Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 97 / Thursday, May 18, 2000 / Notices 31593

will create incentives for the continued

participation by beach management

agencies and organizations involved in

protecting piping plovers.

The two alternatives presented by the

Division in the conservation plan and

the draft EA are limited to the proposed

action and the no-action alternative

(continuation of current management

recommendations without increased

flexibility for limited take).

The proposed action establishes strict

statewide and site-specific eligibility

criteria that must be met prior to the

implementation of the proposed Section

10 incidental take permit. Statewide

eligiblity requirements determine the

level of take that will be allowed for

each breeding season. Site-specific

eligibility requirements determine

whether a landowner may participate in

permitted activities, and requires that

these landowners make additional

plover protection commitments,

including the use of predator

exclosures, prohibition of dogs,

implementation of public outreach

programs (for heavily-used public

recreational beaches), and plover

monitoring and reporting. The proposed

permit would be effective during the

2000, 2001 and 2002 plover breeding

seasons. Authorized take would only

affect piping plovers; take of other

federally-listed species is specifically

excluded from the proposed action.

Incidental take likely to occur on

eligible sites may result from several

management activities outlined in the

conservation plan. Certain activities will

be automatically authorized statewide

and at particular sites. Statewide

activities automatically proposed to be

authorized include the taking of chicks

on paved or improved roads and in

parking lots and take caused by

fireworks located within one-half mile

or more from plover nests or chicks.

Additional proposed take automatically

permitted at three sites includes: (1)

Take from fireworks at Crane Beach,

Ipswich; (2) take from unescorted

essential vehicles on a specified portion

of Crane’s Beach; (3) take from

unescorted vehicles on a specified

portion of Plymouth Beach, Plymouth;

and (4) take of chicks by unescorted

vehicles on a specified portion of Sandy

Neck, Barnstable.

Additional discretionary take may

also be authorized at a limited number

of sites that meet specific eligibility

requirements. Landowners that choose

to undertake such actions may apply to

be included under the Division’s

proposed permit that will authorize the

incidental take. Proposed authorized

activities are: (1) Reduction of

symbolically-fenced buffer areas around

plover nests, applicable to one plover

nest per site per year; (2) moving eggs

from heavily-used pedestrian or vehicle

access points; (3) limited use of escorted

off-road vehicle caravans for

recreational access during periods when

unfledged chicks are present on the

beach; and (4) limited use of vehicles for

homeowner access after dark through

areas with unfledged chicks.

Take of piping plovers primarily will

occur either through direct mortality of

chicks, harassment of chicks or adults,

or mortality of eggs that occurs as the

result of nest abandonment or

inadequate incubation or nest defense.

As a result of these takings, overall

reproductive success will be reduced at

individual sites, and adverse effects may

occur to immediate habitats of

individuals pairs or broods. However,

the level of incidental take likely to

occur will not reduce productivity

enough to substantially slow progress

toward recovery. Take that occurs as a

result of a permit issued to the Division

will not include mortality of adults, nor

will actions undertaken within the

scope of such a permit permanently

degrade otherwise suitable habitat.

The Division has proposed to

minimize and monitor the level of

incidental take through a number of

measures. Continued population growth

over the duration of the permit should

be ensured by conditioning the

authorization of discretionary incidental

take on maintaining average

productivity of 1.5 chicks fledged per

pair for the entire state, individual

Management Units and individual sites.

If statewide productivity falls below 1.5

chicks fledged per pair, incidental take

authorized for the following year will be

limited. The conservation plan

encompasses a sufficiently large

geographic area that should some sites

experience adverse effects from

environmental or demographic

stochasticity, unsuccessful management,

or larger incidental take than predicted,

those set-backs may be balanced by

more favorable conditions or results of

management elsewhere in the planning

unit. Finally, the proposed permit

duration of three years will allow for a

relatively rapid evaluation of the

conservation plan in light of

management results and changes in the

overall status of the Massachusetts and

New England plover populations that

may occur in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

The 1996 Section 19(a)(1)(B)

incidental take permit granted to the

Division outlined eligibility

requirements similar to those proposed

in the current application. Due to a

decrease in piping plover productivity

in 1996, permit activities were not

allowed to occur the following year in

order to ensure the continued recovery

of piping plovers in Massachusetts.

Piping plover productivity also fell

below the established eligibility criteria

in 1997, again precluding the

implementation of measures permitted

in the 1996 Section 10 permit. The

eligibility criteria proposed in the

current Section 10(a)(1)(B) permit

application provide a greater range of

options than the previous permit. These

options will allow greater flexibility to

implement the portions of the proposed

permit that will have the least impact on

the recovery of the Massachusetts

population of the piping plover.

Dated: May 11, 2000.

Mamie Parker,

Deputy Regional Director, Region 5.

[FR Doc. 00–12492 Filed 5–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Letters of Authorization To Take

Marine Mammals

AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of issuance of Letters of

Authorization to take marine mammals

incidental to oil and gas industry

activities.

SUMMARY: In accordance with section

101(a)(5)(A) of the Marine Mammal

Protection Act of 1972, as amended, and

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

implementing regulations [50 CFR

18.27(f)(3)], notice is hereby given that

Letters of Authorization to take polar

bears and Pacific walrus incidental to

oil and gas industry exploration,

development, and production activities

have been issued to the following

companies:

Company Activity Date issued

BP Exploration (Prudhoe Bay Unit) ........................................................ Production ...................................... April 21, 2000.

BP Exploration (Kuparuk Unit) ................................................................ Production ...................................... April 21, 2000.

Western Geophysical (Anadarko) ........................................................... Exploration ..................................... April 21, 2000.

31594 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 97 / Thursday, May 18, 2000 / Notices

Company Activity Date issued

BP Exploration (Northstar) ...................................................................... Development .................................. May 3, 2000.

ARCO Alaska, Inc. (Meltwater North) ..................................................... Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

ARCO Alaska, Inc. (Spark # 1) ............................................................... Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

ARCO Alaska, Inc. (Rendezvous A&B) .................................................. Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

ARCO Alaska, Inc. (Lookout A) .............................................................. Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

ARCO Alaska, Inc. (Moose’s Tooth A&C) .............................................. Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

ARCO Alaska, Inc. (Clover A&B) ............................................................ Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

ARCO Alaska, Inc. (Cairn) ...................................................................... Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

Western Geophysical (ARCO) ................................................................ Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

Western Geophysical (BP Exploration) ................................................... Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

Kuukpik/Fairweather Geophysical ........................................................... Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

BP Exploration (Point Thomson) ............................................................. Exploration ..................................... May 3, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

John W. Bridges at the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals

Management Office, 1011 East Tudor

Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99503, (300)

362–5148 or (907) 786–3810.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Letters of Authorization were issued

in accordance with U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service Federal Rules and

Regulations ‘‘Marine Mammals;

Incidental Take During Specified

Activities (65 FR 16828; March 30,

2000).’’

Dated: May 8, 2000.

Mike Boylan,

Acting Deputy Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 00–12527 Filed 5–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Notice of Final Agency Action To Take

90.94 Acres of Land, More or Less, Into

Trust for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe

of Indians of South Dakota

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to take land into

trust.

SUMMARY: This provides notice that a

final agency determination has been

made to acquire 90.94 acres of land,

more or less, into trust for the Lower

Brule Sioux Tribe of Indians of South

Dakota. The United States will acquire

title no sooner than thirty days after this

notice is published. This notice is

published in the exercise of authority

delegated by the Secretary of the Interior

to the Assistant Secretary—Indian

Affairs by 209 DM 8.1 and pursuant to

25 CFR 151.12(b), 61 Federal Register

18082–18083, April 24, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Terrance L. Virden, Bureau of Indian

Affairs, Director, Office of Trust

Responsibilities, MS–4513/MIB/Code

200, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC

20240; telephone (202) 208–5831.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April

6, 2000, the Assistant Secretary—Indian

Affairs made a final determination that

the United States will accept 90.94 acres

of land, more or less, in trust for the

Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of Indians of

South Dakota. It was determined that

the acceptance of the following

described land into trust, pursuant to 25

U.S.C. 465, would be in the best interest

of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of

Indians of South Dakota.

Lyman County, South Dakota

A portion of the Northeast Quarter of the

Northwest Quarter (NE1⁄4NW1⁄4) lying North

of Highway No. 16 (shown as Lot H–1 in

Book 3 of Plats, Page 108) and except Lot ‘‘A’’

of Lester’s Addition (a subdivision of the

NE1⁄4NW1⁄4) of Section Twenty-Four (24) and

the West Half of the Southwest Quarter

(W1⁄2SW1⁄4) of Section Thirteen (13), the

Northwest Quarter of the Northwest Quarter

of the Northwest Quarter (NW1⁄4NW1⁄4NW1⁄4)

of Section Twenty-Four (24), and the

Northeast Quarter of the Northwest Quarter

of the Northwest Quarter (NE1⁄4NW1⁄4NW1⁄4)

of Section Twenty-Four (24), Township One

Hundred Four North (104N), Range SeventyTwo West (72W) of the Fifth Principal

Meridian, Lyman County, South Dakota.

Subject to any valid existing easements

for public roads and highways, for

public utilities and for railroads and

pipelines and any other rights-of-way or

reservations of record.

Dated: May 12, 2000.

Kevin Gover,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 00–12585 Filed 5–17–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY090–00–1310–EJ]

Notice of Availability of Final

Environmental Impact Statement for

the Pinedale Anticline Natural Gas

Exploration and Development Project,

and Proposed Amendment to the

Pinedale Resource Management Plan

AGENCY: Lead Agency—Bureau of Land

Management, Interior. Cooperating

Agencies—U.S. Forest Service,

Department of Agriculture, Corps of

Engineers, U.S. Army, State of

Wyoming.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Final

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

for the Pinedale Anticline Natural Gas

Exploration and Development Project,

Sublette County, Wyoming, and Notice

of 30-day protest period for proposed

amendment to the Pinedale Resource

Management Plan (RMP).

SUMMARY: The FEIS is an abbreviated

FEIS. The FEIS and the Draft EIS (DEIS)

comprise the entire document for filing

purposes and for the decision making

process. Please refer to the DEIS for

more detailed analysis and description

of the proposed action and alternatives.

The FEIS contains 7 Sections. Section 1,

Introduction; Section 2, Potential

Management Scenario for Continued

Exploration and Development; Section

3, Analysis of Revised Sales Gas

Pipeline Alternatives; Section 4, Errata;

Section 5, Comment Responses and

Letters; Section 6, Responses to

Environmental Group Notices and

Alerts; and Section 7, Public Hearing

Comments and Responses. BLM has

identified the Resource Protection (RP)

Alternative on Federal Lands and

Minerals as its preferred alternative

based on information contained in the

DEIS, comments received during public

scoping, and comments received on the

DEIS. BLM considers the RP Alternative

on All Lands and Minerals to be the

environmentally preferred alternative.