National Capital Region; Environmental Assessment of Proposed Land Transfer, Arlington HouseThe Robert E. Lee Memorial, George Washington Memorial Parkway to Department of the Army, Arlington National Cemetery

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

National Capital Region; Environmental Assessment of Proposed

Land Transfer, Arlington House--The Robert E. Lee Memorial, George

Washington Memorial Parkway to Department of the Army, Arlington

National Cemetery

ACTION: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of an environmental assessment (EA) for

land transfer from National Park Service to Department of Army,

Arlington National Cemetery.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Council of Environmental Quality regulations

and National Park Service policy, the National Park Service has

completed an EA which evaluated the potential impacts of the proposed

land transfer of an area known as Section 29. The EA examines the

environmental and visual impacts of the land transfer on the natural

and historic resources and scenic quality of Arlington House--The

Robert E. Lee Memorial. The National Park Service is soliciting

comments on this EA. These comments will be considered in evaluating it

and in making decisions pursuant to the National Environmental Policy

Act.

DATES: There will be a 45-day public review period for comment on this

document. Comments on the EA should be received no later than August

24, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the EA should be submitted to Ms. Audrey

Calhoun, Superintendent, National Park Service, George Washington

Memorial Parkway, Turkey Run Park, McLean, Virginia 22101. A limited

number of copies of the EA are available on request. A public reading

copy of the EA will be available at the Arlington County Main Library,

the Headquarters of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and at the

Arlington House--The Robert E. Lee Memorial.

And at the National Park Service web page at: http://www.nps.gov/

gwmp/section29index.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Audrey Calhoun, Superintendent,

George Washington Memorial Parkway, McLean, VA 22101, Telephone: (703)

289-2500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 29 is a 24.44 wooded ravine that is

the remaining portion of the historic Custis-Lee estate's forested

grounds at Arlington House--The Robert E. Lee Memorial (Arlington

House). The forested area and the adjacent mansion are administered by

the George Washington Memorial Parkway, a unit of the National Park

Service (NPS), and are located in Arlington National Cemetery (ANC).

The area was part of the historic forest of the Custis-Lee estate and

was transferred from ANC to the NPS in 1975 to maintain the historic

setting of Arlington House in perpetuity.

The Department of the Army recognized that ANC is nearing capacity

and on February 22, 1995 signed an interagency agreement with the

Department of the Interior to transfer a portion of Section 29 to the

cemetery. The agreement divided Section 29 approximately in half, into

the ``Preservation Zone'' and the ``Interment Zone''.

The Preservation Zone consists of approximately 12.5 acres to the

west of Arlington House; that the agreement described as having steep

slopes, a high potential for archeological resources pertaining to

Arlington House, and forest cover which dates to the Lee occupancy and

contributes significantly to the historic setting of Arlington House.

The Interment Zone is a 12-acre area west of the Preservation Zone;

which the agreement described as having no known cultural resources,

slopes that are not steep, and forest cover that is not historically

significant.

Implementation of the agreement required carrying out a study to

consider archeological resources, cultural landscape values, and

National Register eligibility; an environmental analysis of the

transfer under the National Environmental Policy Act; and satisfaction

of the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic

Preservation Act.

The cultural resources study was contracted and the resulting

cultural investigation report identified the Arlington House Ravine

Site, an archeological site of high integrity containing historic

elements related to the period of the Custis-Lee occupancy and also

prehistoric quarrying and tool making components. It encompasses a

large portion of the project area and is an element that enhances the

National Register of Historic Places listing of the site. The

archeological site is the only recorded Late Archaic period quartzite

quarry on National Park Service land in northern Virginia.

The cultural landscape analysis determined that much of the

existing forest canopy dates to the Custis-Lee occupation and retains

the historic landscape character. A forestry study demonstrated that

the hardwood forest in the Preservation Zone contained trees 220-230

years old. Other portions of the project area forest have grown to

maturity and presently recreate the landscape characteristics that

defined the appearance and significance of the forest historically as a

portion of the Arlington estate. This forest is the same type that once

covered the estate, and regenerated from trees that were present

historically. A representative tree in the southern Interment Zone was

determined to be 258 years old. The forest constitutes the oldest and

largest tract of climax eastern hardwood forest in Arlington County,

Virginia.

Analysis of the resources of Section 29 identified other conditions

that affect the potential for transfer of land. The Interment Zone was

determined to contain significant archeological and cultural landscape

resources, in addition to those of the Preservation Zone. Upon

consideration of these resources, four alternatives were developed.

Alternative 1 retains the highest significance resources to NPS

(The Preferred Alternative): NPS would transfer approximately 9.6

acres, comprising most of the Interment Zone, except for the

southeastern sloped area containing archeological locus 1 and a stream;

and also transferring to ANC the northern tip of the Preservation Zone,

containing two disturbed areas. Alternative 2--retains most resources

to NPS: NPS would transfer 4.3 acres of the Interment Zone between the

ANC old warehouse (maintenance) area and Fort Myer. Alternative 3--

retains the Preservation Zone to NPS and Interment Zone transfers to

ANC: NPS would transfer the 12-acre Interment Zone to ANC and retain

the 12.5-acre Preservation Zone. Alternative 4--All of Section 29 is

retained by NPS (the No Action Alternative): No property would be

transferred from NPS to ANC.

[[Page 37565]]

Public Law 104-201 directed the Secretary of the Interior to

transfer to the Secretary of the Army jurisdiction over the Interment

Zone, which is the plan in Alternative 3. Adoption of any of the other

alternatives would require legislative action to amend the existing

law.

A public meeting on the EA will be held July 21, 1999 at the Women

In Military Service For America Memorial's Education Center from 7:00

p.m. until 9:00 p.m. The Memorial is located on Memorial Drive at the

Gates to Arlington National Cemetery. Parking will be at the Arlington

Cemetery's Visitor Parking Lot. There is a $1.25 fee per hour to park

in the lot.

Dated: July 2, 1999.

Audrey F. Calhoun,

Superintendent.

[FR Doc. 99-17523 Filed 7-9-99; 8:45 am]

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