Assessment of Ecological/Social/Cultural/Economic Sustainability, Conditions, and Trends for the Lincoln National Forest, 36500-36501 [2015-15618]
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36500
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 80, No. 122
Thursday, June 25, 2015
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
UNITED STATES AFRICAN
DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
Public Quarterly Meeting of the Board
of Directors
United States African
Development Foundation.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
The U.S. African
Development Foundation (USADF) will
hold its quarterly meeting of the Board
of Directors to discuss the agency’s
programs and administration.
DATES: The meeting date is Wednesday,
July 15th, 2015, 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting location is
1400 I Street Northwest, Suite #1000
(Main Conference Room), Washington,
DC 2005–2246.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julia
Lingham, 202–233–8811.
SUMMARY:
Authority: Pub. L. 96–533 (22 U.S.C. 290h).
Dated: June 16, 2015.
Doris Mason Martin,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2015–15616 Filed 6–24–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6117–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Assessment of Ecological/Social/
Cultural/Economic Sustainability,
Conditions, and Trends for the Lincoln
National Forest
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of initiating the
assessment phase of the Lincoln
National Forest land management plan
revision.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Lincoln National Forest,
located in southern New Mexico, is
initiating the forest planning process
pursuant to the 2012 Forest Planning
Rule. This process results in a Forest
SUMMARY:
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16:37 Jun 24, 2015
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Land Management Plan which describes
the strategic direction for management
of forest resources for the next ten to
fifteen years on the Lincoln National
Forest. The first phase of the process,
the assessment phase, is beginning, and
interested parties are invited to
contribute in the development of the
assessment (36 CFR 219.6). The trends
and conditions identified in the
assessment will help in identifying the
current plan’s need for change and aid
in the development of plan components.
The Forest hosted a series of
Community Conversations with
stakeholders in March 2015. Additional
public participation opportunities are
forthcoming to discuss the assessment
process. Information on these
opportunities and all future public
participation opportunities will be made
available on the Lincoln Plan Revision
Web site (see link below).
DATES: A draft of the assessment report
for the Lincoln National Forest is
expected to be completed by early
summer 2016 and will be posted on the
following Web site, www.fs.usda.gov/
goto/lincolnforestplan.
The Lincoln National Forest is
currently inviting the public to engage
in a collaborative process to identify
relevant information and local
knowledge to be considered for the
assessment. Once the assessment is
completed, the Forest will initiate
procedures pursuant to the 2012
Planning Rule and the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to
prepare a forest plan revision.
ADDRESSES: Written comments or
questions concerning this notice should
be addressed to: Lincoln National
Forest, Attn: Sabrina Flores, 3463 Las
Palomas, Alamogordo, NM 88310.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sabrina Flores, Forest Planner, 575–
434–7200. Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific Time,
Monday through Friday. More
information on the planning process can
also be found on the Lincoln National
Forest Web site at www.fs.usda.gov/
goto/lincolnforestplan.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
National Forest Management Act
(NFMA) of 1976 requires that every
National Forest System (NFS) unit
develop a land management plan. On
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April 9, 2012, the Forest Service
finalized its land management planning
rule (2012 Planning Rule), which
provides broad programmatic direction
to National Forests and National
Grasslands for developing and
implementing their land management
plans. Forest plans describe the strategic
direction for management of forest
resources for fifteen years, and are
adaptive and amendable as conditions
change over time.
Under the 2012 Planning Rule, the
assessment of ecological, social,
cultural, and economic trends and
conditions is the first stage of the
planning process. The second stage is a
plan development and decision process
guided, in part, by the National
Environment Policy Act (NEPA) and
includes the preparation of a draft
environmental impact statement and
revised Forest Plan for public review
and comment, and the preparation of
the final environmental impact
statement and revised Forest Plan,
subject to the objection process 36 CFR
part 219 Subpart B prior to final plan
approval. The third stage of the process
is monitoring and feedback, which is
ongoing over the life of the revised
forest plans.
With this notice, the agency invites
other governments, non-governmental
parties, and the public to contribute to
the development of the assessment
report. The assessment will rapidly
evaluate existing information about
relevant ecological, economic, cultural
and social conditions, trends, and
sustainability within the context of the
broader landscape. It will help inform
the planning process through the use of
Best Available Scientific Information,
while also taking into account other
forms of knowledge, such as local
information, national perspectives, and
native knowledge. Lastly, the
assessment provides information that
will help to identify the need to change
the existing 1986 plan. Public
engagement as part of the assessment
phase supports the development of
relationships of key stakeholders
throughout the plan revision process,
and is an essential step to
understanding current conditions,
available data, and feedback needed to
support a strategic, efficient planning
process.
As public meetings, public review
and comment periods and other
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 122 / Thursday, June 25, 2015 / Notices
opportunities for public engagement are
identified to assist with the
development of the forest plan revision,
public announcements will be made.
Notifications will be posted on the
Forest’s Web site at www.fs.usda.gov/
goto/lincolnforestplan and information
will be sent out to the Forest’s mailing
list. If anyone is interested in being on
the Forest’s mailing list to receive these
notifications, please contact Sabrina
Flores, Forest Planner, at the mailing
address identified above, or by sending
an email to lnf_fpr_comments@fs.fed.us.
In compliance with the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA), please be
advised that all information provided
with your comments will become part of
the public record and will be available
for public inspection. This includes
your name and all contact information
provided.
Responsible Official
The responsible official for the
revision of the land management plan
for the Lincoln National Forest is Travis
Moseley, Forest Supervisor, Lincoln
National Forest, 3463 Las Palomas,
Alamogordo, NM 88310.
Dated: June 15, 2015.
Travis G. Moseley,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2015–15618 Filed 6–24–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Tongass National Forest; Alaska;
Shoreline II Outfitter/Guide
Environmental Impact Statement
Forest Service, USDA.
Corrected Notice of Intent to
prepare an environmental impact
statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
A Notice of Intent (NOI) was
first published for this proposal in the
Federal Register (79 FR 81210) on June
16, 2014. This NOI is being published
due to the length of time that has passed
since the first NOI was published, due
to changes made to the Purpose and
Need and Proposed Action in response
to public input received during the
initial scoping period, and a new
Decision Maker for the DEIS and FEIS.
DATES: Comments received during the
initial scoping period in 2014 will be
considered in the preparation of this
EIS. New or additional comments must
be received by 45 days from date of
publication of this Corrected NOI in the
Federal Register. The draft
environmental impact statement is
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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16:37 Jun 24, 2015
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expected in November 2015, and the
final environmental impact statement is
expected in March 2016.
ADDRESSES: Comments can be submitted
via the project Web site at https://
go.usa.gov/Pzi. Click on the link
‘‘Commment on Project’’ to submit
comments and attach documents.
Comments may also be sent via email to
comments-alaska-tongass-sitka@
fs.fed.us or sent via fax to 907–772–
5996. Send written comments to Carey
Case, Shoreline II Project Leader,
Petersburg Ranger District, 12 North
Nordic Drive, Petersburg, AK 99833.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Carey Case, Shoreline II Team Leader by
phone, 907–772–5906, email, ccase@
fs.fed.us or by mail at 12 North Nordic
Drive, Petersburg, AK 99833. Additional
information about the project and
project area is available on the Internet
at https://go.usa.gov/Pzi Individuals who
use telecommunication devices for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–
800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through
Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of this action is to
manage outfitters and guides on the
Tongass National Forest marine
shoreline zone consistent with the 2008
Tongass Land and Resource
Management Plan (Forest Plan). A
decision is needed to determine new
outfitter and guide use allocations for
the project area. This is necessary to
balance commercial and noncommercial recreational opportunities
and to provide and maintain high
quality recreation experiences without
degrading forest resources.
This action is needed to meet Forest
Plan goals and objectives for recreation,
tourism, and to support local and
regional economies. In addition, the
2004 Shoreline ROD required a review
after 5 years to determine whether to
continue implementing the decision, or
to supplement it. A 5-year review was
never conducted; this environmental
analysis is intended to fulfill the role of
that review. This environmental
analysis will replace the Shoreline ROD
with a new Environmental Impact
Statement and Record of Decision.
Since the Shoreline ROD was
completed in 2004, demand for nonmotorized recreation commercial
services that originate in the marine
shoreline zone has increased. The need
for recreation commercial services has
expanded both in terms of number of
visitors, and the types of services being
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36501
offered. There has been an increase in
the fleet of small to mid-size cruise
ships desiring to guide on the Tongass,
and the demand for guided big game
hunting continues to grow. Also, the
traditionally low-use seasons (April–
May; September–October) are seeing
increased use, with additional interest
for commercial use in the winter use
season (January–March). Six of the use
areas defined in the 2004 Shoreline
decision are at 80 percent or more of
their allocation during one or more
seasons, and operators are dispersing to
areas traditionally less used. At some
locations, outfitters and guides have
requested to operate beyond the 1⁄2-mile
zone. There is a need to revisit the
decision to better align with current
market demand for non-motorized
commercial recreation services.
Also, in 2008, the Forest Service
updated the national directives for
outfitting and guiding. These updates
simplified procedures and clarified
policies for priority use permits
governing performance, inspections,
and allocation of use. Additionally, data
gathered recently through monitoring
and reported use by guides shows that
some information used in the 2001
Visitor Capacity Analysis required
updating based on information gathered
through Forest Service monitoring and
reported use by guides.
Proposed Action
The Forest Service is proposing to
allocate a portion of the overall visitor
capacity to outfitter and guide use. The
2014 Shoreline II Project Visitor
Capacity Analysis (located at https://
go.usa.gov/Pzi) establishes the total
visitor capacity for the project area.
Visitor capacity and the proposed
allocations are described in terms of
service days. A service day is defined as
a day, or any part of a day, for which
an outfitter or guide provides service to
a client on National Forest System
(NFS) lands. Service days were
calculated and allocated to 48
geographic units defined as Use Areas.
The Forest Service proposes to
allocate up to 80,463 service days of the
total visitor capacity of 636,448 service
days within the project area to outfitter
and guide use. These allocations are
proposed by season and Use Area. The
Forest Service proposes to allocate
guided brown bear hunts in the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)
Unit 4 Game Management Unit based on
the recommended number of hunts in
the Alaska Board of Game Brown Bear
Management Strategy (BBMS, 2000).
The number of hunts will be allocated
by ADF&G Guide Use Area to the spring
and fall seasons proportionally based on
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 122 (Thursday, June 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36500-36501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15618]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Assessment of Ecological/Social/Cultural/Economic Sustainability,
Conditions, and Trends for the Lincoln National Forest
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of initiating the assessment phase of the Lincoln
National Forest land management plan revision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Lincoln National Forest, located in southern New Mexico,
is initiating the forest planning process pursuant to the 2012 Forest
Planning Rule. This process results in a Forest Land Management Plan
which describes the strategic direction for management of forest
resources for the next ten to fifteen years on the Lincoln National
Forest. The first phase of the process, the assessment phase, is
beginning, and interested parties are invited to contribute in the
development of the assessment (36 CFR 219.6). The trends and conditions
identified in the assessment will help in identifying the current
plan's need for change and aid in the development of plan components.
The Forest hosted a series of Community Conversations with stakeholders
in March 2015. Additional public participation opportunities are
forthcoming to discuss the assessment process. Information on these
opportunities and all future public participation opportunities will be
made available on the Lincoln Plan Revision Web site (see link below).
DATES: A draft of the assessment report for the Lincoln National Forest
is expected to be completed by early summer 2016 and will be posted on
the following Web site, www.fs.usda.gov/goto/lincolnforestplan.
The Lincoln National Forest is currently inviting the public to
engage in a collaborative process to identify relevant information and
local knowledge to be considered for the assessment. Once the
assessment is completed, the Forest will initiate procedures pursuant
to the 2012 Planning Rule and the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) to prepare a forest plan revision.
ADDRESSES: Written comments or questions concerning this notice should
be addressed to: Lincoln National Forest, Attn: Sabrina Flores, 3463
Las Palomas, Alamogordo, NM 88310.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sabrina Flores, Forest Planner, 575-
434-7200. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-
877-8339 between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
More information on the planning process can also be found on the
Lincoln National Forest Web site at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/lincolnforestplan.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of
1976 requires that every National Forest System (NFS) unit develop a
land management plan. On April 9, 2012, the Forest Service finalized
its land management planning rule (2012 Planning Rule), which provides
broad programmatic direction to National Forests and National
Grasslands for developing and implementing their land management plans.
Forest plans describe the strategic direction for management of forest
resources for fifteen years, and are adaptive and amendable as
conditions change over time.
Under the 2012 Planning Rule, the assessment of ecological, social,
cultural, and economic trends and conditions is the first stage of the
planning process. The second stage is a plan development and decision
process guided, in part, by the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA)
and includes the preparation of a draft environmental impact statement
and revised Forest Plan for public review and comment, and the
preparation of the final environmental impact statement and revised
Forest Plan, subject to the objection process 36 CFR part 219 Subpart B
prior to final plan approval. The third stage of the process is
monitoring and feedback, which is ongoing over the life of the revised
forest plans.
With this notice, the agency invites other governments, non-
governmental parties, and the public to contribute to the development
of the assessment report. The assessment will rapidly evaluate existing
information about relevant ecological, economic, cultural and social
conditions, trends, and sustainability within the context of the
broader landscape. It will help inform the planning process through the
use of Best Available Scientific Information, while also taking into
account other forms of knowledge, such as local information, national
perspectives, and native knowledge. Lastly, the assessment provides
information that will help to identify the need to change the existing
1986 plan. Public engagement as part of the assessment phase supports
the development of relationships of key stakeholders throughout the
plan revision process, and is an essential step to understanding
current conditions, available data, and feedback needed to support a
strategic, efficient planning process.
As public meetings, public review and comment periods and other
[[Page 36501]]
opportunities for public engagement are identified to assist with the
development of the forest plan revision, public announcements will be
made. Notifications will be posted on the Forest's Web site at
www.fs.usda.gov/goto/lincolnforestplan and information will be sent out
to the Forest's mailing list. If anyone is interested in being on the
Forest's mailing list to receive these notifications, please contact
Sabrina Flores, Forest Planner, at the mailing address identified
above, or by sending an email to lnf_fpr_comments@fs.fed.us. In
compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), please be
advised that all information provided with your comments will become
part of the public record and will be available for public inspection.
This includes your name and all contact information provided.
Responsible Official
The responsible official for the revision of the land management
plan for the Lincoln National Forest is Travis Moseley, Forest
Supervisor, Lincoln National Forest, 3463 Las Palomas, Alamogordo, NM
88310.
Dated: June 15, 2015.
Travis G. Moseley,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2015-15618 Filed 6-24-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P
