54688 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 180 / Monday, September 18, 2006 / Notices 

protection, increasing quality 

recreational and access opportunities, 

and preserving quality of life values in 

local communities. The ROD briefly 

discusses the background for the 

planning effort, summarizes public 

involvement during the planning 

process, states the decision and 

discusses the basis for it, describes other 

alternatives considered, specifies the 

environmentally preferable alternative, 

and identifies measures adopted to 

minimize potential environmental 

harm. 

ADDRESSES: The ROD can be found 

online at the NPS Planning, 

Environmental and Public Comment 

Web site at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/index.cfm. 

Copies of the ROD are available on 

request from: Miriam Valentine, 

National Park Service, Talkeetna Ranger 

Station, P.O. Box 588, Talkeetna, 

Alaska, 99676. Telephone: (907) 733–

9102. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mike Tranel, Chief of Planning, National 

Park Service, Denali National Park and 

Preserve, 240 West 5th Avenue, 

Anchorage, Alaska 99501. Telephone: 

(907) 644–3611. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NPS 

prepared an EIS, as required, under the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) of 1969 and Council of 

Environmental Quality regulations (40 

CFR part 1500). 

A Notice of Intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement, 

published in the Federal Register in 

February 2004 (69 FR 72513), formally 

initiated the NPS planning and EIS 

effort. A Draft EIS was issued in 

September 2005 (70 FR 55414). A 

Federal Register notice announcing the 

availability of the Final EIS was 

published by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency on May 5, 2006, 

commencing the required 30-day noaction period (71 FR 26498). The Final 

EIS describes and analyzes the 

environmental impacts of two action 

alternatives and a no-action alternative. 

The NPS selected Alternative C, as 

described in the Final EIS. The 

emphasis of the selected alternative is to 

enhance access and recreational 

opportunities throughout the South 

Denali region for a variety of visitors, 

including Alaskans, independent 

travelers, and package tour travelers, 

while at the same time protecting the 

important resource and community 

values in the area, including the rural 

lifestyle of local residents. 

Major actions of the selected 

alternative include: 

• Provide a new destination and 

additional visitor opportunities in the 

South Denali region. New facilities will 

offer easily accessible visitor 

opportunities along the state’s main 

highway between Anchorage and 

Fairbanks. The visitor center will 

provide visitors an intimate setting and 

facilitate their connection to the 

landscape and natural resources. It will 

offer a range of opportunties for learning 

and recreating, and it will provide 

visitors of various abilities a chance to 

experience alpine and subarctic tundra 

environments and opportunities to view 

Mount McKinley and the Alaska Range. 

Opportunities to view wildlife exist as 

well as opportunities to spend a day or 

more at the visitor center or in the 

surrounding area. 

• Offer a wide variety of high-quality 

recreation opportunities throughout the 

South Denali region for a variety of 

visitors. Visitors traveling in groups and 

those traveling independently can 

benefit from the options offered. Some, 

and perhaps all, of the facilities and 

opportunities should be attractive to 

Alaska residents who recreate in the 

South Denali region. The new Parks 

Highway visitor center will provide 

information, orientation, interpretive 

programs, and shelter to visitors. Public 

use cabins, trail systems for a wide 

variety of user groups, and camping 

facilities will provide options for 

visitors to experience the landscape in 

remote as well as in easily accessible 

settings. New trails, parking areas, boat 

launch, and potential docking facility 

will provide increased access to rivers 

and public lands in the South Denali 

region. Together these developments 

should accommodate the visitor growth 

anticipated for the South Denali region 

over the next 15 to 20 years. 

• Create economic and employment 

opportunities for local residents through 

establishment of a new visitor 

destination. Residents of south central 

Alaska, in particular, will benefit from 

improved recreational access with this 

alternative. Rural character may be 

negatively affected, particularly for the 

community of Trapper Creek. Negative 

impacts will be partially mitigated by 

measures in the plan to protect the 

scenic qualities of adjacent road 

corridors. The agencies will continue to 

address local interests by seeking public 

input during future planning and 

implementation efforts. 

Dated: July 31, 2006. 

Victor Knox, 

Acting Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. 06–7714 Filed 9–15–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–PF–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Availability for the Record of 

Decision on the Final Environmental 

Impact Statement for the Stream 

Management Plan, Herbert Hoover 

National Historic Site, West Branch, IA 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969, the National Park Service 

(NPS) announces the availability of the 

Record of Decision (ROD) on the final 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for the Stream Management Plan, 

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site 

(Site), West Branch, Iowa. The Midwest 

Regional Director approved the ROD for 

this final EIS on August 1, 2006. 

Specifically, the Site will adopt and 

implement actions described under 

Alternative E, the preferred alternative, 

in the final EIS. Under the selected 

action, the primary strategy entails the 

restoration of the function of the stream 

corridor and a floodwater detention area 

in the upstream portion of the Park. 

The EIS considered and evaluated five 

alternatives to the selected action. A full 

range of foreseeable environmental 

consequences was assessed. The 

overriding concern expressed by the 

Site and the public during the 

development of this action was the 

protection of fundamental resources and 

values of the Site. Alternative E—

Provide 50-Year Flood Protection—is 

the selected alternative since it best 

meets the objectives of the Site. The 

preferred alternative will not result in 

the impairment of resources and values. 

The ROD includes a statement of the 

decision made, synopses of other 

alternatives considered, the basis for the 

decision, the rationale for why the 

selected action is the environmentally 

preferred alternative, a finding of no 

impairment of Site resources and 

values, and an overview of public 

involvement in the decisionmaking 

process. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Superintendent, Stream Management 

Plan Record of Decision, Herbert Hoover 

National Historic Site, P.O. Box 607, 

West Branch, Iowa 52358, or by calling 

319–643–2541. Copies of the final EIS 

and ROD are available upon request 

from the above address. 

Dated: August 1, 2006. 

Ernest Quintana, 

Regional Director, Midwest Region. 

[FR Doc. 06–7715 Filed 9–15–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–70–M 


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