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Contact: Hannah Bradburn
MUNISING, Mich. – The National Park Service (NPS) today issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Miners Falls Viewing Platform and Steps Replacement Project at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This project aims to provide safe public access to the Miners River and the base of Miners Falls while reducing impacts to the natural environment.
The project will replace the existing stairs and viewing platforms at Miners Falls and create a new rustic-style trail from the lower platform to the bottom of the falls. The present platforms are deteriorating with age, and there has been significant public demand for access to the base of Miners Falls. This action is described as Alternative 1 in the Environmental Assessment (EA) for this project, released for public review in July 2024.
As part of the project’s EA, the FONSI records a conclusion by the NPS that there are no significant environmental impacts projected to occur upon implementation of the proposed action, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Historic Preservation Act. The documents are available online.
The EA was available for public comment from July 11 – August 9, 2024. During this time, 31 comments were received, with most being in favor of the action outlined. All substantiative comments were considered during the development of the FONSI. Comments and responses are recorded in Appendix A of the FONSI document.
Additional information regarding Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore can be found at www.nps.gov/piro or on Facebook @PicturedRocksNL and Instagram @picturedrocksnps.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
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Last updated: December 4, 2024