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Notice of Availability of a Final General Management Plan Amendment/Environmental Impact Statement for Dry Tortugas National Park, Monroe County, FL

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: January 22, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 14)]
[Notices]
[Page 6664-6665]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22ja01-172]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR


Notice of Availability of a Final General Management Plan
Amendment/Environmental Impact Statement for Dry Tortugas National
Park, Monroe County, FL

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Final General Management Plan
Amendment/Environmental Impact Statement for Dry Tortugas National
Park, Monroe County, Florida.

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[[Page 6665]]

SUMMARY: The National Park Service has prepared a Final General
Management Plan Amendment/Environmental Impact Statement (GMPA/EIS)
that evaluates long-term management alternatives for Dry Tortugas
National Park. Consistent with the park's purpose, significance, and
mission goals, five alternatives were evaluated for guiding the
management of the park over the next 15 to 20 years. The alternatives
incorporate various zoning applications and other management provisions
to ensure resource protection and quality visitor experience
conditions. The environmental consequences anticipated from
implementation of the various alternatives are addressed in the
document. Impact topics include natural and cultural resources, visitor
experience, socioeconomic environment, and park operations/facilities.

DATES: The document will be available for review for 30 days from the
publication of a notice by the Environmental Protection Agency in the
Federal Register. After the 30-day review period, a Record of Decision
will be signed that will document NPS approval of the final Dry
Tortugas GMPA/EIS, and identify the selected alternative for
implementation.

ADDRESSES: The final Dry Tortugas GMPA/EIS will be mailed to agencies,
organizations, and individuals on the park's mailing list. Public
reading copies of the document will also be available for review at the
following locations:
     Everglades National Park--Headquarters, 40001 State Road
9336, Homestead, FL
     Offices of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: 216
Ann Street, Key West, FL, 5550 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL, 95200
Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL
     Miami-Dade Public Library Branches: 700 N. Homestead
Blvd., Homestead, FL, 101 West Flagler St., Miami, FL, 10750 SW 211th
St., Miami, FL
     Monroe County Public Library Branches: 700 Fleming St.,
Key West, FL, 3251 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL, Mile Marker 81.5,
Islamorada, FL, Mile Marker 100, Key Largo, FL
     Collier County Public Library, 650 Central Avenue, Naples,
FL
     St. Petersburg Public Library, 3745 9th Ave. North, St.
Petersburg, FL
    In addition, the document will be posted on the Dry Tortugas
National Park Webpage (www.nps.gov/drto/planning). A limited number of
printed copies will be available from the Superintendent on request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maureen Finnerty, Superintendent,
Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks, 40001 State Road 9336,
Homestead, FL 33034-6733.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following management alternatives were
evaluated in the GMPA/EIS:
    Alternative A--As the no-action alternative, this alternative
represents a continuation of current management policies and
operations. The park would attempt to accommodate increasing visitor
use while protecting resources to the extent allowable under current
policy and legal requirements.
    Alternative B--Under this alternative, visitors would be free to
travel throughout much of the park and have a variety of recreational
experiences. However, the park would more closely manage the types and
levels of acceptable visitor use to provide greater protection of park
resources and to ensure quality visitor experiences. Greater emphasis
would be placed on measures to monitor resource conditions and to
implement appropriate protection/remedial actions as necessary.
    Alternative C (proposed action)--In addition to the provisions of
Alternative B, this alternative calls for the application of a research
natural area zone (covering about one half of the park) in which no
fishing would be allowed, the implementation of a visitor permitting
system, and increased reliance on commercial service providers to
direct and structure visitor use. These measures would be anticipated
to further enhance resource protection and visitor experience
objectives.
    Alternative D--Provisions of this alternative are similar to those
of Alternative C, with the further restrictions that only commercial
tour operators providing public tours would be allowed in the research
natural area zone. Private boaters would be required to obtain a permit
to boat or engage in other park-allowed activities outside of the
research natural area zone. As under Alternative C, the research
natural area zone would cover approximately half of the park, although
its spatial configuration would be different. Visitor experiences would
be highly structured, but diverse opportunities for recreational
activities would remain available.
    Alternative E--This alternative places primary emphasis on resource
protection and conservation with the majority of the park zoned a
research natural area. Visitation would be strictly managed throughout
most of the park to reduce or avoid impacts on the fragile resource
base.
    Planning for the Dry Tortugas GMPA/EIS was coordinated with
concurrent planning for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary,
administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The latter plan proposes a no-take ecological reserve within the remote
westernmost portion of the marine sanctuary.
    Our practice is to make comments, including names and home
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular
business hours. If you wish for 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
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

    Dated: January 9, 2001.
W. Thomas Brown,
Regional Director, Southeast Regional Office, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 01-1576 Filed 1-19-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-10-M

 
 

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