44178 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 151 / Tuesday, August 7, 2007 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement 

(DEIS) for an Off-Road Vehicle 

Management Plan (ORV Management 

Plan) for Cape Lookout National 

Seashore (Seashore), NC 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given in 

accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4332) and Council on 

Environmental Quality regulations (40 

CFR 1506.6), the U.S. Department of the 

Interior, National Park Service (NPS) 

will prepare an ORV Management Plan/ 

DEIS. The ORV Management Plan/DEIS 

will be used to guide the management 

and control of ORVs at the Seashore for 

approximately the next 15 to 20 years. 

It will also form the basis for a special 

regulation that will regulate ORV use at 

the Seashore. The ORV Management 

Plan/DEIS will assess potential 

environmental impacts associated with 

a range of reasonable alternatives for 

managing ORV impacts on park 

resources such as threatened and 

endangered species, soils, wetlands, 

wildlife, and cultural resources. 

Socioeconomic impacts and effects on 

visitor experience and public safety will 

also be analyzed. In addition, the plan 

will focus on issues that have a direct 

bearing on ORV management, including 

management of threatened and 

endangered species and species of 

special concern, as well as predator 

management. 

DATES: To determine the scope of issues 

to be addressed in the ORV Management 

Plan/DEIS and to identify significant 

issues related to the ORV management 

at the Seashore, NPS anticipates 

conducting public scoping meetings in 

September 2007. The NPS is tentatively 

planning to conduct one meeting in 

Charlotte, Raleigh and Morehead City or 

Beaufort, North Carolina, respectively. 

Representatives of the NPS will be 

available to discuss issues, resource 

concerns, and the planning process at 

each of the public meetings. Once 

public meetings have been scheduled, 

their locations, dates, and times will be 

published in local newspapers and 

posted on the NPS Planning, 

Environment, and Public Comment 

(PEPC) Web site at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/CALO. 

ADDRESSES AND FURTHER INFORMATION: 

Written comments or requests for 

information should be addressed to 

Wouter Ketel, Management Assistant, 

Cape Lookout National Seashore, 131 

Charles St., Harkers Island, North 

Carolina 28531. Comments may also be 

hand-delivered to the attention of 

Wouter Ketel. In addition, comments 

may be entered online in the NPS PEPC 

Web site at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/CALO. To 

comment using PEPC, select the ‘‘Cape 

Lookout National Seashore ORV 

Management Plan/EIS project,’’ select 

‘‘documents,’’ select this ‘‘Notice of 

Intent,’’ and then select ‘‘comment’’ and 

enter your comments. Further 

information about this project may also 

be found on the PEPC Web site listed 

above, including links to information 

about the NEPA planning process. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, please be aware that 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. 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. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ORV 

use on the Seashore predates 

establishment of the park in 1966. The 

State of North Carolina turned over the 

lands of Core Banks to the NPS in 1976. 

Shackleford Banks was acquired from 

1984 to 1986. Beginning in the 1940s, 

vehicles were transported to the banks 

by shallow draft ferries, and were used 

to provide access to productive 

commercial and recreational fishing 

spots as well as for camping and 

sightseeing. Today ORVs are used to 

provide vehicular access onto the 

Seashore beaches for recreational 

purposes, including surf-fishing, 

surfing, sunbathing, swimming, birdwatching, scenic driving, camping, etc. 

It is estimated that up to 5500 ORVs are 

transported by ferry to the Seashore 

each year. 

Executive Order 11644, issued in 

1972 and amended by Executive Order 

11989 in 1977, states that Federal 

agencies allowing ORV use must 

designate the specific areas and trails on 

public lands on which the use of ORVs 

may be permitted, and areas in which 

the use of ORVs may not be permitted. 

Agency regulations to authorize ORV 

use provide that designation of such 

areas and trails will be based upon the 

protection of the resources of the public 

lands, promotion of the safety of all 

users of those lands, and minimization 

of conflicts among the various uses of 

those lands. Executive Order 11644 was 

issued in response to the widespread 

and rapidly increasing use of ORVs on 

the public lands—‘‘often for legitimate 

purposes but also in frequent conflict 

with wise land and resource 

management practices, environmental 

values, and other types of recreational 

activity.’’ 36 CFR 4.10(b) requires that 

‘‘routes and areas designated for off-road 

motor vehicle use shall be promulgated 

as special regulations.’’ In addition, 

such routes and areas may only be 

designated in national recreation areas, 

national seashores, national lakeshores 

and national preserves. Therefore, in 

accordance with the Executive Order, 

the purpose of this Plan/DEIS is to 

manage ORV use in compliance with 

the Seashore’s enabling legislation, NPS 

management policies, and other laws 

and regulations to ensure protection of 

the natural, cultural, and recreational 

values of the Seashore’s dynamic coastal 

barrier island environment for present 

and future generations. 

An ORV Management Plan is needed 

because lack of an approved plan over 

time has led to inconsistent 

management of ORV use. Related to the 

need to provide consistency in ORV 

management is the need to provide 

consistency in resource protection in 

areas of ORV use, particularly as 

required under the Endangered Species 

Act of 1973. Compounding these issues, 

the Seashore is also subject to dynamic 

weather-related events that continually 

change the beach, and sometimes limit 

the area that can be accessed safely by 

ORVs. Therefore, an ORV Management 

Plan is needed to: (1) Comply with 

Executive Orders 11644 and 11989 

respecting ORV use, and with NPS laws, 

regulations (36 CFR 4.10), and policies 

to minimize impacts to Seashore 

resources and values; (2) Establish an 

approved plan incorporating public 

input that reduces the potential for 

inconsistent management of ORV use, 

user conflicts, and safety concerns; (3) 

Provide for sustainable recreational use; 

(4) Protect natural and cultural 

resources from potential effects of ORV 

use; and (5) Provide for protected 

species management in relation to ORV 

and other uses that replaces the Cape 

Lookout National Seashore Interim 

Protected Species Management Plan/EA 

and associated Biological Opinion. 

The ORV Management Plan/DEIS will 

cover lands administered by the NPS on 

North Core Banks, South Core Banks, 

Middle Core Banks, Ophelia Banks, and 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 151 / Tuesday, August 7, 2007 / Notices 44179 

Shackleford Banks. Of the 56-mile long 

Seashore, about 47 miles spanning 

North and South Core Banks were 

identified by the Seashore General 

Management Plan (December 1982) as 

appropriate for controlled ORV use; the 

remaining 9 miles on Shackleford Banks 

is a proposed wilderness and is closed 

to vehicle use. However, other potential 

aspects of the ORV Management Plan, 

such as species and predator 

management, will also be addressed for 

Shackleford Banks, where ORVs are not 

allowed. 

During initial internal scoping the 

NPS interdisciplinary team identified a 

number of draft objectives for the ORV 

Management Plan/DEIS, including: 

Management Methodology 

• Identify criteria to designate ORV 

use areas and routes. 

• Establish ORV management 

practices and procedures that have the 

ability to adapt in response to changes 

in the Seashore’s dynamic physical and 

biological environment. 

• Continue an ongoing and 

meaningful dialogue with the multiple 

public groups interested in/affected by 

ORV management. 

• Establish procedures for prompt 

and efficient public notification of 

beach access status including any 

temporary ORV use restrictions for such 

things as resource and public safety 

closures, storm events, etc. 

• Build stewardship through public 

awareness and understanding of NPS 

resource management and visitor use 

policies and responsibilities as they 

pertain to the Seashore and ORV 

management. 

Natural Physical Resources 

• Minimize adverse impacts from 

ORV use to soils and topographic 

features, e.g., dunes, ocean beach, 

wetlands, tidal flats, etc. 

Threatened, Endangered, and Other 

Protected Species 

• Provide protection for threatened, 

endangered, and other protected species 

(e.g., State-listed species) and their 

habitats, minimize adverse impacts 

related to ORV and other uses as 

required by laws and policies, such as 

the Endangered Species Act, the 

Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and NPS 

laws and management policies. 

Other Vegetation and Wildlife and 

Wildlife Habitat 

• Minimize adverse impacts to native 

plant and animal species and their 

habitats related to ORV and other uses. 

Cultural Resources 

• Protect cultural resources such as 

shipwrecks, archeological sites, and 

cultural landscapes from adverse 

impacts related to ORV use. 

Visitor Use and Experience 

• Manage ORV use to allow for a 

variety of appropriate visitor use 

experiences. 

• Minimize conflicts between ORV 

use and other uses. 

• Ensure that ORV operators are 

informed about the rules and 

regulations regarding ORV use at the 

park. 

Visitor Safety 

• Ensure that ORV management 

promotes the safety of all visitors. 

Park Operations 

• Identify operational needs and costs 

to fully implement an ORV management 

plan. 

The draft and final ORV Management 

Plan/DEIS will be made available to all 

known interested parties and 

appropriate agencies. Full public 

participation by Federal, State, and local 

agencies as well as other concerned 

organizations and private citizens is 

invited throughout the preparation 

process of this document. 

Authority: The authority for publishing 

this notice is 40 CFR 1506.6. 

The responsible official for this ORV 

Management Plan/DEIS is Patricia A. 

Hooks, Regional Director, Southeast 

Region, National Park Service, 100 

Alabama Street, SW., 1924 Building, 

Atlanta, Georgia 30303. 

Dated: July 13, 2007. 

Patricia A. Hooks, 

Regional Director, Southeast Region. 

[FR Doc. 07–3837 Filed 8–6–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–XR–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

General Management Plan, 

Environmental Impact Statement, Sand 

Creek Massacre National Historic Site, 

Colorado 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a 

general management plan and 

environmental impact statement for the 

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic 

Site. 

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National 

Park Service (NPS) is preparing an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

for a general management plan (GMP) 

for the Sand Creek Massacre National 

Historic Site. This effort will analyze the 

impacts of a broad range of design 

alternatives for the national historic site. 

This effort will result in a 

comprehensive general management 

plan that provides a framework for 

making management decisions 

regarding the preservation of natural 

and cultural resources, visitor use and 

interpretation and development of 

appropriate park facilities. This plan 

will be developed in cooperation with 

the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe of 

Oklahoma, the Northern Arapaho Tribe 

of Wyoming, the Northern Cheyenne 

Tribe of Montana, and the State of 

Colorado. Alternatives to be considered 

include no-action, the proposed action 

and other reasonable alternatives. 

The park superintendent will initiate 

consultation with congressional 

delegations, tribal representatives, and 

state and local agencies on the 

development of the plan. Consultation 

with these agencies will continue 

throughout the planning process. 

Public involvement in the planning 

process will include newsletters and 

open houses that inform the public of 

the project and provide opportunities 

for input; press releases in the local 

media; newsletters and open houses to 

present and solicit input on the 

alternatives; a public review draft of the 

general management plan and 

environmental impact statement and 

public meetings to provide additional 

opportunities to comment on the draft 

plan. Public involvement is essential for 

the development of creative and 

sustainable management alternatives for 

the national historic site. 

A briefing statement has been 

prepared that summarizes the specific 

elements of the general management 

planning process and the EIS. Copies of 

that information may be obtained from: 

Superintendent, Alexa Roberts, Sand 

Creek Massacre National Historic Site, 

P.O. Box 249, Eads, CO 81036. 

DATES: The Park Service will accept 

comments from the public through 30 

days from date of publication in the 

Federal Register. 

ADDRESSES: Information will be 

available for public review and 

comment in the office of the 

Superintendent, Alexa Roberts, Sand 

Creek Massacre National Historic Site, 

P.O. Box 249, Eads, CO 81036 and on 

the NPS Planning Environment and 

Public Comment site (PEPC) at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES