Federal Register: December 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 248)
DOCID: FR Doc 04-28287
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
NOTICE: NOTICES
ACTION: Environmental statements; availability, etc.:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft wilderness and backcountry management plan/draft environmental impact statement, Isle Royale National Park, Michigan.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
National Park Service
DATES: There will be a 60-day public review period for comments on this document. Comments on the draft WBMP EIS must be received no later than 60 days after the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability in the Federal Register.
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of a draft wilderness and backcountry management plan/ environmental impact statement (WBMP EIS) for Isle Royale National Park (ISRO), Michigan.
SUMMARY:
Isle Royale National Park, MI; wilderness and backcountry management plan,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
The NPS management policies require the
superintendent of each park containing wilderness resources will
develop and maintain a wilderness management plan to guide the
preservation, management, and use of these resources. The IRSO's [[Page 77773]]
wilderness was designated in 1976, and the park does not have an
approved wilderness management plan. The purpose of this draft WBMP EIS
is to satisfy that requirement and bring ISRO into compliance with NPS
policies. This draft WBMP EIS does not propose any changes in
wilderness boundaries within ISRO, but it does propose formalizing and
implementing some changes in how that wilderness is managed. The draft
plan proposes several alternatives for management actions that would
achieve the goals of wilderness management in the park consistent with
The Wilderness Act and NPS policies. The primary issues being addressed
in the plan that may result in management changes include: managing
permitting for overnight camping and boating in the park, managing
organized day tours in the park, managing campfires, the maintenance or
removal of fire towers, the maintenance or removal of picnic tables in
wilderness campgrounds, the use of treated lumber for trail
maintenance, and the application of the minimum tool decision tree to
determining the appropriate tools for maintenance, research, and other management practices within the park's wilderness.
Persons wishing to comment may do so by any one of several methods. They may mail comments to the Superintendent, Attn: WBMP, Isle Royale National Park, 800 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton, Michigan 49931, or call the Chief of Resource Management at 9064879080 extension 34. They may comment via email to isro_wbmp@nps.gov (include name and return address in the email message). Finally, they may handdeliver comments to park headquarters at 800 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton, Michigan.
The NPS practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents may request 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 businesses, and
from individuals identify themselves as representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.
Dated: November 5, 2004.
Ernest Quintana,
Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 0428287 Filed 122704; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 431292P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Jean Battle, Chief of Resource
Management, Isle Royale National Park, 800 East Lakeshore Drive,
Houghton, Michigan 49931, 9064879080 extension 34 or
jean_battle@nps.gov.