39922 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 28, 2000 / Notices

Plan would not be adopted. Hence

Federal and State incidental take

permits would be issued incrementally

for individual projects. Assemblage of

an effective preserve system would be

unlikely. Over time, additional species

would likely become listed, further

complicating continued urban

development. The land development

permit process would continue to be

lengthy, costly, and uncertain.

Existing Conservation Lands

Alternative: Only existing reserves and

other public and private conservation

lands with habitat for target species

would be included in this alternative.

The type, amount and location of lands

conserved under this alternative would

be insufficient to obtain incidental take

permit coverage for most, if not all, of

the target species. This alternative

would not streamline development

permit processing.

Core Habitat, Ecological Processes

and Linkages Alternative: Developed by

the Scientific Advisory Committee for

the Multispecies Plan, this alternative

focuses on protecting core habitat areas

of sufficient size and long-term viability

for the protection of target species and

natural communities. This alternative

also includes protection of essential

ecological processes and wildlife

movement corridors.

Expanded Core Habitat, Ecological

Processes and Linkages Alternative:

Based upon the previous alternative,

this enhanced conservation alternative

would include additional habitat,

ecological processes and wildlife

corridors to further ensure functionality.

Avoid or Minimize Incidental Take

Alternative: Under this alternative, most

remaining viable habitat for target

species, and associated ecological

process and wildlife corridor lands in

the planning area would be

incorporated into the preserve system.

Conservation would focus on all large

habitat blocks within the composite

range of target species and would allow

development of all isolated habitat

fragments. Little economic incentive for

private land-owner participation would

be available and immediate land

acquisition would likely be required to

address the resulting take of private

lands.

Alternative Funding and

Implementation Mechanisms

Estimates of the costs associated with

the dedication, acquisition, and

management of lands to be protected in

perpetuity under the Multispecies Plan

have not yet been completed.

Substantial Federal and State assets are

currently proposed for inclusion in the

Plan, as are county, local, and private

lands. Several alternative approaches

are under consideration.

Tool Box Approach: This

implementation mechanism may take

the form of zoning overlays, General

Plan policies, ordinances, development

fees, and mitigation ratios. Tools that

may be used include: (a) Conservation

easements, (b) density transfer and

cluster development, (c) conservation

banks, (d) donation of lands for tax

benefits, and (e) inclusion of land in a

habitat transaction system with preassigned habitat values or credits.

Immediate Purchase of All At-Risk

Lands: This alternative represents the

optimum implementation mechanism

but would require the immediate or

short-term availability of substantial

funding for purchase of land and

conservation easements. Potential

funding sources may include biological

resource impact-fees assessed to future

development, State and Federal grants,

government loan guarantees, landfill

tipping fees, and local sales tax.

Combined Public Funds/Mitigation

Fee for Land Acquisition and

Management: This approach includes

the combined use of State and Federal

grants, as well as the payment of a

standardized impact mitigation fees for

development of lands outside

conservation areas. Revenues from

existing or new tax streams, bond

issues, landfill tipping fees, and other

sources are also being explored.

Continued private contributions are

expected to be available for habitat

acquisition.

In addition, the Forest Service,

pursuant to the National Forest

Management Act of 1976, and the

Bureau of Land Management, pursuant

to the Federal Land Policy and

Management Act of 1976, have authority

to acquire, excess, exchange and transfer

Federal lands, and will be the agencies

primarily responsible for furthering the

Federal realty actions. The State of

California also acquires lands for

conservation purposes through the

Wildlife Conservation Board, the

Department of Parks and Recreation,

and the Coachella Valley Mountains

Conservancy.

Proposed Amendment of the California

Desert Conservation Plan

The Bureau of Land Management is

participating as a responsible agency in

the planning process. To ensure that its

land use decisions are in conformance

with the Multispecies Plan, the Bureau

proposes to amend the California Desert

Conservation Area Plan in compliance

with the National Environmental Policy

Act, the Federal Land Policy

Management Act of 1976, and the Code

of Federal Regulations (40 CFR part

1500 and 43 CFR part 1610).

The Bureau will use the Impact

Statement/Report prepared for the

Multispecies Plan as the Environmental

Impact Statement for its proposed

amendment to the Desert Conservation

Plan. The Bureau will prepare a Record

of Decision separate from that of the

Fish and Wildlife Service. The proposed

plan amendment will address changes

in Bureau land use classifications,

identify public lands for exchange to

augment the multi-species reserve

system, and designate new Areas of

Critical Environmental Concern. The

proposed plan amendment will take

into consideration biological, botanical,

cultural, wilderness, mineral and other

natural resources, as well as use of the

public lands for recreation, mineral

extraction, utility corridors and other

uses. Nothing in this proposed plan

amendment shall have the effect of

terminating any validly issued rights-ofway or customary operation,

maintenance, repair, and replacement

activities in such rights-of-ways in

accordance with Sections 509(a) and

701(a) of the Federal Land Policy

Management Act of 1976.

Dated: June 21, 2000.

Elizabeth H. Stevens,

Deputy Manager, California/Nevada

Operations Office, Region 1, Sacramento,

California.

[FR Doc. 00–16383 Filed 6–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA–680–99–2822–00–D889]

Closure and Restriction Orders

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

(BLM), Interior.

ACTION: Amend emergency closure of

certain public lands in the Juniper Flats

area, San Bernardino County, California.

SUMMARY: In previous Federal Register

Notice, Public lands in the Juniper Flats

area were closed to human entry.

Approximately 16,000 acres burned in

the Willow fire were closed from

October 17, 1999 to July 1, 2000. You

are not to enter the closed area by any

means of access. This amendment

exempts human access on the trail

leading from the southern most portion

of the Bowen Ranch property (across

BLM land referred to as the ‘‘upper

parking lot’’ to the Forest Service ‘‘lower

parking lot’’) and trail known as the

‘‘Goat Trail’’ leading to the Deep Creek

Springs.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 28, 2000 / Notices 39923

DATES: This amendment goes into effect

at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 26, 2000

and shall remain in effect until 11:59

p.m. on Saturday, July 1, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim

Read, Barstow Field Office Manager,

Bureau of Land Management, 2601

Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311; or

call (760) 252–6000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

Saturday August 28th, the Willow Fire

started on U.S. Forest Service lands

adjacent to BLM lands in the Juniper

Flats area. The fire burned 63,486 acres,

including approximately 16,000 acres of

BLM land.

Natural resources comprising the

local ecosystems were extensively

damaged by the fire. The affected public

land has been closed to human entry

since the fire. Over the winter the

vegetation began growing back. This

indicates the natural systems are

beginning to recover. The closure is now

amended to exempt human access on

the trail leading to the Deep Creek Hot

Springs. The trail is well marked and is

located in T.3N. R. 3W. Section 11.

In general, the closed pubic lands are

east of Deep Creek Road, south of the

Atchison Topeka and Sante Fe rail lines,

west of Highway 18, and north of Deep

Creek. The authority for this closure is

43 CFR 8364.1, 18 U.S.C. 3571. This

closure only applies to those portions of

the following sections burned during

the Willow Fire: San Bernardino Base

and Meridian, T.3N. R.1W. sections 2, 3,

4, 5 and 6; T.3N. R.2W. sections 1, 2, 3,

4, 5, 6, 7 and 8: T.3N. R.3W. sections 1,

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12; T.4N.

R.1W. sections 31 and 32; T.4N. R.2W.

sections 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34

and 35: T.4N. R.3W. sections 21, 22, 23,

24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and

35. If you fail to comply with this

closure order you may be fined up to

$100,000.00 or be imprisoned for up to

12 months, or both.

You are exempt from this closure if

you are engaged in one of these

activities: law enforcement, emergency

services, government business, or work

to maintain utilities and infrastructure.

You may be exempt if permitted by a

BLM Authorizing Officer. You and your

guests are exempt to access your

residence or property if it is within the

closed area. This closure only affects

public lands. County roads and

segments of roads through private lands

are unaffected. You are exempt to use

the portion of Bowen Ranch Road that

is a County road. The exempt portion

crosses public lands in section 31 of

T.4N. R.2W., and sections 1, 11 and 12

of T.3N. R.3W., ending at the boundary

of the Bowen Ranch.

Tim Read,

BLM, Barstow Field Office Manager.

[FR Doc. 00–16267 Filed 6–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–40–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY070–00–EJ]

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement;

Correction

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Correction of dates in Notice of

Intent (NOI) to Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement for Oil

and Gas Development in the Powder

River Basin, Wyoming, published on

June 21, 2000.

SUMMARY: This notice provides a

correction of the dates included in the

‘‘Dates’’ Section of the above referenced

NOI. The revised section is included

below.

DATES: Comments to be considered in

the draft EIS from the scoping period

should be submitted by July 31, 2000.

The draft EIS should be available for

public review by April 15, of 2001.

ADDRESSES: Questions or concerns

should be addressed to Paul Beels in the

BLM Buffalo Field Office, 1425 Fort

Street, Buffalo, WY 82834.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

Beels, phone 307–684–1100.

Dated: June 22, 2000.

Alan L. Kesterke,

Associate State Director.

[FR Doc. 00–16284 Filed 6–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AZ–910–0777–26–241A]

State of Arizona Resource Advisory

Council Meeting

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Arizona Resource Advisory

Council meeting notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces a

meeting of the Arizona Resource

Advisory Council (RAC). The meeting

will be held on August 4, 2000, in

Phoenix, Arizona. The RAC meeting

will begin at 9 a.m and will conclude at

approximately 4 p.m. The agenda items

to be covered include the review of the

March 31 and May 11, 2000, meeting

minutes; BLM State Director’s Update

on legislation, regulations and statewide

planning efforts; National Off-Highway

Vehicle Use Strategy Presentation/RAC

Discussion; Sonoran Desert

Conservation Plan Presentation; Arizona

Trails System; Update Proposed Field

Office Rangeland Resource Teams;

Reports from BLM Field Office

Managers; Reports by the Standards and

Guidelines, Recreation and Public

Relations, Wild Horse and Burro

Working Groups; Reports from RAC

members; and Discussion of future

meetings. A public comment period will

be provided at 11 a.m. on August 4,

2000, for any interested publics who

wish to address the Council.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Deborah Stevens, Bureau of Land

Management, Arizona State Office, 222

North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona

85004–2203, (602) 417–9215.

Denise P. Meridith,

Arizona State Director.

[FR Doc. 00–16283 Filed 6–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–32–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA–680–00–1220–HQ]

Supplemental Rule Restricting

Recreational Shooting to Protect

Human Health and Safety in a Portion

of Wonder Valley, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Department of the Interior, Barstow

Field Office, Desert District, California.

ACTION: On those public lands

administered by the BLM and located

within T.1 N., R.10 E., Sec 5 S1⁄2 and

Sec 8 N1⁄2, San Bernardino Meridian, it

is prohibited to fire any firearm. This

supplemental rule does not affect the

legitimate and legal pursuit of game or

the discharge of a firearm for purposes

of personal protection.

SUMMARY: In accordance with Title 43,

Code of Federal Regulations Section

8365.1–6 the State Director may

establish supplementary rules in order

to provide for the protection of persons,

property and public lands and

resources. This authority was delegated

to the District Managers and Field

Managers pursuant to BLM Manual

1203, California Supplement.

Penalties: Failure to comply with this

supplementary rule is punishable by a