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Final Environmental Impact Statement\General Management Plan, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Clark County, Washington; Notice of Availability
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: January 22, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 14)]
[Notices]
[Page 3172-3174]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22ja04-87]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Final Environmental Impact Statement\General Management Plan, Fort
Vancouver National Historic Site, Clark County, Washington; Notice of
Availability
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended) and the Council on
Environmental Quality's regulations, the National Park Service,
Department of the Interior, has prepared a final environmental impact
statement (EIS) for the proposed general management plan (GMP) for Fort
Vancouver National Historic Site located in the city of Vancouver,
Washington. This GMP describes and analyzes ``action'' alternatives
responsive to issues and concerns voiced during the public scoping
process (as well as NPS conservation planning requirements). These
alternatives address visitor use and the preservation of the cultural
and natural resources that provide the environment in which the
Hudson's Bay Company story is presented to the public. Alternative A
constitutes the No Action alternative and assumes that existing
programming, facilities, staffing, and funding would generally continue
at their current levels. Alternative B, the agency preferred
alternative, expands opportunities for the visitor to appreciate the
broad sense of history that occurred at Fort Vancouver and its place in
Northwest history. Alternative C proposes full reconstruction within
the Fort and additional reconstruction or delineation elsewhere within
the National Historic Site (NHS). The environmental consequences of all
the alternatives, and mitigation strategies, are identified, compared,
and analyzed in the EIS--based on this information, Alternative B was
deemed to be the ``environmentally preferred'' alternative.
Scoping: Public meetings were initiated by the National Park
Service (NPS) in January 1999 to solicit early participation into the
conservation planning and environmental impact analysis process, which
aided in defining the range of issues to be analyzed. A Notice of
Intent announcing preparation of the EIS/GMP was published in the
Federal Register on January 7, 1999. A newsletter was produced and
mailed to approximately 600 people on the park's mailing list to
encourage feedback on critical park issues. The park received 29
scoping letters. Two public meetings were hosted in January 2000 from
which over 150 oral comments were obtained. Scoping comments continued
to be accepted and considered through the end of March 1999. During
this period, the park facilitated discussions and briefings with the
Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust Board, congressional staff,
elected officials, tribal representatives, public service
organizations, educational institutions, and other interested members
of the public.
Response to Draft Plan: During November 2002, over 670 copies of
the draft EIS\GMP were mailed to agencies, organizations, and interested
individuals; the documents were also made publicly available in local
libraries in Vancouver, Washington and Oregon City, Oregon. A Notice of
Availability was published in the Federal Register on December 3, 2002
(and EPA's notice of filing was published on December 27, 2002). In
addition, advertisements were placed in the Oregonian (Portland, Oregon)
and The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington) announcing release of the draft
plan and locations, times, and dates for four public meetings to be held
in Vancouver and Oregon City. Announcements were posted periodically on
the park website, and a newsletter was prepared featuring a summary of
the draft plan (and which included details for the December 2002 public
meetings). A total of 4,500 newsletters were printed. Each newsletter
included a mailback postage-paid response form for people to provide
comments concerning the plan. Newsletters were made available at the
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site visitor center, several venues at
the Vancouver National Historic Reserve, and other places through the
City of Vancouver including the library, museums, the Chamber of
Commerce, City Hall, and the Parks and Recreation Department, and at
the McLoughlin House in Oregon City, Oregon.
The public review period ended on February 8, 2003. Resulting from
the opportunity for public comment, a total of 118 pieces of written
correspondence were received, which included letters from agencies,
organizations, and individuals, newsletter mail-back response forms,
and electronically mailed responses through the Internet from the park
website. In addition, a total of 65 people signed in at the public
meetings (and 185 comments were recorded). Written comments were
received from the following locations in the Pacific Northwest: 57 from
Vancouver, Washington, 21 from Portland, Oregon, 5 from Oregon City,
Oregon, 12 from other locations in Washington State, 7 from other
locations in Oregon State, and 2 from Idaho. A total of 14 letters
arrived from California, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Arizona,
Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC.
Throughout the overall conservation planning and environmental
impact analysis process, consultations were held with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Washington State
Historic Preservation Office, and the Advisory Council for Historic
Preservation. Except for the Washington State Historic Preservation
Office, no written comments were received from these four agencies.
Three tribes prepared written comments; the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, the
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, and the
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon.
The following elements of the proposed plan received the most
comment: Village and Waterfront expansion, reconstruction, Research and
Education Center, living history, Reserve visitor center, land bridge
connection, adding the McLoughlin House NHS as a unit of Fort Vancouver
NHS, East Fifth Street closure, relationship with Pearson Field,
parking, food concessions, HBC cemetery, and staffing and funding. All
letters are reproduced in the final EIS\GMP.
In addition to corrections and editorial changes, two elements of
the proposed plan were modified based on public comment. Neither of
these two changes constitutes an impairment of park resources or a
significant impact of a singular or cumulative nature. The first
relates to the proposed closure of East Fifth Street. East Fifth Street
will remain open to public vehicular use. As mentioned in the draft
EIS\GMP, NPS staff will work with the city's Public Works Department
staff and officials to change the appearance and texture of the street
surface to reflect a more historic appearance.
The second change relates to the temporary parking lot at the Fort.
The action proposed in the draft EIS/GMP was to remove this parking lot
completely and to construct a new
[[Page 3173]]
parking area within the south or east barracks. Comments from public
meetings stated the importance of keeping this lot for use by persons
with disabilities and the elderly, who may have trouble walking a
longer distance to the Fort. In response, the NPS planning team
recommends removing the existing temporary parking lot, with the
provision of several permanent ADA parking spaces with a drop-off and
loading area for passengers.
Final Proposed Plan and Alternatives: The final EIS GMP includes
two action alternatives and a no-action (existing conditions)
alternative--no substantive changes in actions proposed or attendant
mitigation strategies have occurred as a result of public review and
comment. Under all of the action alternatives, agricultural fields
around the fort palisade would be restored as part of Hudson's Bay
Company historic landscape (when the City of Vancouver vacates Pearson
Airfield T-hangars and the former aviation museum building). In
addition, park staff would administer any and all portions of the south
and east Vancouver Barracks area as may be determined excess to needs
of the U.S. Army by the Secretary of the Army. Use of this area could
include restoring the Vancouver Barracks cultural landscape, adapting
and reusing existing historic buildings, leasing properties to the City
of Vancouver, providing for additional parking, staging public
transportation operations, and incorporating administrative functions.
Alternative A is the no-action alternative and assumes that
existing conditions, including programming, facilities, staffing, and
funding, would generally continue at their current levels. This
alternative would include fulfilling the existing commitments and
relationships with the Reserve. No new substantial facility or program
initiatives would be proposed under this alternative. The NHS would
continue to work with the City of Vancouver to extend the City's
proposed Discovery Historic Loop Trail through the Village of the NHS
and along East Fifth Street. In cooperation with the City of Vancouver
and Washington Department of Transportation, a pedestrian overpass
would be built over State Route 14 and the railroad to connect the Fort
Vancouver Waterfront and the City's Old Apple Tree Park to link the
Fort and HBC Village. The current NHS visitor center would be retained
in its current configuration and location, as would the current
Vancouver National Historic Reserve visitor center situated in the
historic General O.O. Howard House at the Vancouver Barracks. In
addition, this alternative provided for technical assistance to the
McLoughlin House NHS in Oregon City, Oregon (which was an affiliated
unit of the National Park System). This no longer applies because on
July 29, 2003 President Bush signed P. L. 108-63 (known also as H.R.
733), which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the
McLoughlin House NHS for inclusion in Fort Vancouver NHS.
Alternative B constitutes the Preferred Alternative, and this
proposed course of action has also been determined to be the
``environmentally preferred'' alternative. Implementing this
alternative would result in expanded opportunities for the visitor to
appreciate the broad sense of history that occurred at Fort Vancouver
and its place in Northwest history. Work to reconstruct nine Hudson's
Bay Company structures within the fort palisade, and two at the
Village, would be undertaken. A research and education center would be
developed within the fort. Interpretive components would be added
including wayside exhibits and delineation of structures in certain
locations. Much of the historic landscape would be restored. The NPS
would develop an interpretive area at the Waterfront by partially
reconstructing the Salmon Store as an interpretive shed, and
delineating several other historic Hudson's Bay Company structures. The
original location of the wharf would be simulated and the historic pond
delineated with plants. A portion of Columbia Way would be realigned to
better accommodate visitor circulation and interpretation.
In cooperation with the City of Vancouver and the Washington
Department of Transportation, the pedestrian overpass would be widened
as a land bridge to allow for interpretation devices and vegetation. A
local transit authority, in cooperation with NPS and other Reserve
Partners, would implement a shuttle system to facilitate visitation.
Other cooperative sharing would include administrative, maintenance,
and visitor facilities with Reserve Partners. The NPS would recommend
that one of the four buildings fronting the historic Parade Ground as
determined excess by the Secretary of the Army be renovated as the
joint administrative headquarters for the park and other Reserve
offices. Maximum use would be made of existing structures including
renovation of the existing Fort Vancouver visitor center as the
Vancouver National Historic Reserve visitor center jointly managed by
the Reserve Partners including the NPS.
Implementation of this alternative would result in development of
additional educational outreach programs and new research facilities
related to the Hudson's Bay Company and early U.S. Army period. This
alternative recommends that the McLoughlin House National Historic Site
in Oregon City, Oregon become a unit of Fort Vancouver NHS and be
managed by Fort Vancouver National Historic Site staff. As noted above,
legislation passed on July 29, 2003 authorized the Secretary of the
Interior to acquire this site for inclusion in Fort Vancouver NHS.
Alternative C contains many of the same actions as the Preferred
Alternative, but key differences include the following: Full
reconstruction within the fort palisade, along with the reconstruction
of the two historic School Houses and a barn to the north of the Fort.
Additional delineation of structures would occur at the Waterfront and
the Village. The historic Salmon Store would be reconstructed along the
Columbia River shoreline, as would the historic wharf and other
waterfront features. An ethno botanical garden would be constructed to
interpret the local historic uses of native plants. An opening in the
railroad berm would be created to visually link the Fort to the
Waterfront. To facilitate visitor use and interpretation, a portion of
Columbia Way would be closed to vehicular traffic in cooperation with
the City of Vancouver. The current NHS visitor center would be
renovated and retained for more detailed interpretation concerning Fort
Vancouver, while a new location would be sought for a joint Vancouver
National Historic Reserve visitor facility to provide the public with
information and orientation to all the Reserve stories and venues. The
location for this facility is yet to be determined, but priority would
be given to rehabilitation of an historic structure within the
Vancouver Barracks Historic District that is listed in the National
Register of Historic Places. The research and education center would be
located within the Vancouver Barracks portion of the Reserve.
Public Availability: The final EIS/GMP is now available. Interested
persons and organizations wishing to express any new concerns may
obtain the document from the Superintendent, Fort Vancouver National
Historic Site, 612 East Reserve Street, Vancouver, Washington 98661, or
via telephone at (360) 696-7655. The document may also be reviewed at
area libraries, or obtained electronically via the park Web site at
http://www.nps.gov/fova/news.htm. 
Any written responses must be
[[Page 3174]]
postmarked not later than 30 days following publication of EPA's notice
of filing in the Federal Register (immediately upon publication, this
date will be posted on the park website). All responses will become
part of the public record. If individuals responding request that their
name or/and address be withheld from public disclosure, the request
will be honored to the extent allowable by law. Such requests must be
stated prominently in the beginning of the letter. There also may be
circumstances wherein the NPS will withhold a respondent's identity as
allowable by law. As always: the NPS will make available to public
inspection all submissions from organizations or businesses and from
persons identifying themselves as representatives or officials of
organizations; and, anonymous comments may not be considered.
Decision: Not sooner than 30 days after release of the final EIS/
GMP a Record of Decision will be prepared. As this is a delegated EIS,
the official responsible for the final decision is the Regional
Director, Pacific West Region; subsequently the official responsible
for implementing the approved plan would be the Superintendent, Fort
Vancouver National Historic Site.
Dated: November 24, 2003.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 04-1286 Filed 1-21-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-99-P