Notice of Availability of Fire, Fuels and Related Vegetation Management Direction Proposed Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement, 11138-11139 [E8-3784]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 41 / Friday, February 29, 2008 / Notices
Address comments,
questions, and requests for information
to: Doug Spencer, Project Leader,
Willamette Valley National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, 26208 Finley Refuge
Rd., Corvallis, OR 97333. Comments
may be faxed to (541) 757–4450,
or e-mailed to
FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov.
Include Willamette Valley Refuges CCP
in the subject line of your message.
Additional information about the CCP
planning process is available on the
Internet at: https://www.fws.gov/
willamettevalley/ccp.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Doug Spencer, Project Leader,
Willamette Valley National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, phone (541) 757–7236.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, as amended
by the National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C.
668dd–668ee), requires all lands within
the National Wildlife Refuge System to
be managed in accordance with an
approved CCP. A CCP guides refuge
management decisions, and identifies
long-range goals, objectives, and
strategies for achieving the purposes for
which the refuge was established.
During the CCP planning process many
elements will be considered, including
wildlife and habitat protection and
management, public use opportunities,
and cultural resource protection. Public
input during the planning process is
essential. The CCP for the William L.
Finley, Baskett Slough, and Ankeny
Refuges will describe desired Refuge
conditions and the long-term goals,
objectives, and strategies for achieving
those conditions. To evaluate potential
impacts of CCP alternatives, we will
prepare an environmental assessment in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et
seq.)
ADDRESSES:
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Background
The Refuges were established in the
1960s under the Migratory Bird
Conservation Act ‘‘for use as an
inviolate sanctuary, or for any other
management purpose, for migratory
birds * * * to conserve and protect
migratory birds * * * and to restore or
develop adequate wildlife habitat’’ with
emphasis on protecting dusky Canada
geese. The Refuges’ habitats include
wetlands, wet prairies, upland oak
woodland, oak savanna/upland prairie,
mixed-deciduous woodlands, riparian,
and riverine. Agricultural lands, the
majority managed as grass fields, are
also present on the Refuges. The Refuges
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:22 Feb 28, 2008
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support a significant portion of the
wintering dusky Canada goose
population in addition to other
subspecies of Canada geese, and contain
some of the last tracts of native habitats
in the Willamette Valley, particularly
wet prairie and oak savanna/upland
prairie. The Refuges support key
populations of federally listed species,
including Oregon chub, Fender’s blue
butterfly, Bradshaw’s desert-parsley,
Kincaid’s lupine, Nelson’s checkermallow, and Willamette daisy. Many
other rare, but not yet listed species are
also found on the Refuges. Additional
information on the Refuges is available
at: https://www.fws.gov/willamettevalley.
Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and
Opportunities
We identified the following categories
of preliminary issues for consideration
in the planning process: The Refuges’
role in wintering Canada geese habitat;
restoration and maintenance of native
habitats; maintenance and recovery of
listed and rare species; managing
Roosevelt elk on William L. Finley
Refuge; water and wetland management;
providing sustainable wildlifedependent recreation; maintaining
historical structures; managing invasive
species; and managing on-going Refuge
programs and commitments in an era of
tight budgets. Additional issues may be
identified during public scoping.
Public Availability of Comments
All comments we receive become part
of the public record. Requests for
comments will be handled in
accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act, NEPA, and Service and
Department of the Interior policies and
procedures. Before including your
address, phone number, e-mail address,
or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us to withhold it from
public review, we cannot guarantee we
will be able to do so.
Dated: December 5, 2007.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland,
Oregon.
[FR Doc. E8–3898 Filed 2–28–08; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[ID–300–2824–DS–PJ04]
Notice of Availability of Fire, Fuels and
Related Vegetation Management
Direction Proposed Plan Amendment
and Final Environmental Impact
Statement
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Fire,
Fuels, and Related Vegetation
Management Direction Proposed Plan
Amendment (FMDA) and Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Burley and the Shoshone
Field Offices of the Twin Falls District
and the Pocatello and Upper Snake
Field Offices of the Idaho Falls District
of the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), located in south-central and
eastern Idaho, have prepared a proposed
land use plan amendment and
environmental impact statement to
establish management guidance and
objectives for vegetation resources as
they relate to fire and fuels. This
planning process is in conformance
with the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976
(FLPMA), and the Federal Wildland Fire
Management Policy of 1995, as revised.
The Proposed Plan Amendment is
Alternative E, developed in response to
public comment. Alternative E, which
emphasizes protection and restoration
of both rangeland and forest resources,
is also considered to be the
environmentally preferred alternative.
DATES: No decision on the proposed
plan will be made for at least 30 days
after the Environmental Protection
Agency publishes its Notice of
Availability of this Final EIS in the
Federal Register. BLM regulations (43
CFR 1610.5–2) state that any person
who participated in the planning
process and has an interest that may be
adversely affected may protest the
BLM’s approval of the FMDA FEIS. The
protest must be filed within 30 days of
the date that the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes its Notice
of Availability.
Instructions for filing protests with
the BLM are included in the Dear
Reader letter of the FMDA FEIS and in
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
of this notice.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS are
available upon request from the
Pocatello Field Office, Bureau of Land
Management, 4350 Cliffs Drive,
E:\FR\FM\29FEN1.SGM
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rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 41 / Friday, February 29, 2008 / Notices
Pocatello, Idaho 83204, phone 208–478–
6340, or at https://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/
prog/planning/
firefuels_and_related.html via the
internet. Upon request additional copies
in both paper and digital format are
available in limited numbers.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Terry Lee Smith, FMDA Project
Manager, 4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello,
Idaho 83204, phone 208–478–6392,
email Terry_Lee_Smith@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of
the FMDA FEIS have been sent to
affected Tribes, Federal, State, and local
government agencies and to interested
parties. The FMDA FEIS was developed
with broad public participation through
a five year collaborative planning
process. It addresses management on
approximately 5 million acres of public
land comprising the Burley, Shoshone,
Pocatello and Upper Snake Field Offices
in south-central and eastern Idaho.
The FMDA FEIS would incorporate
the National Fire Plan’s Cohesive
Strategy and the Federal Wildland Fire
Management Policy into existing BLM
land use plans. The FEIS displays the
environmental effects of implementing
those amended plans. The purpose of
the proposed fire management plan
amendments is to:
• Establish fire management
guidance, objectives, policies, and
management actions;
• Identify resource goals and
methods, including desired future
condition of the fire-related vegetation
resources, and management actions
necessary to achieve objectives;
• Form the basis to update fire
management plans and integrate them
with allotment management plans,
wildlife management plans, recreation
management plans, Idaho Standards for
Rangeland Health and Guidelines for
Livestock Grazing, and other applicable
plans, to the greatest extent possible;
and
• Provide consistent land use plan
level direction to enable incremental
steps toward a long-term resource goal
of conditions that minimize risk to
human life and property and maintain
or restore vegetation that is resistant to
catastrophic wildfire.
Five alternatives were analyzed in the
FEIS. Alternative A, the No Action
alternative, reflects current Land Use
Plan direction, emphasizes wildland fire
suppression, and minimizes the use of
wildland fire for resource benefit.
Alternative B emphasizes the increased
use of fire, including prescribed fire and
wildland fire use to more closely
approximate the historical role of fire
and the preparation of sites for
VerDate Aug<31>2005
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Jkt 214001
restoration treatments. Alternative C
identifies full implementation of the
Cohesive Strategy from the National Fire
Plan (treats more acres with prescribed
fire than the other alternatives).
Alternative D focuses on maintaining or
restoring the sagebrush steppe
ecosystem and its associated wildlife
species, including sage grouse.
Alternative E, the proposed plan
amendment, proposes maintaining or
restoring the sagebrush steppe
ecosystem and its associated wildlife
species, including sage grouse as well as
the maintenance and restoration of
forested vegetation types.
The Draft Plan Amendment/DEIS was
released to the public on November 5,
2004 for a 90-day public comment
period. Copies of the Draft Plan
Amendment/DEIS were mailed to
interested publics, the document was
posted on the BLM Idaho internet site,
news releases were published in area
local newspapers announcing the
availability of the document. In early
December 2004, public meetings were
held in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Boise,
and Twin Falls, Idaho to facilitate
public review and comment by
providing summary information and
answering questions during the public
comment period. Based on public
comments, Alternative E was developed
from a combination of Alternative D
with the forested vegetation component
of Alternative C to provide an
alternative that focuses on the fire
management needs of both forested and
rangeland vegetation types. Alternative
E is analyzed in the FMDA FEIS.
Instructions for filing a protest with
the Director of the BLM regarding the
FMDA FEIS may be found at 43 CFR
1610.5–2. Electronic mail and facsimile
protests will be considered only if the
protesting party provides BLM with the
original letter by either regular or
overnight mail postmarked by the close
of the protest period. Under those
conditions, the BLM will consider the
electronic or faxed version as an
advance copy, and it will receive full
consideration. If you wish to provide
the BLM with such advance
notification, please direct faxed protests
to the attention of the BLM Protest
Coordinator at (202) 452–5112 and
electronic mails to Brenda_HudgensWilliams@blm.gov. All protests,
including the follow-up letter (if
electronically mailed or faxed) must be
in writing and mailed to one of the
following addresses:
Regular Mail, Director (210), Attn:
Brenda Hudgens-Williams, P.O. Box
66538, Washington, DC 20036.
PO 00000
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11139
Overnight Mail, Director (210), Attn:
Brenda Hudgens-Williams, 1620 L
Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington,
DC 20036.
Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or other
personal identifying information in your
protest, you should be aware that your
entire protest—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your protest to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Thomas H. Dyer,
Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State
Director.
[FR Doc. E8–3784 Filed 2–27–08; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[ID 111 1610 DQ 049D DBG071006]
Notice of Availability of Snake River
Birds of Prey National Conservation
Area Proposed Resource Management
Plan and Final Environmental Impact
Statement, Idaho
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Proposed Resource
Management Plan/Final Environmental
Impact Statement (PRMP/FEIS) for the
Snake River Birds of Prey National
Conservation Area (NCA).
DATES: The BLM Planning regulations
(43CFR 1610.5–2) state that any person
who participated in the planning
process and has an interest that may be
adversely affected may protest the
BLM’s Proposed RMP. The protest must
be filed within 30 days of the date that
the Environmental Protection Agency
publishes this Notice of Availability in
the Federal Register.
Instructions for filing protests are
described in the Dear Reader letter of
the NCA PRMP/FEIS and in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John
Sullivan, NCA Manager, BLM Four
Rivers Field Office, 3948 Development
Ave., Boise, Idaho 83705, phone 208–
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 41 (Friday, February 29, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11138-11139]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3784]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[ID-300-2824-DS-PJ04]
Notice of Availability of Fire, Fuels and Related Vegetation
Management Direction Proposed Plan Amendment and Final Environmental
Impact Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Fire, Fuels, and Related Vegetation
Management Direction Proposed Plan Amendment (FMDA) and Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Burley and the Shoshone Field Offices of the Twin Falls
District and the Pocatello and Upper Snake Field Offices of the Idaho
Falls District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), located in
south-central and eastern Idaho, have prepared a proposed land use plan
amendment and environmental impact statement to establish management
guidance and objectives for vegetation resources as they relate to fire
and fuels. This planning process is in conformance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), and the Federal Wildland Fire
Management Policy of 1995, as revised. The Proposed Plan Amendment is
Alternative E, developed in response to public comment. Alternative E,
which emphasizes protection and restoration of both rangeland and
forest resources, is also considered to be the environmentally
preferred alternative.
DATES: No decision on the proposed plan will be made for at least 30
days after the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of
Availability of this Final EIS in the Federal Register. BLM regulations
(43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any person who participated in the
planning process and has an interest that may be adversely affected may
protest the BLM's approval of the FMDA FEIS. The protest must be filed
within 30 days of the date that the Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its Notice of Availability.
Instructions for filing protests with the BLM are included in the
Dear Reader letter of the FMDA FEIS and in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this notice.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS are available upon request from the
Pocatello Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 4350 Cliffs Drive,
[[Page 11139]]
Pocatello, Idaho 83204, phone 208-478-6340, or at https://www.blm.gov/
id/st/en/prog/planning/firefuels_and_related.html via the internet.
Upon request additional copies in both paper and digital format are
available in limited numbers.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terry Lee Smith, FMDA Project Manager,
4350 Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, Idaho 83204, phone 208-478-6392, email
Terry_Lee_Smith@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of the FMDA FEIS have been sent to
affected Tribes, Federal, State, and local government agencies and to
interested parties. The FMDA FEIS was developed with broad public
participation through a five year collaborative planning process. It
addresses management on approximately 5 million acres of public land
comprising the Burley, Shoshone, Pocatello and Upper Snake Field
Offices in south-central and eastern Idaho.
The FMDA FEIS would incorporate the National Fire Plan's Cohesive
Strategy and the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy into existing
BLM land use plans. The FEIS displays the environmental effects of
implementing those amended plans. The purpose of the proposed fire
management plan amendments is to:
Establish fire management guidance, objectives, policies,
and management actions;
Identify resource goals and methods, including desired
future condition of the fire-related vegetation resources, and
management actions necessary to achieve objectives;
Form the basis to update fire management plans and
integrate them with allotment management plans, wildlife management
plans, recreation management plans, Idaho Standards for Rangeland
Health and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing, and other applicable
plans, to the greatest extent possible; and
Provide consistent land use plan level direction to enable
incremental steps toward a long-term resource goal of conditions that
minimize risk to human life and property and maintain or restore
vegetation that is resistant to catastrophic wildfire.
Five alternatives were analyzed in the FEIS. Alternative A, the No
Action alternative, reflects current Land Use Plan direction,
emphasizes wildland fire suppression, and minimizes the use of wildland
fire for resource benefit. Alternative B emphasizes the increased use
of fire, including prescribed fire and wildland fire use to more
closely approximate the historical role of fire and the preparation of
sites for restoration treatments. Alternative C identifies full
implementation of the Cohesive Strategy from the National Fire Plan
(treats more acres with prescribed fire than the other alternatives).
Alternative D focuses on maintaining or restoring the sagebrush steppe
ecosystem and its associated wildlife species, including sage grouse.
Alternative E, the proposed plan amendment, proposes maintaining or
restoring the sagebrush steppe ecosystem and its associated wildlife
species, including sage grouse as well as the maintenance and
restoration of forested vegetation types.
The Draft Plan Amendment/DEIS was released to the public on
November 5, 2004 for a 90-day public comment period. Copies of the
Draft Plan Amendment/DEIS were mailed to interested publics, the
document was posted on the BLM Idaho internet site, news releases were
published in area local newspapers announcing the availability of the
document. In early December 2004, public meetings were held in Idaho
Falls, Pocatello, Boise, and Twin Falls, Idaho to facilitate public
review and comment by providing summary information and answering
questions during the public comment period. Based on public comments,
Alternative E was developed from a combination of Alternative D with
the forested vegetation component of Alternative C to provide an
alternative that focuses on the fire management needs of both forested
and rangeland vegetation types. Alternative E is analyzed in the FMDA
FEIS.
Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM
regarding the FMDA FEIS may be found at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. Electronic
mail and facsimile protests will be considered only if the protesting
party provides BLM with the original letter by either regular or
overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest period. Under
those conditions, the BLM will consider the electronic or faxed version
as an advance copy, and it will receive full consideration. If you wish
to provide the BLM with such advance notification, please direct faxed
protests to the attention of the BLM Protest Coordinator at (202) 452-
5112 and electronic mails to Brenda_Hudgens-Williams@blm.gov. All
protests, including the follow-up letter (if electronically mailed or
faxed) must be in writing and mailed to one of the following addresses:
Regular Mail, Director (210), Attn: Brenda Hudgens-Williams, P.O. Box
66538, Washington, DC 20036.
Overnight Mail, Director (210), Attn: Brenda Hudgens-Williams, 1620 L
Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Thomas H. Dyer,
Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Director.
[FR Doc. E8-3784 Filed 2-27-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-GG-P
