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The
National Park Service is considering a request from the University
NAVSTAR Consortium to install and maintain six continuous global
positioning system stations for at least 10 years in three national
park system units in Alaska. An environmental assessment was written
to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed action and
the no-action alternative.
The geodetic
network would complement other stations in Alaska and the continental
U.S. as part of EarthScope Program's Plate Boundary Observatory.
This National Science Foundation project would advance studies of
earth's surface deformation across the active boundary zone between
the Pacific and North American plates in Alaska. Two sites are proposed
for each of the three target parks (Denali, Katmai, and Lake Clark
national parks and preserves) because these are areas with active
volcanism and earthquakes. Aside from measuring these major earth
processes, data from these stations could be used to augment hazard
forecasting and warnings and provide base stations to improve GPS
measurements for resources management. Each reference station is
composed of a monument assembly, solar panel array, communication
antenna, and equipment enclosure.
In consultation
with the Park Service, the consortium reduced its original proposed
number of stations in Alaska national parks and agreed to consider
co-locating facilities to the extent feasible with existing radio
repeaters and seismic stations to minimize impacts to park resources
and values. Three of the proposed sites are located in designated
wilderness, two are in areas eligible for wilderness designation,
and one is located in an area not suitable for wilderness designation.
Public comments
are requested on the environmental assessment through August 30,
2007. To comment, please visit http://parkplanning.nps.gov, or write
to the address above. If you have questions about the EA, please
contact Bud Rice, Environmental Protection Specialist, at (907)
644-3530 or email him at Bud_Rice@nps.gov.
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Author:Jane
Ahernl
Last modified on: April 18, 2003
www.nps.gov/akso
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