Yakus Creek Project, Clearwater National Forest, Idaho County, ID, 48518-48519 [05-16360]

Download as PDF 48518 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 159 / Thursday, August 18, 2005 / Notices established and maintained by regulated facilities. The information contained in these records is used by APHIS inspectors to ensure that dealers, research facilities, exhibitors, intermediate handlers, and carriers comply with the Act and regulations. Facilities must make and maintain records that contain official identification for all dogs and cats and certification of those animals received from pounds, shelters, and private individuals. These records are used to ensure that stolen pets are not used for regulated activities. Dealers, exhibitors, and research facilities that acquire animals from nonlicensed persons are required to have the owners of the animals sign a certification statement verifying the owner’s exemption from licensing under the Act. Records must also be maintained for animals other than dogs and cats when the animals are used for purposes regulated under the Act. Research facilities must also make and maintain additional records for animals covered under the Act that are used for teaching, testing, and experimentation. This information is used by APHIS personnel to review the research facility’s animal care and use program. APHIS needs the reporting and recordkeeping requirements contained in 9 CFR part 2 to enforce the Act and regulations. APHIS also uses the collected information to provide a mandatory annual Animal Welfare Enforcement report to Congress. We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information collection activities for an additional 3 years. The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public (as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These comments will help us: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other collection VerDate jul<14>2003 12:20 Aug 17, 2005 Jkt 205001 technologies, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. Estimate of burden: The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.4796408 hours per response. Respondents: Research facilities, ‘‘A’’ and ‘‘B’’ dealers, exhibitors, carriers, and intermediate handlers. Estimated annual number of respondents: 7,305. Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 9.1175906. Estimated annual number of responses: 66,604. Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 98,550 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per response.) All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record. Done in Washington, DC, this 12th day of August 2005. Kevin Shea, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. 05–16377 Filed 8–17–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–34–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Yakus Creek Project, Clearwater National Forest, Idaho County, ID Forest Service, USDA Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effect of timber harvest and watershed restoration activities in the Yakus Creek project area on the Lochsa Ranger District of the Clearwater National Forest. The Yakus Creek project area is located in the Yakus Creek drainage, a tributary to Lolo Creek, approximately 12 air-miles eat of the town of Kamiah, Idaho. DATES: This project was previously scoped in February 2004, and the comments received will be included in the documentation for the EIS. A 45-day public comment period will follow the release of the draft environmental impact statement that is expected in December 2005. The final environmental impact statement is expected in May 2006. ADDRESSES: Written comments and suggestions concerning the scope of this PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 project should be sent to Cindy Land (clane@fs.fed.us), District Ranger, Lochsa Ranger District, Rt. 1 Box 398, Kooskia, ID 83539. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Harbaugh (gharbaugh@fs.fed.us), Project Leader, Lochsa Ranger District. Phone: (208) 926–4274. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Yakus Creek project area contains approximately 7,900 acres, of which 5,240 acres are National Forest lands and 2,660 acres are other ownership (State, timber companies, and private). The legal location is in portions of Sections 1, 2, 12, and 13, T33N, R5E; Sections 3–9, 17, and 18, T33N, R6E; Sections 25, 26, 35, and 36, T34N, R5E; and Sections 30–33, T34N, R6E, Boise Meridian, Idaho County, Idaho. The proposed actions would occur on National Forest lands and are all outside the boundaries of any inventoried roadless area or any areas considered for inclusion to the National Wilderness System as recommended by the Clearwater National Forest Plan or by any past or present legislative wilderness proposals. Purpose and Need for Action is to: (1) Improve forest health and start the shift towards desired patch sizes by: (1) Shifting species composition from grand fir to white pine and western larch; (b) reducing tree densities in immature stands; (c) regenerating decadent mature stands; (d) regenerating stands with insect and root rot problems; (e) creating desired patches (300–500 acres) with timber harvest; and (f) connecting existing seedling/sapling stands, where possible; (2) restore watershed function to improve soil productivity and instream conditions; and (3) manage the landscape to provide for goods and services deemed important to society. The Proposed Action would harvest timber through regeneration harvest and commercial thinning on approximately 670 acres of forestland within the Yakus Creek drainage. Regeneration harvest (520 acres) would leave approximately 20–25 trees per acre as individual trees and in groups, where feasible, to provide future snags and down woody material for wildlife habitat. Commercial thinning (150 acres) would reduce the basal area in dense timbered stands down to about 160–180 square feet. There is also an opportunity to precommercial thin approximately 1,620 acres of young stands scattered throughout the project area. Use of existing, temporary and permanent roads would be needed to access timber harvest areas. An estimated 1.8 miles of existing roads would be reconstructed in addition to 1.2 miles of new specified E:\FR\FM\18AUN1.SGM 18AUN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 159 / Thursday, August 18, 2005 / Notices road construction to facilitate timber removal. An estimated 2.2 miles of temporary roads would be constructed and obliterated following completion of sale related activities. Watershed restoration activities would consist of an estimated 11.6 miles of road decommissioning, an estimated 13.7 miles of existing roads put into intermittent storage (self-maintaining), and the decompaction of approximately 190 acres of old skid trains and landings. The Possible Alternatives the Forest Service will consider include the ‘‘no action’’ alternative in which none of the proposed activities would be implemented. Additional alternatives being considered examine varying levels and locations for the proposed activities to achieve the proposal’s purpose and need, as well as to respond to the issues and other resource concerns. The Responsible Official is the Forest Supervisor of the Clearwater National Forest, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, ID 83544. The Responsible Official will decide if the proposed project will be implemented and will document the decision and reasons for the decision in a Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest Service Appeal Regulations. The responsibility for preparing the DEIS and FEIS has been delegated to Cindy Lane, District Ranger, Lochsa Ranger District, Rt. 1 Box 398, Kooskia, ID 83539. The Scoping Process was initiated with the release of a Scoping Letter on February 10, 2004. Comments received as a result of that effort will be included in the documentation for the EIS. Additional scoping will follow the release of the DEIS, expected in December 2005. This proposal also includes openings greater than 40 acres. A 60-day public review period and approval by the Regional Forester for exceeding the 40 acre limitation will occur prior to the signing of the Record of Decision. The 60-day public review period is initiated with this Notice of Intent. Preliminary Issues that could be affected by proposal activities include: air quality; economics; grazing; heritage resources; old growth habitat; recreation access; risk of landslides; scenic quality; size of openings; snag habitat; spread of noxious weeds; threatened, endangered and sensitive species of wildlife, fish VerDate jul<14>2003 12:20 Aug 17, 2005 Jkt 205001 and plants; tribal treaty rights; and water quality. Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent Environmental Review: A draft environmental impact statement will be prepared for comment. The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register. The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of draft environmental impact statements must structure their participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer’s position and contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, it is very important that those interested in this proposed action participate by the close of the 45day comment period so that substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the final environmental impact statement. To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 48519 Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal and will be available for public inspection. (Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 21) Dated: August 10, 2005. Thomas K. Reilly, Forest Supervisor. [FR Doc. 05–16360 Filed 8–17–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–11–M DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Rural Telephone Bank Board Approval of Liquidation and Dissolution of the Bank AGENCY: Rural Telephone Bank, USDA. Notice of Board approval of liquidation and dissolution of the Rural Telephone Bank. ACTION: SUMMARY: In a meeting held August 4, 2005, the Board of Directors (Board) of the Rural Telephone Bank (Bank) approved resolutions to liquidate and dissolve the Bank, subject to lifting of the current statutory restriction limiting the amount of Government-owned Class A stock that the Bank can redeem. This notice is being published to ensure that all interested parties are informed of the details of the resolutions approved by the Board. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonathan P. Claffey, Assistant Secretary, Rural Telephone Bank, STOP 1590— Room 5151, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250– 1590. Telephone: (202) 720–9556. In a special meeting held on March 11, 2005, and during its regularly scheduled meeting held on May 4, 2005, the Board discussed the possibility of liquidating and dissolving the Bank. In its meeting on August 4, 2005, a resolution to liquidate and dissolve the Bank was passed unanimously by the Board. The full text of the resolution is presented with this notice including two attachments referenced within the resolution. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BILLING CODE 3410–15–P E:\FR\FM\18AUN1.SGM 18AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 159 (Thursday, August 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48518-48519]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-16360]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Yakus Creek Project, Clearwater National Forest, Idaho County, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effect of timber harvest 
and watershed restoration activities in the Yakus Creek project area on 
the Lochsa Ranger District of the Clearwater National Forest. The Yakus 
Creek project area is located in the Yakus Creek drainage, a tributary 
to Lolo Creek, approximately 12 air-miles eat of the town of Kamiah, 
Idaho.

DATES: This project was previously scoped in February 2004, and the 
comments received will be included in the documentation for the EIS. A 
45-day public comment period will follow the release of the draft 
environmental impact statement that is expected in December 2005. The 
final environmental impact statement is expected in May 2006.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and suggestions concerning the scope of 
this project should be sent to Cindy Land (clane@fs.fed.us), District 
Ranger, Lochsa Ranger District, Rt. 1 Box 398, Kooskia, ID 83539.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Harbaugh (gharbaugh@fs.fed.us), 
Project Leader, Lochsa Ranger District. Phone: (208) 926-4274.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Yakus Creek project area contains 
approximately 7,900 acres, of which 5,240 acres are National Forest 
lands and 2,660 acres are other ownership (State, timber companies, and 
private). The legal location is in portions of Sections 1, 2, 12, and 
13, T33N, R5E; Sections 3-9, 17, and 18, T33N, R6E; Sections 25, 26, 
35, and 36, T34N, R5E; and Sections 30-33, T34N, R6E, Boise Meridian, 
Idaho County, Idaho. The proposed actions would occur on National 
Forest lands and are all outside the boundaries of any inventoried 
roadless area or any areas considered for inclusion to the National 
Wilderness System as recommended by the Clearwater National Forest Plan 
or by any past or present legislative wilderness proposals.
    Purpose and Need for Action is to: (1) Improve forest health and 
start the shift towards desired patch sizes by: (1) Shifting species 
composition from grand fir to white pine and western larch; (b) 
reducing tree densities in immature stands; (c) regenerating decadent 
mature stands; (d) regenerating stands with insect and root rot 
problems; (e) creating desired patches (300-500 acres) with timber 
harvest; and (f) connecting existing seedling/sapling stands, where 
possible; (2) restore watershed function to improve soil productivity 
and instream conditions; and (3) manage the landscape to provide for 
goods and services deemed important to society.
    The Proposed Action would harvest timber through regeneration 
harvest and commercial thinning on approximately 670 acres of 
forestland within the Yakus Creek drainage. Regeneration harvest (520 
acres) would leave approximately 20-25 trees per acre as individual 
trees and in groups, where feasible, to provide future snags and down 
woody material for wildlife habitat. Commercial thinning (150 acres) 
would reduce the basal area in dense timbered stands down to about 160-
180 square feet. There is also an opportunity to precommercial thin 
approximately 1,620 acres of young stands scattered throughout the 
project area. Use of existing, temporary and permanent roads would be 
needed to access timber harvest areas. An estimated 1.8 miles of 
existing roads would be reconstructed in addition to 1.2 miles of new 
specified

[[Page 48519]]

road construction to facilitate timber removal. An estimated 2.2 miles 
of temporary roads would be constructed and obliterated following 
completion of sale related activities. Watershed restoration activities 
would consist of an estimated 11.6 miles of road decommissioning, an 
estimated 13.7 miles of existing roads put into intermittent storage 
(self-maintaining), and the decompaction of approximately 190 acres of 
old skid trains and landings.
    The Possible Alternatives the Forest Service will consider include 
the ``no action'' alternative in which none of the proposed activities 
would be implemented. Additional alternatives being considered examine 
varying levels and locations for the proposed activities to achieve the 
proposal's purpose and need, as well as to respond to the issues and 
other resource concerns.
    The Responsible Official is the Forest Supervisor of the Clearwater 
National Forest, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, ID 83544. The Responsible 
Official will decide if the proposed project will be implemented and 
will document the decision and reasons for the decision in a Record of 
Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest Service Appeal 
Regulations. The responsibility for preparing the DEIS and FEIS has 
been delegated to Cindy Lane, District Ranger, Lochsa Ranger District, 
Rt. 1 Box 398, Kooskia, ID 83539.
    The Scoping Process was initiated with the release of a Scoping 
Letter on February 10, 2004. Comments received as a result of that 
effort will be included in the documentation for the EIS. Additional 
scoping will follow the release of the DEIS, expected in December 2005. 
This proposal also includes openings greater than 40 acres. A 60-day 
public review period and approval by the Regional Forester for 
exceeding the 40 acre limitation will occur prior to the signing of the 
Record of Decision. The 60-day public review period is initiated with 
this Notice of Intent.
    Preliminary Issues that could be affected by proposal activities 
include: air quality; economics; grazing; heritage resources; old 
growth habitat; recreation access; risk of landslides; scenic quality; 
size of openings; snag habitat; spread of noxious weeds; threatened, 
endangered and sensitive species of wildlife, fish and plants; tribal 
treaty rights; and water quality.
    Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review: A draft environmental impact statement will be 
prepared for comment. The comment period on the draft environmental 
impact statement will be 45 days from the date the Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal 
Register.
    The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important 
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public 
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of 
draft environmental impact statements must structure their 
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is 
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and 
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the 
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised 
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may 
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 
F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, 
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action 
participate by the close of the 45-day comment period so that 
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest 
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to 
them in the final environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft 
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is 
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the 
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft 
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer 
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing 
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
    Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, Section 21)

    Dated: August 10, 2005.
Thomas K. Reilly,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 05-16360 Filed 8-17-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
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