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Supplemental Information Report Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness Stewardship Plan
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks » Supplemental Information Report Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness Stewardship Plan » Document List
In May 2015, a record of decision (ROD) was approved by the National Park Service (NPS) Pacific West Regional Director for the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness Stewardship Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (WSP/FEIS). The record of decision (ROD) describes the Selected Action, alternative 2, and the rationale for its selection. This project provides a correction to the WSP/FEIS and ROD and analyzes the correction in a draft Supplemental Information Report (SIR).
Implementation of the WSP/FEIS will result in the issuance of commercial use authorizations for those commercial services determined consistent with the Wilderness Act, and necessary and appropriate in wilderness, per the END. The Selected Action caps the number of allowable "commercial service days" (CSDs) wilderness wide and reduces the number of allowable commercial service days in the Mount Whitney Management Area (MWMA), a management area established through the WSP/FEIS. The cap and limits are one of the approved methods in the WSP/FEIS that would be implemented in the next 15-20 years to protect wilderness character.
In preparation for the issuance of commercial use authorizations, the NPS conducted a post-ROD analysis of the data included in the END. During that process, park staff discovered several data errors that led to inaccuracies in the CSD figures presented in the END and WSP/FEIS. Park staff corrected these errors and prepared new calculations which are discussed in the Supplemental Information Report. The revised calculations indicate that the NPS could allow an increase in the allocation to the number of commercial service days above the amount identified through the END process for Selected Action, while maintaining the same total number (and nearly the same percentage) of Visitor Use Days.
The changes, per the analysis in the SIR, do not substantially change the Selected Action, and there would be no to little change to the environmental impacts resulting from the adjustments in CSDs, and the small changes that result are fully evaluated in the WSP/EIS. No extraordinary circumstances exist (per Section 3.5), thus, the action has been determined to be categorically excluded per Section 3.4 A.1: Changes or amendments to an approved action when such changes would cause no or only minimal environmental impact, and thus does not trigger the need for a supplemental EIS pursuant to 40 CFR 1502.9(c).
The ROD describes the Selected Action, alternative 2, and the rationale for its selection. Except for the corrections included in the SIR, no other changes have been made to the ROD. The information contained in Table 4, column 3: Revised Commercial Services Days (CSDs) on page 8 of the SIR is errata to the ROD, and a replacement for the information contained on Table 6 on page 19 of the ROD.
The SIR and categorical exclusion were approved by the park superintendent on July 13, 2017 (per DO-12, 5.4).
559-565-3102
Implementation of the WSP/FEIS will result in the issuance of commercial use authorizations for those commercial services determined consistent with the Wilderness Act, and necessary and appropriate in wilderness, per the END. The Selected Action caps the number of allowable "commercial service days" (CSDs) wilderness wide and reduces the number of allowable commercial service days in the Mount Whitney Management Area (MWMA), a management area established through the WSP/FEIS. The cap and limits are one of the approved methods in the WSP/FEIS that would be implemented in the next 15-20 years to protect wilderness character.
In preparation for the issuance of commercial use authorizations, the NPS conducted a post-ROD analysis of the data included in the END. During that process, park staff discovered several data errors that led to inaccuracies in the CSD figures presented in the END and WSP/FEIS. Park staff corrected these errors and prepared new calculations which are discussed in the Supplemental Information Report. The revised calculations indicate that the NPS could allow an increase in the allocation to the number of commercial service days above the amount identified through the END process for Selected Action, while maintaining the same total number (and nearly the same percentage) of Visitor Use Days.
The changes, per the analysis in the SIR, do not substantially change the Selected Action, and there would be no to little change to the environmental impacts resulting from the adjustments in CSDs, and the small changes that result are fully evaluated in the WSP/EIS. No extraordinary circumstances exist (per Section 3.5), thus, the action has been determined to be categorically excluded per Section 3.4 A.1: Changes or amendments to an approved action when such changes would cause no or only minimal environmental impact, and thus does not trigger the need for a supplemental EIS pursuant to 40 CFR 1502.9(c).
The ROD describes the Selected Action, alternative 2, and the rationale for its selection. Except for the corrections included in the SIR, no other changes have been made to the ROD. The information contained in Table 4, column 3: Revised Commercial Services Days (CSDs) on page 8 of the SIR is errata to the ROD, and a replacement for the information contained on Table 6 on page 19 of the ROD.
The SIR and categorical exclusion were approved by the park superintendent on July 13, 2017 (per DO-12, 5.4).
Contact Information
Nancy Hendricks559-565-3102