[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 160 (Thursday, August 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 51394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21084]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[2031-A047-409]


DRAFT General Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement, Biscayne National Park, FL

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft General Management Plan and 
Environmental Impact Statement.

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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) announces the 
availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
General Management Plan (GMP) for Biscayne National Park (Park), 
Florida.
    Consistent with NPS laws, regulations, and policies and the purpose 
of the Park, the Draft EIS/GMP describes the NPS preferred 
alternative--Alternative 4--to guide the management of the Park over 
the next 20 to 30 years. The preferred alternative incorporates various 
management prescriptions to ensure protection, access and enjoyment of 
the park's resources.
    An up-to-date GMP is needed to address how visitors access and use 
the park and the facilities needed to support those uses, how resources 
are managed, and how the NPS manages its operations. Recent studies 
have enhanced the NPS's understanding of resources, resource threats, 
and visitor use in the park.

DATES: The NPS will accept comments from the public on the Draft EIS/
GMP for at least 60 days, starting from the date the Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes this Notice of Availability. The date, 
time, and location of the public meetings on the Draft EIS/GMP will be 
announced through the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment 
(PEPC) Web site: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/BISC and media outlets.

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Draft EIS/GMP will be available 
online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/BISC. To request a copy, contact 
Biscayne National Park Superintendent Mark Lewis, 9700 SW 328 Street, 
Homestead, FL 33033-5634.
    Comments may be submitted by several methods. The preferred method 
is commenting via the internet on the PEPC Web site above. An 
electronic public comment form is provided on this Web site. You may 
also mail comments to Superintendent, Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW 
328 Street, Homestead, FL 33033-5634. Finally, you may hand-deliver 
comments to the park. Before including your address, phone number, e-
mail address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, please 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. We will always make submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives of or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. A 
limited number of compact disks and printed copies of the Draft GMP/EIS 
will be made available at Biscayne National Park headquarters, 9700 SW 
328 Street, Homestead, FL.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public meetings, newsletters, and internet 
updates have kept the public informed and involved throughout the 
planning process. The draft GMP provides a framework for management, 
use, and development of the national park for the next 20 or more 
years. It presents and analyzes five alternatives: Alternative 1 (no 
action) provides a baseline for evaluating changes and impacts of the 
four action alternatives. Alternative 2 provides the highest level of 
visitor services in the form of increased facilities and access to 
areas of the park. Alternative 3 adds a visitor permit system and 
marine reserve zone. Alternative 4 is the NPS Preferred Alternative. It 
was crafted to emphasize strong natural and cultural resource 
protection while providing a diversity of visitor experiences. Visitor 
opportunities in this alternative would range from the challenges of 
exploring the natural environment alone to the conveniences of built 
surroundings. A limited amount of moderate resource impacts would be 
tolerated in high-use areas of the park. While the majority of the park 
would be open for public enjoyment and appreciation, some areas would 
be closed to visitors to protect sensitive resources and allow wildlife 
a respite from people. Alternative 5 provides the highest protection of 
natural and cultural resources on the park, including a larger marine 
reserve zone.
    The five alternatives are described in detail in chapter 2 of the 
draft plan. The key impacts of implementing the five alternatives are 
detailed in chapter 4 and summarized in chapter 2.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Biscayne National Park Superintendent 
Mark Lewis, 9700 SW 328 Street, Homestead, FL 33033-5634 or telephone 
at (305) 230-1144. The authority for publishing this notice is 
contained in 40 CFR 1506.6
    The responsible official for this Draft EIS is the Regional 
Director, NPS Southeast Region, 100 Alabama Street SW., 1924 Building, 
Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

    Dated: August 8, 2011.
Gordon Wissinger,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-21084 Filed 8-17-11; 8:45 am]
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