Determination of Eligibility for Consideration as Wilderness Areas, Intent To Prepare Wilderness Study, Big Cypress National Preserve

The National Park Service (NPS) has completed a Wilderness Eligibility Assessment to determine if lands within the original 1974 legislated boundary of Big Cypress National Preserve (Preserve) meet criteria indicating eligibility for preservation as wilderness. Based on the assessment, the NPS has concluded that of the 557,065 acres assessed, 188,323 acres meet the eligibility criteria. In accordance with NPS Management Policies 2006, Section 6.2.2, the scope of the BAP/EIS currently being prepared for the Preserve will be expanded to include a wilderness study to determine if any portions of the Preserve should be recommended for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System as defined in the Wilderness Act of 1964. A notice of intent to prepare an EIS with the BAP was published in the Federal Register of March 11, 2014. This additional notice is being published in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), specifically 40 CFR 1501.7. The NPS will conduct public meetings in the local area to receive further input from interested parties on issues, concerns, and suggestions pertinent to backcountry use and access and wilderness designation within the Preserve. The comment period will be announced through local media outlets, at the meetings, and on the backcountry access plan Web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/bicy.