Department of the Interior 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to offer for sale by public auction 31 parcels of Federal public land totaling approximately 167.5 acres in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The sale will be conducted under the authority of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 (SNPLMA), 112 Stat. 2343, as amended. The SNPLMA sale will be subject to the applicable provisions of Sections 203 and 209 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), 43 U.S.C. 1713 and 1719, respectively, and BLM land sale and mineral conveyance regulations at 43 CFR Parts 2710 and 2720.

Notice is hereby given that a meeting of the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park Advisory Commission will be held at 9:30 a.m., on Friday, October 19, 2007, at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Headquarters, 1850 Dual Highway, Hagerstown, MD 21740.

Two parcels of public lands totaling 998.2 acres in Lyon County, Nevada, are being considered for sale under the authority of Section 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) 43 U.S.C. 1713. This Notice of Realty Action (NORA) is to provide for the segregation of lands being considered for sale for a period of up to 2 years.

Public lands totaling 2.11 acres, in La Plata County, Colorado, are being considered for direct sale to Indian Shadow Preserve, LP, under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), at no less than the appraised fair market value.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for lease or conveyance to the Rock Springs School District Number One under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, as amended, 124.45 acres of public lands in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. The School District proposes to use the land for a public school complex. In association with the proposed schools, playgrounds, parking lots, and athletic fields are proposed.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Carlsbad Field Office intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) and associated Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the possible disposal, by either exchange and/or sale, of up to 3,566.88 acres of BLM-administered public land in Eddy and Lea Counties in southeastern New Mexico.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to sell the reversionary interest of the United States held in the 3.75 acres of land patented to Carson City pursuant to the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act of June 14, 1926, as amended (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.), for a public park (N 7325) in Carson City, Nevada. The sale is authorized under the provisions in section 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) [43 U.S.C. 1713] and applicable regulations found at the 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 2710.

The surface owner of the land described in this notice, aggregating approximately 40 acres, has filed an application for the purchase of the federally-owned mineral interests. Publication of this notice temporarily segregates the mineral interest from appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws.

The surface owner of the land described in this notice, aggregating approximately 1.5 acres, has filed an application for the purchase of the federally-owned mineral interests. Publication of this notice temporarily segregates the mineral interest from appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws.

The following public lands in Mohave County, Arizona, have been examined by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and found suitable for classification for lease or conveyance to Mohave Community College under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act, as amended, 43 U.S.C. 869 et seq., and under Sec. 7 of the Taylor Grazing Act, 43 U.S.C. 315(f), and Executive Order No. 6910.

The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) affords stakeholders the opportunity to give policy, management, and technical input concerning Trinity River (California) restoration efforts to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). Primary objectives of the meeting will include discussion of the following topics: Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) budget, channel rehabilitation progress and planning, TRRP science program, Klamath and Trinity river conditions, TRRP decision-making process, TAMWG-TMC communications, and experience with restoration efforts elsewhere. Completion of the agenda is dependent on the amount of time each item takes. The meeting could end early if the agenda has been completed. The meeting is open to the public.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for lease and subsequent conveyance under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (R&PP), as amended (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.), approximately 55.20 acres of public land in San Bernardino County, California. The Needles Unified School District proposes to use the land for a K-8 public school facility to include an elementary school, administrative offices, classrooms, head start program, daycare facility, a cafeteria, playgrounds, athletic fields, ancillary facilities and parking areas. The site has been designed to accommodate a high school within the proposed project boundary for future community needs.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) proposes to revise its filming regulations to implement legislation that directs establishment of reasonable fees for commercial filming activities or similar projects, such as still photography, and to respond to applicants for commercial filming or still photography permits in a timely manner.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for lease under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act, as amended, approximately 0.9 acre of public land in Granite County, Montana. The Valley Fire District, Philipsburg, Montana, proposes to use the land as a fire station.

A 40-acre parcel of public land in Archuleta County, Colorado, is being considered for direct sale to Archuleta County under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) at no less than the appraised fair market value.

Two parcels of public land totaling 118.82 acres in Mohave County, Arizona are being considered for competitive sale under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), at no less than the appraised fair market value.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, and the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act (Steens Act) of 2000, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze potential effects of implementing the North Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project (North Steens Project). The proposed project area lies within the Andrews Management Unit (AMU) and the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA), designated October 30, 2000 by Act of Congress. The North Steens Project is located in Harney County, Oregon, and affects approximately 336,000 acres of public and private lands.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arizona Resource Advisory Council (RAC), will meet on September 6, 2007, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the BLM National Training Center located at 9828 North 31st Avenue in Phoenix from 8 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 p.m. Morning agenda items include: Review of the June 8, 2007, meeting minutes for RAC and Recreation Resource Advisory Council (RRAC) business; BLM State Director's update on statewide issues; presentations on: the BLM wilderness program in Arizona, how recreation benefits communities, and Arizona water rights; RAC questions on BLM Field Managers Rangeland Resource Team proposals; and, reports by RAC working groups. A public comment period will be provided at 11:30 a.m. on September 6, 2007, for any interested publics who wish to address the Council on BLM programs and business. Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the RAC has been designated the RRAC, and has the authority to review all BLM and Forest Service (FS) recreation fee proposals in Arizona. The afternoon meeting agenda on September 6 will include discussion and review of the Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) Working Group Report, the Fiscal Year 2008 (Tentative) quarterly schedule for BLM and FS recreation fee proposals, and one FS fee proposal in Arizona: (1) Upper Salt River Canyon Wilderness Private River Permit System(Tonto National Forest). The Forest Service is considering a change for the Private Permit Fees for running the Upper Salt River through the Salt River Canyon Wilderness from March 1 to May 15 each year. The application fee of $10 will remain the same. The permit fee is proposed from the current $75 to a fee of $125. The purpose of the proposed fee increase is to help better cover the cost of managing the river program for the Upper Salt River Canyon Wilderness. The proposed fees are in line with those charged by other Forest Service and Federal Government agencies for similar river permits in the western United States. Following the FS proposals, the RRAC will open the meeting to public comments on the fee proposal. After completing their RRAC business, the BLM RAC will reconvene to provide recommendations to the RAC Designated Federal Official on the fee proposal and discuss future RAC meetings and locations.

Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a General Management Plan (GMP) amendment for Petrified Forest National Park. The park is currently managed under a GMP that was completed in 1993. This plan describes a proposed boundary expansion for the park of approximately 93,000 acres. However, the 1993 GMP does not prescribe management for the proposed expansion lands. The GMP was revised in 2004 to address specific aspects of the park's management; this GMP Revision also does not address management activities for proposed expansion lands. Public Law 108-430 was passed by congress and signed by the President in December 2004. This Act expanded Petrified Forest National Park boundaries by approximately 125,000 acres, and directed the NPS to prepare a management plan for the new park lands within three years. Planning for the new lands is the focus of this GMP amendment and its associated EIS. The GMP amendment will establish the overall direction for park expansion lands, setting broad management goals for the area for the next 15 to 20 years. Among the topics that will be addressed are protection of natural and cultural resources, protection of riparian resources, appropriate range of visitor uses, impacts of visitor uses, adequacy of park infrastructure, visitor access to the park expansion area, education and interpretive efforts, and external pressures on the park. Management zones that were established in the current GMP will be applied to expansion lands. These zones outline the kinds of resource management activities, visitor activities, and developments that would be appropriate in the expansion lands. A range of reasonable alternatives for managing the park, including a no-action alternative and a preferred alternative, will be developed through the planning process and included in the EIS. The EIS will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the alternatives. As the first phase of the planning and EIS process, the National Park Service is beginning to scope the issues to be addressed in the GMP amendment. All interested persons, organizations, and agencies are encouraged to submit comments and suggestions regarding the issues or concerns the GMP amendment should address, including a suitable range of alternatives and appropriate mitigating measures, and the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period on our review of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis) to determine if candidate status is warranted. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), requires that we identify species of wildlife and plants that are endangered or threatened, based on the best available scientific and commercial information. Through the Federal rulemaking process, we add these species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife at 50 CFR 17.11 or the List of Endangered or Threatened Plants at 50 CFR 17.12. As part of this program, we maintain a list of species that we regard as candidates for listing. A candidate is one for which we have on file sufficient information on biological vulnerability and threats to support a proposal to list as endangered or threatened but for which preparation and publication of a proposal is precluded by higher-priority listing actions. During or prior to April of 2008, we will make a determination concerning the results of the status review for the Rio Grande cutthroat trout and, shortly thereafter, we will publish this determination in the Federal Register. Comments previously submitted on the status of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout need not be resubmitted as they have been incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in preparation of the final revised status review.

This notice advises the public that the City of Greeley (Applicant) has applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an incidental take permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended. The proposed permit would authorize the incidental take of Preble's meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius preblei (Preble's), federally-listed as threatened, through loss and modification of its habitat, periodically used for foraging, breeding and/or hibernation, associated with construction and installation of a toe drain around the base of the perimeter of two raw water storage ponds located at the City of Greeley's Bellvue Filter Plant in Larimer County, Colorado. The duration of the permit would be 10 years from the date of issuance. We announce the receipt of the Applicant's incidental take permit application, which includes a Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan (LEHCP) for Preble's at the Bellvue Filter Plant site. The LEHCP fully describes the project and the measures the Applicant would undertake to minimize and mitigate project impacts to Preble's. A bald eagle nest also exists near the project area. In the LEHCP, the Applicant proposes to avoid all adverse impacts to the bald eagle through restrictions on the timing of the project, and thus does not seek coverage under the permit for the eagle. The Service plans to process the application under a categorical exclusion from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 in accordance with our Habitat Conservation Planning and Incidental Take Permit Processing Handbook (November 1996). We request comments on the permit application, including the LEHCP.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are implementing the Captive Wildlife Safety Act (CWSA) in a new subpart K of part 14, Importation, Exportation, and Transportation of Wildlife, in Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The CWSA amends the Lacey Act by making it illegal to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase, in interstate or foreign commerce, live lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, or cougars, or any hybrid combination of any of these species, unless certain exceptions are met.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to prepare an environmental document for the purpose of evaluating options for management of natural resources within the Newlands Project. The purpose of the action is to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the lands managed in association with the Newlands Project. The RMP will be used to foster proper stewardship of public lands. The goal of Reclamation's RMP is to create a balance of resource development, recreation, and protection of natural and cultural resources for the lands and waters being managed. The plan will outline Reclamation management actions that will be implemented over a 10-year planning span.