Draft Environmental Impact Statement/General Management Plan Amendment for Backcountry and Wilderness Management Plan, Joshua Tree National Park, San Bernardino County, CA; Notice of Availability

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Draft Environmental Impact Statement/General Management Plan

Amendment for Backcountry and Wilderness Management Plan, Joshua Tree

National Park, San Bernardino County, CA; Notice of Availability

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Sec. 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 81-190 as amended), the National Park

Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a draft environmental

impact statement (DEIS)

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assessing the potential impacts of amending the current General

Management Plan (approved in 1995). The DEIS includes a draft

Backcountry and Wilderness Management Plan, and identifies and

evaluates the environmental consequences of a proposed action and three

alternatives. Mitigation measures are noted and evaluated. No

significant adverse environmental impacts are anticipated. Once

approved, the plan will guide wilderness management and other

operations for the next 10-15 years.

Proposal

As described under Alternative A, the National Park Service (NPS)

proposes to amend the General Management Plan (GMP) for Joshua Tree

National Monument, including but not limited to the following changes:

designate a trail system with prescriptions for specific uses;

designate unpaved roads newly added to the park as part of the

Development Zone (allowing limited motor vehicle use); designate places

where installing fixed anchors for rock climbing may or may not be

permitted; and designate locations where roadside vehicle-camping may

or may not be permitted. The DEIS also analyzes the artificial water

sources installed for wildlife in designated Wilderness and would

determine where such sources should be removed or maintained. The draft

plan would designate areas closed to public access and establish group

size limits for overnight stays in the backcountry and Wilderness.

Finally, the draft plan would implement the Department of the

Interior's Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan of June 1994. Implementing

Alternative A would result in the protection of (with no additional

disturbance) park lands, and the reclamation of some previously

disturbed lands. User conflicts would be minimized by providing for a

variety of visitor experiences, groups sizes, trail allocations and

designations, and a climbing bolt permit system.

Alternatives

Alternatives to the actions proposed include No Action (Alternative

B), Maximum Protection (Alternative C), and Minimum Requirements

(Alternative D). Under Alternative B the park would maintain existing

programs and operations. Alternative C would impose greater

restrictions upon all uses in the park and afford the most rigorous and

strict protection to the resources, in particular the wilderness

resource. Also, those lands in the Natural Zone that are not Wilderness

would be treated and managed as if they were so designated. Alternative

D would impose no restrictions on use of the old monument lands other

than those that already exist. The public could use the newly added

lands much as the lands were used prior to their inclusion within the

park. Only those public recreational activities that are illegal in NPS

or other regulations, such as hunting or operating vehicles in

wilderness, would be prohibited.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS is now available for public review;

review copies are available at park headquarters, as well as at local

public libraries. Inquiries and comments on the DEIS should be directed

to: Superintendent, Joshua Tree National Park, 74485 National Park

Drive, Twentynine Palms, California 92277. The telephone number for the

park is (760) 367-5503. All written comments must be postmarked not

later January 31, 1998.

Public Meetings

A series of public workshops will be held to provide NPS staff an

opportunity to hear concerns and suggestions from the public. In

contrast to a traditional formal hearing, interested individuals and

organization representatives will have the opportunity to offer

informal input and engage in dialog about the range of alternatives,

elements of the alternatives, and issues involved. This dialog is

intended to provide additional guidance to the NPS in preparing a final

EIS and plan amending the GMP. These workshops are scheduled as

follows:

December 2, Santa Monica area--6:00-9:00 p.m.

December 11, Palm Desert area--6:00-9:00 p.m.

January 16, Moronga Basin area--6:00-9:00 p.m.

Complete details about locations for the meetings may be obtained

via written or telephone inquiry as noted above.

Decision

After the formal DEIS review period has concluded, all comments and

suggestions received will be considered in preparing a final plan.

Currently the final EIS and plan amending the GMP are anticipated to be

completed during summer 1998; their availability will be similarly

announced in the Federal Register. Subsequently a Record of Decision

would be executed no sooner than 30 (thirty) days after release of the

final EIS. The responsible officials are John Reynolds, Regional

Director, Pacific West Region and Ernest Quintana, Superintendent,

Joshua Tree National Park.

Dated: November 4, 1997.

Sondra S. Humphries,

Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.

[FR Doc. 97-30648 Filed 11-20-97; 8:45 am]

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