Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 84 / Friday, April 30, 2004 / Notices 23813

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR restore the natural fire regime by 15 years. This alternative would reduce treating between 1,817 and 9,194 acres fuels on an average of 1,285 acres per per year (31,503 to 160,894 acres total). year in the wildland/urban interface The diameter limit for thinning of live over five years (6,425 acres total) and Final Environmental Impact Statement trees has been reduced from 31.5″; (in restore the natural fire regime to Fire Management Plan; Yosemite the draft EIS) to 20″ in the final EIS, between 2,520 and 12,872 acres per National Park; Madera, Mariposa and based on public responses received year, for a total of between 31,503 and Tuolumne Counties, CA; Notice of during the comment period. The area 160,894 acres over the next 10–15 years. Availbility within which mechanical thinning Prescribed burning would be increased SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) would occur to reduce the threat of dramatically over present levels and of the National Environmental Policy wildland fire and to restore more lightning fires would be managed where Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91–190, as natural forest conditions was clarified in practicable. Smoke emissions would be amended), and the Council on the final EIS to exclude Wilderness and the greatest among the four alternatives. 1 Environmental Quality Regulations (40 to be limited to a ⁄4 mile wide zone Work under this alternative would CFR part 1500–1508), the National Park around six wildland urban interface apply aggressive fuel reduction Service, Department of the Interior, has communities. This alternative would treatments to wildland/urban interface prepared a Final Environmental Impact require more time to accomplish areas and accomplish park restoration Statement identifying and evaluating wildland/urban interface protection and goals in the least amount of time four alternatives for a Fire Management ecosystem restoration than under compared to the other alternatives. Plan for Yosemite National Park. Alternative B, Aggressive Action Median and maximum fire return Alternative, but less than under interval departure analyses were used to Potential impacts, and appropriate Alternative A, No Action, and C, Passive determine locations and set annual mitigations, are assessed for each Action Alternative. It would accomplish goals (range of acres) for treatments, alternative. When approved, the plan the work with a combination of NPS using the various restoration, will guide all future fire management and other agency fire crews, the park maintenance, and fuel reduction actions in Yosemite National Park. The forestry crew, and contract labor. As strategies. Yosemite Fire Management Plan and documented in the final EIS, this was Under Alternative C, the Passive Final Environmental Impact Statement also deemed to be the ‘‘Environmentally Action Alternative, efforts would be (YFMP/FEIS) documents the analyses of Preferred’’ Alternative. taken to decrease fuels in wildland/ three action alternatives, and a ‘‘no Alternatives: Under the ‘‘no action’’ urban interface areas within a period of action’’ alternative. alternative (Alternative A), the existing 10 years, and accomplish ecosystem An updated fire management program direction and level of accomplishment restoration goals in 25 years. Alternative is needed to meet public safety, natural in Yosemite’s fire management program C would reduce fuels in wildland/urban and cultural resource management, and would continue. This alternative would interface areas by an average of 766 wildland/urban interface protection use the strategies of the existing Fire acres per year (6,425 acres total over 10 objectives, in Yosemite National Park Management Plan, written in 1990. years), and the fire regime would be and the El Portal Administrative Site. These strategies include prescribed fire, restored in areas having missed three or The action alternatives vary in their management of natural ignitions more fire return intervals by treating schedule for completing ecosystem (wildland fire used for resource between 1,260 and 6,436 acres per year restoration and wildland/urban benefits), fire suppression, and hand (31,503 to 160,894 acres over 25 years). interface community protection work, cutting followed by pile burning and Prescribed burning would be increased and in their mix of treatments available prescribed fire. This program does not over what the current program for completing work. The ‘‘no action’’ place emphasis on wildland/urban accomplished but not as much as under alternative describes the existing fire interface communities. The Fire Alternative B and D. Fuel reduction management program, which has been Management Units for this alternative work under this alternative would apply locally effective but unable to restore are the same as the ‘‘zones’’ used in the less aggressive treatments to wildland/ large areas of the park and 1990 plan: Zone I—Prescribed Natural urban interface areas. Under this administrative site to natural conditions Fire Zone; Zone II—Conditional Fire alternative, it would take more time or to keep more areas from progressing Zone; and Zone III—Suppression Zone. than under Alternative B and the to the point of needing restoration. As Under this program the park has proposed action, but less than would be a result, incidence of catastrophic fire averaged 1,472 acres of prescribed needed under Alternative A to has increased in recent decades. burning and 2,567 acres of managed accomplish the park’s minimum goals. Proposed Fire Management Plan: wildland fire each year. This does not By the time all areas were treated, Under Alternative D, the Multiple approach the annual target of 16,000 however, many areas would have Action Alternative, aggressive treatment acres that would need to burn annually missed more fire return intervals; thus, strategies would be used in and near to simulate natural conditions. While the risk of stand replacement fire would wildland/urban interface communities over the last decade the park has remain high in some areas for a longer (homes, businesses, and administrative reduced hazardous fuel levels near period. The basis for the difference in buildings) if needed, while achieving developed areas, the goal of providing annual accomplishment, when ecosystem restoration goals in other an open defensible forest in and around comparing alternatives, is the time areas by using prescribed fire and every community may not ever be met frame proposed for reaching the wildland fire. The Multiple Action at the current rate of work, using the restoration targets and the type of Alternative would decrease fuels in current techniques. treatments allowed. Because of this time wildland/urban interface areas over a Under Alternative B, aggressive efforts frame, the number of acres to be treated period of 6–8 years and restore fire to would be taken to reduce fuels in and each year under Alternative C would be park ecosystems in 15–20 years; and near developed areas (wildland/urban the least among the action alternatives. would reduce fuels an average of 1,095 interface communities) within a period Planning Background: Early acres per year in the wildland/urban of five years and accomplish fire-related preliminary scoping for the YFMP/FEIS interface (6,425 acres total) and would ecosystem restoration goals within 10– was initiated in April 1999. A Notice of

VerDate jul<14>2003 16:50 Apr 29, 2004 Jkt 203001 PO 00000 Frm 00093 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\30APN1.SGM 30APN1 23814 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 84 / Friday, April 30, 2004 / Notices

Intent was published in the Federal is the Regional Director, Pacific West GMP for NHS. The public Register on March 20, 2001; public Region; a Record of Decision may be will be invited to express concerns scoping comments were accepted until approved by the Regional Director not about the management of the site early April 30, 2001. One planning meeting sooner than 30 days after EPA’s in the process through public meetings was held in Yosemite Valley. During publication of the notice of filing of the and other media; and will have an this scoping period, the NPS held Final FMP/EIS in the Federal Register. opportunity to review and comment on discussions and briefings with: Local Notice of the final decision will be also the draft GMP/EIS. Following public communities; local residents and home posted in the Federal Register. review processes outlined under NEPA, owners associations (Forest, Wawona, Following approval of the Fire the final plan will become official, Yosemite West, and El Portal); local, Management Plan, the official authorizing implementation of the regional and state fire organizations; air responsible for implementation will be preferred alternative. The target date for quality regulators; other agency the Superintendent, Yosemite National the Record of Decision is June 2006. representatives; park staff, elected Park. Dated: March 22, 2004. officials; public service organizations; Dated: March 26, 2004. Gay Vietzke, and other interested members of the Jonathan B. Jarvis, Superintendent, Sagamore Hill National public. The major issues raised during Regional Director, Pacific West Region. this period are summarized in Chapter Historic Site. [FR Doc. 04–9797 Filed 4–29–04; 8:45 am] 1, Purpose of and Need for the Action. [FR Doc. 04–9796 Filed 4–29–04; 8:45 am] The distribution of draft EIS and BILLING CODE 4312–FY–P BILLING CODE 4310–09–M YFMP began during May, 2002. A notice of availability of the draft document was DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR published in the Federal Register on DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR June 18, 2002; it was available for public National Park Service National Park Service review and comment through August 27, 2002. In order to facilitate public Environmental Impact Statement; Selma to Montgomery National Historic review and understanding of the Notice of Availability Trail Advisory Council; Notice of proposed plan, public open houses were AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. Meeting held during July, 2002 in Oakhurst, ACTION: Mariposa, Sonora, and Mammoth Lakes, Notice of intent to prepare a General Management Plan and Notice is hereby given in accordance and on three occasions (in June, July with the Federal Advisory Committee and August) in Yosemite Valley. The Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/ EIS). Act, Pub. L. 92–463, that a meeting of NPS received approximately 143 written the Selma to Montgomery National responses. All of these comments were SUMMARY: In accordance with the Historic Trail Advisory Council will be duly considered in preparing the YFMP/ National Environmental Policy Act of held Wednesday, June 9, 2004, at 9 a.m. FEIS. All comments obtained are 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(c)), the National until 3:30 p.m., at White Hall Town Hall preserved in the administrative record. Park Service (NPS) is preparing a in White Hall, Alabama. The main issues and concerns General Management Plan and The Selma to Montgomery National expressed by the respondents included: Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/ the thinning of trees up to 31.5″ in Historic Trail Advisory Council was EIS) for the Sagamore Hill National established pursuant to Pub. L. 100–192, diameter should not occur; mechanical Historic Site (NHS), located in the town thinning of trees to reduce wildland fire establishing the Selma to Montgomery of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New National Historic Trail. This Council hazard and to restore more natural stand York. The park is composed of lands densities should only occur near was established to advise the National purchased by in Park Service on such issues as wildland urban interface communities; Oyster Bay, in 1880. no roads be constructed to remove preservation of trail routes and features, Theodore Roosevelt lived in the 28- public use, standards for posting and mechanically thinned trees; that room Queen Anne style home and mechanical removal of trees should not maintaining trail markers, and maintained a working farm on the administrative matters. occur in Wilderness; and that the park property from 1885 to his death in should not try to recreate forest stand . Throughout Theodore The matters to be discussed include: compositions or densities to match a Roosevelt’s Presidency from 1902 to (A) Review of last meeting Minutes; (B) specific point in the past. 1908, Sagamore Hill served as the review of Subcommittees structure; (C) ADDRESSES: Copies of the YFMP/FEIS Summer White House. Prepared by update of 40th Anniversary Planning. may be obtained from the planners in the NPS Northeast Region, The meeting will be open to the Superintendent, Yosemite National with assistance from advisors and public. However, facilities and space for Park, P.O. Box 577, Yosemite, CA consultants, the GMP/EIS will propose accommodating members of the public 95389, Attn: Fire Management Plan, or a long-term approach to managing are limited and persons will be by email request to: Sagamore Hill NHS. Consistent with the accommodated on first come, first serve [email protected] (in the subject site’s mission, NPS policy, and other basis. Anyone may file a written line, type: Fire Management Plan). The laws and regulations, alternatives will statement with Catherine F. Light, Trail YFMP/FEIS will be sent directly to be developed to guide the management Superintendent, concerning the matters those who have requested it. In of the site over the next 15 to 20 years. to be discussed. Persons wishing further addition, the document is to be posted A range of alternatives will be information concerning this meeting on the Internet at the park’s Web page formulated for natural and cultural may contact Catherine F. Light, Trail (http://www.nps.gov/yose/planning), resource protection, visitor use and Superintendent, Selma to Montgomery and it will also be available at local and interpretation, facilities development, National Historic Trail, at 334.727.6390 regional libraries. and operations. The EIS will assess the (phone), 334.727.4597 (fax) or mail 1212 Decision: As a delegated EIS, the impacts of alternative management Old Montgomery Road, Tuskegee official responsible for the final decision strategies that will be described in the Institute, Alabama 36088.

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