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Final Environmental Impact Statement and General Management Plan, Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Island County, WA; Notice of Availability
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: October 12, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 197)]
[Notices]
[Page 60188-60190]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12oc06-81]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Final Environmental Impact Statement and General Management Plan,
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Island County, WA; Notice
of Availability
Summary: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969,
42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(c), and the Council on Environmental Quality
Regulations (40 CFR part 1500-1508), the National Park Service has
prepared and announces the availability of a Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) for the proposed general management plan (GMP) for
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve located in Island County,
Washington. In addition to a ``no-action'' alternative which would
maintain current management, the FEIS describes and analyzes two
``action'' alternatives which respond to concerns and issues the public
identified during the scoping process, as well as various conservation
planning requirements. The alternatives present varying
[[Page 60189]]
management strategies that address visitor use and preservation of
cultural and natural resources that protect and interpret the rural
community on Whidbey Island from 19th century exploration and
settlement in Puget Sound to the present time. Development concept
plans for three sites are described. The potential environmental
consequences of all the alternatives, and mitigation strategies, are
identified and analyzed; a determination as to the ``environmentally
preferred'' alternative is also provided.
Background: A Notice of Intent announcing preparation of the Draft
EIS and general management plan was published in the Federal Register
on May 22, 2000. Public engagement and information measures have
included public meetings, presentations and meetings with organizations
located within Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve (Reserve) and
additional organizations, newsletter mailings, local press releases,
website postings, and postcards. Preceding the formal GMP planning
process, the National Park Service (NPS) organized an interdisciplinary
planning team to initiate a new general management plan for the
Reserve. The team included both the Reserve's Trust Board (which
included members from the NPS, Washington State, Island County and Town
of Coupeville) and staff, and staff from the NPS Pacific West Regional
Office in Seattle, Washington. The purpose of these initial meetings
was to help characterize the scale and extent of the planning process.
The official public scoping process began in June 2000 when NPS
staff produced and mailed a newsletter to approximately 650 people on
the Reserve's mailing list. In addition, over 2800 newsletters were
distributed at local public places such as libraries, civic buildings,
businesses, and local parks. The planning team held a series of public
scoping meetings in Seattle (June 20) and Coupeville (June 21). In
total, 141 verbal comments were recorded from three meetings.
Individual scoping meetings were also held between August 2000 and
January 2001 to meet with organizations located within the Reserve to
discuss issues of mutual interest. Other meetings with additional
organizations were scheduled. Scoping letters and comments were
received until August 15, 2000 (a total of 36 letters were received
during the public scoping period).
On August 18, 2005, the NPS mailed 230 copies of the draft GMP/EIS
to agencies, governmental representatives, organizations, and
interested individuals. Copies of the draft GMP/EIS were placed in the
Coupeville public library for public review. The Reserve's Notice of
Availability was published in the Federal Register on September 2, 2005
to announce release of the Draft GMP/EIS for public review. The EPA's
notice of filing of the draft EIS (August 26, 2005) and a revised
Notice of Availability (September 13, 2005) provided opportunity for
public comment through December 1, 2005. All comments received until
December 15 are included in the official record.
The NPS and Reserve staff placed advertisements announcing
locations, times, and dates for public meetings in the Puget Consumer
Cooperative Sound Consumer, in Seattle, Washington, the Whidbey News-
Times in Oak Harbor, and the Coupeville Examiner in Coupeville,
Washington. Press releases were sent to the following local and
regional newspapers to publicize release of the draft GMP/EIS and
dates, times, and locations of public meetings: Coupeville Examiner,
Whidbey News-Times, Skagit Valley Herald, Everett-Herald, Anacortes
American, Journal of the San Juan Islands, South Whidbey Record,
Bellingham Herald, Market Place, Peninsula Daily News, and Sequim Gazette.
A total of 2,000 newsletters were printed containing a summary of
the draft GMP, also announcing the public meetings. Each newsletter
included a postage-paid return form for public comments. Newsletters
were available at the following locations: Island County Planning
Office, the Town of Coupeville Planning Office, the Coupeville Public
Library, Island Country Historical Museum in Coupeville, and Fort Ebey
and Fort Casey state parks, the Coupeville Post Office, Coupeville
Wharf, Coupeville Arts Center, the Oak Harbor and Coupeville Chamber of
Commerce offices, local restaurants and other Coupeville businesses.
Additional copies were also available at the Reserve's Trust Board
office. All material was also made available online at
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ebla. The public was also able to provide
comments electronically through this Web site.
The NPS and the Reserve's Trust Board hosted three public open
houses, one in Seattle (September 12, 2005) and two in Coupeville (both
on September 15, 2005). The purpose of the meetings was to provide an
opportunity for the public to meet with Reserve Trust Board members and
staff, and NPS staff to discuss the draft GMP/EIS and provide comments.
A total of 74 people attended the sessions and 179 comments were
recorded. In addition to these oral comments, at the close of the draft
GMP/EIS public comment period a total of 51 pieces of written
correspondence had been received from individuals, agencies and
organizations. Minor changes to the Preferred Alternative were made as
a result of public comment; however, there were no substantive
modifications. Responses to comments are provided in the FEIS.
Throughout the planning process, the public's comments and
recommendations have provided the foundation for the proposed GMP,
represented in the Reserve's purpose and significance, interpretive
themes, and proposed actions.
Proposed Plan and Alternatives: Alternative A constitutes the No
Action alternative and assumes that existing programs, facilities,
staffing, and funding, would generally continue at their current
levels. The NPS would dispose of NPS-owned and managed farms within the
Reserve to the private sector after placing conservation easements on them.
Alternative B is the Preferred Alternative. The Reserve's Trust
Board, and the NPS, in cooperation with partners, would enhance
existing programs and resources management, as well as administrative,
maintenance, and visitor services within the Reserve. To maintain and
protect the rural landscape, the NPS would continue to purchase
conservation easements on priority properties based upon a new land
protection plan. The NPS would exchange two NPS-owned farms, Farms I
and II, to private owners for additional protection on other properties
within the Reserve. As part of the exchange of Farm II, the new farm
owner would be required to construct a new maintenance building on the
West Ridge property, which would remain in NPS ownership. The Sheep
Barn at West Ridge would be rehabilitated for dry storage using
preservation funds. Additional historic buildings would also be
rehabilitated to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. In
addition, a minor boundary adjustment would be recommended. To orient
and inform the visitor about the Reserve, three gateway kiosks would be
developed along State Route 20 and a visitor center/contact station
would be sited in an historic building in Coupeville or within the
historic district.
As noted above, several minor modifications were made to the
preferred alternative based upon public comments. A recommendation that
Island County adopt a regulatory overlay zone for historic preservation
over the unincorporated portion of the Reserve has been removed; the
proposed
[[Page 60190]]
GMP has also been updated to include historic preservation and land use
measures undertaken by Island County since project planning was
initiated. A second change involved recognizing the efforts by others
and not the NPS to establish a marine science center within the Reserve
and encouraging those on-going efforts. Also, since release of the
draft GMP/EIS, Bell Farm has been removed from the proposed boundary in
both Alternatives B and C at the owner's request.
Alternative C changes the management structure of the Reserve from
a Trust Board of volunteers to a paid Commission structure. Many
actions are similar to Alternative B but with some distinctions.
Approximately five acres of NPS-owned land at Farm II would be retained
for administrative and maintenance use before exchanging the remaining
farmland to a private farm owner for additional protection on other
properties within the Reserve. One of the three gateways would be in a
historic building in the north of the Reserve. The Reserve would also
partner for a visitor contact facility at a proposed marine science center.
Copies: The Final EIS/GMP is now available. Interested persons and
organizations wishing to review the Final EIS/GMP may obtain the
document by contacting Rob Harbor, Reserve Manager, Ebey's Landing
National Historical Reserve, P.O. Box 774, Coupeville, WA 98239, or via
telephone at (360) 678-6084. This document may also be reviewed at the
Coupeville Library, or a copy can be obtained electronically at http://
parkplanning.nps.gov/ebla. Please note that names and addresses of all
respondents will become part of the public record. It is the practice
of the NPS to make all comments, including names, home addresses, home
phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of respondents, available for
public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold
their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to consider
withholding this information you must state this prominently at the
beginning of your comments. In addition, you must present a rationale
for withholding this information.This rational must demonstrate that
disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy.
Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. In the absence of
exceptional, documentable circumstances, this information will be
released. We will always make submissions from organizations or
business, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives of or officials of organizations or businesses,
available for public inspection in their entirety.
Decision Process: Following release of the Final GMP/EIS, a Record
of Decision will be prepared and approved not sooner than 30 days after
the EPA has published its notice of filing of the document in the
Federal Register. A notice regarding the approved GMP will be similarly
published. As a delegated EIS, the official responsible for the final
decision is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region. Subsequently,
official responsibilities for implementing the approved GMP reside with
the Trust Board, Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve and the
Reserve Manager.
Dated: August 14, 2006.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 06-8626 Filed 10-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-GW-M