Tongass National Forest; Alaska; Assessment Phase of Revision of the Land Management Plan for the Tongass National Forest, 32393-32394 [2024-08957]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 82 / Friday, April 26, 2024 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
[Docket No. APHIS–2024–0021]
National Wildlife Services Advisory
Committee: Intent To Reestablish
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to reestablish
the National Wildlife Services Advisory
Committee.
AGENCY:
Pursuant to the Federal
Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5
U.S.C. 10) notice is hereby given that
the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary)
intends to reestablish the National
Wildlife Services Advisory Committee
(the ‘‘Committee’’) for a 2-year period.
The Secretary has determined that the
Committee is necessary and in the
public interest.
DATES: Once approved by the Secretary,
the charter will be valid on the date of
filing by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Committee Management
Officer and once the filing requirements
are met.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Carrie Joyce, Designated Federal Officer,
Wildlife Services, APHIS, 4700 River
Road, Unit 87, Riverdale, MD 20737;
(301) 851–3999; carrie.e.joyce@
usda.gov.
SUMMARY:
The
purpose of the National Wildlife
Services Advisory Committee (the
Committee) is to advise the Secretary of
Agriculture on policies, program issues,
and research needed to conduct the
Wildlife Services program. The
Committee also serves as a public forum
enabling those affected by the Wildlife
Services program to have a voice in the
program’s policies. The duration of the
NWSAC is for 2 years unless renewed
by the Secretary, USDA.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) programs are prohibited from
discriminating based on race, color,
national origin, religion, sex, gender
identity (including gender expression),
sexual orientation, disability, age,
marital status, family/parental status,
income derived from a public assistance
program, political beliefs, or reprisal or
retaliation for prior civil rights activity,
in any program or activity conducted or
funded by USDA (not all bases apply to
all programs). Remedies and complaint
filing deadlines vary by program or
incident.
Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means of communication for
program information (e.g., Braille, large
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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print, audiotape, American Sign
Language, etc.) should contact the
responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET
Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and
TTY) or contact USDA through the
Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339.
Additionally, program information may
be made available in languages other
than English. Equal opportunity
practices in accordance with USDA’s
policies will be followed in all
appointments to the Committee. To
ensure that the recommendations of the
Committee have taken in account the
needs of the diverse groups served by
USDA, membership shall include to the
extent possible, individuals with
demonstrated ability to represent
minorities, women and person with
disabilities. USDA is an equal
opportunity provider, employer, and
lender.
32393
phase of the revision process beginning
in the spring of 2024 through winter of
2025. Engagement opportunities are
posted on the Tongass National Forest
Plan Revision website: https://
www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/
landmanagement/planning/
?cid=fseprd1105492. A draft
assessment, which will reflect input
received, is anticipated to be available
for review and comment, in January
2025.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
For questions about Land
Management Plan revision or comments
on initiating the assessment phase of
plan revision, please address mail to:
Tongass National Forest Supervisor’s
Office, Attn: Erin Mathews—Tongass
Plan Revision Coordinator, 648 Mission
Street, Suite 110, Ketchikan, AK 99901–
6591, or via email to
SM.FS.TNFRevision@usda.gov. All
correspondence, including names and
addresses, will be part of the public
record. More information on the
planning process can also be found on
the Tongass Plan Revision website at
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/
landmanagement/planning/
?cid=fseprd1105492.
Forest Service
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dated: April 18, 2024.
Cikena Reid,
USDA Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024–08919 Filed 4–25–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
Tongass National Forest; Alaska;
Assessment Phase of Revision of the
Land Management Plan for the
Tongass National Forest
Forest Service, Agriculture
(USDA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to initiate the
assessment phase of the Land
Management Plan revision for the
Tongass National Forest.
AGENCY:
The Forest Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, is initiating
the assessment phase of the Land
Management Plan revision process for
the Tongass National Forest, located in
Southeast Alaska. The assessment
supports the subsequent planning
phase, which will result in a revised
land management plan to guide resource
management activities on the Tongass
National Forest. The assessment will
identify and consider relevant and
readily accessible material about
ecological, social, and economic
conditions and trends in the planning
area, and will identify best available
scientific information including Native
or Indigenous knowledge. Trends and
conditions identified in the assessment
will inform the need to change the
existing plan as well as the subsequent
revision process.
DATES: The public will be invited to
engage and participate in the assessment
SUMMARY:
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ADDRESSES:
Erin
Mathews, Plan Revision Coordinator, at
erin.eathews@usda.gov or by phone at
907–419–8347. Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339, 24
hours a day, every day of the year,
including holidays.
Information will be shared through
electronic mailing lists, social media,
and media outlets. If members of the
public are interested in learning more,
please visit the website listed above and
select the link to subscribe to updates
on the Tongass Plan Revision. The
public can also sign up to receive
regular updates by sending an email to
SM.FS.TNFRevision@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 2012
Planning Rule (36 CFR 219), which
implements the National Forest
Management Act (NFMA) of 1976,
provides that the Forest Service
develop, maintain and revise land
management plans, often called a Forest
Plan, for all national forests and
grasslands. Land Management Plans
provide a programmatic framework for
management of forest resources and are
amended as conditions change over
time. The Tongass Land Management
Plan was first approved in 1979, revised
in 1997, and later amended in 2003,
2008, 2016, and 2020. The 2016 Land
Management Plan amends the 2008
Tongass Land and Resource
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32394
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 82 / Friday, April 26, 2024 / Notices
Management Plan (2008 Forest Plan),
incorporating changes made since 2008.
This notice announces initiates the
assessment phase of the plan revision
process, during which the Agency will
identify and evaluate current
information regarding the Tongass
National Forest from the public, Tribes,
Alaska Native Corporations, other
government agencies, and nongovernmental parties, 36 CFR
219.5(a)(1), 219.6, 219.19. The Tongass
National Forest has initiated
consultation with Tribes and Alaska
Native Corporations for all phases of the
planning process and will consult as
part of the assessment phase of revision,
36 CFR 219.4. The Forest Service,
Alaska Region, will build on the
engagement efforts and the relationships
developed as part of the Southeast
Alaska Sustainability Strategy to ensure
that a broad range of local voices
contribute to the assessment and
throughout the planning process.
Information collected during the
formation of the Sustainability Strategy
will be utilized in the assessment where
appropriate.
The 2012 Planning Rule requires the
assessment to include information
regarding the status and trends of
ecological, social, and economic
conditions within the planning area and
across the broader landscape. In
particular, the Agency must identify and
evaluate information relevant to the
plan area for the following: (1)
Terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic
ecosystems, and watersheds; (2) Air,
soil, and water resources and quality; (3)
System drivers, including dominant
ecological processes, disturbance
regimes, and stressors, such as natural
succession, wildland fire, invasive
species, and climate change, and the
ability of terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems in the plan area to adapt to
change; (4) Baseline assessment of
carbon stocks; (5) Threatened,
endangered, proposed, and candidate
species, and potential species of
conservation concern present in the
plan area; (6) Social, cultural, and
economic conditions; (7) Benefits
people obtain from the National Forest
System planning area (ecosystem
services); (8) Multiple uses and their
contributions to local, regional, and
national economies; (9) Recreation
settings, opportunities and access, and
scenic character; (10); Renewable and
nonrenewable energy and mineral
resources; (11) Infrastructure, such as
recreational facilities and transportation
and utility corridors; (12) Areas of tribal
importance; (13) Cultural and historic
resources and uses; (14) Land status and
ownership and access patterns; and (15)
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Existing designated areas located in the
plan area including wilderness and wild
and scenic rivers and potential need and
opportunity for additional designated
areas. (36 CFR 219.6.)
During this assessment phase, the
Forest Service invites other government
agencies, Tribes, Alaska Native
Corporations, non-governmental parties,
and the public to share information
about social, economic, and
environmental conditions of the
Tongass National Forest and the broader
landscape. Existing information about
conditions on the Tongass National
Forest, including information gathered
through public engagement and tribal
consultation, will be integrated into a
draft resource assessment.
At 16.7 million acres, the Tongass
National Forest is integral to social,
ecological, economic and cultural
values in Southeast Alaska. The Tongass
is of immense cultural significance for
Alaska Native peoples, and is within the
traditional homelands of the Tlingit,
Haida and Tsimshian peoples. It plays
an important role in economic
opportunity and social well-being for
people and communities in Southeast
Alaska. It also represents the largest
intact coastal temperate rainforest on
earth and is considered critical for
carbon sequestration and carbon storage
to help mitigate climate change. During
this assessment phase, the Forest
Service invites input on these and other
distinctive roles and contributions of
the Tongass to the local area, region,
and nation (36 CFR 219.2(b)).
The Forest Service will review and
incorporate public comments and
additional information from tribal
consultation on the draft assessment
and produce a final assessment that will
inform the Agency’s understanding of
the need to change the plan for the
Tongass National Forest. The Forest
Service may then initiate the planning
phase, which will include development
of an environmental impact statement,
pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA).
Responsible Official: The responsible
official for the revision of the land
management plan for the Tongass
National Forest is Frank Sherman,
Forest Supervisor.
Dated: April 22, 2024.
Troy Heithecker,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest
System.
[FR Doc. 2024–08957 Filed 4–25–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Kootenai National Forest; Montana;
Kootenai National Forest Over-Snow
Motorized Use Travel Plan
Forest Service, Agriculture
(USDA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
The Forest Service (Forest
Service), United States Department of
Agriculture, will prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) to
inform a decision about the designation
of trails and areas of the Kootenai
National Forest which would be open to
motorized over-snow use. The
environmental impact statement will
also inform a decision about the classes
of vehicles and times of year for which
motorized over-snow use will be
allowed on designated trails and areas.
Trails and areas designated for
motorized over-snow vehicle use will be
identified on an Over-Snow Vehicle Use
Map which will specify the classes of
vehicles and the time of year for which
use is designated on the Kootenai
National Forest.
DATES: The draft environmental impact
statement is expected early in 2025,
with a 45-day public comment period
immediately following publication of
this project’s Notice of Availability of
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
in the Federal Register. The final
environmental impact statement is
expected by summer of 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kootenai National Forest,
SM.FS.knfcontactus@usda.gov, 406–
283–7740, or Stephani Rust,
stephani.rust@usda.gov. Individuals
may also visit the project’s web page at
https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/
kootenai/?project=64358. Individuals
who use telecommunication devices for
the deaf and hard of hearing (TDD) may
call the Federal Relay Service at 800–
877–8339, 24 hours a day, every day of
the year, including holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Purpose and Need for Action
Pursuant to the Travel Management
Rule at 36 CFR 212 subpart C, the Forest
Service must designate trails and areas
to be open for motorized over-snow
vehicle use. Once designated, trails and
areas open to motorized over-snow
vehicle use need to be identified on an
Over-Snow Vehicle Use Map (36 CFR
212.81). Over-Snow Vehicle Use Maps
must specify the classes of vehicles and
the time of year for which use is
E:\FR\FM\26APN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 82 (Friday, April 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32393-32394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08957]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Tongass National Forest; Alaska; Assessment Phase of Revision of
the Land Management Plan for the Tongass National Forest
AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to initiate the assessment phase of the Land
Management Plan revision for the Tongass National Forest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is
initiating the assessment phase of the Land Management Plan revision
process for the Tongass National Forest, located in Southeast Alaska.
The assessment supports the subsequent planning phase, which will
result in a revised land management plan to guide resource management
activities on the Tongass National Forest. The assessment will identify
and consider relevant and readily accessible material about ecological,
social, and economic conditions and trends in the planning area, and
will identify best available scientific information including Native or
Indigenous knowledge. Trends and conditions identified in the
assessment will inform the need to change the existing plan as well as
the subsequent revision process.
DATES: The public will be invited to engage and participate in the
assessment phase of the revision process beginning in the spring of
2024 through winter of 2025. Engagement opportunities are posted on the
Tongass National Forest Plan Revision website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/landmanagement/planning/?cid=fseprd1105492. A draft
assessment, which will reflect input received, is anticipated to be
available for review and comment, in January 2025.
ADDRESSES: For questions about Land Management Plan revision or
comments on initiating the assessment phase of plan revision, please
address mail to: Tongass National Forest Supervisor's Office, Attn:
Erin Mathews--Tongass Plan Revision Coordinator, 648 Mission Street,
Suite 110, Ketchikan, AK 99901-6591, or via email to
[email protected]. All correspondence, including names and
addresses, will be part of the public record. More information on the
planning process can also be found on the Tongass Plan Revision website
at https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/landmanagement/planning/?cid=fseprd1105492.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Mathews, Plan Revision
Coordinator, at [email protected] or by phone at 907-419-8347.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339, 24 hours a day,
every day of the year, including holidays.
Information will be shared through electronic mailing lists, social
media, and media outlets. If members of the public are interested in
learning more, please visit the website listed above and select the
link to subscribe to updates on the Tongass Plan Revision. The public
can also sign up to receive regular updates by sending an email to
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 2012 Planning Rule (36 CFR 219), which
implements the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976, provides
that the Forest Service develop, maintain and revise land management
plans, often called a Forest Plan, for all national forests and
grasslands. Land Management Plans provide a programmatic framework for
management of forest resources and are amended as conditions change
over time. The Tongass Land Management Plan was first approved in 1979,
revised in 1997, and later amended in 2003, 2008, 2016, and 2020. The
2016 Land Management Plan amends the 2008 Tongass Land and Resource
[[Page 32394]]
Management Plan (2008 Forest Plan), incorporating changes made since
2008.
This notice announces initiates the assessment phase of the plan
revision process, during which the Agency will identify and evaluate
current information regarding the Tongass National Forest from the
public, Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, other government agencies,
and non-governmental parties, 36 CFR 219.5(a)(1), 219.6, 219.19. The
Tongass National Forest has initiated consultation with Tribes and
Alaska Native Corporations for all phases of the planning process and
will consult as part of the assessment phase of revision, 36 CFR 219.4.
The Forest Service, Alaska Region, will build on the engagement efforts
and the relationships developed as part of the Southeast Alaska
Sustainability Strategy to ensure that a broad range of local voices
contribute to the assessment and throughout the planning process.
Information collected during the formation of the Sustainability
Strategy will be utilized in the assessment where appropriate.
The 2012 Planning Rule requires the assessment to include
information regarding the status and trends of ecological, social, and
economic conditions within the planning area and across the broader
landscape. In particular, the Agency must identify and evaluate
information relevant to the plan area for the following: (1)
Terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, and watersheds; (2) Air,
soil, and water resources and quality; (3) System drivers, including
dominant ecological processes, disturbance regimes, and stressors, such
as natural succession, wildland fire, invasive species, and climate
change, and the ability of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the
plan area to adapt to change; (4) Baseline assessment of carbon stocks;
(5) Threatened, endangered, proposed, and candidate species, and
potential species of conservation concern present in the plan area; (6)
Social, cultural, and economic conditions; (7) Benefits people obtain
from the National Forest System planning area (ecosystem services); (8)
Multiple uses and their contributions to local, regional, and national
economies; (9) Recreation settings, opportunities and access, and
scenic character; (10); Renewable and nonrenewable energy and mineral
resources; (11) Infrastructure, such as recreational facilities and
transportation and utility corridors; (12) Areas of tribal importance;
(13) Cultural and historic resources and uses; (14) Land status and
ownership and access patterns; and (15) Existing designated areas
located in the plan area including wilderness and wild and scenic
rivers and potential need and opportunity for additional designated
areas. (36 CFR 219.6.)
During this assessment phase, the Forest Service invites other
government agencies, Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, non-
governmental parties, and the public to share information about social,
economic, and environmental conditions of the Tongass National Forest
and the broader landscape. Existing information about conditions on the
Tongass National Forest, including information gathered through public
engagement and tribal consultation, will be integrated into a draft
resource assessment.
At 16.7 million acres, the Tongass National Forest is integral to
social, ecological, economic and cultural values in Southeast Alaska.
The Tongass is of immense cultural significance for Alaska Native
peoples, and is within the traditional homelands of the Tlingit, Haida
and Tsimshian peoples. It plays an important role in economic
opportunity and social well-being for people and communities in
Southeast Alaska. It also represents the largest intact coastal
temperate rainforest on earth and is considered critical for carbon
sequestration and carbon storage to help mitigate climate change.
During this assessment phase, the Forest Service invites input on these
and other distinctive roles and contributions of the Tongass to the
local area, region, and nation (36 CFR 219.2(b)).
The Forest Service will review and incorporate public comments and
additional information from tribal consultation on the draft assessment
and produce a final assessment that will inform the Agency's
understanding of the need to change the plan for the Tongass National
Forest. The Forest Service may then initiate the planning phase, which
will include development of an environmental impact statement, pursuant
to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Responsible Official: The responsible official for the revision of
the land management plan for the Tongass National Forest is Frank
Sherman, Forest Supervisor.
Dated: April 22, 2024.
Troy Heithecker,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2024-08957 Filed 4-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P