Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 14 / Monday, January 22, 2001 / Notices 6665

SUMMARY: The National Park Service has

prepared a Final General Management

Plan Amendment/Environmental

Impact Statement (GMPA/EIS) that

evaluates long-term management

alternatives for Dry Tortugas National

Park. Consistent with the park’s

purpose, significance, and mission

goals, five alternatives were evaluated

for guiding the management of the park

over the next 15 to 20 years. The

alternatives incorporate various zoning

applications and other management

provisions to ensure resource protection

and quality visitor experience

conditions. The environmental

consequences anticipated from

implementation of the various

alternatives are addressed in the

document. Impact topics include

natural and cultural resources, visitor

experience, socioeconomic

environment, and park operations/

facilities.

DATES: The document will be available

for review for 30 days from the

publication of a notice by the

Environmental Protection Agency in the

Federal Register. After the 30-day

review period, a Record of Decision will

be signed that will document NPS

approval of the final Dry Tortugas

GMPA/EIS, and identify the selected

alternative for implementation.

ADDRESSES: The final Dry Tortugas

GMPA/EIS will be mailed to agencies,

organizations, and individuals on the

park’s mailing list. Public reading

copies of the document will also be

available for review at the following

locations:

• Everglades National Park—

Headquarters, 40001 State Road 9336,

Homestead, FL

• Offices of the Florida Keys National

Marine Sanctuary: 216 Ann Street, Key

West, FL, 5550 Overseas Highway,

Marathon, FL, 95200 Overseas Highway,

Key Largo, FL

• Miami-Dade Public Library

Branches: 700 N. Homestead Blvd.,

Homestead, FL, 101 West Flagler St.,

Miami, FL, 10750 SW 211th St., Miami,

FL

• Monroe County Public Library

Branches: 700 Fleming St., Key West,

FL, 3251 Overseas Highway, Marathon,

FL, Mile Marker 81.5, Islamorada, FL,

Mile Marker 100, Key Largo, FL

• Collier County Public Library, 650

Central Avenue, Naples, FL

• St. Petersburg Public Library, 3745

9th Ave. North, St. Petersburg, FL

In addition, the document will be

posted on the Dry Tortugas National

Park Webpage (www.nps.gov/drto/

planning). A limited number of printed

copies will be available from the

Superintendent on request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Maureen Finnerty, Superintendent,

Everglades and Dry Tortugas National

Parks, 40001 State Road 9336,

Homestead, FL 33034–6733.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

following management alternatives were

evaluated in the GMPA/EIS:

Alternative A—As the no-action

alternative, this alternative represents a

continuation of current management

policies and operations. The park would

attempt to accommodate increasing

visitor use while protecting resources to

the extent allowable under current

policy and legal requirements.

Alternative B—Under this alternative,

visitors would be free to travel

throughout much of the park and have

a variety of recreational experiences.

However, the park would more closely

manage the types and levels of

acceptable visitor use to provide greater

protection of park resources and to

ensure quality visitor experiences.

Greater emphasis would be placed on

measures to monitor resource

conditions and to implement

appropriate protection/remedial actions

as necessary.

Alternative C (proposed action)—In

addition to the provisions of Alternative

B, this alternative calls for the

application of a research natural area

zone (covering about one half of the

park) in which no fishing would be

allowed, the implementation of a visitor

permitting system, and increased

reliance on commercial service

providers to direct and structure visitor

use. These measures would be

anticipated to further enhance resource

protection and visitor experience

objectives.

Alternative D—Provisions of this

alternative are similar to those of

Alternative C, with the further

restrictions that only commercial tour

operators providing public tours would

be allowed in the research natural area

zone. Private boaters would be required

to obtain a permit to boat or engage in

other park-allowed activities outside of

the research natural area zone. As under

Alternative C, the research natural area

zone would cover approximately half of

the park, although its spatial

configuration would be different. Visitor

experiences would be highly structured,

but diverse opportunities for

recreational activities would remain

available.

Alternative E—This alternative places

primary emphasis on resource

protection and conservation with the

majority of the park zoned a research

natural area. Visitation would be strictly

managed throughout most of the park to

reduce or avoid impacts on the fragile

resource base.

Planning for the Dry Tortugas GMPA/

EIS was coordinated with concurrent

planning for the Florida Keys National

Marine Sanctuary, administered by the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration. The latter plan

proposes a no-take ecological reserve

within the remote westernmost portion

of the marine sanctuary.

Our practice is to make comments,

including names and home addresses of

respondents, available for public review

during regular business hours. If you

wish for us to withhold your name and/

or address, you must state this

prominently at the beginning of your

comment. However, we will not

consider anonymous comments. We

will make all submissions from

organizations or businesses, and from

individuals identifying themselves as

representatives or officials of

organizations or businesses, available

for public inspection in their entirety.

Dated: January 9, 2001.

W. Thomas Brown,

Regional Director, Southeast Regional Office,

National Park Service.

[FR Doc. 01–1576 Filed 1–19–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–10–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Notice of Record of Decision for Final

Environmental Impact Statement and

Bison Management Plan for the State

of Montana and Yellowstone National

Park

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s

National Park Service and the U.S.

Department of Agriculture’s Animal and

Plant Health Inspection Service and

Forest Service have signed a Record of

Decision (December 20, 2000) on a Joint

Management Plan for bison in

Yellowstone National Park and

Montana.

The Plan is designed to preserve the

largest wild, free-ranging population of

bison in the United States while

minimizing the risk of brucellosis

disease transmission (between bison

and cattle) to protect the economic

interest and viability of the livestock

industry in the State of Montana.

While the Joint Management Plan is

not intended to be a brucellosis

eradication plan, it employs many tools

to manage and reduce the potential risk

of brucellosis transmission from bison

to cattle. Limited numbers of bison will

6666 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 14 / Monday, January 22, 2001 / Notices

be allowed on public lands outside the

park during winter when cattle are not

present. Bison will not be allowed to

intermingle with cattle and will be

hazed back into the park when the

weather typically moderates in the

spring (mid-April on the north side and

mid-May on the west side). The

agencies will capture or remove bison

still remaining outside the park that

cannot be hazed. Any possible risk to

cattle will be further minimized before

cattle are allowed to return to public

lands by waiting a sufficient amount of

time to ensure that the bacteria which

causes the disease is no longer alive

outside the park.

The agencies will further manage the

risk of transmission of brucellosis to

cattle by limiting the number of bison

outside the park in the north (Reese

Creek) and west (West Yellowstone)

management areas through intensive

monitoring and hazing, and when

necessary, capture, test, and slaughter of

seropositive bison. Management activity

will be increased as bison move toward

the edges of management zones outside

the park. The plan also provides that the

agencies will maintain a spring bison

population of up to 3,000 animals. The

agencies also agree to increase

implementation of non-lethal

management measures should severe

winter conditions result in a large

management removal or natural winter

die off.

In an effort to further reduce the risk

of transmission and protect cattle, the

agencies will require vaccination if

100% of all vaccination-eligible cattle in

north and west management zones are

not vaccinated within one year. APHIS

will pay for all direct vaccination costs.

Allowing untested bison outside the

park in the north and west boundary

management zones will begin after the

agencies have had experience with

seronegative bison in certain areas

outside the park during winter and

when the National Park Service initiates

vaccination of bison with a safe and

effective vaccine utilizing a safe remote

delivery system inside the park.

With the implementation of this plan,

the federal agencies and the State of

Montana recognize that bison are an

essential component of the greater

Yellowstone ecosystem and that the

cooperation of several agencies is

needed to fully manage the herd to

reduce the risk of transmission of

brucellosis from bison to cattle and

maintain a wild, free-ranging population

of Yellowstone bison.

The Joint Management Plan, included

in the Record of Decision, is a slightly

altered version of the existing plan

presented in the federal agencies’ final

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

The State of Montana incorporated and

adopted the federal agencies’ FEIS into

its own FEIS for bison management and

has recently signed their Record of

Decision, which implements the same

Joint Management Plan as the federal

agencies.

A copy of the Record of Decision on

Bison Management for Yellowstone

National Park and the State of Montana

can be obtained via the internet by

visiting the National Park Service web

site at http://www.nps.gov/planning or

by calling (307) 344–2159.

Jack Neckels,

Acting Director, Intermountain Region.

[FR Doc. 01–1574 Filed 1–19–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–70–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Acadia National Park Bar, Harbor, ME;

Acadia National Park Advisory

Commission; Notice of Meeting

Notice is hereby given in accordance

with the Federal Advisory Committee

Act (Public Law 92–463, 86 Stat. 770, 5

U.S.C. App. 1, Sec. 10), that the Acadia

National Park Advisory Commission

will hold a meeting on Monday,

February 5, 2001.

The Commission was established

pursuant to Public Law 99–420, Sec.

103. The purpose of the commission is

to consult with the Secretary of the

Interior, or his designee, on matters

relating to the management and

development of the park, including but

not limited to the acquisition of lands

and interests in lands (including

conservation easements on islands) and

termination of rights of use and

occupancy.

The meeting will convene at park

Headquarters, McFarland Hill, Bar

Harbor, Maine, at 1:00 PM to consider

the following agenda:

1. Review and approval of minutes from

the meeting held September 11,

2000.

2. Committee reports

Land Conservation

Park Use

Science

Nomination

3. Old business

4. Chairman’s report

5. Superintendent’s report

6. Public comments

7. Proposed agenda for next

Commission meeting on Monday,

June 4, 2001.

The meeting is open to the public.

Interested persons may make oral/

written presentations to the Commission

or file written statements. Such requests

should be made to the Superintendent

at least seven days prior to the meeting.

Further information concerning this

meeting may be obtained from the

Superintendent, Acadia National Park,

P.O. Box 177, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609,

tel: (207) 288–3338.

Dated: January 9, 2001.

Len Bobinchock,

Acting Superintendent, Acadia National

Park.

[FR Doc. 01–1575 Filed 1–19–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–70–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

National Park System Advisory Board;

Meeting

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

Notice is hereby given in accordance

with the Federal Advisory Committee

Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix (1994), that the

National Park System Advisory Board

will meet January 24–26, 2001, in the

Board Room of the American

Geophysical Union Building, 2000

Florida Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.

The Board will convene from 9:00

a.m., until 5:00 p.m., on January 24 and

25. On January 26, the Board will

convene at 9:00 a.m., and adjourn at

12:00 noon. The Board will consider

procedural matters relative to

completing its study of the future of the

National Park Service and the National

Park System. During the morning

session on January 24, the Board will be

addressed by leaders of national

organizations having interest in

National Park Service matters.

The Board may be addressed at

various times by officials of the National

Park Service and the Department of the

Interior; and other miscellaneous topics

and reports may be covered. The order

of the agenda may be changed, if

necessary, to accommodate travel

schedules or for other reasons.

The Board meeting will be open to the

public. Space and facilities to

accommodate the public are limited and

attendees will be accommodated on a

first-come basis. Anyone may file with

the Board a written statement

concerning matters to be discussed. The

Board may also permit attendees to

address the Board, but may restrict the

length of the presentations, as necessary

to allow the Board to complete its

agenda within the allotted time.