Department of the Interior February 13, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On March 19, 2008, the MMS will open and publicly announce bids received for blocks offered in Central GOM Planning Area Oil and Gas Lease Sale 206, pursuant to the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356, as amended) and the regulations issued thereunder (30 CFR Part 256). The Final Notice of Sale 206 Package (FNOS 206 Package) contains information essential to bidders, and bidders are charged with the knowledge of the documents contained in the Package.

The Fish and Wildlife Service announces that a Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge in Georgetown, Horry, and Marion Counties, South Carolina, is available for distribution. This Draft CCP/EA was prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1997, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and describes the Service's proposal for management of this refuge over the next 15 years.

We invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species.

The Bureau of Reclamation's New Melones Recreation Resource Office will change public use of the Mark Twain Recreation Area Lake Access, located within a special use area, near the Park Administration and Visitor Center at new Melones Lake. The public use will change from launching of trailered boats of any size to launching of small boats by hand only. Boats will be limited to canoes, kayaks, rowboats, skiffs, or small boats with up to a ten horsepower motor that can be hand carried. With this change in use, vehicles, including motorcycles, will no longer be permitted to drive to the water's edge to launch boats or for other purposes. The location of vehicle access will vary due to fluctuating water level of the lake, irregularity of the shoreline and eroded nature of the former roadway which is used for lake access. However, Reclamation intends to manage vehicle access to allow public vehicles to within approximately 100-200 feet of the water. Other authorized recreation activities will not be affected. This change in use will serve to enhance public safety and water quality, while providing for recreation and protection of cultural and natural resources in the area.

In accord with Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-90), the National Park Service is undertaking a conservation planning and environmental impact analysis process for a Non-native Ungulate Management Plan for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The purpose of the plan is to refine the strategies for managing non-native ungulates that supports long-term ecosystem protection, recovery and restoration of native vegetation and other natural resources, and protects and preserves cultural resources. Non- native ungulate management is needed to address unacceptable impacts of non-native ungulates, which result in the loss of native ecosystems, especially native plant and animal communities; the loss of sensitive endemic species, including state and federally listed species; and the loss of irreplaceable cultural resources. The park also needs to update non-native ungulate management in order to address NPS Management Policies 2006, Sec. 4.4.4, Management of Exotic Species, which states that non-native species will not be allowed to displace native species if displacement can be prevented. Background Information; Ungulates, or mammals with hooves, are an issue of concern throughout the State of Hawaii because of these are non-native species which have detrimental impacts on native diversity and ecosystems. Non-native species are those that do not naturally occur in the ecosystem and were introduced into the environment from elsewhere. Goats, European pigs, sheep, and cattle were introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the late eighteenth century and have become feral. Mouflon sheep were introduced to Hawaii Island in the twentieth century as a game animal. Populations of non-native ungulates have proliferated in Hawaii because of an equable climate, abundant food sources, vegetation poorly adapted to herbivorous mammals, and lack of predators. Because the ecosystems of the Hawaiian Islands evolved without large mammalian herbivores, they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of non-native ungulates. Non-native ungulates cause habitat degradation and population decline for native Hawaiian species. They impact native species through browsing, stripping bark, destroying habitat, and inhibiting regeneration. Non-native ungulates increase soil disturbance and erosion, and foster the spread of non-native plants. Non-native ungulates also have the potential to affect cultural resources at the park, which include archeological sites, cultural landscapes, and ethnographic resources. Digging and rooting could impact archeological sites through ground disturbance. Alterations in the ecosystem of an area could impact the characteristics that contribute to its designation as a cultural landscape. Traditional uses of native peoples could be impacted by the loss of native plant and animal communities important to their culture. The park was created in 1916, and has been addressing populations of non-native species, including ungulates, since the 1920s. However, the park's most recent EIS addressing non-native ungulate control was completed 30 years ago. Consequently the new EIS/plan will address non- native ungulate management in the context of NPS policies updated in 2006, recent park land acquisition, new invasive species challenges, and currently available strategies for managing ungulates. Scoping Process: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the National Park Service (NPS) are eliciting early public comment regarding the full spectrum of issues and public concerns, the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts (and as appropriate, mitigation measures), and all feasible management alternatives which should be considered by the planning team in preparing a Draft EIS/plan. Through outreach activities planned in the scoping phase, the NPS welcomes relevant information and suggestions from the public. Publication of this Notice formally initiates the public scoping phase for the EIS process. All written scoping comments must be postmarked or transmitted not later than May 19, 2008. Written comments may be sent to: Cindy Orlando, Superintendent, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, P.O. Box 52, Hawai'i National Park, HI 96718-0052. Alternatively, comments may also be transmitted electronically through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment project Web site at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/HAVO. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you would be aware that your entire commentincluding your personal identifying informationmay be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. At this time, it is expected that public meetings will be hosted in the towns of Hilo (April 29), Na'alehu (April 30), and Kona (May 1). All meetings will be conducted in an open house format from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Detailed information regarding the meetings will be included in an announcement posted on the project Web site, and also publicized in direct mailings and via local and regional press media. All attendees will be given the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments to the planning team. The Web site noted above will provide the most up-to-date information regarding the project, including project description, planning process updates, meeting reports and documents, and informational links associated with the project. Decision Process: Following the scoping phase and due consideration of public concerns and other agency comments, a Draft EIS for the Non- native Ungulate Management Plan will be prepared and released for public review. Availability of the forthcoming Draft EIS for pubic review and written comment will be formally announced through the publication of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, as well as through local and regional news media, direct mailing to the project mailing list, and via the internet at the project Web site. At this time it is expected that the Draft EIS/plan may be available for public release during summer-fall, 2009. Following due consideration of all agency and public comment as may be forthcoming after release of the draft document, a Final EIS will be prepared. As a delegated EIS, the official responsible for the final decision on the proposed non- native ungulate management plan is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region, National park Service. Subsequently, the official directly responsible for implementation of the approved plan would be the Superintendent, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Notice is hereby given of the 2008 annual meeting of the ACWS. This meeting is to discuss broad policy topics relating to National water initiatives; and the development and dissemination of water information, through reports from the eight ACWS subgroups. The agenda will include an update on the three pilot studies of the National Water Quality Monitoring Network for U.S. Coastal Waters and their Tributaries and the first report from the Subcommittee on Ground Water on a National Ground Water Framework, as well as other water initiatives. The ACWI has been established under the authority of the Office of Management and Budget Memorandum No. M-92-01 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of this Presidential Committee is to represent the interests of water-information users and professionals in advising the Federal Government on Federal water-information programs and their effectiveness in meeting the Nation's water-information needs. Member organizations help to foster communications between the Federal and non-government sectors on sharing water information. Membership represents a wide range of water resources interests and functions. Representation on the ACWI includes all levels of government, academia, private industry, and professional and technical societies. Member organizations designate their representatives and alternates. Membership is limited to a maximum of 35 organizations.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are designating critical habitat for Berberis nevinii (Nevin's barberry) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 6 acres (ac) (3 hectares (ha)) in Riverside County, California, fall within the boundaries of the final critical habitat designation.