[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 78 (Tuesday, April 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 20364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7744]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Final General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, 
Badlands National Park, North Unit, South Dakota

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) for the Final General 
Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for Badlands 
National Park, North Unit (park). A separate GMP is being developed for 
the guidance and management of the South Unit of Badlands National 
Park, and is scheduled to be completed in three years. Specifically, 
the NPS has selected the preferred alternative as described in the 
Final GMP/EIS. Under the selected action, the NPS will provide expanded 
opportunities for visitors to use the North Unit of the park. The 
number of locations where visitors could obtain park information and 
orientation will be increased with new visitor contact stations added 
near Pinnacles and in the town of Scenic. In addition, more hiking 
trails and routes will be designated in various parts of the park. 
Education pavilions will be added in the Conata picnic area and west of 
County Road 502 along with a group campground. Additional studies and 
environmental documents will be developed, as appropriate, to examine 
alternative road alignments for the Loop Road at Cedar Pass. Finally, 
the NPS will recommend expanding the park's boundaries in two locations 
to enhance resource protection and offer additional visitor 
experiences. One boundary expansion will incorporate approximately 
5,400 acres along South Dakota Highway 44. The other recommended 
addition will be 4,500 acres along the western edge adjacent to the 
wilderness area.
    The selected action and three other alternatives were analyzed in 
the draft and final GMP/EIS. The full range of foreseeable 
environmental consequences was assessed. Among the alternatives the NPS 
considered, the selected action best achieves a high standard of 
natural and cultural resource protection with improved opportunities 
for visitors in the park. Furthermore, the selected action responds to 
the changing visitation pattern the park has been experiencing. In the 
recent years, western South Dakota has become more of a destination for 
visitors with Rapid City serving as the hub for this visitation. This 
shift in tourism patterns has increased the number of park visitors 
entering the park through the western entrances. The selected action 
also provides needed improvements for park operations, such as areas 
for additional park housing and research support. The park is located 
in a rural area and housing for employees is limited in the surrounding 
communities. In addition, the park has developed a good relationship 
with the natural resources research community but has limited 
facilities for supporting these efforts. The selected action would 
address the need to provide facilities for park operations and 
research. The selected action also meets national environmental policy 
goals 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 park resources and values, 
and an overview of public involvement in the decisionmaking process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent Paige Baker, Badlands 
National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, P.O. Box 6, Interior, South 
Dakota 57750, telephone 605-433-5361.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of the Record of Decision may be 
obtained from the contact listed above or may be viewed online at 
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/.

    Dated: December 14, 2006.
Ernest Quintana,
Regional Director, Midwest Region.

     This document was received at the Office of the Federal 
Register on April 19, 2007.

 [FR Doc. E7-7744 Filed 4-23-07; 8:45 am]
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