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Comprehensive Trails Management Plan
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area » Comprehensive Trails Management Plan » Document List
The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Comprehensive Trails Management Plan/Environmental Assessment (plan/EA). The FONSI, signed by the regional director on January 24, 2023, with the response to public comments and the errata, describes the final decision of the National Park Service.
The EA analyzed two alternatives: the no-action alternative, which provides a basis for comparing environmental impacts of the action alternative, and one action alternative for implementing changes to the existing trail system. The FONSI authorizes implementation of the preferred alternative, which includes construction of a trail system of 99.3 miles of trail in 14 park units, adding 32 miles of trails to the official trail system. The selected alternative meets the project purpose to improve the physical, fiscal, and social sustainability of the park's trail system.
The FONSI explains why the selected alternative (i.e., the proposed action and preferred alternative contained in the plan/EA) will have no significant effects on the natural or human environment. The FONSI is based on the EA, as well as the comments received from the public and interested parties, agencies, and staff during the public review period that concluded on May 3, 2022. The FONSI summarizes the public comments received, responds to those comments, and identifies changes to the text in the EA as a result of the comments. Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Implementation of the selected alternative is addressed a project-specific Programmatic Agreement (PA). The Georgia State Historic Preservation Office, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians executed a PA to address historic identification and practices for minimization and avoidance during implementation. The National Park Service will continue to consult with other affiliated tribes through the standard consultation process.
The National Park Service has determined that the proposed action is not likely to result in significant impacts on the human or natural environment. Therefore, an environmental impact statement will not be prepared and a FONSI has been issued. The plan/EA and FONSI are available for viewing online here on the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website.
UPDATE (May 22, 2024) The Bike Rule (36 CFR Sec.4.30) requires a written determination submitted to the Federal Register to authorize bicycle use on multi-use trails. The National Park Service determines that bicycle use on the 20.6 miles of existing and new multi-use trails in the National Recreation Area that was evaluated in the EA and FONSI is consistent with the protection of the Recreation Area's natural, scenic, and aesthetic values; safety considerations; management objectives; and will not disturb wildlife or park resources.
The Bike Rule is published and available on this page in official form: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-08998
To submit comments please use the Federal Register link.
404-803-7641
The EA analyzed two alternatives: the no-action alternative, which provides a basis for comparing environmental impacts of the action alternative, and one action alternative for implementing changes to the existing trail system. The FONSI authorizes implementation of the preferred alternative, which includes construction of a trail system of 99.3 miles of trail in 14 park units, adding 32 miles of trails to the official trail system. The selected alternative meets the project purpose to improve the physical, fiscal, and social sustainability of the park's trail system.
The FONSI explains why the selected alternative (i.e., the proposed action and preferred alternative contained in the plan/EA) will have no significant effects on the natural or human environment. The FONSI is based on the EA, as well as the comments received from the public and interested parties, agencies, and staff during the public review period that concluded on May 3, 2022. The FONSI summarizes the public comments received, responds to those comments, and identifies changes to the text in the EA as a result of the comments. Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Implementation of the selected alternative is addressed a project-specific Programmatic Agreement (PA). The Georgia State Historic Preservation Office, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians executed a PA to address historic identification and practices for minimization and avoidance during implementation. The National Park Service will continue to consult with other affiliated tribes through the standard consultation process.
The National Park Service has determined that the proposed action is not likely to result in significant impacts on the human or natural environment. Therefore, an environmental impact statement will not be prepared and a FONSI has been issued. The plan/EA and FONSI are available for viewing online here on the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website.
UPDATE (May 22, 2024) The Bike Rule (36 CFR Sec.4.30) requires a written determination submitted to the Federal Register to authorize bicycle use on multi-use trails. The National Park Service determines that bicycle use on the 20.6 miles of existing and new multi-use trails in the National Recreation Area that was evaluated in the EA and FONSI is consistent with the protection of the Recreation Area's natural, scenic, and aesthetic values; safety considerations; management objectives; and will not disturb wildlife or park resources.
The Bike Rule is published and available on this page in official form: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-08998
To submit comments please use the Federal Register link.
Contact Information
Beth Wheeler404-803-7641