Public scoping is the process by which the National Park Service (NPS) solicits public input on the scope of issues and alternatives to be addressed in a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document, such as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). It is a process open to the general public that is conducted early in the NEPA planning process. Public scoping can include meetings and mailings to educate the public on the project and on the planning process guiding the preparation of an EIS. It also instructs the public on how to provide their comments on the project. After the public scoping period ends, the NPS uses an established protocol to analyze and summarize the public comments received during the scoping period. This summary is used by the NPS—in addition to other relevant law, policy, planning documents, and scientific literature—to determine the scope of the EIS. Point Reyes National Seashore held a public scoping period for the Drakes Bay Oyster Company Special Use Permit EIS from October 8, 2010 to November 26, 2010. During this time, three public scoping open house meetings were held at different locations in the vicinity of the park. The public was encouraged to submit comments through the NPS's Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) web site. Comments were also accepted at the meetings, by postal mail, and in person at the park. Over 4,000 pieces of correspondence were received during the public scoping period for this EIS. This report describes the public scoping process for this document and presents the analysis and summary of public comments received. Public Comment Analysis Report - including Appendices A, B & C (1,857 KB PDF) Public Comment Analysis Report - without Appendices (695 KB PDF) Appendices A, B, and C provide cross-reference lists of the unique tracking numbers assigned to each piece of correspondence and the corresponding commenter name, organizational affiliation, and topics addressed, respectively. A comprehensive list of all correspondence received is attached as printed directly from NPS's Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) web site and is separated into Appendix D because of the large size of the document. Appendix A: Correspondence ID by Author Report (741 KB PDF) Appendix B: Index by Organization Type Report (430 KB PDF) Appendix C: Index by Code Report (68 KB PDF) Appendix D: Correspondence List (16 KB PDF) Please note that all 4,142 pieces of correspondence are included in the printed hardcopy Public Comment Analysis Report. Due to the immense size of this number of correspondence, they have been extracted from the online version and may be downloaded in bundles of 100 below. Please also note that 435 pieces of correspondence entered into PEPC were left blank in the correspondence field. The NPS contacted individuals with blank correspondence fields by email, if an email address was provided, indicating their correspondence field was blank and provided instructions on how to correctly leave a comment. Additionally, home addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers were redacted from all pieces of correspondence with a gray box to protect personal privacy. How Do I Find My Correspondence?
How Was My Correspondence Coded?
Comments recorded on flip charts during Public Scoping Meetings: A total of 343 people attended the three meetings (206 people attended the meeting at Point Reyes Station, 73 attended the meeting in Sausalito, and 64 attended the meeting in Berkeley). Some people attended more than one meeting. Attendees at the three public meetings were able to provide verbal comments. Flip charts were set up at each venue to record these comments. Each flip chart was entered into PEPC as a single piece of correspondence. In other words, there are five pieces of correspondence from the first public meeting in Point Reyes Station that correspond to each of the flip charts that were distributed through the room. Three pieces of correspondence were associated with the three flip charts provided at each of the second two meetings in Sausalito and Berkeley, respectively. Images of the flip chart comments may be found among the other comments in the PDFs linked to below. Dance Palace - Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Bay Model - Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Berkeley REI - Thursday, October 28, 2010
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Last updated: May 2, 2019