Environmental Impact Statement for the Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, MN and WI

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Environmental Impact Statement for the Lower St. Croix National

Scenic Riverway, MN and WI

AGENCIES: National Park Service, Minnesota Department of Natural

Resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Cooperative Management

Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Lower St. Croix

National Scenic Riverway, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

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

Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service, Minnesota Department of

Natural Resources, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

announce the availability of the Draft Cooperative Management Plan/

Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DCMP/DEIS) for the Lower St.

Croix National Scenic Riverway. This notice also announces public open

houses for the purpose of receiving public comments on the Draft DCMP/

DEIS.

The purpose of the Cooperative Management Plan is to set forth the

basic management philosophy for the riverway and to provide the

strategies for addressing issues and achieving identified management

objectives. The DCMP/DEIS describes and analyzes the environmental

impacts of a proposed action and four action alternatives for the

future management direction of the riverway. The DCMP/DEIS also

evaluates a preferred management structure and two management structure

options for the riverway. No action alternatives are evaluated for both

management direction and management structure.

The responsible officials are Mr. William Schenk, Midwest Regional

Director, National Park Service; Mr. Allen Garber, Commissioner,

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; and Mr. George Meyer,

Secretary, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

DATES: There will be a 60-day public review period for comments on this

document. Comments on the DCMP/DEIS must be received no later than

November 30, 1999. Public open houses for information about, or to make

comment on the DCMP/DEIS will be held on Monday, October 25, 1 to 4

p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m. at the Phipps Center for the Arts, 109 Locust

Street, Hudson, Wisconsin and on Tuesday, October 26, 1999 from 1 to 4

p.m. and from 7 to 10 p.m. at the National Guard Armory, 107 Chestnut

Street East, Stillwater, Minnesota.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the DGMP/DEIS should be submitted to the

Planning Coordinator, Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, 117

Main Street South, Stillwater, Minnesota 55082. Copies of the DCMP/DEIS

are available by request by writing the same address, by phone 651-439-

7122, or by e-mail from [email protected]. The document also can

be downloaded via the Internet at http://www.nps.gov/planning/

current.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randy Thoreson, Planning Coordinator,

Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway at the address and telephone

listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

is a narrow corridor that runs for 52 miles along the boundary of

Minnesota and Wisconsin, from St. Croix Falls/Taylors Falls to the

confluence with the Mississippi River at Prescott/Point Douglas. The

National Park Service manages a portion of the upper 27 miles of lands

and waters of this corridor. The states of Minnesota and Wisconsin

administer the lower 25 miles. The states and the federal government

jointly conduct planning for the riverway.

Commentors should be aware that National Park Service practice is

to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents,

available for public review during regular business hours. Individual

commentors may request that we withhold their home address from the

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planning record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law.

There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the

planning record a commentor's identity, as allowable by law. If you

wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this

prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we will not

consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from

organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying

themselves as representatives or officials or organizations or

businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

Dated: September 3, 1999.

William W. Schenk,

Regional Director, Midwest Region.

[FR Doc. 99-24305 Filed 9-16-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-70-P