52444 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 170 / Friday, September 2, 2005 / Notices 

heritage for the enjoyment of this and 

future generations. Over the past 35 

years, this program has consistently 

grown to become one of the 

government’s largest, most successful 

volunteer programs. Between FY2003 

and 2004, the program experienced its 

biggest increase in history: The number 

of VIPs increased by 14% and the 

number of hours by 11%. In order to 

effectively manage the increasing trend 

of volunteerism in the NPS, it is 

imperative that the organization assess 

its strengths and weaknesses and 

determine methods for improved 

efficiency. A servicewide volunteer 

program assessment has not been 

conducted to date. Volunteers (6,000) 

will be surveyed during this process 

(mail-back/Internet-based questionnaire) 

to collect information about the current 

status and needs of the program. In 

addition, follow-up focus groups (3 with 

up to 20 participants each) and 

telephone interviews (up to 40) will be 

conducted to acquire detailed data 

expanding on questionnaire results). 

Results will be reported at the 

servicewide level, the regional level 

(seven NPS regions), and the volunteer 

work category level (to include, at 

minimum, work in the areas of 

interpretation, natural resource 

management, park maintenance, 

campground hosting, and cultural 

resource management). 

Recommendations for improvements 

will be made based on the findings. This 

process will not only aid in creating an 

improved, streamlined program, but 

may also serve as a model for other 

Federal agencies. 

Automated data collection: This 

information will primarily be collected 

electronically through a designated, 

secure Web site. Non-automated 

methods (mail-back questionnaire) will 

be available for those without access to 

electronic means. 

Description of respondents: National 

Park Service Volunteers-In-Parks. 

Estimated average number of 

respondents: Approximately 6,100 

respondents. 

Estimated average number of 

responses: Approximately 6,100 

responses. 

Estimated average burden hours per 

response: One-quarter burden hour per 

response to the mail-back/internet-based 

questionnaire (≈6,000 responses); One 

and one-half burden hour for 

participants in the follow-up focus 

groups (≈60 responses); One burden 

hour for participants in the follow-up 

interviews (≈responses). 

Frequency of Response: 1 time per 

respondent. 

Estimated annual reporting burden: 

1,630 hours. 

Dated: July 19, 2005. 

Leonard E. Stowe, 

National Park Service Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 05–17487 Filed 9–1–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–52–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement/ 

General Management Plan: Ebey’s 

Landing National Historical Reserve, 

Island County, WA; Notice of 

Availability 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 

U.S.C. 4332(C), and the Council on 

Environmental Quality Regulations (40 

CFR part 1500–1508), the National Park 

Service has prepared a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

proposed general management plan for 

Ebey’s Landing National Historical 

Reserve (Reserve) located in 

northwestern Washington. In addition 

to a ‘‘no-action’’ alternative (which 

would maintain current management), 

the Draft EIS describes and analyzes two 

‘‘action’’ alternatives which respond to 

public concerns and issues identified 

during the scoping process, as well as 

NPS’s conservation planning 

requirements. These alternatives present 

varying management strategies that 

address visitor use and preservation of 

cultural and natural resources that 

protect and reflect the rural community 

on Whidbey Island from 19th century 

exploration and settlement in Puget 

Sound to the present time. The potential 

environmental consequences of each 

alternative, and mitigation strategies, are 

identified and analyzed; a 

determination as to the 

‘‘environmentally preferred’’ alternative 

is also provided in the Draft EIS. 

Scoping: A Notice of Intent 

announcing preparation of the Draft EIS 

and general management plan was 

published in the Federal Register on 

May 22, 2000. Public involvement has 

included public meetings, presentations 

and meetings with organizations located 

within the Reserve and additional 

organizations, newsletter mailings, local 

press releases, website postings, and 

postcards. Preceding the formal EIS 

analysis process, the NPS had organized 

an interdisciplinary planning team to 

initiate the general management plan 

process for the Reserve. The team 

included the Reserve’s Trust Board and 

staff, representatives from Washington 

State, Island County and Town of 

Coupeville, and NPS staff from the 

Pacific West Region Office in Seattle, 

Washington. The purpose of these 

initial meetings was to help characterize 

the scale and extent of the planning 

process. 

The formal public scoping efforts 

began in June 2000 with release of a 

scoping newsletter to approximately 650 

people on the Reserve’s mailing list. In 

addition, over 2800 newsletters were 

distributed at local public places such 

as libraries, civic buildings, businesses, 

and parks. The planning team received 

36 letters during the official public 

scoping period ending August 15, 2000. 

In addition, during June 2000, three 

public scoping meetings were held in 

Seattle, Washington and Coupeville, 

Washington (in total, 141 verbal 

comments were recorded). Individual 

scoping meetings were also held 

between August 2000 and January 2001 

with organizations located within the 

Reserve to discuss issues of mutual 

interest. Other meetings with other 

interested organizations were also 

scheduled. 

Proposed Plan and Alternatives: 

Alternative A constitutes the No-Action 

alternative and serves as an 

environmental baseline to facilitate 

comparisons between the ‘‘action’’

alternatives. Alternative A assumes that 

existing programs, facilities, staffing, 

and funding would generally continue 

at their current levels. The NPS would 

dispose of NPS-owned and managed 

farms within the Reserve to the private 

sector after placing conservation 

easements on them. 

Alternative B is the ‘‘agency 

preferred’’ alternative. The Reserve’s 

Trust Board, and the NPS, in 

cooperation with partners, would 

enhance existing programs and 

resources management, as well as 

administrative, maintenance, and visitor 

services within the Reserve. To 

maintain and protect the rural 

landscape, the NPS would continue to 

purchase conservation easements on 

priority properties based upon a new 

land protection plan. The NPS would 

exchange NPS-owned farms to private 

farm owners for additional protection 

on other properties within the Reserve. 

Historic buildings would be 

rehabilitated to the Secretary of the 

Interior’s Standards. The county would 

be encouraged to develop a zoning 

overlay for the Reserve to aid in land 

use control. In addition, a minor 

boundary adjustment would be 

recommended. To orient and inform 

visitors about the Reserve, three gateway 

kiosks would be developed along State 

Route 20 and a visitor center/contact 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 170 / Friday, September 2, 2005 / Notices 52445 

station would be operated within an 

historic building in Coupeville or 

within the historic district (three 

development concept plans for three 

sites are included). As documented in 

the Draft EIS this alternative is deemed 

to be ‘‘environmentally preferred’’. 

Alternative C changes the 

management structure of the Reserve 

from a Trust Board of volunteers to a 

paid Commission structure. Many 

actions are similar to Alternative B but 

with some distinctions. Approximately 

five acres of NPS-owned land at Farm II 

would be retained for administrative 

and maintenance use before exchanging 

the remaining farmland to a private farm 

owner for additional protection on other 

properties within the Reserve. One of 

the three gateways would be in a 

historic building in the north of the 

Reserve. The Reserve would partner for 

a visitor contact facility at a proposed 

marine science center. 

Public Review and Comment: The 

Draft GMP/EIS has now been released 

for public review, and a limited number 

of printed copies are available upon 

request (see below). In addition, the 

document may be reviewed at the 

public library in Coupeville. Also a 

Draft General Management Plan 

Alternatives Newsletter is being issued 

concurrently. Written comments may be 

submitted using several methods. 

Responses are encouraged online using 

the electronic comment form accessed at 

the NPS Planning, Environment and 

Public Comment System (http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/ebla). A postagepaid comment response form is 

included in the Alternatives Newsletter 

(additional pages may be attached to 

this form as necessary). Written 

comments may be directly mailed to: 

Rob Harbour, Reserve Manager, Ebey’s 

Landing National Historical Reserve, 

P.O. Box 774, 162 Cemetery Road, 

Coupeville, WA 98239. In addition, oral 

comments may be offered at one of 

several public workshops to be 

conducted in fall, 2005. Confirmed 

details on dates, locations and times for 

these workshops will be announced in 

local newspapers, in the Alternatives 

Newsletter, via the park’s website, or 

may be obtained by telephone at (360) 

678–6084. 

All written comments must be 

postmarked or transmitted not later than 

60 days after the EPA’s notice of filing 

is published in the Federal Register 

(immediately upon confirmation of this 

date it will be announced on the park’s 

website). All comments will become 

part of the public record. If individuals 

submitting comments request that their 

name or address be withheld from 

public disclosure, the request will be 

honored to the extent allowable by law. 

Such requests must be stated 

prominently in the beginning of 

comments. There also may be 

circumstances in which the NPS will 

withhold from the record a respondent’s 

identity, as allowable by law. As always: 

The NPS will make available to public 

inspection all submissions from 

organizations or businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses; and 

anonymous comments may not be 

considered. 

Decision: Following the opportunity 

to review the Draft EIS/GMP, all public 

and agency comments received will be 

carefully considered in preparing the 

final document. The Final EIS is 

anticipated to be completed during the 

Fall/Winter 2006 and its availability 

will be similarly announced in the 

Federal Register and via local and 

regional press media. As a delegated 

EIS, the official responsible for the final 

decision is the Regional Director, Pacific 

West Region; subsequently the approved 

plan would be implemented by the 

Trust Board, Ebey’s Landing National 

Historical Reserve, in conjunction with 

the Reserve Manager. 

Dated: May 26, 2005. 

Jonathan B. Jarvis, 

Regional Director, Pacific West Region. 

[FR Doc. 05–17483 Filed 9–1–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–6W–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Announcement of the National Park 

Subsistence Resource Commission 

(SRC) meetings for Cape Krusenstern 

National Monument and Kobuk Valley 

National Park 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

SUMMARY: The National Park Service 

(NPS) announces the SRC meeting 

schedule for the following NPS areas 

within the Alaska Region: Cape 

Krusenstern National Monument, and 

Kobuk Valley National Park and Denali 

National Park. The purpose of each 

meeting is to develop and continue 

work on subsistence hunting program 

recommendations and other related 

subsistence management issues. Each 

meeting is open to the public and will 

have time allocated for public 

testimony. The public is welcomed to 

present written or oral comments to the 

SRC. 

The NPS SRC program is authorized 

under Title VIII, Section 808, of the 

Alaska National Interest Lands 

Conservation Act, Public Law 96–487, 

to operate in accordance with the 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act. Draft meeting minutes 

will be available for public inspection 

approximately six weeks after each 

meeting: Superintendent Western Arctic 

National Parklands, P.O. Box 1029, 

Kotzebue, AK 99752. 

DATES: The meeting times and locations 

are: 

1. Cape Krusenstern National 

Monument SRC, Tuesday, October 4, 

2005, Wednesday, October 5, 2005, and 

Thursday, October 6, 2005, from 9 a.m. 

to approximately 5 p.m. at the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service Office in Kotzebue, 

Alaska. 

2. Kobuk Valley National Park SRC, 

Tuesday, October 4, 2005, Wednesday, 

October 5, 2005, and Thursday, October 

6, 2005, from 9 a.m. to approximately 5 

p.m. at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service Office in Kotzebue, Alaska. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken 

Adkisson, Subsistence Program 

Manager, Western Arctic National 

Parklands at (907) 443-6104 or Willie 

Goodwin, Subsistence Manager at (907) 

442–3890. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SRC 

meeting locations and dates may need to 

be changed based on weather or local 

circumstances. Notice of each meeting 

will be published in local newspapers 

and announced on local radio stations 

prior to the meeting dates. The agendas 

for each meeting include the following: 

1. Call to order (SRC Chair) 

2. SRC Roll Call and Confirmation of 

Quorum 

3. SRC Chair and Superintendent’s 

Welcome and Introductions 

4. Review and Approve Agenda 

5. Review and adopt minutes from 

last meeting 

6. Status of SRC Membership—

Election of Chair and Vice Chair 

7. Commission Member Reports 

8. Superintendent and NPS Staff 

Reports 

9. Federal Subsistence Board Update 

10. New Business 

11. Agency and Public Comments 

12. SRC Work Session. Prepare 

correspondence and hunting program 

recommendations 

13. Set time and place of next SRC 

meeting 

14. Adjournment 

Judith Gottlieb, 

Acting Regional Director, Alaska Region. 

[FR Doc. 05–17484 Filed 9–1–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–HN–P