[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 46 (Wednesday, March 11, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10611-10612]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-5146]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Environmental Impact Statement/General Management Plan; Kalaupapa 
National Historical Park, Kalawao County, Molokai, HI; Notice of Intent 
To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

SUMMARY: In accord with section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the National Park Service 
is undertaking a conservation planning and environmental impact 
analysis process for developing a General Management Plan (GMP) for 
Kalaupapa National Historical Park, Hawaii. An Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) will be prepared concurrently with the GMP. The GMP is 
intended to set forth the basic management philosophy for this unit of 
the National Park System and provide the strategies for addressing 
issues and achieving identified management objectives. Thus, the GMP 
serves as a ``blueprint'' to guide management of natural and cultural 
resources and visitor use during the next 15-20 years.
    Consistent with NPS Planning Program Standards, the updated GMP 
will: (1) Describe the National Historical Park's purpose, 
significance, and primary interpretive themes; (2) identify the 
fundamental resources and values of the park, its other important 
resources and values, and describe the condition of these resources; 
(3) describe desired conditions for cultural and natural resources and 
visitor experiences throughout the park; (4) develop management zoning 
to support these desired conditions; (5) develop alternative 
applications of these management zones to the Park's landscape (i.e., 
zoning alternatives); (6) address user capacity; (7) analyze potential 
boundary modifications; (8) ensure that management recommendations are 
developed in consultation with interested partners and the public and 
adopted by NPS leadership after an adequate analysis of the benefits, 
environmental impacts, and economic costs of alternative courses of 
action; (9) develop cost estimates implementing each of the 
alternatives; and (10) identify and prioritize subsequent detailed 
studies, plans and actions that may be needed to implement the updated 
GMP.
    Scoping Process: The park will undertake extensive scoping outreach 
efforts in order to elicit early public comment regarding issues and 
concerns, the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts (and 
as appropriate, mitigation measures), and alternatives which should be 
addressed in the GMP. Through the outreach activities planned in the 
scoping phase, the NPS welcomes information and suggestions from the 
public regarding resource protection, visitor use, and land management. 
This notice formally initiates the public scoping comment phase for the 
EIS process. All scoping comments must be postmarked or transmitted not 
later than July 15, 2009, and should be addressed to: General 
Management Plan, Attn: Steve Prokop, Superintendent, Kalaupapa National 
Historical Park, P.O. Box 2222, Kalaupapa, HI 96742 (or may also be 
transmitted electronically via http://parkplanning.nps.gov/kala). 
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other 
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware 
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    At this time, it is expected that public workshops will take place 
on Molokai, Oahu, and Maui, and possibly Hawaii and Kauai in late April 
and early May 2009. Detailed information regarding these meetings will 
be posted on the GMP Web site (noted above) and announced through local 
and regional press media. All attendees will be given the opportunity 
to ask questions and provide comments to the planning team. The GMP Web 
site will provide the

[[Page 10612]]

most up-to-date information regarding the project, including project 
description, planning process updates, meeting notices, reports and 
documents, and useful links associated with the project.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Kalaupapa National Historical Park was 
established as a unit of the National Park System on December 22, 1980. 
The park is oriented toward patient privacy and maintaining the 
patients' lifestyles, and the patients are guaranteed they may remain 
at Kalaupapa as long as they wish. These park purposes will continue 
for as long as there is a resident Hansen's disease patient community 
at Kalaupapa. The park purpose also includes more ``conventional'' park 
purposes: to preserve and interpret the Kalaupapa Settlement for the 
education and inspiration of present and future generations; to 
research, preserve and maintain the historic structures and character 
of the community, as well as cultural values, Native Hawaiian remnants 
and natural features; and to provide limited visitation by the general 
public.
    Federally owned land at Kalaupapa NHP includes a lighthouse, 23 
acres surrounding it, and 7 associated structures. The remainder of the 
park land is currently in non-Federal ownership, managed under a lease 
and a series of cooperative agreements mandated by legislation. The NPS 
currently has a fifty year lease agreement (with 35 years remaining) 
for the approximately 1300 acres of the Kalaupapa Settlement owned by 
the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL). The remainder of the land 
is owned by the State of Hawaii. Formal 20-year cooperative agreements 
for management have been signed with the State of Hawaii Departments of 
Health (DOH), Transportation (DOT), and Land and Natural Resources 
(DLNR); the Roman Catholic Church; and the United Church of Christ. 
These mandated agreements allow for preservation of critical resources, 
but do not provide long-term rights and interests for the NPS. Fewer 
than twenty-five Hansen's disease patients still reside at Kalaupapa, 
either in their own homes or at Kalaupapa's hospital/care-home. Most of 
these patients are elderly and in poor health (youngest is presently in 
his late sixties). Thus, a very critical need is to engage the patients 
in dialog about the future that they envision when there no longer is a 
patient community residing in the park. Crafting this long-range future 
planning while the patients are yet able to participate and convey 
their ideas and vision of how they want their story told in the future 
is a key element of the overall process.
    The current ``Statement for Management'' for Kalaupapa NHP was 
approved in August 1987. This document provides the primary guidance 
for management of the resources, operations and maintenance of the 
park. It was preceded by the ``Proposal for the Establishment of 
Kalaupapa National Historical Preserve'' (April 1980) which was labeled 
as the ``General Management Plan'' in December 1980. In addition, an 
approved 1984 Resource Management Plan which provided then-available 
resource management direction needs to be updated. The legislation 
establishing the park specifically directs a re-evaluation of park 
management: ``At such time when there is no longer a resident patient 
community at Kalaupapa, the Secretary shall reevaluate the policies 
governing the management, administration, and public use of the park in 
order to identify any changes deemed to be appropriate.'' (Pub. L. 95-
565, section 109). This is the time to begin that process. Kalaupapa 
NHP needs guidance for a dramatic and fundamental change in park 
management that will occur in the near future. As long as Hansen's 
disease patients remain at Kalaupapa, park operations are subservient 
to services and health care for the patients, patient privacy, and 
maintaining patients' lifestyles. The State Department of Health has 
substantial control over activities in Kalaupapa. Visitation is 
restricted to 100 people per day, no children are allowed, and the law 
gives patients the right of first refusal to provide visitor services. 
Once Kalaupapa is no longer a home and safe haven for the rapidly 
declining Hansen's disease population, the fundamental management 
direction of the park will change, and the NPS needs to be in a 
position to influence these changes.
    A GMP is needed to establish the vision for what the park will be 
like when there no longer are patients residing there. The GMP will 
help the NPS set the agenda for discussions, negotiations and 
collaboration with Kalaupapa's land owners and managers, funding 
agencies, local Hansen's disease residents and other partners to ensure 
the long term protection of important resources at Kalaupapa.
    Decision Process: Following the scoping phase and consideration of 
public concerns and other agency comments, a Draft EIS for the GMP will 
be prepared and released for public review. Availability of the 
forthcoming Draft EIS for public review and comment will be similarly 
announced through the Federal Register. Following due consideration of 
all agency and public comment, a Final EIS will be prepared. As a 
delegated EIS, the official responsible for the final decision on the 
proposed plan is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region, National 
Park Service. Subsequently, the official responsible for implementation 
of the approved plan is the Superintendent, Kalaupapa National 
Historical Park. It is anticipated that the final plan will be 
available in 2013.

    Dated: January 29, 2009.
Cynthia L. Ip,
Acting Regional Director.
 [FR Doc. E9-5146 Filed 3-10-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P