[Federal Register: January 18, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 11)]
[Notices]
[Page 2956-2957]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18ja06-72]
[[Page 2956]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
National Park Service
[NM-930-1610-DP-NSHT]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Comprehensive Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement for the Old Spanish National Historic
Trail; New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare a Comprehensive Management Plan and
Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Trails System Act of 1968 (Pub. L.
90-543), as amended, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969,
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Park Service (NPS)
are initiating preparation of a Comprehensive Management Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement (CMP/EIS) for the Old Spanish National
Historic Trail in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and
California.
DATES: A public scoping period will commence on the date this Notice is
published in the Federal Register and will end 120 days from the
publication of this Notice. During the scoping period, the BLM and NPS
will solicit public comment on issues, concerns, and opportunities that
should be considered during the development and analysis of the CMP. To
ensure full local community participation, public meetings will be held
during the scoping period in New Mexico, in Santa Fe, Taos, Abiquiu,
and Aztec; in Colorado, in Durango, Grand Junction, and Gunnison; in
Arizona, in Kayenta and Page; in Utah, in Moab, Green River, and Cedar
City; in Nevada, in Mesquite, Las Vegas, and Pahrump; and in
California, in Barstow, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles. Dates and
locations for public meetings will be announced through local news
media, newsletters, and the Old Spanish Trail Web site hosted by the
NPS, http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nps.gov/olsp. Written comments will be accepted during
the development of the plan at the addresses below.
ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, request additional information, or
request to be put on the mailing list for this planning effort, you may
mail, hand deliver, or call your comments or requests to: Sarah
Schlanger, Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Office, P.O. Box
27115, 1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505, telephone (505)
438-7454, fax (505) 438-7426, e-mail Sarah_Schlanger@blm.gov; or Aaron
Mahr, National Park Service, P.O. Box 728, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-
parkplanning.nps.gov. Comments, including names and street addresses of
respondents, will be available for public review at the National Park
Service, 1100 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, during regular
business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
holidays, and will be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA). They also may be published as part of the EIS.
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to
withhold your name or street address from public review or from
disclosure under FOIA, you must state this prominently at the beginning
of your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent
allowed by law. We will not consider anonymous comments. All
submissions from organizations, businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their
entirety. All documents relevant to the plan development are available
for review at the NPS address listed above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Schlanger, Bureau of Land
Management, P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502-0115, telephone
(505) 438-7454, fax (505) 438-7426, e-mail Sarah_Schlanger@blm.gov; or
Aaron Mahr, National Park Service, P.O. Box 728, Santa Fe, New Mexico
87504-0728, telephone (505) 988-6736, fax (505) 986-5214, e-mail
aaron_mahr@nps.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The trail passes through federally-managed
lands under the administration of the BLM, NPS, U.S. Forest Service,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Army Corps of
Engineers, and the Department of Defense, as well as through tribal
lands, lands held in private hands, and lands under the administration
of State and municipal agencies.
The Old Spanish Trail was added to the National Trails System in
2002 in keeping with the National Trails System Act, to ``promote the
preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and
appreciation of the open air, outdoor areas and historic resources of
the Nation.'' The trail runs from Abiquiu and Santa Fe (northern New
Mexico) through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, to reach its
terminus in Los Angeles, California, and includes some 2,700 miles
along several historic routes. In its period of greatest use, from 1829
through 1848, the trail was traversed by mule pack-trains and horse-
mounted traders bringing woolen goods west and herds of stock,
primarily mules and horses, east to the burgeoning markets of the
eastern United States and Mexico. Today, the trail crosses through or
near public lands under the administration of six BLM States; two NPS
regions, including 11 park units; 15 National Forests; and one National
Wildlife Refuge. Over one-half the length of the trail route is in
tribal, State, municipal, or private ownership and management.
The CMP/EIS for the national historic trail will identify the
administrative policies, objectives, processes, and management actions
needed to protect trail resources and, where possible and appropriate,
make these resources accessible to the public and available to serve
the public's needs for recreation, education, and heritage
preservation. The CMP will describe the current condition of the trail
route and trail resources; develop a vision and set goals for future
preservation and development through consultation with the public,
Native American communities, and traditional communities with interests
in the history of the trail and the trail route, and trail resource
owners and managers; and provide guidance for the preservation and
development of these resources for the public benefit. Effective
administration of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail will rely on
the cooperative management efforts and support of Federal, tribal,
State, local, and private interests, including landowners. The BLM and
NPS will assume joint administration of the trail and will work
together with the public to develop the CMP. Issue-driven planning
themes identified to date include:
Defining a trail corridor that incorporates trail resource
protection and desired visitor experiences;
Providing for education, interpretation, and recreation;
Incorporating multiple voices into trail interpretation;
Reconciling existing uses within the trail corridor with
desired trail conditions;
Identifying economic opportunities related to the
recreation use of the trail; and
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Coordinating trail management among Federal, tribal,
State, and local governmental agencies.
More specifically, issues related to the themes identified above
include possible conflicts between off-highway vehicle use, energy
development, and trail site and segment preservation, protection, and
appropriate use, and conflicts between existing uses, future uses, and
the preservation of trail viewsheds through visual resource management.
Any additional issues to be resolved through the plan will be
identified during the public scoping period.
An initial list of affected jurisdictions, interest groups,
business, and landowners has been developed. A large mailing list has
been generated by BLM and NPS that will be updated as the process
continues. The mailing list will include all interested individuals,
groups, and agencies that have participated in the process. Those who
have participated in meetings or made written comments through the mail
or the internet will be tracked throughout the process. Public
participation elements will include, but not be limited to, public
notices and press releases; newsletters and a project web page; public
meetings (scoping, alternative development, and review of draft EIS);
and depositories for public document review.
Nearly 50 sovereign Indian Nations have expressed an affiliation
with or an interest in the Old Spanish Trail. The trail planning effort
will include full tribal participation and consultation throughout the
process; a point of contact for tribal consultation will be designated
to coordinate with American Indian constituencies during development of
the CMP.
The BLM and the NPS are committed to a collaborative planning
approach in the development of the CMP. The plan development will
involve other Federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Army
Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Defense; American Indian
Tribes and pueblos; State agencies in California, Arizona, Nevada,
Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, including Departments of Natural
Resources, Transportation, Historic Preservation, and Parks; and county
and municipal governmental agencies. Stakeholders and special interest
groups, including private landowners, lessees, and permit holders,
recreation groups, trail alliances and associations, museums and
interpretive facilities, visitor services groups, historical societies,
and scenic and back country byway organizations will be invited to
participate in the development of the CMP. The BLM and NPS will work
collaboratively with interested parties to identify alternatives that
are best suited to local, regional, and national interests.
Dated: November 22, 2005.
Michael D. Snyder,
Acting Director, Intermountain Region National Park Service.
Dated: October 2, 2005.
Linda S.C. Rundell,
BLM State Director, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas.
Dated: October 28, 2005.
Ron Wenker,
BLM State Director, Nevada.
Dated: October 31, 2005.
Sally Wisely,
BLM State Director, Colorado.
Dated: November 2, 2005.
Gene Terland,
BLM State Director, Utah.
Dated: October 31, 2005.
Mike Pool,
BLM State Director, California.
Dated: November 2, 2005.
Elaine Y. Zielinski,
BLM State Director, Arizona.
[FR Doc. 06-399 Filed 1-17-06; 8:45 am]
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