[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 233 (Tuesday, December 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70530-70531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9521]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
General Management Plan/Wilderness Study, Ozark National Scenic 
Riverways, Missouri

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the National Park Service (NPS) is 
preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for a General 
Management Plan/Wilderness Study (GMP/WS) for Ozark National Scenic 
Riverways (Riverways). The GMP/WS will prescribe the resource 
conditions and visitor experiences that are to be achieved and 
maintained in the Riverways over the next 15 to 20 years.

DATES: To be most helpful to the scoping process, comments should be 
received within 60 days from the date this notice is published in the 
Federal Register. Public meetings regarding the GMP/WS will be held in 
September 2006. Please check local media, the park's Web site, http://www.nps.gov/ozar; the NPS's Planning, Environment and Public Comment 
(PEPC) Web site http://parkplanning.nps.gov; or contact the 
Superintendent to find our when and where these meetings will be held.

ADDRESSES: Additionally, if you wish to comment on any issues 
associated with the GMP/WS, you may submit your comments by any one of 
several methods. You may mail comments to Superintendent, Ozark 
National Scenic Riverways, 404 Watercress Drive, P.O. Box 490, Van 
Buren, Missouri 63965. You may provide comments electronically by 
entering them into the PEPC Web site at the address above. Finally, you 
may hand-deliver comments to the Riverways headquarters located off of 
Business Highway 60 on Watercress Drive in Van Buren, Missouri. 
Information will be available for public review and comment from the 
Office of the Superintendent, 404 Watercress Drive, P.O. Box 490, Van 
Buren, Missouri 63965.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent Noel Poe, Ozark 
National Scenic Riverways, 404 Watercress Drive, P.O. Box 490, Van 
Buren, Missouri 63965, telephone, 573-323-4236.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As stated above, the GMP/WS will prescribe 
the

[[Page 70531]]

resource conditions and visitor experiences that are to be achieved and 
maintained in the Riverways over the next 15 to 20 years. The 
clarification of what must be achieved according to law and policy will 
be based on review of the Riverways' purpose, significance, special 
mandates, and the body of laws and policies directing park management. 
Based on determinations of desired conditions, the GMP/WS will outline 
the kinds of resource management activities, visitor activities, 
development that would be appropriate in the future, and consider 
whether or not wilderness should be proposed in a portion of the 
Riverways. A range of reasonable management alternatives will be 
developed through this planning process and will include, at minimum, a 
no-action and a preferred alternative. To facilitate sound analysis of 
environmental impacts, the NPS is gathering information necessary for 
the preparation of an associated EIS.
    As part of the planing process, the NPS is also preparing a WS to 
evaluate the Big Spring area at the Riverways for possible designation 
as wilderness. The Big Spring area was one of three areas evaluated for 
wilderness suitability as part of the 1984 GMP. All three areas were 
determined not suitable at the conclusion of the suitability 
assessment. The Big Spring area is now considered suitable because non-
conforming uses have been removed. The other two areas considered in 
1984, the Upper Jacks Fork and Cardareva areas are not being considered 
for wilderness designation because of continuing non-conforming uses 
and the presence of non-Federal land ownership, respectively.
    Our practice is to make comments, including names, home addresses, 
home phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of respondents, available for 
public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold 
their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to consider 
withholding this information, you must state this prominently at the 
beginning of your comments. In addition, you must present a rationale 
for withholding this information. This rationale must demonstrate that 
disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. 
Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. In the absence of 
exceptional, documentable circumstances, this information will be 
released. 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.

    Dated: July 13, 2006.
David N. Given,
Acting Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 06-9521 Filed 12-4-06; 8:45 am]
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