Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 174 / Friday, September 9, 2005 / Notices 53685 

National Park Service announces the 

availability of the Record of Decision for 

the Fire Management Plan, Chiricahua 

National Monument, Arizona. On 

August 2, 2005 the Director, 

Intermountain Region approved the 

Record of Decision for the project. As 

soon as practicable, the National Park 

Service will begin to implement the 

Preferred Alternative contained in the 

FEIS issued on July 1, 2005. The 

following course of action will occur 

under the preferred alternative, the 

Watershed Alternative. This course of 

action and 2 alternatives were analyzed 

in the Draft and Final Environmental 

Impact Statements. The full range of 

foreseeable environmental 

consequences was assessed, and 

appropriate mitigating measures were 

identified. 

The Record of Decision includes a 

statement of the decision made, 

synopses of other alternatives 

considered, the basis for the decision, a 

description of the environmentally 

preferable alternative, a finding on 

impairment of park resources and 

values, a listing of measures to 

minimize environmental harm, and an 

overview of public involvement in the 

decision-making process. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Carrie Dennett, 13063 E. Bonita Canyon 

Road, Willcox, AZ 85643, (520) 824–

3560 Carrie_Dennett@nps.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of 

the Record of Decision may be obtained 

from the contact listed above or online 

at http://www.nps.gov/CHIR. 

Dated: August 2, 2005. 

Kate Cannon, 

Acting Deputy, Intermountain Region, 

National Park Service. 

[FR Doc. 05–17852 Filed 9–8–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Environmental Impact Statement; 

Notice of Availability 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of the 

Stream Management Plan, draft 

environmental impact statement, 

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, 

Iowa. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969, the National Park Service 

(NPS) announces the availability of the 

stream management plan draft 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

for Herbert Hoover National Historic 

Site, Iowa. 

DATES: There will be a 60-day public 

review period for comments on this 

document. Comments on the EIS must 

be received no later than 60 days after 

the Environmental Protection Agency 

publishes its notice of availability in the 

Federal Register. A public open house 

for information about, or to make 

comment on, the draft EIS will be 

announced in the local media and the 

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site’s 

(Park) Web site when it is scheduled. 

Information about meeting time and 

place will be available by contacting the 

Park at 319–643–2541, visiting the 

Park’s Web site at: http://www.nps.gov/ 

heho/creek.htm, and at the NPS 

Planning, Environment, and Public 

Comment (PEPC) Web site http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/. The document 

will also be available for review at each 

of these Web sites; the latter Web site 

allows the public to review and 

comment directly on this document. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft EIS are 

available by request by writing to the 

Superintendent, Stream Management 

Plan Draft EIS, Herbert Hoover National 

Historic Site, P.O. Box 607, West 

Branch, Iowa 52358, by phone 319–643–

2541, at the Web site addresses 

mentioned above, and by e-mail 

message at 

HEHO_Resource_Management@nps.gov. 

The document can be picked-up in 

person at park headquarters at 110 

Parkside Drive, West Branch, Iowa. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Superintendent, Stream Management 

Plan Draft EIS, Herbert Hoover National 

Historic Site, P.O. Box 607, West 

Branch, Iowa 52358, or by calling 319–

643–2541. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: During 

Herbert Hoover’s early childhood, a 

small meandering stream ran near his 

birthplace cottage. This tributary of the 

west branch of the Wapsinonoc River 

has no official name and for ease of 

reference, it will be called Hoover Creek 

throughout the plan. Hoover Creek runs 

through the center of the historic site 

and has overflowed its banks and 

flooded park facilities 18 times in 11 

years. These facilities include all of the 

prime historic structures associated 

with President Hoover as well as the 

visitor center and maintenance facility. 

Hoover Creek bank erosion and stream 

migration threaten to destabilize historic 

structures identified in the enabling 

legislation and the foundation of the 

Hoover Presidential Library and 

Museum. Slippery mud banks rise 

vertically 8 to 10 feet above the water 

level and present a safety hazard to 

visitors and employees. The Cultural 

Landscape Report (1995) states: ‘‘* * * 

the stream is a degraded, yet character 

defining feature of the site * * *’’ and 

recommends the restoration of the 

natural characteristics of the stream. 

Stream rehabilitation would restore 

stream and riparian function and protect 

critical resources. 

Therefore, the Park is proposing to 

restore the riparian area and proper 

functioning condition of the stream to 

allow for reduction of the power of the 

stream and create greater holding 

capacity with a meandering stream and 

floodplain. The draft EIS describes and 

analyzes the environmental impacts of 

alternatives and their associated 

impacts. In the Park’s Preferred 

Alternative (Alternative 5—Provide 50- 

year protection), this alternative would 

include changes to the stream channel 

dimensions, re-meandering and channel 

relocation, and installation of a grade 

control structure to control down 

cutting. This alternative would also 

include construction of a detention 

basin in the upstream reaches of Hoover 

Creek. Three additional action 

alternatives and a no action alternative 

are evaluated in this EIS. 

Persons wishing to comment may do 

so by any one of several methods. They 

may attend the public hearing or open 

house noted above. They may mail 

comments to the Superintendent, 

Stream Management Plan Draft EIS, 

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, 

P.O. Box 607, West Branch, Iowa 52358. 

They also may comment via e-mail to 

HEHO_Resource_Management@nps.gov 

(please include name and return address 

in the e-mail message). They may 

review and comment on the document 

directly at the PEPC Web site http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/. Finally, they 

may hand-deliver comments to the 

Superintendent, Stream Management 

Plan Draft EIS, Herbert Hoover National 

Historic Site, 110 Parkside Drive, West 

Branch, Iowa. 

It is the practice of the NPS to make 

comments, including names and home 

addresses of respondents, available for 

public review during regular business 

hours. Individual respondents may 

request that we withhold their home 

address from the record, which we will 

honor to the extent allowable by law. 

There also may be circumstances in 

which we would withhold from the 

record a respondent’s identity, as 

allowable by law. If you wish 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 

53686 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 174 / Friday, September 9, 2005 / Notices 

businesses, and from individuals 

identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses available for 

public inspection in their entirety. 

The responsible official is Ernest 

Quintana, Regional Director, Midwest 

Region, National Park Service. 

Dated: July 28, 2005. 

Ernest Quintana, 

Regional Director, Midwest Region. 

[FR Doc. 05–17854 Filed 9–8–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–94–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Fire Management Plan, Final 

Environmental Impact Statement, 

Saguaro National Park, AZ 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of the 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

for the Fire Management Plan, Saguaro 

National Park. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 

U.S.C. 4332(C), the National Park 

Service announces the availability of a 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

for the Fire Management Plan, Saguaro 

National Park, Arizona. 

DATES: The National Park Service will 

execute a Record of Decision (ROD) no 

sooner than 30 days following 

publication by the Environmental 

Protection Agency of the Notice of 

Availability of the Final Environmental 

Impact Statement. 

ADDRESSES: Information will be 

available for public inspection in the 

office of the Superintendent, Sarah 

Craighead, Saguaro National Park, 

Headquarters and Rincon Mountain 

District, 3693 South Old Spanish Trail, 

Tucson, AZ 85730–5601, phone 520–

733–5101; and at the following 

locations: 

Internet: http://www.nps.gov/sagu/ 

pphtml/documents.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kevin Parrish, Fuels Management 

Specialist, Saguaro National Park, 

Headquarters and Rincon Mountain 

District, 3693 South Old Spanish Trail, 

Tucson, AZ 85730–5601, phone 520–

733–5132, or Kevin_Parrish@nps.gov. 

Dated: August 3, 2005. 

Roger Maxwell, 

Acting Director, Intermountain Region, 

National Park Service. 

[FR Doc. 05–17851 Filed 9–8–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–52–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Utah Museum of Natural History, 

Environmental Impact Statement, 

University of Utah and National Park 

Service and as Joint Lead Agencies, 

Salt Lake County, UT 

AGENCY: The University of Utah and 

National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for the construction and operation of a 

proposed new Utah Museum of Natural 

History at the University of Utah. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 

U.S.C. 4332 (C) and (D) (NEPA), the 

University of Utah and the National 

Park Service as Joint Lead Agencies, are 

preparing an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) on the construction and 

operation of a proposed new Utah 

Museum of Natural History museum 

facility at the University of Utah, Salt 

Lake County, Utah. 

The NEPA process is being followed 

because federal funds, as grants through 

the National Park Service, are 

contributing to the design and 

construction costs of the new museum 

facility. The EIS will identify potential 

environmental effects of construction 

and operation of the proposed 169,000 

square foot museum building, parking, 

and related appurtenances and 

mitigation measures to minimize 

adverse environmental impacts on the 

17-acre site provided to the Museum by 

the University of Utah. This site is near 

the University of Utah’s Research Park, 

south of Red Butte Gardens and 

Arboretum in Salt Lake County, Utah. 

The Utah Public Lands Artifact 

Preservation Act, Pub. L. 107–329, 

enacted in 2002, authorizes the 

Secretary of the Interior to make a grant 

to the University of Utah to pay the 

Federal share of the costs of 

construction of a new facility including 

design, planning, furnishing, and 

equipping of the Museum. Seventy-five 

percent of the Museum’s collection is 

material recovered from federally 

managed public lands including lands 

administered by the National Park 

Service. In January 2005, the Museum 

initiated an Environmental Assessment 

on the proposed project. After 

completion of public scoping and the 

identification of issues, the agencies 

decided to prepare an EIS. 

The EIS will analyze the proposed 

action, a no action alternative, 

alternative approaches to site and 

facilities design and placement, and 

other reasonable alternatives, if any, 

identified during the NEPA process. The 

EIS will also consider mitigation 

measures to minimize potential adverse 

environmental effects. Based on current 

information it is not expected that the 

EIS alternatives will include alternative 

sites for the museum facility, for several 

reasons. (1) The University of Utah and 

the Museum concluded a site selection 

process in 1995, and in 1997 the 

University of Utah Board of Trustees 

reserved the Research Park site for use 

by the Museum. Since that time 

considerable resources have been 

devoted to site planning, and substantial 

private, state and federal financial 

commitments have been received for 

design, construction and operation of a 

museum on the designated site. It would 

not be practical or economically feasible 

for the Museum to abandon this site for 

an alternative location. (2) Congress, in 

enacting the 2002 Utah Public Lands 

Artifact Preservation Act and in making 

subsequent appropriations, 

contemplated that the new museum 

would be located at the 17-acre 

Research Park site and it authorized and 

has since appropriated funding for a 

facility at that site. (3) If the new 

museum were built at an alternative 

location, the Research Park site would 

nonetheless still be developed, meaning 

that there would not likely be a decrease 

in overall impacts. 

Issues that were identified by the 

public during scoping for the EA and 

that will be addressed in the EIS 

include: vegetation and wildlife; 

recreation and trail use; open space, 

visual quality and aesthetics; traffic, 

transportation and parking; 

socioeconomics/cultural; air quality; 

soils, geological and seismic concerns; 

surface and groundwater quality and 

management; consideration of 

alternative sites; hazardous materials; 

and archaeological, cultural, historic 

and paleontological resources. Scoping 

for the EA was conducted February 15 

through March 16, 2005 with a scoping 

meeting on March 8. The meeting was 

widely publicized and was attended by 

over 90 members of the public. 

Approximately 350 comments were 

received by letter or email. A scoping 

brochure has been prepared that details 

the issues identified to date. Copies of 

the brochure may be obtained from the 

project’s NEPA contractor, Bear West, 

145 South 400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 

84111, phone (801) 355–8816. The 

scoping brochure along with a request 

for any additional scoping comments is 

being mailed to the project mailing list 

including those who attended the initial 

scoping meeting or submitted written