include changes in temperature, precipitation, evaporation and snowpack 
rate, local weather patterns, wildfire frequency, and plant 
communities. Planning and management actions will allow the Reserve to 
minimize its greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change, and 
interpret changing conditions. The GMP will provide guidance on how the 
Reserve will assess, respond to, and interpret the impacts of global 
climate change on resources.
    Operations/Facilities: The Reserve has an on-going need for 
staffing, funding, and facilities. The visitor center proposed in the 
1994 CMP has yet to be constructed on leased BLM land near the Almo 
entrance into the Reserve--an opportunity exists to develop an 
interagency visitor center that would

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meet needs of the Reserve, the adjacent Castle Rocks State Park, and 
neighboring land managing agencies. Also, there are insufficient 
employee housing options on either Reserve administered land or in the 
local community. The GMP will guide planning for these facilities.
    Visitor Experience: Visitors come to the Reserve to enjoy the 
scenery, and to climb, hike, and recreate in other ways. Visitation to 
the Reserve is increasing, and the demographics of visitors are 
trending to younger adult visitors (25-35 years) and smaller group 
sizes. As the visiting population shifts, their interests and preferred 
activities may also change. The GMP will use current visitor survey 
data to comprehensively address available visitor facilities, 
activities, and programs. Day use and camping will be evaluated taking 
into consideration camping opportunities on adjacent public and private 
lands. A comprehensive look at the trail system with associated 
parking, picnicking, and trailheads will be completed as part of the 
GMP. The GMP will also provide guidance on other recreational uses, 
such as hunting and equestrian use, including locating staging areas 
and any related facilities.
    Evaluation of Boundaries: The National Parks and Recreation Act of 
1978, as amended, requires that GMPs consider adequacy of existing 
boundaries. When the Reserve was established, it was assumed that the 
private lands and associated ranching within the boundary would remain 
part of the Reserve. Since then, many of the landowners have opted to 
sell their land to the NPS. Planning for these acquired lands will be 
addressed in the GMP. The GMP will also determine if any changes to the 
boundary are appropriate based on resource protection, visitor use, and 
land management needs. National Historic Landmark and National Natural 
Landmark boundaries that overlay the Reserve are configured differently 
from each other and neither covers the entire Reserve. Also, the Cassia 
County Historic Preservation Zone does not cover the entire Reserve, 
and therefore may not fully protect the cultural and natural resources 
and presents some management challenges. The GMP will consider 
recommendations for these boundaries so that they might be consistent 
with the extent of the Reserve boundary.
    Transportation/Circulation: Access and transportation within and 
through the Reserve includes motorized use and people on foot, horses, 
and bicycles. Parking is available in both day use and overnight 
camping areas, but overflow parking often takes place on roadsides, 
creating safety concerns and causing erosion. Staging areas for 
equestrian use have similar issues. Some visitors merely pass through 
the Reserve on scenic drives along the City of Rocks road. City of 
Rocks Backcountry Byway is an unpaved road that runs through the 
Reserve; this route also has erosion issues, due to seasonal weather 
conditions and alignment on disintegrating granite soils. The road is 
currently managed by Cassia County, which poses some challenges for 
Reserve staff when maintenance is needed. The GMP will recommend 
appropriate road maintenance standards, including identifying 
appropriate practices for drainage and erosion control along the Byway. 
The GMP will also examine an array of potential management options for 
the City of Rocks Backcountry Byway, and consider all forms of 
motorized and non-motorized transportation and evaluate circulation 
patterns, parking, and other transportation options.
    Decision Process: Upon conclusion of the scoping phase and 
following due consideration of public concerns and comments from other 
agencies, a Draft EIS\GMP will be prepared and released for public 
review. Availability of the forthcoming Draft EIS for public review and 
written comment will be formally announced in the Federal Register, as 
well as through local and regional news media, direct mailing to the 
project mailing list, and via the Internet. Following careful 
consideration of all agency and public comment as may be received, a 
Final EIS will be prepared; at this time it is anticipated that the 
final plan will be available in 2013. As a delegated EIS, the official 
responsible for the final decision on the proposed plan is the Regional 
Director, Pacific West Region, National Park Service. Subsequently, the 
official responsible for implementation of the approved GMP would be 
the Superintendent, City of Rocks National Reserve.

    Dated: July 13, 2009.
Patricia L. Neubacher,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. E9-20438 Filed 8-24-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-DB-P