Notice of Intent To Amend the Three Rivers Resource Management Plan and Conduct Public Scoping, 34314-34315 [E8-13582]

Download as PDF 34314 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 117 / Tuesday, June 17, 2008 / Notices personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f). Dated: April 24, 2008. Cynthia K. Dohner, Acting Regional Director. [FR Doc. E8–13580 Filed 6–16–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–55–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [OR–025–1110–MR–SSSS; 8–0118] Notice of Intent To Amend the Three Rivers Resource Management Plan and Conduct Public Scoping Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice of Intent. jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Burns District in Burns, Oregon, intends to amend the Three Rivers Resource Management Plan (RMP) with an associated Environmental Assessment (EA) that also analyzes effects of undertaking the Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Improvement Project (GSHIP) located in Harney County, Oregon. The objective of the proposal is to improve sagegrouse habitat and reestablish once open sagebrush habitats encroached upon by western juniper. The BLM also intends to consider allowance for harvest of downed western juniper trees south of U.S. Highway 20 and west of Oregon State Highway 205 for fuel wood, posts and poles, and for commercial harvest of juniper boughs for use in holiday decorating. Allowance for harvest of downed juniper trees and juniper boughs would amend the Three Rivers RMP. By this notice, the BLM is announcing the beginning of the public scoping process. DATES: Scoping comments will be accepted for 30 days following publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Public notice will be provided when the Draft RMP Amendment and associated EA become available later this year (2008). Written comments will also be accepted throughout the planning process at the address below. VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:10 Jun 16, 2008 Jkt 214001 You may submit comments to GSHIP/RMP Amendment Lead, BLM Burns District Office, 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738; fax to (541) 573–4411; or e-mail to Joan_Suther@or.blm.gov. Comments, including the names and addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the Burns District Office during regular business hours 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be published as part of the Decision. 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 in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Anonymous comments will not be considered. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety. ADDRESSES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: GSHIP/RMP Amendment Project Lead, BLM Burns District Office, 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738; (541) 573–4503; Fax (541) 573–4411; email Joan_Suther@blm.gov; or visit the Burns District Web site at https:// www.blm.gov/or/districts/burns/plans/ index.php. The GSHIP project was developed from management objectives identified in the Three Rivers RMP. The Three Rivers Plan directs BLM to: ‘‘* * * restore, maintain, or enhance the diversity of plant communities and wildlife habitat in abundances and distributions which prevent the loss of specific native plant community types or indigenous wildlife species habitat within the Resource Area’’ (WL–7.2); ‘‘* * * maintain, restore or enhance the habitat of candidate, State listed and other sensitive species to maintain the populations at a level which will avoid endangering the species and the need to list the species by either State or Federal governments’’ (SSS–2); and ‘‘* * * maintain, restore or enhance the diversity of plant communities and plant species in abundances and distributions, which prevent the loss of specific native plant community types or indigenous plant species within the Resource Area’’ (V–1). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PO 00000 Frm 00069 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 In addition to direction from the Three Rivers RMP, managers are directed to meet management objectives and guidelines set forth in the Greater Sage-grouse and Sagebrush-Steppe Ecosystems Management Guidelines (2001). These management objectives and guidelines include: ‘‘* * * maintain and enhance existing sagegrouse habitats, use mechanical treatment or prescribed fire to remove juniper where it has invaded into * * * sites with mountain big sagebrush and/ or low sagebrush; and vegetation manipulations should benefit the longterm health of sage-grouse habitat.’’ Greater sage-grouse have been declining across much of their native range for decades due to habitat modification and fragmentation. Changes to habitat and habitat fragmentation have come from both natural and human causes. Human caused habitat change and fragmentation have resulted from urban sprawl, rangeland modification, and infrastructure development (i.e., power lines, highways, etc.). Natural habitat changes have been induced through fire, climate change, and succession; however, even natural causes have been influenced by man to some degree. One cause of sage-grouse habitat loss in the Three Rivers Resource Area is due to western juniper encroachment into what were once sagebrush dominated landscapes. Historic grazing practices (which removed fine herbaceous fuels) and fire suppression activities at the turn of the century reduced influence of the fire regime in the project area. Fire was the principal factor controlling conifer encroachment into shrub-grassland communities in the Intermountain West prior to Euro-American immigration (110 to 130 years ago) (West 1999; Miller and Tausch 2001). As frequency and size of fires across the landscape lessened, juniper expanded into shrubgrassland communities with an overall loss in ecosystem function and a dramatic alteration in historic biodiversity, hydrologic cycles, fauna, and nutrient cycling (Bates et al. 1998). Recent inventories of western juniper in eastern Oregon indicate juniper woodlands and savannahs cover an area of over five million acres (Gedney et al. 1999). Comparisons with data generated by earlier inventories suggest the area supporting western juniper has increased fivefold since 1936. Harney County is one of four counties in Oregon that contain more than one-half million acres of western juniper woodlands. Sage-grouse are sensitive to juniper encroachment and have been shown to avoid juniper communities for nesting E:\FR\FM\17JNN1.SGM 17JNN1 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 117 / Tuesday, June 17, 2008 / Notices and winter habitat (Miller et al. 2005). Continued expansion of juniper will lead to further losses of suitable sagegrouse habitat. While the problem of juniper encroachment is prevalent across the Resource Area, the Glass Butte/Rye Grass area was selected to expand upon a small-scale project completed there in 2006. Initial scoping (March 1 to April 1, 2007) for the GSHIP expressed interest from the public in harvesting downed juniper for fuel wood, posts and poles. Additional preliminary issues and management concerns identified by BLM personnel and the public include management of Air Quality, Water Quality, Migratory Birds, Special Status Species fauna and flora, Noxious Weeds, Cultural Heritage and Hazardous Materials. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to develop the EA in order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns identified. Disciplines involved in the project will include (but not be limited to) those with expertise in management of the aforementioned resources. 1920 (30 U.S.C. 188). We are proposing to reinstate the lease, effective the date of termination subject to: • The original terms and conditions of the lease; • The increased rental of $10 per acre; • The increased royalty of 162⁄3 percent or 4 percentages above the existing competitive royalty rate; and • The $163 cost of publishing this Notice. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen L. Johnson, Chief, Fluids Adjudication Section, BLM Montana State Office, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, Montana 59101–4669, 406– 896–5098. Dated: June 11, 2008. Dana R. Shuford, Burns District Manager. [FR Doc. E8–13582 Filed 6–16–08; 8:45 am] Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, OH BILLING CODE 4310–33–P ACTION: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [MT–922–08–1310–FI–P; NDM 95212] Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of Terminated Oil and Gas Lease NDM 95212 Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice. jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: Per 30 U.S.C. 188(d), Marathon Oil Company timely filed a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease NDM 95212, Mountrail County, North Dakota. The lessee paid the required rental accruing from the date of termination. No leases were issued that affect these lands. The lessee agrees to new lease terms for rentals and royalties of $10 per acre and 162⁄3 percent or 4 percentages above the existing competitive royalty rate. The lessee paid the $500 administration fee for the reinstatement of the lease and $163 cost for publishing this Notice. The lessee met the requirements for reinstatement of the lease per Sec. 31(d) and (e) of the Mineral Leasing Act of VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:10 Jun 16, 2008 Jkt 214001 Dated: June 11, 2008. Karen L. Johnson, Chief, Fluids Adjudication Section. [FR Doc. E8–13591 Filed 6–16–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–$$–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service National Park Service, Interior. Notice. AGENCY: Notice is here given in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3005, of the intent to repatriate cultural items in the possession of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, OH, that meet the definition of ‘‘unassociated funerary object’’ and ‘‘sacred object’’ under 25 U.S.C. 3001. This notice is published as part of the National Park Service’s administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 U.S.C. 3003 (d)(3). The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the museum, institution, or Federal agency that has control of the cultural items. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice. In 1956, cultural items were acquired by The Cleveland Museum of Natural History from the Logan Museum, Beloit College, Beloit, WI. The two cultural items are one ceremonial wood bowl (CMNH 12888/CMNH 19888) and one silver brooch (CMNH 08169). Representatives of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Michigan attributed the cultural items as Ottawa/ Odawa. The bowl is well-made with a carved rim and knobs. The locality and date for PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 34315 the bowl are recorded as ‘‘Michigan, Emmet County, early 1900’s.’’ In Odawa spiritual practices, ceremonial bowls have a wide range of use and are utilized in many different ceremonial activities. It is believed that manidok (spirits) reside in each individual bowl and are a part of the community. It is the Tribe’s continued responsibility to take care of these bowls and use them in ceremonies for sacred reasons, as such Traditional Religious leaders of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Michigan need to use these bowls in ceremonies for the Tribe. The one silver brooch (CMNH 08169) is made from German silver in the shape of a disk with punched designs of circles, stars, and ellipses. The locality and date for the brooch are listed as ‘‘Michigan, Emmet County, late 1800’s.’’ Multiple archeological sites that are Native American burial sites or cemeteries in Michigan from the Historic Period contain an array of European trade goods, such as knives, glass beads and silver brooches (Halsey, 286). It is believed that the silver brooch in the possession of museum came from an Odawa grave based on similar objects found in other Odawa graves from Michigan. In addition, it is believed that the brooch is a grave item because it has been recorded as a Native American item and not just simply a piece of silver since the designation of such simple items to be of Native origin usually originates because it came from a Native American burial. Officials of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (3)(B), the one cultural item described above is reasonably believed to have been placed with or near individual human remains at the time of death or later as part of the death rite or ceremony and is believed, by a preponderance of the evidence, to have been removed from a specific burial site of a Native American individual. Officials of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History also have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (3)(C), the one cultural item described above is a specific ceremonial object needed by traditional Native American religious leaders for the practice of traditional Native American religions by their present–day adherents. Lastly, officials of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (2), there is a relationship of shared group identity that can be reasonably traced between the unassociated funerary object and the sacred object and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Michigan. E:\FR\FM\17JNN1.SGM 17JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 117 (Tuesday, June 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34314-34315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-13582]


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

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR-025-1110-MR-SSSS; 8-0118]


Notice of Intent To Amend the Three Rivers Resource Management 
Plan and Conduct Public Scoping

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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

SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM) Burns District in Burns, Oregon, intends to 
amend the Three Rivers Resource Management Plan (RMP) with an 
associated Environmental Assessment (EA) that also analyzes effects of 
undertaking the Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Improvement Project (GSHIP) 
located in Harney County, Oregon. The objective of the proposal is to 
improve sage-grouse habitat and reestablish once open sagebrush 
habitats encroached upon by western juniper. The BLM also intends to 
consider allowance for harvest of downed western juniper trees south of 
U.S. Highway 20 and west of Oregon State Highway 205 for fuel wood, 
posts and poles, and for commercial harvest of juniper boughs for use 
in holiday decorating. Allowance for harvest of downed juniper trees 
and juniper boughs would amend the Three Rivers RMP. By this notice, 
the BLM is announcing the beginning of the public scoping process.

DATES: Scoping comments will be accepted for 30 days following 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Public notice will 
be provided when the Draft RMP Amendment and associated EA become 
available later this year (2008). Written comments will also be 
accepted throughout the planning process at the address below.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments to GSHIP/RMP Amendment Lead, BLM 
Burns District Office, 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738; fax 
to (541) 573-4411; or e-mail to Joan_Suther@or.blm.gov. Comments, 
including the names and addresses of respondents, will be available for 
public review at the Burns District Office during regular business 
hours 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, 
and may be published as part of the Decision. 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 in your comment to 
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Anonymous comments will 
not be considered. All submissions from organizations and businesses, 
and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or 
officials of organizations or businesses, will be available for public 
inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: GSHIP/RMP Amendment Project Lead, BLM 
Burns District Office, 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738; 
(541) 573-4503; Fax (541) 573-4411; e-mail Joan_Suther@blm.gov; or 
visit the Burns District Web site at https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/
burns/plans/index.php.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSHIP project was developed from 
management objectives identified in the Three Rivers RMP. The Three 
Rivers Plan directs BLM to: ``* * * restore, maintain, or enhance the 
diversity of plant communities and wildlife habitat in abundances and 
distributions which prevent the loss of specific native plant community 
types or indigenous wildlife species habitat within the Resource Area'' 
(WL-7.2); ``* * * maintain, restore or enhance the habitat of 
candidate, State listed and other sensitive species to maintain the 
populations at a level which will avoid endangering the species and the 
need to list the species by either State or Federal governments'' (SSS-
2); and ``* * * maintain, restore or enhance the diversity of plant 
communities and plant species in abundances and distributions, which 
prevent the loss of specific native plant community types or indigenous 
plant species within the Resource Area'' (V-1).
    In addition to direction from the Three Rivers RMP, managers are 
directed to meet management objectives and guidelines set forth in the 
Greater Sage-grouse and Sagebrush-Steppe Ecosystems Management 
Guidelines (2001). These management objectives and guidelines include: 
``* * * maintain and enhance existing sage-grouse habitats, use 
mechanical treatment or prescribed fire to remove juniper where it has 
invaded into * * * sites with mountain big sagebrush and/or low 
sagebrush; and vegetation manipulations should benefit the long-term 
health of sage-grouse habitat.''
    Greater sage-grouse have been declining across much of their native 
range for decades due to habitat modification and fragmentation. 
Changes to habitat and habitat fragmentation have come from both 
natural and human causes. Human caused habitat change and fragmentation 
have resulted from urban sprawl, rangeland modification, and 
infrastructure development (i.e., power lines, highways, etc.). Natural 
habitat changes have been induced through fire, climate change, and 
succession; however, even natural causes have been influenced by man to 
some degree. One cause of sage-grouse habitat loss in the Three Rivers 
Resource Area is due to western juniper encroachment into what were 
once sagebrush dominated landscapes.
    Historic grazing practices (which removed fine herbaceous fuels) 
and fire suppression activities at the turn of the century reduced 
influence of the fire regime in the project area. Fire was the 
principal factor controlling conifer encroachment into shrub-grassland 
communities in the Intermountain West prior to Euro-American 
immigration (110 to 130 years ago) (West 1999; Miller and Tausch 2001). 
As frequency and size of fires across the landscape lessened, juniper 
expanded into shrub-grassland communities with an overall loss in 
ecosystem function and a dramatic alteration in historic biodiversity, 
hydrologic cycles, fauna, and nutrient cycling (Bates et al. 1998).
    Recent inventories of western juniper in eastern Oregon indicate 
juniper woodlands and savannahs cover an area of over five million 
acres (Gedney et al. 1999). Comparisons with data generated by earlier 
inventories suggest the area supporting western juniper has increased 
fivefold since 1936. Harney County is one of four counties in Oregon 
that contain more than one-half million acres of western juniper 
woodlands.
    Sage-grouse are sensitive to juniper encroachment and have been 
shown to avoid juniper communities for nesting

[[Page 34315]]

and winter habitat (Miller et al. 2005). Continued expansion of juniper 
will lead to further losses of suitable sage-grouse habitat. While the 
problem of juniper encroachment is prevalent across the Resource Area, 
the Glass Butte/Rye Grass area was selected to expand upon a small-
scale project completed there in 2006.
    Initial scoping (March 1 to April 1, 2007) for the GSHIP expressed 
interest from the public in harvesting downed juniper for fuel wood, 
posts and poles. Additional preliminary issues and management concerns 
identified by BLM personnel and the public include management of Air 
Quality, Water Quality, Migratory Birds, Special Status Species fauna 
and flora, Noxious Weeds, Cultural Heritage and Hazardous Materials.
    An interdisciplinary approach will be used to develop the EA in 
order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns 
identified. Disciplines involved in the project will include (but not 
be limited to) those with expertise in management of the aforementioned 
resources.

    Dated: June 11, 2008.
Dana R. Shuford,
Burns District Manager.
 [FR Doc. E8-13582 Filed 6-16-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P

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