[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 97 (Friday, May 18, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27682-27684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-12508]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management/National Park Service

[NM-930-01-1050-DS-005G]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Comprehensive Management Plan, 
Including Possible Resource Management Plan Amendments for the El 
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail; New Mexico and 
Texas

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Comprehensive Management Plan, 
including possible Resource Management Plan Amendments and an 
invitation to the public to participate in the planning process.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Trails System Act, as amended (Pub. 
L. 90-543), the National Park Service (NPS) and the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) are initiating preparation of a Comprehensive 
Management Plan (CMP) for the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National 
Historic Trail in New Mexico and Texas. The trail passes through four 
BLM Field Office administrative areas with five existing Resource 
Management Plans (RMPs) and there may be a need to amend one or more of 
these Plans. The RMPs that have the possibility of being amended are: 
(1) Taos RMP, (2) Rio Puerco RMP, (3) Socorro RMP, (4) White Sands RMP, 
and (5) Mimbres RMP.
    The public is invited to participate in each stage of the planning 
process, and public meetings will be held. The initial scoping meetings 
will occur at 6:30 p.m. at the following locations: Alcalde, New Mexico 
(Onate Visitor Center, State Road 68,)--June 25, 2001; Santa Fe, New 
Mexico (Genoveva Chavez Community Center, 3221 Rodeo Road)--June 28, 
2001; Albuquerque, New Mexico (National Hispanic Cultural Center of New 
Mexico, 1701 Fourth Street, N.W.)--June 22, 2001; Socorro, New Mexico 
(Holiday Inn Express, 1100 California Avenue)--June 19, 2001; Truth or 
Consequences, New Mexico (T or C Civic Center, 505 Sims Street)--June 
18, 2001; Las Cruces, New Mexico (Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, 
Dripping Springs Road)--June 13, 2001; El Paso, Texas (Chamizal 
National Memorial, 800 S. San Marcial)--June 14, 2001.

DATES: Written comments relating to the planning process will be 
accepted on or before July 16, 2001, and should be addressed to Harry 
Myers at the address below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harry Myers, National Park Service, 
P.O. Box 728, Santa Fe, NM 87504-0728, phone (505) 988-6717, fax (505) 
986-5214 or Terry Humphrey, Bureau of Land Management, 226 Cruz Alta 
Road, Taos, NM 87571; phone (505) 758-8851, fax (505) 758-1620.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Park Service Long Distance 
Trails Group Office--Santa Fe and the Bureau of Land Management, New 
Mexico State Office, are the lead offices for preparation of the plan, 
and both are responsible for administering the trail as per agency 
agreement. They will coordinate with the public, various Federal 
agencies, tribal governments, and local and state governments in the 
plan's development. Consultation will be an important factor to the 
process and should be an integral part of the planning team's efforts. 
Once an advisory council has been formed as required by section 5(d) of 
the National Trails System Act, the study team will work closely with 
that body.
    The purpose of the Comprehensive Management Plan will be to 
establish the administrative objectives, policies, processes, and 
management actions needed to fulfill the preservation and public use 
goals of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trial. 
It will be comprehensive in nature, and will resolve or address issues 
along the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail 
which are identified through agency, interagency, and public scoping 
efforts.
    The purpose of a National Historic Trail is the identification and 
protection of the historic route and its historic remnants and 
artifacts for public use and enjoyment. National Historic Trails are 
extended trails that follow as closely as possible and practicable 
original routes of travel that are historically significant. The 
designation of such trails or routes is to be continuous, but the 
established or developed trails are not necessarily continuous land 
areas; they may include portions or sections of land areas, land and 
water segments, or other specific sites.
    Existing trail segments already in Federal ownership will become 
the initial components of the National Trail. Other trail segments 
could be developed

[[Page 27683]]

and protected through various means such as cooperative and 
certification agreements, easements, and actions by private 
organizations. Generally, there would be little if any acquisition of 
private lands, and then only with the landowner's consent.
    The plan will explain or identify the desired future conditions to 
be maintained or achieved, administrative and management actions 
necessary to achieve objectives, and a schedule and a cost estimate for 
implementing the actions for achieving those goals. Through these 
actions, the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Historic Trail will be 
administered and managed according to the intent of Congress, as 
expressed in the establishing legislation and the National Trails 
System Act.
    The joint BLM/NPS administration of the El Camino Real de Tierra 
Adentro National Historic Trail must rely on the cooperative management 
efforts and support of state, local, and private interests, including 
landowners, to ensure the protection of trail-related resources, to 
provide outdoor recreational opportunities, and to accomplish the 
objectives of the interpretive programs.
    Consistent with the National Trails System Act, the NPS/BLM 
administrative role will be to set goals, stimulate public support and 
partnerships, provide technical and limited financial assistance and 
other incentives, manage trail marker use, and otherwise coordinate, 
facilitate, and monitor management and use of the trail. Therefore, 
public agencies and private interests at the grassroots will be 
encouraged to mark the trail route, seek certification, secure 
necessary interests in lands, provide for the preservation of the 
trail's resources, ensure the upkeep and accessibility of sites and 
segments for public educational and recreational benefits, and perform 
the day-to-day management of their own sites and areas.
    Within this partnership both agencies will work to ensure that the 
trail is managed as a single, integrated resource, with the 
Comprehensive Management Plan providing overall guidance for trail 
management. The Comprehensive Management Plan will identify the various 
tasks of administration and the means of carrying out those tasks. It 
will define the relationships between administration and the day-to-day 
management of the trail and outline effective strategies for achieving 
plan implementation.
    The Comprehensive Management Plan will identify objectives to guide 
the establishment of a cooperative management system for the El Camino 
Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail. It will also describe a 
certification process for non-Federal trail sites/segments and identify 
the role that existing Federal land management agencies along the trail 
will play in the plan implementation.
    The plan will define the criteria that will be used to select sites 
suitable for interpretation, preservation, recreational retracement, 
and potential development support. It will tell how to define 
priorities for marking, protection, and potential public use and it 
will describe what strategies are most appropriate for resource 
protection. The issue of potential liability and impacts upon 
landowners will be addressed. The promotion and coordination of the 
tourism potential of the trail will also be addressed.
    The establishment law authorizes cooperation with United States and 
Mexican public and nongovernmental organizations, academic 
institutions, and, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the 
government of Mexico and its political subdivisions, for the purpose of 
exchanging trail information and research, fostering trail preservation 
and educational programs, providing technical assistance, and working 
to establish an international historic trail with complementary 
preservation and education programs in each nation.
    The legislation also stated that: (1) The El Camino Real de Tierra 
Adentro (the Royal Road to the Interior Lands), served as the primary 
route between the colonial Spanish capital of Mexico City and the 
Spanish provincial capitals at San Juan de Los Caballeros (1598-1600), 
San Gabriel (1600-1609) and then Santa Fe (1610-1821); (2) The portion 
of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro that resided in what is now the 
United States extended between El Paso, Texas, and present San Juan 
Pueblo, New Mexico, a distance of 404 miles; (3) The El Camino Real is 
a symbol of the cultural interaction between nations and ethnic groups 
and of the commercial exchange that made possible the development and 
growth of the borderland; (4) American Indian groups, especially the 
Pueblo Indians of the Rio Grande, developed trails for trade long 
before Europeans arrived; (5) In 1598, Juan de Onate led a Spanish 
military expedition along those trails to establish the northern 
portion of the El Camino Real; (6) During the Mexican National Period 
and part of the U.S. Territorial Period, the El Camino Real de Tierra 
Adentro facilitated the emigration of people to New Mexico and other 
areas that would become the United States; (7) The exploration, 
conquest, colonization, settlement, religious conversion, and military 
occupation of a large area of the borderlands was made possible by this 
route, whose historical period extended from 1598 to 1882; (8) American 
Indians, European emigrants, miners, ranchers, soldiers, and 
missionaries used the El Camino Real during the historic development of 
the borderlands. These travelers promoted cultural interaction among 
Spaniards, other Europeans, American Indians, Mexicans, and Americans; 
(9) The El Camino Real fostered the spread of Catholicism, mining, an 
extensive network of commerce, and ethnic and cultural traditions 
including music, folklore, medicine, foods, architecture, language, 
place names, irrigation systems, and Spanish law.
    The following preliminary criteria were developed internally and 
will be reviewed by the public before used in the Comprehensive 
Management Plan/RMP Amendment/Environmental Impact Statement process. 
After public input analysis, they become proposed criteria, and can be 
added to or changed as the issues are addressed or new information is 
presented: (1) The plan should be completed in compliance with Sec. 
5(a) of the National Trails System Act and all other applicable laws. 
It will meet the requirements of P.L. 106-307 to protect the trail's 
natural and historic resources and recreation opportunities; (2) The 
planning team should work cooperatively with the State of New Mexico, 
tribal governments, county and municipal governments, other Federal 
agencies, and all other interested groups, agencies, and individuals. 
Public participation will be encouraged throughout the process; (3) The 
planning process will include an Environmental Impact Statement that 
will comply with NEPA and Council on Environmental Quality guidelines; 
(4) The plan will emphasize the protection and enhancement of the 
historic values of the Trail, while providing the public with 
opportunities for compatible recreation activities; (5) Development and 
management of each segment of the National Trails System shall be 
designed to harmonize with, and complement, any established multiple-
use plans for the specific area in order to ensure continued maximum 
benefits from the land (National Trails System Act, Sec 7. (a)(2); (6) 
The lifestyles and concerns of area residents, including the activities 
of grazing and hunting, will be recognized in the plan; (7) Any lands 
along the trail which are acquired by federal agencies from willing 
sellers to accomplish purposes for which the trail

[[Page 27684]]

was designated will be managed consistent with the National Trails 
System Act; (8) The planning process will involve American Indian 
tribal governments and will provide strategies for the protection of 
recognized traditional uses; (9) Decisions in the plan should strive to 
be compatible with the existing plans and policies of adjacent local, 
State and Federal agencies as long as the decisions are in conformance 
with Congressional direction and federal laws, regulation and policy; 
(10) The location of the trail has been determined by historical 
information and actual field surveys and will be further refined using 
Geographic Information Systems.
    A range of alternatives, including a No Action alternative, will be 
developed to respond to the issues identified at the outset of the 
process. Each alternative will provide different solutions to the 
issues and concerns brought out. The objective in alternative 
formulation will be to develop realistic, implementable solutions that 
represent a complete plan, in and of themselves. The public will assist 
in the development of a range of alternatives during the community 
workshops. Preliminary issues and management concerns include: (1) How 
the historic, scenic and natural resources of the trail will be 
preserved; (2) How management of the trail will affect activities and 
use by the public; (3) How trail management will be integrated with 
tribal and other government agency and community plans; (4) 
Availability of opportunities to provide visitor services, education 
and/or recreation; (5) Incorporation of international interest in the 
trail; and (6) Effect of National Historic Trail designation on private 
property.
    A preliminary public participation plan has been developed and sets 
forth the methods by which the public has the opportunity to be 
informed and involved so they can participate effectively in the 
planning and NEPA process. The public involvement process will focus on 
an interactive dialogue of information that will result in the exchange 
of constructive ideas, alternatives and new possibilities for 
mitigating potential environmental impact associated with this project.
    The plan will also be responsive to the requirements of 
Presidential Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice. This 
Executive Order requires Federal agencies to identify potential 
disproportionate impacts on low income and minority communities. In 
addition, the Executive Order requires each Federal agency to provide 
opportunities for community input in the NEPA process, including 
identifying potential effects and mitigation measures in consultation 
with affected communities and improving accessibility of meetings, 
crucial documents and notices.
    This project impacts multiple agencies and local governmental 
jurisdictions. It is important to have roles and responsibilities, as 
well as input of the affected entities, established at the outset. The 
BLM and NPS will engage other affected or potentially interested 
Federal agencies, North American Indian tribes, state and county 
government, and international partners, early in the EIS process. Their 
opinions on issues, scope of work, decisions to be made, and process 
are essential to the EIS process. Documents pertinent to the 
Environmental Impact Statement, such as Land and Resource Management 
Plans, Resource Management Plans, State codes and regulations, County 
and City zoning, and land use policies, need to be identified during 
this stage. Ongoing communication throughout the project is vital. The 
Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service are committed 
to a collaborative planning approach.
    Contact Terry Humphrey, BLM, El Camino Real Planning Team Leader at 
Taos Field Office, 226 Cruz Alta Road, Taos, New Mexico 87571 or Harry 
Myers, NPS, El Camino Real Planning Team Leader at P.O. Box 728, Santa 
Fe, New Mexico 87504-0728 for additional information.

    Dated: May 9, 2001.
Carsten F. Goff,
Acting State Director, BLM--New Mexico.
Michael D. Snyder,
Acting Director, NPS, Intermountain Region.
[FR Doc. 01-12508 Filed 5-17-01; 8:45 am]
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