National Wild & Scenic Rivers System; Approval of Application

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary

National Wild & Scenic Rivers System; Approval of Application

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOI.

ACTION: Notice of approval.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior hereby announces approval of an

application by the Governor of Arkansas to include segments of the

Cossatot River, Arkansas and its tributary Brushy Creek as state-

administered components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Alan Ragins, Rivers, Trails and Conservation Program, National Park

Service, Southwest Region, P.O. Box 728, 1220 St. Francis Drive, Santa

Fe, New Mexico 87504-0728 (Telephone: 505-988-1876).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the authority granted the

Secretary of the Interior by section 2 of the Wild and Scenic Rivers

Act (Pub. L. 90-542, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 1273, et seq.) and upon

proper application of the Governor of the State of Arkansas, a 10.4-

mile segment of the Cossatot River and a 0.3-mile segment of Brushy

Creek in Arkansas are hereby designated as state-administered

components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

The Secretarial designation covers that part of the Cossatot and

Brushy Creek within the boundaries of the Cossatot River Sate Park-

Natural Area in Polk and Howard Counties. This action is based on the

designation of the river by the State of Arkansas and the protection

offered this river and its immediate environment by and pursuant to

applicable State laws and regulations.

On July 3, 1990, President Clinton, then the Governor of Arkansas,

petitioned the Secretary of the Interior to add the above described

segments of the Cossatot River to the National System. On April 22,

1992, Congress added the Cossatot to the National Wild and Scenic

Rivers System (Pub. L. 102-275). However, the State is pursuing its

original request for Secretarial designation for the following reasons:

1. To officially classify the State-managed river segments as

``Scenic.''

2. To recognize the State Management Plan for the Cossatot River

State Park and Natural Area.

3. To refine the current definition of the State's portion of the

scenic river corridor.

In response to the Governor's request, the Secretary, through the

National Park Service conducted a complete review of the State

application and documents associated with the designation decision. As

a result of that review, the Secretary has determined that the 10.4-

mile segment of the Cossatot River and a 0.3-mile segment of Brushy

Creek in the State's application should be designated as a State-

administered component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System,

as provided for in section 2(a)(ii) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

The State of Arkansas has fulfilled the requirements of the Act by

designating these segments as components of the Arkansas System of

Natural and Scenic Rivers and by adopting a program of action that will

adequately protect the river from adverse State actions. The National

Park Service evaluation of the river concluded that these segments of

the Cossatot River and Brushy Creek meet the criteria for the scenic

classification under the Act. Accordingly, the following river segments

are classified as scenic pursuant to section 2(b) of the Act to be

administered by State government:

Cossatot River: Scenic--The 10.4-mile segment of the Cossatot River

within the boundaries of the Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area

just above the State Highway 246 crossing, at the Ouachita National

Forest boundary in Polk County to the crossing at State Highway 4 in

Howard County.

Brushy Creek: Scenic--The 0.3-mile segment of Brushy Creek within

the boundaries of the Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area in Polk

County.

This action is taken following public involvement and consultation

with the Departments of Agriculture, Army, Energy, Transportation, the

Federal Energy Regulation Commission, and the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency as required by section 4(c) of the Wild and Scenic

Rivers Act. A 45-day period for public comment on the State's

application and river management plan and on the environmental

assessment of the proposed national designation was provided from April

15, 1991, to May 31, 1991. All comments received have been carefully

considered.

Notice is hereby given that effective upon this date, the above-

described river segments are approved for inclusion in the National

Wild and Scenic Rivers System to be administered by the State of

Arkansas.

Dated: January 14, 1994.

Bruce Babbitt,

Secretary of the Interior.

[FR Doc. 94-2287 Filed 2-1-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-70-M