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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 67 (Friday, April 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 20843]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8364]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-AKR-WRST-0112-9413; 98651C01SZP]

Record of Decision for the Nabesna Off-Road Vehicle Management 
Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, Wrangell-St. Elias 
National Park and Preserve

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a record of decision for the Nabesna 
Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS), Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS) announces 
the availability of a Record of Decision (ROD) that documents decisions 
regarding off-road vehicle management in the Nabesna District of 
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The ROD describes the 
management actions, trail improvements, regulations, and mitigation 
(including monitoring) that will implement Alternative 6, identified in 
the FEIS as the preferred alternative. The ROD also describes the 
rationale used in making the decision and identifies the 
environmentally preferable alternative. The ROD includes a 
recommendation for the reclassification of eligible wilderness, which 
was approved by the NPS Director on January 18, 2012. The 
reclassification resulted in a net gain of 16,929 acres of eligible 
wilderness in the analysis area.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD will be available for public review at 
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/wrst. Hard copies are available at park 
headquarters (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Mile 106.8 
Richardson Highway, Copper Center, Alaska) or may be requested from 
Bruce Rogers, Project Manager, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and 
Preserve, P.O. Box 439, Copper Center, Alaska 99573.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ROD describes management actions 
necessary for managing off-road vehicles (ORVs) for recreational and 
subsistence use on trails in the Nabesna District of Wrangell-St. Elias 
National Park and Preserve. The trails were in existence at the time 
the 13.2-million-acre park and preserve was established in 1980. 
Beginning in 1983, the park issued permits for recreational ORV use of 
these established trails, initially in accordance with 36 CFR 13.14(c), 
which was replaced by 43 CFR 36.11(g)(2) in 1986. The trails also 
provide for subsistence ORV use and access to inholdings. On June 29, 
2006, the National Parks Conservation Association, Alaska Center for 
the Environment, and The Wilderness Society filed a lawsuit against NPS 
in the United States District Court for the District of Alaska 
regarding recreational ORV use on the nine trails that are the subject 
of this EIS. They challenged the NPS issuance of recreational ORV 
permits, asserting that NPS failed to make the required finding that 
recreational ORV use is compatible with the purposes and values of the 
Park and Preserve. They also claimed that the NPS failed to prepare an 
environmental analysis of recreational ORV use as required by NEPA.
    In the May 15, 2007, settlement agreement, NPS agreed to endeavor 
to complete an EIS and ROD by December 31, 2010 (this was extended to 
December 31, 2011).
    A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was published in 
August 2010 and made available for a 90-day public comment period. 
During the 90-day public comment period, five public meetings were held 
in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Tok, Slana, and Copper Center, Alaska. The NPS 
received 153 comment letters from various agencies, organizations, and 
individuals. In response to public comment, the FEIS analyzed a sixth 
alternative that was identified as the NPS preferred alternative and 
that combined elements of Alternatives 4 and 5 from the DEIS. 
Additionally, the FEIS responded to substantive comments in Chapter 5 
and numerous changes were made in the FEIS as a result of public 
comment. The FEIS considered a reasonable range of alternatives based 
on project purpose and need and considering park resources and values, 
and public input.
    Alternative 6 was identified as the NPS preferred alternative. All 
trails would be improved to at least a maintainable condition. After 
trail improvement, recreational ORV use would be permitted on trails in 
the national preserve (Suslota, Caribou Creek, Trail Creek, Lost Creek, 
Soda Lake, and Reeve Field) but not on trails in the national park 
(Boomerang, Tanada Lake, and Copper Lake). Subsistence ORV use would be 
subject to monitoring and adaptive management steps and would be 
confined to designated trail corridors in park wilderness.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Rogers, Project Manager, 
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, P.O. Box 439, Copper 
Center, Alaska 99573. Telephone: 907-822-7276.

Tim A. Hudson,
Acting Regional Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2012-8364 Filed 4-5-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-HC-P
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