41718 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 130 / Thursday, July 6, 2000 / Notices

Permit No. Activity

Total

number of

respondents

Estimated

time

(in hours)

Total annual

burden

hours

Regulation

3–200–48 ..... Import of Birds Under an Approved Cooperative Breeding Program (Wild Bird Conservation Act).25 1 50 50 CFR 15.11, 15.12, 15.21

and 15.24.

3–200–49 ..... Approval of a Cooperative Breeding Program (Wild Bird Conservation Act).25 3 75 50 CFR 15.11, 15.12, 15.21

and 15.26.

3–200–50 ..... Approval of Scientifically Based Sustainable

Use Management Plans (Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species).

10 10 100 50 CFR 15.11, 15.12, 15.21

and 15.32.

3–200–51 ..... Approval of Foreign Breeding Facilities

Under the Wild Bird Conservation Act.

20 12 240 50 CFR 15.11, 15.12, 15.21

and 15.41.

3–200–52 ..... Reissuance or Renewal of a Permit or Certificate.400 .250 100 50 CFR 13.21 and 13.22.

3–200–53 ..... Export/Re-export of Captive-Held Marine

Mammals (Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species).

30 2 60 50 CFR Part 18, 23.11,

23.12, 23.13 and 23.15.

1 20 minutes.

2 30 minutes.

3 40 minutes.

3 45 minutes.

Approval Number: 1018–0093.

Service Form Number: 3–200–19

through 3–200–53.

Frequency of Collection: On Occasion.

Description of Respondents:

Individuals, biomedical companies,

circuses, zoological parks, botanical

gardens, nurseries, museums,

universities, scientists, antique dealers,

Exotic pet industry, hunters,

taxidermists, commercial importers/

exporters of wildlife and plants, freight

forwarders/brokers, local, State, tribal

and Federal governments.

Total Annual Burden Hours: 5606.5.

Total Annual Responses: 5987.

Dated: June 23, 2000.

Kenneth Stansell,

Acting Assistant Director—International

Affairs.

[FR Doc. 00–16912 Filed 7–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National

Wildlife Refuge System Improvement

Act of 1997, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service has published a Revised Draft

Comprehensive Conservation Plan and

Environmental Assessment for the

Edwin B. Forsythe and Cape May

National Wildlife Refuges in New

Jersey. This plan describes how the

Service intends to manage the Forsythe

and Cape May Refuges for the next 15

years.

DATES: A formal public hearing will be

held at 7 PM on July 19, 2000. The

hearing will provide an opportunity for

all interested parties to present oral or

written testimony on the revised draft

document before a hearing officer and

court reporter. Those wishing to do so

will be able to sign up to speak when

they enter the hearing room. This formal

public hearing will be held at: Absegami

High School, 201 South Wrangleboro

Road, Galloway Township, Atlantic

County, New Jersey.

All other comments should be sent by

either traditional or electronic mail, no

later than August 4, 2000, to: The Jersey

Coast Refuges Planning Team, U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate

Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035–9589,

or FW5RW_CCP@fws.gov.

ADDRESSES: Additional information or

copies of an executive summary of the

plan or the complete document may be

obtained by contacting Steve Atzert,

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife

Refuge, P.O. Box 72, Great Creek Road,

Oceanville, New Jersey 08231–0072,

telephone 609/652–1665.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Service’s Proposed Action and two

other alternatives are described, along

with the process used to develop them

and the environmental consequences of

implementing each one. The three

alternatives are:

Alternative A. This is the No Action

Alternative required by the Council of

Environmental Quality’s regulations on

the implementation of the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Selection of this Atlernative would

mean that there would be no change

from our current management programs

and emphasis at both Refuges. Seasonal

travel and parking of motor vehicles

would continue to be allowed in the

Holgate Unit of the Brigantine

Wilderness Area, on lands above mean

high tide, in violation of the Wilderness

Act of 1964.

Alternative B. Alternative B is the

Service’s Proposed Action. This

Alternative would initiate new wildlife

population and habitat management

programs; provide new wildlifedependent recreation opportunities;

increase our land protection efforts; and

provide new office and visitor facilities

at both Refuges. All lands above mean

high tide in the Holgate Unit of the

Brigantine Wilderness Area would be

closed to motor vehicle use by the

public year-round in compliance with

the provisions of the Wilderness Act.

We would initiate efforts to establish a

seasonal boat concession to ferry anglers

and other Refuge visitors to the southern

tip of the Holgate Peninsula.

Alternative C. This Alternative would

initiate new wildlife population and

habitat management programs; provide

new wildlife-dependent recreation

opportunities Refuge-wide; increase our

land protection efforts; and provide new

or remodeled office and visitor facilities

at both Refuges. All lands above mean

high tide in the Holgate Unit of the

Brigantine Wilderness Area would be

closed to motor vehicle use by the

public year-round in compliance with

the provisions of the Wilderness Act.

We would also seek to further restrict

motor vehicle access at the Holgate Unit

by obtaining a license from the New

Jersey Tidelands Council to close Stateowned riparian lands below the mean

high tide line. Efforts would be initiated

to establish a seasonal boat concession

to ferry anglers and other Refuge visitors

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 130 / Thursday, July 6, 2000 / Notices 41719

to the southern tip of the Holgate

Peninsula.

Dated: June 27, 2000.

Mamie A. Parker,

Acting Regional Director, Fish and Wildlife

Service, Hadley, Massachusetts.

[FR Doc. 00–17013 Filed 7–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Availability of a Habitat Conservation

Plan and Receipt of an Application for

an Incidental Take Permit for the

Beaver Creek Tract, Lincoln County,

Oregon

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of application.

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public

that Coast Range Conifers, LLC (CRC or

applicant) has applied to the Fish and

Wildlife Service (Service) for an

incidental take permit pursuant to

section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered

Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA).

The application has been assigned

permit number TE–028956–0. The

proposed permit would authorize the

incidental take, in the form of habitat

modification (harm) and disturbance

(harass), of the bald eagle (Haliaeetus

leucocephalus) which is federally listed

as threatened.

The Service announces the receipt of

the applicant’s incidental take permit

application and the availability of the

Coast Range Conifers Beaver Tract

Habitat Conservation Plan (Beaver Tract

Plan) and draft Implementation

Agreement, which accompany the

incidental take permit application, for

public comment. The Beaver Tract Plan

describes the proposed project and the

measures the applicant will undertake

to minimize for project impacts to the

bald eagle. These measures and

associated impacts are also described in

the background and summary

information that follow. The Service is

presently conducting the National

Environmental Protection Act (NEPA)

process and will announce the

availability of NEPA compliance

documentation soon.

DATES: Written comments on the permit

application and Plan should be received

on or before August 7, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Individuals wishing copies

of the permit application or copies of

the full text of the Beaver Tract Plan,

should immediately contact the office

and personnel listed below. Documents

also will be available for public

inspection, by appointment, during

normal business hours at the address

below. Comments regarding the permit

application, draft Implementation

Agreement or the Beaver Tract Plan

should be addressed to State Supervisor,

Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon State

Office, 2600 S.E. 98th Avenue, Suite

100, Portland, Oregon 97266. Please

refer to permit number TE–028956–0

when submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Rich Szlemp, Fish and Wildlife Service,

Oregon State Office, telephone (503)

231–6179.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 9

of the ESA and Federal regulation

prohibits the ‘‘taking’’ of a species listed

as endangered or threatened. However,

the Service, under limited

circumstances, may issue permits to

‘‘incidentally take’’ listed species,

which is take that is incidental to, and

not the purpose of, otherwise lawful

activities. Regulations governing

permits for threatened species are

promulgated in 50 CFR 17.32.

Summary of the Beaver Tract Plan

The applicant is proposing to harvest

about 12 acres of mature forest

approximately 80 to 140 years old

within a 40-acre parcel of land. There

are approximately 5 to 10 old growth

Sitka spruce and Douglas-fir trees

present in the proposed harvest area.

The surrounding ownership consists of

commercial timber lands containing

forests of various age classes. The

Beaver Tract Plan area contains one

known bald eagle nest tree and several

other trees that could be utilized as nest

or roost trees. Other listed species that

may also be affected by the proposed

Beaver Tract Plan, but potentially may

not be fully addressed, include the

threatened marbled murrelet

(Brachyramphus marmoratus) and

northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis

caurina) (spotted owl). Please refer to

‘‘Summary of Service’s Concerns and

Recommendations’’ below for additional

discussion on this topic.

The Beaver Tract Plan contains two

alternatives: preferred and no action.

Under their preferred alternative, the

applicant would harvest 12 acres of

mature timber to the extent allowed by

the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection

Act (Eagle Act), Migratory Bird Act, and

Oregon Forest Practice Act (OFPA)

Rules. Under the no action alternative,

the subject timber would be left

standing to provide bald eagle habitat.

The applicants rejected the no action

alternative because they believe it

would deny them of all economically

productive use of the subject timber.

The applicants propose the following

minimization and mitigation measures:

a. Retaining the bald eagle nest tree

and two snags or green trees per acre,

30 feet or greater in height and 11

inches or greater in diameter.

b. Conducting harvest activities

outside of the period March 1 to

September 15, except for road building.

c. Replant Douglas-fir, western red

cedar, and/or western hemlock over the

harvest units. As per OFPA Rules, this

planting will take place within 12

months after completion of harvest.

d. Meet the current OFPA Rules to

leave all snags and standing dead trees

unharvested until they have fallen to the

ground and rotted away, except when

they represent a safety hazard for the

logging operation.

Additional Background

CRC submitted a written plan on or

about June 30, 1998, to the Oregon

Department of Forestry to harvest the

Beaver Tract to within 330 feet of the

bald eagle nest site. The State Forester

rejected that written plan on the basis

that it did not provide adequate

protection for the bald eagle nest site.

The State Forester required that a

forested buffer of 400 feet around the

nest tree and an additional 100 foot

band in which 50 percent of the live

trees would be retained. CRC proceeded

to harvest the 28 acres surrounding the

bald eagle nest site, which retained the

12 acres (400 foot radius circle) that are

the subject of this incidental take permit

application. Oregon law allows (but

does not require) the State Forester to

approve logging within these protected

12 acres if a landowner receives an

Federal incidental take permit.

Summary of Service’s Concerns and

Recommendations

The Service received the Plan and

application on December 28, 1999.

Unlike most Plans, the Beaver Tract

Plan was prepared without any

opportunities for the Service to provide

technical assistance prior to the

submission of the application. A revised

Beaver Tract Plan was received on May

18, 2000, in response to the Service’s

April 18, 2000, request for clarification

of items in the original Beaver Creek

Tract Plan. The revised Beaver Tract

Plan lacks much of the biological

analysis and information routinely

provided by other applicants to expedite

processing an incidental take permit.

The Service has reviewed the Beaver

Tract Plan and has some concerns with

the adequacy of the proposed

minimization and mitigation measures.

We specifically invite the public to