Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 217 / Thursday, November 9, 2006 / Notices 65833 

programs. Under the proposed 

alternative, the refuge would pursue 

acquiring, from willing sellers, lands 

within its approved acquisition 

boundary. The 3,300-acre Wilderness 

Area would remain the same size. Gross 

habitat acreages (until approved 

acquisition boundary expansion occurs) 

would not change appreciably from 

those under Alternative A, but habitats 

in general would be managed more 

intensively. The refuge would also 

expand existing wildlife management 

programs including: Focus refuge 

management on improving and 

extending the value of Lacassine Pool as 

a waterfowl sanctuary through adaptive 

management and increased emphasis on 

research; provide additional waterfowl 

food by increasing early successional 

wetland acreage from 300 to 500 acres 

and expanding the farming program; 

pursue opportunities to reduce erosion 

to refuge marshes caused by commercial 

navigation, wind/wave action, other 

natural forces, and oil and gas industry 

traffic/activities. The refuge would 

evaluate the seasonality and habitat 

conditions for prescribed fire in 

Lacassine Pool and other refuge marshes 

to enhance habitat for migratory birds, 

fish, and other wildlife; seek support to 

control invasive plants in the 

Wilderness Area and refuge-wide using 

approved minimum tools; continue 

partnerships to manage and protect the 

334-acre coastal prairie on the Duralde 

Unit; improve quality hunting/fishing 

experiences; and manage oil and gas 

activities in accordance with Service 

policy. Under this alternative, levees 

would be constructed within Lacassine 

Pool, subdividing it into four units (Unit 

D, plus three additional units). This 

action would facilitate the management 

of the pool and lengthen its longevity by 

increasing the ability of refuge staff to 

dewater it, drawing it down to facilitate 

oxidation of accumulating organic 

sediments and more frequent use of 

prescribed fire. Thus, management 

could proceed unit-by-unit on a regular 

basis without having to impact the value 

of the entire pool to migratory birds and 

fisheries all at once. The six priority 

wildlife-dependent public uses would 

continue to be supported and in some 

cases would be expanded. This 

alternative would also strengthen the 

close working relationship in existence 

between the Service, the local 

community, conservation organizations, 

and the Louisiana Department of 

Wildlife and Fisheries. 

Under Alternative C, the refuge would 

remain at 34,724 acres but would 

refocus management priority to actively 

investigating and extending the life/ 

value of Lacassine Pool as a migratory 

waterfowl sanctuary. Due to 

sedimentation rates and constraints on 

water level management capabilities, 

the pool’s lifespan is limited and, if 

nothing is done, it would gradually lose 

its value to both migratory waterfowl 

and fish populations, eventually 

becoming a wet meadow rather than a 

marshy wetland characterized by a mix 

of open water and emergent vegetation. 

Other programs dealing either with nonpool areas of the refuge or non-habitat 

aspects of refuge management (i.e., 

cooperative farming, moist-soil 

management, upland vegetation 

management, visitor services and 

priority public uses) would be managed 

at a reduced level since refuge resources 

would be directed to the pool. Under 

this alternative, levees would be 

constructed within the pool, 

subdividing it into six units over the 

next 10–15 years. This action would 

facilitate the management of the pool 

and lengthen its longevity by increasing 

the ability of refuge staff to dewater it, 

drawing it down to facilitate oxidation 

of accumulating sediments and more 

beneficial use of prescribed fire. Thus, 

management could proceed unit-by-unit 

on a regular basis without having to 

impact the value of the entire pool to 

fisheries and migratory birds all at once. 

The Service believes that Alternative 

B will be the most effective one to 

contribute to the purpose for which the 

refuge was established and to the 

mission of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System. Implementation of the goals, 

objectives, and strategies of Alternative 

B will allow the refuge to maintain 

freshwater marsh and upland prairie 

habitat; serve as a critical resting area 

for waterfowl in a heavily hunted area; 

conserve, restore, and enhance diverse 

habitats for migratory and native 

wildlife species; maintain healthy and 

viable native fish and wildlife 

populations; provide opportunities for 

safe, quality, compatible, wildlifedependent public use and recreation; 

and protect cultural resources. 

After the review and comment period 

for the draft plan and environmental 

assessment, all comments will be 

analyzed and considered by the Service. 

All comments received from individuals 

on the draft plan and environmental 

assessment become part of the official 

public record. Requests for such 

comments will be handled in 

accordance with the Freedom of 

Information Act and other Service and 

Departmental policies and procedures. 

Authority: This notice is published under 

the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System Improvement Act of 1997, Pub. L. 

105–57. 

Dated: October 6, 2006. 

Cynthia K. Dohner, 

Acting Regional Director 

[FR Doc. 06–9135 Filed 11–8–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation 

and Enforcement 

Notice of Proposed Information 

Collection for 1029–0057 and 1029–

0087 

AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining 

Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

office of Surface Mining Reclamation 

and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing 

its intention to request approval for the 

collections of information under 30 CFR 

Part 882, Reclamation of private lands; 

and Form OSM–76, Abandoned Mine 

Land Problem Area Description form. 

These information collection activities 

were previously approved by the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB), and 

assigned clearance numbers 1029–0057 

and 1029–0087, respectively. 

DATES: Comments on the proposed 

information collection must be received 

by January 8, 2006, to be assured of 

consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to 

John A. Trelease, Office of Surface 

Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 

1951 Constitution Ave. NW., Room 202–

SIB, Washington, DC 20240. Comments 

may also be submitted electronically to 

jtrelease@osmre.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

request a copy of either information 

collection request, explanatory 

information and related forms, contact 

John A. Trelease, at (202) 208–2783. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) 

regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which 

implement provisions of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13), 

require that interested members of the 

public and affected agencies have an 

opportunity to comment on information 

collection and recordkeeping activities 

[see 5 CFR 1320.8 (d)]. This notice 

identifies information collections that 

OSM will be submitting to OMB for 

approval. These collections are 

contained in (1) 30 CFR Part 882, 

Reclamation on private lands; and (2) 

Form OSM–76, Abandoned Mine Land 

Problem Area Description form. OSM 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
65834 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 217 / Thursday, November 9, 2006 / Notices 

will request a 3-year term of approval 

for each information collection activity. 

Comments are invited on: (1) The 

need for the collection of information 

for the performance of the functions of 

the agency; (2) the accuracy of the 

agency’s burden estimates; (3) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility and clarity 

of the information collection; and (4) 

ways to minimize the information 

collection burden on respondents, such 

as use of automated means of collection 

of the information. A summary of the 

public comments will accompany 

OSM’s submissions of the information 

collection requests to OMB. 

The following information is provided 

for the information collection: (1) Title 

of the information collection; (2) OMB 

control number; (3) summary of the 

information collection activity; (4) the 

bureau form number; and (5) frequency 

of collection, description of the 

respondents, estimated total annual 

responses, and the total annual 

reporting and recordkeeping burden for 

the collection of information. 

Title: Reclamation on Private Lands, 

30 CFR 882. 

OMB Control Number: 1029–0057. 

Summary: Public Law 95–87 

authorizes Federal, State, and Tribal 

governments to reclaim private lands 

and allows for the establishment of 

procedures for the recovery of the cost 

of reclamation activities on privately 

owned lands. These procedures are 

intended to ensure that governments 

have sufficient capability to file liens so 

that certain landowners will not receive 

a windfall from reclamation. 

Bureau Form Number: None. 

Frequency of Collection: Once. 

Description of Respondents: State 

governments and Indian tribes. 

Total Annual Responses: 1 

Total Annual Burden Hours: 16. 

Title:Abandoned Mine Land Problem 

Area Description Form, OSM–76. 

OMB Control Number: 1029–0087. 

Summary: This form will be used to 

update the Office of Surface Mining 

Reclamation and Enforcement’s 

inventory of abandoned mine land. 

From this inventory, the most serious 

problem areas are selected for 

reclamation through the apportionment 

of funds to States and Indian tribes. 

Bureau Form Number: OSM–76. 

Frequency of Collection: On occasion. 

Description of Respondents: State 

governments and Indian tribes. 

Total Annual Responses: 1,800. 

Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,000. 

Dated: November 6, 2006. 

John A. Trelease, 

Acting Chief, Division of Regulatory Support. 

[FR Doc. 06–9141 Filed 11–8–05; 8:45am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–05–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[OR–027–1020-PH–029H; HAG 07–0019] 

Meeting Notice for the Southeast 

Oregon Resource Advisory Council 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Southeast Oregon 

Resource Advisory Council (SEORAC) 

will hold a meeting Thursday, 

November 16 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 

the U.S. Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM) Burns District Office, 28910 Hwy 

20 West in Hines. 

Agenda items for the 1-day meeting 

include updates on the Grazing 

Administration Rule and associated 

litigation, the Off-Highway Vehicle/ 

Transportation Strategy for Oregon and 

Washington public lands, the Wind 

Energy and Energy Corridors 

Environmental Impact Statements, the 

Wild Horse Program, and the Malheur 

National Forest Plan. Council members 

will also hear a presentation on 

southeast Oregon’s wild horses and 

their importance to area heritage, give 

liaison and sub-group reports, elect 

officers for the upcoming year, develop 

agenda items for the February meeting, 

and establish dates and locations for the 

2007 schedule. Any other matters that 

may reasonably come before the 

SEORAC may also be addressed. 

The public is welcome to attend all 

portions of the meeting and may 

contribute during the public comment 

period at 1 p.m. Those who verbally 

address the SEORAC during the public 

comment period are asked to also 

provide a written statement of their 

comments or presentation. Unless 

otherwise approved by the SEORAC 

Chair, the public comment period will 

last no longer than 30 minutes, and each 

speaker may address the SEORAC for a 

maximum of 5 minutes. 

If you have information you would 

like distributed to RAC members, please 

send it to Tara Wilson at the Burns 

District Office, 28910 Hwy 20 West, 

Hines, Oregon 97738, prior to the start 

of the meeting. If you send information 

or general correspondence to anyone at 

the Burns District Office and would like 

a copy given to the RAC, please write 

‘‘COPY TO RAC’’ on the envelope and 

enclosed document(s). 

The SEORAC consists of 15 members 

chartered and appointed by the 

Secretary of the Interior. Their diverse 

perspectives are represented in 

commodity, conservation, and general 

interests. They provide advice to BLM 

and Forest Service resource managers 

regarding management plans and 

proposed resource actions on public 

land in southeast Oregon. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tara 

Wilson, SEORAC Facilitator, Burns 

District Office, 28910 Hwy 20 West, 

Hines, Oregon 97738, (541) 573–4519, 

or Tara_Wilson@blm.gov. 

Dated: November 3, 2006. 

Dana R. Shuford, 

District Manager. 

[FR Doc. E6–19019 Filed 11–8–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–33–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Proposed Award; Temporary 

Concession Contract for Great Smoky 

Mountains National Park, TN 

SUMMARY: Public notice is hereby given 

that the National Park Service proposes 

to award a temporary concession 

contract that requires the operation of 

horseback riding stables and vending 

machine sales of soft drinks and bottled 

water, and authorizes limited souvenir 

sales in the Sugarlands region of the 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park 

near Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a term 

not to exceed October 31, 2007. 

DATES: Effective Date: November 1, 

2006. 

ADDRESSES: Ben Hanslin, Concessions 

Management Specialist, Southeast 

Region, National Park Service, 100 

Alabama Street, 1924 Building, Atlanta, 

Georgia 30303. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben 

Hanslin, Concessions Management 

Specialist, Southeast Region, National 

Park Service, (404) 562–3108, extension 

740. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

temporary concession contract is being 

awarded to Smoky Mountain Stables, 

Inc., a qualified person, as that term is 

defined in 36 CFR 51.3. Following 

termination of the prior concession 

contract at Sugarlands on May 2, 2005, 

the National Park Service awarded a 

temporary concession contract to Smoky 

Mountain Stables, Inc. on July 6, 2005 

that expires on October 31, 2006. A new 

concession contract cannot be awarded 

in time to avoid the interruption of 

visitor services during November 2006 

and the 2007 operating season. The 

National Park Service has taken all 

reasonable and necessary steps to 

consider alternatives to avoid 

interruption of visitor services, and has 

determined that this award is necessary 

to avoid interruption of visitor services. 


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