Notice of Availability of the Final Development Concept Plan/ Amendment to the General Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Notice of Availability of the Final Development Concept Plan/

Amendment to the General Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact

Statement for Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-190, as amended), the National Park

Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a Final Development

Concept Plan/Amendment to the General Management Plan/Environmental

Impact Statement (DCP/FEIS) that describes and analyzes a proposal and

three alternatives that meet immediate and long-term needs at Crater

Lake National Park regarding employee housing, completion of the

ongoing redevelopment at Rim Village, and maintenance, administration,

and storage facilities.

The Draft Development Concept Plan/Amendment to the General

Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (DCP/DEIS) was released

for public review on November 29, 1994 (59 FR 228), and the public

comment period closed February 2, 1995. During this comment period,

three public meetings were held and written comments were also

received. The DCP/FEIS contains responses to the comments received and

modifications to the document as needed in response to the comments.

The proposal, which was developed in response to public and agency

comments on the DCP/DEIS, calls for removing the visitor parking at Rim

Village and constructing a new parking structure 800 feet off the rim

with a shuttle bus system to provide year-round access to the rim;

creating a new roadway on which visitors would travel from the parking

facility to Crater Lake Lodge in shuttle buses; partially restoring to

natural conditions a one-acre maintenance yard near park headquarters

with the remainder of the site converted to an employee recreation

area; developing a 98-person employee dormitory and associated parking,

roads, pedestrian path, seasonal employee recreational vehicle (RV)

sites, a maintenance building and group campsites at Mazama Village.

New opportunities for placement of facilities originally proposed at

the South Entrance were identified through the public review for the

DCP/DEIS. Consequently, a separate planning effort would be undertaken

to determine the most appropriate location for construction of these

facilities, including employee housing (approximately 20-30 houses, 15-

20 RV sites, and a second 98-person dormitory to replace the Rim

Village dormitory), and additional support and storage facilities.

Three alternatives were considered, in addition to the proposal.

The no-action alternative would implement the 1988 DCP and include

development of two day-use parking areas to service Rim Village with

associated connecting trail and new road connecting facilities on the

rim, and a new employee dorm for 60-65 people. The South Entrance focus

alternative would construct a new employee dormitory at Mazama Village

and would relocate park headquarters, additional employee housing, and

support/storage facilities to the South Entrance. The Mazama focus

alternative would concentrate most development at Mazama Village,

including a new employee dormitory and support/storage facilities, with

additional employee housing at the South Entrance.

Major impact topics assessed for the proposed action and the

alternatives include earth resources, surface water, groundwater/water

supply, water quality, air quality, vegetation, wildlife, special-

status animal species, ecosystem processes, cultural resources, visitor

experience, employee commuting and delivery of services, and land use

and zoning.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The no-action period on this final plan and

environmental impact statement will end 30 days after the Environmental

Protection Agency has published a notice of availability of the DCP/

FEIS in the Federal Register. For further information, contact:

Superintendent, Crater Lake National Park, Post Office Box 7, Crater

Lake, OR 97604-0007; telephone (503) 594-2211.

Copies of the DCP/FEIS will be available at Crater Lake National

Park Headquarters, as well as the following locations: Multnomah County

Library, 801 SW 10th, Portland, OR; Salem Library, 585 Liberty SE,

Salem, OR; Klamath County Library, 126 South 3rd, Klamath Falls, OR;

Eugene Library, 100 W 13th, Eugene, OR; Jackson County Library, 413 W

Main, Medford, OR; Deschutes County Library, 507 NW Wall St., Bend, OR;

Josephine County Library, 200 NW C, Grants Pass, OR; Douglas County

Library, Courthouse, Roseburg, OR; Office of Public Affairs, National

Park Service, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington,

DC; and National Park Service, Seattle System Support Office, 909 First

Ave;, Seattle, WA.

Dated: August 14, 1995.

Rory D. Westberg,

Acting Deputy Field Director, Pacific West Area, National Park Service.

[FR Doc. 95-20811 Filed 8-22-95; 8:45 am]

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