44346 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 166 / Friday, August 28, 2009 / Notices 

an experiment in public land 

management. Purposes and goals 

include continued operation as a 

working ranch consistent with the 

protection and preservation of resources 

and provision public access for 

recreation and other purposes. The act 

also establishes that the Trust should 

strive to become financially selfsufficient where consistent with other 

goals and purposes. 

Since 2002, the Trust has been 

managing an interim program for public 

access and use of the Preserve. The 

interim program was developed in 

response to the Valles Caldera 

Preservation Act (Pub. L. 106–248), 

which mandated that reasonable access 

to the Preserve for recreation would be 

provided within two years of Federal 

acquisition. The interim program 

provides a variety of regularly available 

outdoor recreation activities such as 

fishing, hiking, hunting, wildlife and 

scenic tours, wagon rides, horseback 

riding, as well as winter recreation 

activities. The interim program has also 

included opportunities for the public to 

enjoy and learn about the Preserve 

through an array of special events. 

Special events have included night sky 

adventures, youth and adult outdoor 

education seminars, photography 

workshops, mountain biking and 

running events and more recently, 

overnight opportunities such as 

weddings and workshops, which use 

the existing facilities on the Preserve. 

Universities, K–12 schools, and various 

educational and research entities have 

also had access to the Preserve on a case 

by case basis. 

Infrastructure development has been 

limited to road maintenance and 

upgrade activities necessary to provide 

safe access while protecting and 

preserving natural and cultural 

resources. Temporary facilities (portable 

buildings, portable toilets, etc.) have 

been used to facilitate public access and 

use of the Preserve. 

Prior to Federal acquisition, about 

200–300 people visited the Preserve 

annually. Since Federal acquisition, that 

number has increased to an estimated 

15,000 visitors annually. Visitors enjoy 

their experience on the Preserve but 

consistently request broader, less 

controlled access. In addition, the 

Preserve’s unique setting within a 

basically intact volcanic crater offers 

unique opportunities for learning and 

inspiration. Interest in the Preserve as a 

portal to learning about and being 

inspired by nature is growing. With 

increasing interest from partners, the 

Trust sees opportunities to develop 

science and education programs which 

have local, regional, national, and global 

effects. 

In December 2006 the Trust initiated 

‘‘Phase I’’ of comprehensive planning 

for public access and use. This phase 

was largely information gathering and 

included a series of public workshops, 

strategic level business planning and 

analysis, and assessing various sites on 

the Preserve to determine possible 

locations for a visitor and interpretive 

center and other ancillary facilities. 

Based on the information accumulated, 

the Trust is entering into ‘‘Phase II’’, 

planning and decision-making for 

public access and use. 

Based on the information 

accumulated, the Trust is proposing to 

establish a visitor and interpretive 

center within the boundary of the 

Preserve. The purpose of the center will 

be to expand public access and use on 

the Preserve while continuing to 

provide unique, high quality recreation, 

education, and interpretive experiences 

that impact the hearts and minds of our 

visitors. It is needed to facilitate broad 

access to the Preserve while protecting 

and preserving the natural, cultural, 

scientific, scenic, and recreational 

values of the Preserve. The design for 

the visitor and interpretive center will 

include parking and connected ancillary 

facilities such as interpretive trails, 

overlooks, and motorized access onto 

the Preserve. 

The Trust is also proposing to make 

programmatic decisions that will guide 

or prescribe future development of 

programs and facilities. 

Alternatives will be developed with 

input from the public that vary in the 

scale and location of the visitor and 

interpretive center and the capacities 

and types of programs that would be 

considered in the future. 

A variety of reference documents are 

available for viewing and downloading 

from the Trust’s Web site http://www.

vallescaldera.gov/about/trust/trust_

ref.aspx. 

Dated: August 18, 2009. 

Gary D. Bratcher, 

Executive Director. 

[FR Doc. E9–20672 Filed 8–27–09; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc.: 

Notice of Finding of No Significant 

Impact 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Finding of No 

Significant Impact. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has 

made a Finding of No Significant Impact 

(FONSI) with respect to a request for 

possible financial assistance to 

Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc. 

(Minnkota Power) for the construction 

of the proposed Distribution Substation 

and Overhead Transmission Line for the 

Keystone Pipeline Pump Station No. 17 

Project in Steele County, North Dakota. 

ADDRESSES: The Environmental 

Assessment (EA) and FONSI are 

available for public review at USDA 

Rural Utilities Service, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–1571; at 

Minnkota Power’s headquarters office; 

and at the Steele County Auditor’s 

Office in Finley, North Dakota. 

Contacts: To obtain copies of the EA 

or FONSI or for further information, 

contact Mr. Richard Fristik, Senior 

Environmental Protection Specialist, 

Engineering and Environmental Staff, 

Stop 1571, 1400 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Washington, DC 20250–1571, 

telephone: (202) 720–5093 or e-mail: 

richard.fristik@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The study 

area for the proposed project is in Steele 

County, North Dakota. The proposal 

involves the construction of a substation 

on @ acre of land inside the fenced area 

of the Keystone Pipeline Pump Station 

No. 17 site, construction of an 11.75- 

mile 69 kV transmission line, and 

upgrading of 17.34 miles of existing 69 

kV transmission line. The new line 

would be constructed in existing 

distribution line rights-of-way and 

would connect the new substation to an 

existing Minnkota transmission line. 

No significant environmental impacts 

resulting from the proposal have been 

identified. Therefore, RUS is satisfied 

that the environmental impacts of the 

proposal have been adequately 

addressed and has determined that this 

FONSI fulfills its obligations under the 

National Environmental Policy Act, as 

amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

Regulations (40 CFR 1500–1508), and 

RUS’ Environmental Policies and 

Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794). An 

Environmental Impact Statement will 

not be prepared for this proposal. 

Dated: August 24, 2009. 

Nivin Elgohary, 

Acting Assistant Administrator—Electric, 

Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–20774 Filed 8–27–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 


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