Notices. NOI to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and to conduct public scoping for the Hiawatha Regional Energy Development Project, Sweetwater County, Wyoming and Moffat County, Colorado, and notice of potential for an amendment to the Green River Resource Management Plan, Rock Springs Field Office
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BILLING CODE 4310-22-M DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [WY-040-06-1310-DB, CO-100-06-1310-DB] Notice of Intent
(NOI)To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Provide Notice of Public Meetings, Hiawatha Regional Energy Development Project, Sweetwater County, WY, and Moffat County, CO, and Notice of the Potential for an Amendment to the Green River Resource Management Plan AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: NOI to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS)and to conduct public scoping for the Hiawatha Regional Energy Development Project, Sweetwater County, Wyoming and Moffat County, Colorado, and notice of potential for an amendment to the Green River Resource Management Plan, Rock Springs Field Office. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the BLM announces its intentions to prepare an EIS and to solicit public comments regarding issues and resource information for the proposed Hiawatha Regional Energy Project, a natural gas development project consisting of conventional natural gas well development in established, producing fields. DATES: The BLM can best use public input if comments and resource information are submitted within 45 days from publication of this notice. To provide the public with an opportunity to review the proposal and project information, the BLM will host two public meetings; one in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and another in Craig, Colorado. The BLM will notify the public of the date, time, and location of each meeting at least 15 days before the event. The announcement will be made by a news release to the media in Wyoming and Colorado, individual mailing of a scoping notice, and posting on the Web sites listed below. ADDRESSES: Written comments or resource information can be mailed to the Field Office at: Bureau of Land Management, Rock Springs Field Office, *Attn:* Hiawatha Regional Energy Project, 280 Hwy 191 North, Rock Springs, WY 82901; the public may submit comments electronically at *Hiawatha_EIS_WYMail@BLM.gov.* Project information and documents will be available on the Web at *http://www.blm.gov/eis/wy/hiawatha.* All comments and submissions will be considered in the environmental analysis process. If you do comment, we will keep you informed of decisions resulting from the analysis. Please note that public comments and information submitted in regard to this project, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for review and disclosure at the Field Office. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name, e-mail, and street address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this plainly at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their entirety. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding the project, please contact Susan Davis, Project Lead, at 307-352-0346. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Hiawatha Regional Energy Project is generally located in Townships 11 through 14 North, Ranges 99 through 102 West, 6th Principal Meridian, Sweetwater County, Wyoming and Moffat County, Colorado. The project is located south of Rock Springs, Wyoming, and northwest of Craig, Colorado. The project area contains approximately 157,335 acres of mixed Federal, State, and private lands. The BLM Rock Springs Field Office manages public lands in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, and the BLM Little Snake Field Office manages public lands in Moffat County, Colorado. The Rock Springs Field Office will serve as the lead for this project. Any authorizations and actions proposed for approval in the EIS will be evaluated to determine if they conform to the decisions in the 1997 Green River RMP. Actions that result in a change in the scope of resource uses, terms and conditions, and decisions of the Green River RMP may require amendment of the RMP. If the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM)determines that a plan amendment is necessary, preparation of the Hiawatha Regional Energy Development EIS and the analysis necessary for the RMP amendment would occur simultaneously. Based on the information developed during the course of this analysis, the BLM may decide it is necessary to amend the 1997 Green River Resource Management Plan (RMP). The potential for amendment of the Green River RMP does not affect the Little Snake RMP. The ongoing
(2006)Little Snake Field Office land use plan revision (NOI November 18, 2004) contains an updated RFD that provides a reasonable estimate of projected oil and gas exploration and development for the entire Field Office planning area for the next 20 years. This reasonable foreseeable development
(RFD)encompasses the project area to be analyzed and incorporates the level of development proposed in the Hiawatha Regional Energy Project EIS. The proposed action will be within the scope of the analysis for the ongoing Little Snake Field Office RMP revision and any land use planning decisions relating to the Hiawatha Project will be addressed as part of the ongoing Little Snake Field Office planning process. Further information of the status of this RMP revision may be obtained from the Little Snake Field Office's Web site at *http://www.co.blm.gov/lsra/rmp.* In March 2006, Questar Exploration & Production Company, Wexpro Company, and other natural gas development companies (hereinafter referred to as (“the Operators”) submitted to the BLM a proposal to expand natural gas exploration and development operations in existing fields. The purpose of the proposal is to extract and recover natural gas for distribution to consumers. The Operators' proposal consists of development of up to 4,207 wells and associated facilities including but not limited to roads, well pads, pipelines, gas treatment and possible compression resulting in approximately 25,820 acres of short-term disturbance and 9,058 acres of life-of-project disturbance. Wells would be drilled using a combination of vertical and directional drilling techniques. The proposal calls for a 20- to 30-year construction and drilling period with another 30 years for the project operations. The Hiawatha Regional Energy Development Project is located in an area of existing oil and gas development known as Canyon Creek, Trail, and Kinney Fields (also known as the Vermillion Basin area) in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, and the East and West Hiawatha/Sugarloaf Fields in Moffat County, Colorado. This project would meet the goals and objectives of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the President's National Energy Policy. During the preparation of the EIS, development within the project area may be allowed in Wyoming as approved under the Modified Decision Record for the Vermillion Basin Natural Gas Exploration and Production Project. Other interim development will be subject to interim development guidelines on the Wyoming portion of the project. The EIS will analyze the environmental consequences of implementing the proposed action and alternatives to the proposed action including the No Action alternative. Other alternatives under consideration include a range of drilling surface densities and pace, mitigation measures, best management practices and phased development. Agency resource issues and concerns will be identified in the public scoping notice mailed to Federal, State and local governments, interested groups, individuals, and businesses under separate cover. Dated: June 30, 2006. Robert A. Bennett, State Director. [FR Doc. E6-14670 Filed 9-5-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-22-P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [MT-090-1610-DO-048E] Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan for the Malta Field Office and Associated Environmental Impact Statement AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of Intent. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA)the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Malta Field Office intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan with an associated Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS). The planning area is located in Blaine, Choteau, Glacier, Hill, Liberty, Phillips, Toole, and Valley Counties, Montana. The public scoping process will identify planning issues and develop planning criteria, including evaluation of the existing RMPs in the context of the needs and interests of the public. This notice initiates the public scoping process. DATES: To be most helpful you should submit formal scoping comments within 60 days after publication of this Notice. However, collaboration with the public will continue throughout the process. All public meetings will be announced through the local news media, newsletters, and the BLM Web site ( *http://www.mt.blm.gov/mafo/rmp* ) at least 15 days prior to the event. The minutes and list of attendees for each meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days to any participant who wishes to clarify the views they expressed. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Bureau of Land Management, G. Claire Trent, RMP Project Manager, Malta Field Office, 501 S 2nd St. East, Malta, MT 59538; Fax—406-654-5150. Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Malta Field Office. Respondents' comments, including their names and street addresses, will be available for public review at the Malta Field Office during regular business hours from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be published as part of the EIS. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. 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: For further information and/or to have your name added to our mailing list, contact G. Claire Trent at
(406)654-5124 or e-mail at: *MT_Malta_RMP@blm.gov* . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM will work collaboratively with interested parties to identify the management decisions that are best suited to local, regional, and national needs and concerns. Public meetings will be held throughout the plan scoping and preparation period. In order to ensure local community participation and input, public scoping meeting locations will be rotated among the towns of Big Sandy, Billings, Browning, Chester, Chinook, Cut Bank, Fort Benton, Glasgow, Great Falls, Harlem, Helena, Havre, Hays, Malta, Opheim, Rocky Boy, Shelby, Turner, and Whitewater. Early participation is encouraged, and will help determine the future management of public lands administered by the Malta Field Office. In addition to the ongoing public participation process, formal opportunities for public participation will be provided upon publication of the Draft RMP/EIS, the final Proposed Plan, and Record of Decision. The Bureau of Land Management's Malta Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement incorporates a planning area administered by three BLM offices: the Glasgow and Havre Field Stations, and the Malta Field Office. These offices were recently combined under the Malta Field Office [Notice of Montana/Dakotas Administrative Boundaries Resulting from the Havre Field Station Realignment and other Organizational Changes, (IM No. MT-2005-041)]. The land area to be covered under the Malta RMP/EIS is approximately two and a half million surface acres (~2,500,000) and three- and a half million subsurface acres (~3,500,000) of public land in the north-central tier of the State of Montana. Currently, land resources are managed under the following decisions: the 1988 West HiLine RMP as amended in 1992, for portions of the planning area administered by the Havre Field Station; and the 1994 Judith, Valley, Phillips
(JVP)RMP for the remainder of the planning areas administered by the Malta Field Office and Glasgow Field Station. The current JVP RMP does not include oil and gas planning decisions. Oil and gas planning decisions for these lands are under the Management Framework Plans and the supporting National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA)document—Lewistown District Oil and Gas Environmental Assessment of BLM Leasing Program (September 1981). Some of the BLM-managed public lands (226,920 acres) analyzed in the West HiLine and JVP RMPs have recently become a part of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, which will be managed under a separate RMP. The RMP revision to be prepared for the public lands administered by the Malta Field Office will identify goals, objectives, standards, and guidelines for management of a variety of resources and values. The scope of the RMP will be comprehensive. The plan will specify actions, constraints, and general management practices necessary to achieve desired conditions. The plan will also identify any areas requiring special management such as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs). Certain existing standards and guidelines and other BLM plans/plan amendments will be incorporated into the RMP. In accordance with the National Energy Policy Act of 2005, the BLM is implementing long-term strategies to produce traditional sources of energy on Federal land in an environmentally compatible way, to increase renewable energy production on Federal land, and to involve all interested persons in the public planning process. The significant amount of oil and gas leasing, exploration, and development throughout this part of Montana is a major reason for revising these RMPs. The BLM is involved in managing more than 1500 oil and gas leases across the planning area, and an increasing interest in leasing has created a pressing need for new inventories and revised data. The BLM needs this information to evaluate oil and gas planning decision alternatives. Increased interest in developing alternative energy resources such as wind and solar power have also impacted the planning area, but these activities were not addressed in either current RMP. Also, in recent years, greater sage-grouse, black-tailed prairie dogs and prairie dog associate special status species
(SSS)such as burrowing owls and mountain plovers, and migratory birds, in particular SSS associated with grassland habitats, will be addressed in the RMP planning process. The BLM's decision to begin a new planning effort for the public lands in the Malta resource area is based on public and agency need for revised management guidance to address changing issues. Preliminary issues and management concerns have been identified by BLM, other agencies, and in meetings with individuals and user groups. They represent the BLM's information to date on the existing issues and concerns with current management. The major issue themes that will be addressed in the RMP effort include the following: 1. Energy development—(fluid minerals—oil and gas; alternative—wind); 2. Management of vegetation; 3. Management of wildlife; 4. Conservation and recovery of special status species; 5. Water quality, quantity, and aquatic species; 6. Travel management and access to public lands; 7. Management of areas with special values; 8. Availability and management of public lands for commercial uses; and 9. Land tenure adjustments. After gathering public comments on what issues the plan should address, the suggested issues will be placed in one of three categories: 1. Issues to be resolved in the plan; 2. Issues resolved through policy or administrative action; or 3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan. Rationale will be provided for each issue placed in categories two or three. In addition to these major issues, a number of management questions and concerns will be addressed in the plan. The public is encouraged to help identify these questions and concerns during the scoping phase. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to develop the plan in order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns identified. Disciplines involved in the planning process will include specialists with expertise in minerals and geology, forestry, range, fire and fuels, outdoor recreation, archaeology, paleontology, wildlife and fisheries, lands and realty, hydrology, soils, sociology, environmental justice and economics. The following planning criteria have been proposed to guide development of the plan, avoid unnecessary data collection and analyses, and to ensure the plan is tailored to the issues. Other criteria may be identified during the public scoping process. After gathering comments on planning criteria, the BLM will finalize the criteria and provide feedback to the public on the criteria to be used throughout the planning process. • The RMP/EIS will comply with FLPMA, NEPA, and all other applicable laws and regulations. • The plan amendment will recognize the existence of valid existing rights. • Lands covered in the RMP amendment will be public lands, which include split estate lands, managed by BLM. Decisions in the RMP amendment will be made only on lands managed by the BLM. The RMP/EIS will utilize existing guidance where appropriate, and establish new guidance for managing the public lands within the Malta Field Office. • The RMP/EIS will incorporate by reference the *Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management for Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota* (August 1997), the *Wind Energy Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement* (June 2005), the *Off-Highway Vehicle Environmental Impact Statement and Plan Amendment for Montana and the Dakotas* (June 2003), and the *Montana/Dakotas Statewide Fire Management Plan* (September 2003). • The RMP/EIS will incorporate by reference all prior Wilderness designations and Wilderness Study Area findings that affect public lands in the planning area. • The RMP/EIS will recognize the State's responsibility to manage wildlife populations, including uses such as hunting and fishing. • Planning decisions will strive to be compatible with the existing plans and policies of adjacent local, State, tribal, and Federal agencies as long as the decisions are in conformance with BLM legal mandates. • The BLM will use a collaborative and multi-jurisdictional approach, where applicable throughout the planning process. • The scope of analysis will be consistent with the level of analysis in current approved plans and in accordance with Bureau-wide standards and program guidance. • Resource allocations will be reasonable and achievable within available technological and budgetary constraints. • The lifestyles and concerns of area residents will be recognized in the plan. Dated: June 9, 2006. Mark Albers, Malta Field Office Manager. [FR Doc. E6-14669 Filed 9-5-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4311-DN-P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [AZ-310-1060-HI; AZA 33148] Notice of Proposed Withdrawal and Opportunity for Public Meeting; Arizona AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior proposes to withdraw on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM)approximately 299.70 acres of public land for a period of 20 years to protect the Kingman Regional Wild Horse and Burro Facility in Mohave County, Arizona. This notice segregates the land for up to 2 years from location and entry under the United States mining laws. DATES: Comments should be received on or before December 5, 2006. ADDRESSES: Comments and meeting requests should be sent to the Kingman Field Office Manager, BLM, 2755 Mission Boulevard, Kingman, Arizona 86401. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Elefritz, BLM Kingman Field Office,
(928)718-3720. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant for the above withdrawal is the BLM at the address stated above. The petition/application requests the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw for a period of 20 years the following-described public land from location and entry under the United States mining laws, subject to valid existing rights: Gila and Salt River Meridian T. 20 N., R. 17 W. Sec. 6, lots 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 39, 42, and 44. The area described contains 299.70 acres in Mohave County. The BLM petition/application has been approved by the Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Therefore, it constitutes a withdrawal proposal of the Secretary of the Interior (43 CFR 2310.1-3(e)). The use of a right-of-way or cooperative agreement would not adequately constrain non-discretionary uses and would not provide adequate protection of the Federal investment in the improvements located on the land. There are no suitable alternative sites with equal or greater benefit to the government. No water rights would be needed to fulfill the purpose of the requested withdrawal. The preliminary mineral potential evaluation found the above described lands to have a low potential for locatable minerals. The purpose of the proposed withdrawal would be to protect the proposed Federal investment in the BLM's Kingman Regional Wild Horse and Burro Facility. For a period of 90 days from the date of publication of this notice, all persons who wish to submit comments, suggestions, or objections in connection with the proposed withdrawal may present their views in writing, by the date specified above, to the BLM Kingman Field Office Manager. Records relating to the application as well as comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the BLM Kingman Field Office, 2755 Mission Boulevard, Kingman, Arizona, during regular business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their entirety. Notice is hereby given that an opportunity for a public meeting is afforded in connection with the proposed withdrawal. All interested persons who desire a public meeting for the purpose of being heard on the proposed withdrawal must submit a written request to the BLM Kingman Field Office Manager. The withdrawal proposal will be processed in accordance with the regulations set forth in 43 CFR part 2300. For a period of 2 years from the date of publication of this notice in the **Federal Register** , the land will be segregated as specified above unless the application is denied or canceled or the withdrawal is approved prior to that date. The temporary land uses which may be permitted during this segregative period include licenses, permits, rights-of-ways, and disposal of vegetative resources other than under the mining laws. (Authority: 43 CFR 2310.3-1) Dated: August 25, 2006. Michael A. Taylor, Deputy State Director, Resources. [FR Doc. E6-14672 Filed 9-5-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-32-P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Minerals Management Service Alaska Region, Outer Continental Shelf, Beaufort Sea Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 202
(2007)AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability of an Environmental Assessment
(EA)and Finding of No New Significant Impact (FONNSI). SUMMARY: The Minerals Management Service has prepared an environmental assessment and a Finding of No New Significant Impact for the proposed Alaska Region Outer Continental Shelf
(OCS)Beaufort Sea Planning Area Lease Sale 202. In this EA, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2006-001, MMS reexamined the potential environmental effects of the proposed action and its alternatives based on any new information regarding potential impacts and issues that were not available at the time the Alaska Region OCS Beaufort Sea Planning Area Oil and Gas Lease Sales 186, 195, and 202, Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volumes I through IV (multiple-sale EIS) was completed in February 2003. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Minerals Management Service, Alaska OCS Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, #500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5823, Ms. Deborah Cranswick, telephone
(907)334-5267. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Proposed Beaufort Sea Planning Area Lease Sale 202 is the third Beaufort Sea Planning Area lease sale scheduled in the current OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2002-2007 (5-Year Program). The multiple-sale EIS analyzed the effects of three lease sales considering resource estimates, project exploration and development activities, and impact-producing factors for each of the proposed Beaufort Sea Planning Area lease sales. The resource estimates and level of activities projected for proposed Lease Sale 202 remains essentially the same as examined in the multiple-sale EIS. No new significant impacts were identified for proposed Lease Sale 202 that were not already assessed in the multiple-sale EIS. The FONNSI reflects the MMS determination that a supplemental EIS is not required. Available for Review: To obtain a copy of the EA and FONSI, you may contact the Minerals Management Service, Alaska OCS Region, Attention: Resource Center, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, #500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5823, telephone 1-800-764-2627. You may also view the EA on the MMS Web site at *http://www.mms.gov/alaska.* *Written Comments:* Interested parties may submit their written comments on this EA/FONNSI until 30 days after the publication of this notice, to the Regional Director, Alaska OCS Region, Attention: Sale 202 EA Coordinator, Minerals Management Service, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, #500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5823, or you may provide electronic comments at *http://ocsconnect.mms.gov/pcs-public/* . Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents available for public review. An individual commenter may ask that we withhold their name, home address, or both from the public record, and we will honor such a request to the extent allowable by law. If you submit comments and wish us to withhold such information, you must state so prominently at the beginning of your submission. We will not consider anonymous comments, and we will make available for inspection in their entirety all comments submitted by organizations or businesses or by individuals identifying themselves as representatives of organizations or businesses. Dated: August 22, 2006. Robert P. LaBelle, Acting Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management. [FR Doc. E6-14745 Filed 9-5-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a White-tailed Deer Management Plan, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice of Intent. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the National Park Service
(NPS)is preparing an environmental impact statement
(EIS)for the White-tailed Deer Management Plan for Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Cuyahoga). The purpose of the plan/EIS is to develop a deer management plan that supports long-term protection, preservation, and restoration of native species and other park resources. A scoping brochure has been prepared that details the issues identified to date and preliminary alternatives to be considered. Copies of that information may be obtained by mail from Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville, Ohio 44141, telephone 330-650-5071, extension 1, or the Planning, Environment and Public Comment
(PEPC)Web site at *http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/cuva* . Once on the PEPC site, click on the link titled Cuyahoga Valley National Park Deer Management Plan/EIS. DATES: To be most helpful to the scoping process, comments should be received within 60 days from the date this noticed is published in the **Federal Register** . In addition, the NPS intends to conduct public scoping open houses at the park. Please check local newspapers; the park's Web site *http://www.nps.gov/cuva* ; or contact the name listed below to find out when and where these open houses will be held. ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment at the park headquarters located at 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville, Ohio 44141. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Lisa Petit, Chief of Science and Resource Management, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, telephone, 330-650-5071, extension 1. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the NPS is preparing an EIS for a White-tailed Deer Management Plan for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The purpose of this plan and environmental impact statement is to develop a deer management plan that supports long-term protection, preservation, and restoration of native species and other park resources. A deer management plan is needed at this time to ensure that: Deer do not become the dominant force in the ecosystem, adversely impacting forest regeneration, sensitive vegetation and other wildlife; natural distribution, abundance, and diversity of plant and animal species do not continue to be adversely affected by the large number of white-tailed deer in Cuyahoga Valley National Park; declining forest regeneration is addressed and deer browsing does not continue at a level that eliminates or reduces forest regeneration, and that adverse changes to wildlife habitat and forest structure and composition do not occur over time; the park's cultural landscape preservation goals and mandates are not compromised by the large number of white-tailed deer in Cuyahoga Valley National Park; and the protection of park resources and values benefits from coordination with other jurisdictional entities currently implementing deer management actions. There are a number of objectives for this plan. One objective is to develop and implement informed, scientifically defensible vegetation and wildlife impact levels and corresponding measures of deer population size that would serve as thresholds for taking adaptive management actions within the park. The plan would also ensure that deer behavior, including browsing, trampling, and seed dispersal, does not adversely affect: Natural abundance, distribution, and diversity of native herbaceous and woody plant species; native vegetative species of concern, including rare, threatened or endangered species; and native vegetative species through dispersal, spread, and facilitation of exotic, invasive species. A third objective is to maintain a healthy white-tailed deer population within the park while protecting other park resources. In addition, the plan would ensure that deer behavior does not adversely affect the cultural landscape. Finally, the plan would enhance public awareness and understanding of NPS resource management issues, policies, and mandates, as they pertain to deer management; and ensure visitors the opportunity to view healthy deer in the natural environment at population levels that do not adversely impact visitors' enjoyment of other native species in the natural landscape. Preliminary alternatives that will be considered to meet the purpose and need include: Landscape management, fencing, reproductive control, direct reduction, and a combination of these management strategies. The continuation of current management (no action alternative) will also be analyzed. If you wish to comment on the scoping brochure or on any other issues associated with the plan, you may submit your comments by any one of several methods. You may submit your comments online through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment
(PEPC)Web site at *http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/cuva.* Once on the PEPC Web site, click on the link titled Cuyahoga Valley National Park Deer Management Plan/EIS. Please submit Internet comments as text files, avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Please put “Deer Management” in the subject line and include your name and return address in your message. If you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received your Internet message, contact Dr. Lisa Petit at 330-650-5071, extension 1, or *Lisa_Petit@nps.gov.* You may also mail comments to Resource Management, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, at the address given above. To aid in the scoping process, comments should be received within 60 days of the beginning of the public comment period. Our practice is to make comments, including names, home addresses, home phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to consider withholding this information you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comments. In addition, you must present a rationale for withholding this information. This rationale must demonstrate that disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. In the absence of exceptional, documentable circumstances, this information will be released. We will always make submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives of or officials of organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. Dated: August 29, 2006. Ernest Quintana, Regional Director, Midwest Region. [FR Doc. 06-7441 Filed 9-5-06; 8:45 am]
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- 43 CFR 2310.1-3(e)
- 43 CFR 2300
- 43 CFR 2310.3-1
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Notices
NOI to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and to conduct public scoping for the Hiawatha Regional Energy Development Project, Sweetwater County, Wyoming and Moffat County, Colorado, and notice of potential for an amendment to the Green River Resource Management Plan, Rock Springs Field Office
Cite43 CFR 2310.1-3(e)
Cite43 CFR 2300
Cite43 CFR 2310.3-1
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