Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 80 / Tuesday, April 25, 2000 / Notices 24221

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport-hunted from the Southern

Beaufort Sea polar bear population,

Northwest Territories, Canada for

personal use.

Applicant: Patrick B. Sands, Dallas, TX,

PRT–025227

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport-hunted from the Lancaster Sound

polar bear population, Northwest

Territories, Canada for personal use.

Written data or comments should be

submitted to the Director, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Office of Management

Authority, 4401 North Fairfax Drive,

Room 700, Arlington, Virginia 22203

and must be received by the Director

within 30 days of the date of this

publication.

Documents and other information

submitted with these applications are

available for review, subject to the

requirements of the Privacy Act and

Freedom of Information Act, by any

party who submits a written request for

a copy of such documents to the

following office within 30 days of the

date of publication of this notice: U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of

Management Authority, 4401 North

Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington,

Virginia 22203. Phone: (703/358–2104);

FAX: (703/358–2281).

Dated: April 20, 2000.

Kristen Nelson,

Chief, Branch of Permit, Office of

Management Authority.

[FR Doc. 00–10280 Filed 4–24–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of the Final

Environmental Impact Statement and

Associated Comprehensive

Conservation Plan for the Little Pend

Oreille National Wildlife Refuge

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the

Final Environmental Impact Statement

and associated Comprehensive

Conservation Plan for the Little Pend

Oreille National Wildlife Refuge.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2) of

the National Environmental Policy Act

of 1969, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service) announces that the

final Environmental Impact Statement

and associated Comprehensive

Conservation Plan (Final CCP/EIS) for

Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife

Refuge, Stevens County, Washington is

available for public review. Five

alternatives for management of the Little

Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge

(Little Pend Oreille NWR, Refuge),

including a no-action alternative, were

considered in the planning process.

DATES: Written comments must be

received at the address below by May

25, 2000. The Service will take no

action on this proposal for the thirty-day

period of availability, in accordance

with the Council of Environmental

Quality Regulations, 40 CFR

1506.10(b)(2). After a minimum of 30

days following the filing of the Final

EIS, a Record of Decision to implement

the proposed action will be signed.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be

addressed to: Refuge Manager, Little

Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge,

1310 Bear Creek Road, Colville,

Washington 99114, phone (509) 684–

8384. In addition, the Final CCP/EIS is

available on the internet via the Fish

and Wildlife Service Region 1 Planning

Home Page at http://www.r1.fws.gov/

planning/plnhome.html. Public reading

copies of the Final CCP/EIS will be

available at the Refuge Headquarters

and at the following libraries: Chewelah

Public Library, Colville Public Library,

Deer Park Public Library, Kettle Falls

Public Library, Newport Public Library,

and Spokane Public Library.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa

Langelier, Refuge Manager, Little Pend

Oreille National Wildlife Refuge, at the

above address. Printed copies have been

sent to agencies, organizations, officials,

and selected individuals who

participated in the scoping process. A

planning update summarizing the CCP/

EIS has also been mailed to all

individuals and organizations on the

CCP mailing list. Individuals wishing

Compact Discs of this CCP/EIS for

review should immediately contact the

above individual.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service began the

process of developing a management

plan for the 40,198 acre Little Pend

Oreille NWR in 1995. The National

Wildlife Refuge System Improvement

Act of 1997 requires that each national

wildlife refuge be managed under a

comprehensive conservation plan. The

Service has prepared a final EIS, the

proposed action being to develop and

implement a Comprehensive

Conservation Plan for the Refuge that

best achieves the Refuge’s purpose,

vision and goals; contributes to the

Refuge System mission; addresses the

significant issues and relevant

mandates; and is consistent with

principles of sound fish and wildlife

management.

Alternative E, identified as the

Agency Preferred Alternative (modified

from draft), places management

emphasis on restoration of habitat

components along with a mix of existing

uses and priority recreation activities.

Public comment has been requested,

considered, and incorporated

throughout the planning process in

numerous ways. Public outreach

included open houses, public meetings,

plan work group meetings, a camping

evaluation, planning update mailings,

and Federal Register notices. Five

previous notices were published in the

Federal Register concerning this CCP/

EIS (61 FR 65591, Dec. 13, 1996; 63 FR

39884, July 24, 1998; 64 FR 24168, May

5, 1999; 64 FR 36712, July 7, 1999; 64

FR 46404, Aug. 25, 1999).

During the Draft CCP/EIS comment

period that occurred from May 5 to

August 31, 1999, the Service received a

total of 300 communications (letters,

faxes, postcards, email, visits, or

telephone calls) representing 327

persons. The Service also received three

petitions signed by a total of 318 people.

All substantive issues raised in the

comments to the Draft CCP/EIS have

been addressed through revisions

incorporated into the Final CCP/EIS text

or responses contained in Appendix J of

the Final CCP/EIS.

After the review period ends for the

Final CCP/EIS, comments will be

analyzed and considered by the Service

in the Record of Decision. All comments

received from individuals on

Environmental Impact Statements

become part of the official public

record. Requests for such comments will

be handled in accordance with the

Freedom of Information Act, the

Council on Environmental Quality’s

NEPA regulations [40 CFR 1506.6(f)],

and other Service and Departmental

policy and procedures. When requested,

the Service generally will provide

comment letters with the names and

addresses of the individuals who wrote

the comments. However, the telephone

number of the commenting individual

will not be provided in response to such

requests to the extent permissible by

law. Additionally, public comment

letters are not required to contain the

commentator’s name, address, or other

identifying information. Such comments

may be submitted anonymously to the

Service.

24222 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 80 / Tuesday, April 25, 2000 / Notices

Dated: April 18, 2000.

Richard A. Coleman,

Acting Regional Director, Acting Region 1,

Portland, Oregon.

[FR Doc. 00–10240 Filed 4–24–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of an

Environmental Assessment and

Receipt of a Safe Harbor Application

To Enhance the Propagation and

Survival of the Black-Capped Vireo and

the Golden-Cheeked Warbler in the Hill

Country of Texas

SUMMARY: Environmental Defense, Inc.

(Applicant) has applied to the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service (Service) for an

enhancement of survival permit

pursuant to Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the

Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973,

as amended. The Applicant has been

assigned permit number TE–024875–0.

The requested permit, which is for a

period of 30 years, would authorize the

Applicant to issue certificates of

inclusion under a Safe Harbor

agreement to private landowners who

voluntarily agree to carry out habitat

improvements for the black-capped

vireo (Vireo atricapillus) and/or the

golden-cheeked warbler (Dendroica

chrysoparia) in various counties in

central Texas Hill Country.

Habitat enhancement activities could

occur in any or all of the following 25

counties: Bandera, Bell, Blanco, Bosque,

Brown, Burnet, Comal, Comanche,

Coryell, Edwards, Gillespie, Hays,

Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Lampasas, Llano,

Mason, Medina, Real, San Saba,

Somervell, Sutton, Uvalde, and

Williamson. Habitat enhancement

activities could include, but are not

limited to, prescribed burning, selective

Ashe juniper thinning, rotational

grazing, cowbird trapping, and

hardwood regeneration.

The Service has prepared an

Environmental Assessment (EA) for the

application. A determination of

jeopardy to the species or a Finding of

No Significant Impact (FONSI) will not

be made until at least 30 days from the

date of publication of this notice. This

notice is provided pursuant to Section

10(c) of the Act and National

Environmental Policy Act regulations

(40 CFR 1506.6).

DATES: Written comments on the

application should be received by the

Service on or before May 25, 2000. The

application, along with any supporting

documentation, is available for public

review, subject to the requirements of

the Privacy Act and Freedom of

Information Act, by any party who

submits a written request for a copy of

such documents within the comment

period to the address specified below.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the application may obtain copies by

written request to the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Austin Ecological

Service Field Office, 10711 Burnet

Road, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78758

(512/490–0057). The application will

also be available for public inspection,

by appointment, during normal business

hours (8:00 am to 4:30 pm) at the

Service’s Austin Ecological Services

Field Office. During the 30-day public

comment period, written comments or

data should be submitted to the Field

Supervisor at the above address. Please

refer to the application for the Texas

Hill Country and reference permit

number TE–024875–0 when submitting

comments. All comments received,

including names and addresses, will

become a part of the official

administrative record and may be made

available to the public.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Krishna Costello at the above Austin

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Field

Office.

Background

The black-capped vireo (vireo) and

the golden-cheeked warbler (warbler)

were listed as endangered in November

1987 and May 1990, respectively. The

vireo and warbler are migratory

songbirds that occupy breeding habitat

in Texas from about March 1–August

31. The vireo requires early successional

stage, patchy-island habitat of wooded

areas with shrubs up to about 6 feet tall

surrounded by grasslands. Warbler

habitat is mixed, closed-canopy

woodland with mature Ashe juniper

and oaks.

Approximately ninety-seven percent

of the land in Texas is privately owned,

and a large majority of existing and

restorable vireo and warbler habitat falls

into this category. Therefore, the

participation of private landowners in

the recovery of these two species is very

important.

Landowners having currently

unoccupied and/or unsuitable, but

restorable, habitat and thus a zero

baseline condition for the Safe Harbor,

would be eligible for certificates of

inclusion. Exceptions to the zero

baseline may also be included for

certificates under very limited

circumstances with concurrence from

the Service. Upon completion and

maintenance of the habitat

improvements for at least four breeding

seasons, the landowners would be

permitted to conduct any otherwise

lawful activity on their property,

including activities that result in the

partial or total elimination of the

restored habitat and the incidental

taking of either of these species as a

result of such habitat elimination.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 9

of the Act prohibits the ‘‘taking’’ of

endangered species, such as the blackcapped vireo and golden-cheeked

warbler. However, the Service, under

limited circumstances, may issue

permits to take endangered wildlife

species incidental to, and not the

purpose of, otherwise lawful activities.

Regulations governing permits for

endangered species are at 50 CFR 17.22.

The authority for this action is the

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as

amended, through its permitting

provisions (50 CFR parts 13 & 17).

Geoffrey L. Haskett,

Regional Director, Region 2, Albuquerque,

New Mexico.

[FR Doc. 00–9357 Filed 4–24–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Availability of an Environmental Action

Statement and Receipt of an

Application for a Permit to Enhance

the Survival of Hawaiian Goose or

Nene Through a Safe Harbor

Agreement for Reintroduction of the

Species to Puu O Hoku Ranch, Molokai

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: Puu O Hoku Ranch, Limited

has applied to the Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service) for an enhancement of

a survival permit pursuant to section

10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species

Act of 1973, as amended. The permit

application includes a Safe Harbor

Agreement (Agreement) between the

Ranch, the Service, and the Hawaii

Department of Land and Natural

Resources. The proposed Agreement

and permit application are available for

public comment.

The proposed Agreement allows for

reintroduction and management of the

endangered Hawaiian goose or nene

(Branta sandvicensis) onto private land

owned and managed by the Ranch on

the island of Molokai. Nene historically

occurred on Molokai, but do not

currently exist in the wild on the island.