Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 148 / Thursday, August 2, 2007 / Notices 42427 

to sedimentation (excess sediments 

suspended or deposited in a stream), 

nutrificiation (excessive nutrients 

present, such as nitrogen and 

phosphorus), and barriers or restrictions 

to stream flow. 

Restoring an endangered or 

threatened animal or plant to the point 

where it is again a secure, selfsustaining member of its ecosystem is a 

primary goal of the Act and of our 

endangered species program. To help 

guide the recovery effort, we prepare 

recovery plans for most listed species. 

Recovery plans describe actions 

considered necessary for conservation of 

the species, establish criteria for 

downlisting or delisting them, and 

estimate time and cost for implementing 

recovery measures. 

The Act requires the development of 

recovery plans for listed species unless 

such a plan would not promote the 

conservation of a particular species. 

Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to 

provide public notice and an 

opportunity for public review and 

comment during recovery plan 

development. A notice of availability of 

the technical agency draft for the 

vermilion darter was published in the 

Federal Register on July 21, 2005 (70 FR 

42087). A 60-day comment period was 

opened with the notice, closing on 

September 19, 2005. We received 

comments from four parties, including 

comments from one peer reviewer of the 

recovery plan. Comments and 

information submitted were considered 

in the preparation of this final plan and, 

where appropriate, incorporated. 

The objective of this recovery plan is 

to provide a framework for the recovery 

of the vermilion darter until that 

protection under the Act is no longer 

necessary. As recovery criteria are met, 

the status of the species will be 

reviewed, and it will be considered for 

removal from the Federal List of 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants (50 CFR part 17). Actions 

needed to recover the vermilion darter 

include: (1) Protect vermilion darter 

populations and habitat; (2) ensure and 

support implementation of effective 

protective actions; (3) determine habitat 

requirements and population 

information of the vermilion darter; (4) 

determine the necessary husbandry 

techniques of the species, to produce 

them in captivity and establish an 

additional population in the known 

range; (5) identify, acquire, and restore 

properties in the Turkey Creek 

watershed; and (6) promote partnerships 

and voluntary stewardship within the 

watershed. 

Authority 

The authority for this action is section 

4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16 

U.S.C. 1533(f). 

Dated: June 19, 2007. 

Cynthia K. Dohner, 

Acting Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. E7–15024 Filed 8–1–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[F–19155–3; AK–964–1410–KC–P] 

Alaska Native Claims Selection 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of decision approving 

lands for conveyance. 

SUMMARY: As required by 43 CFR 

2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an 

appealable decision approving the 

surface and subsurface estates in certain 

lands for conveyance pursuant to the 

Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 

will be issued to Doyon, Limited. The 

lands are in the vicinity of Stevens 

Village, Alaska, and are located in: 

Fairbanks Meridian, Alaska 

T. 15 N., R. 5 W., 

Secs. 5 to 8, inclusive. 

Containing 2,486.40 acres. 

T. 15 N., R. 7 W., 

Secs. 13 to 36, inclusive. 

Containing 13,748.13 acres. 

Aggregating 16,234.53 acres. 

Notice of the decision will also be 

published four times in the Anchorage 

Daily News. 

DATES: The time limits for filing an 

appeal are: 

1. Any party claiming a property 

interest which is adversely affected by 

the decision shall have until September 

4, 2007 to file an appeal. 

2. Parties receiving service of the 

decision by certified mail shall have 30 

days from the date of receipt to file an 

appeal. 

Parties who do not file an appeal in 

accordance with the requirements of 43 

CFR part 4, Subpart E, shall be deemed 

to have waived their rights. 

ADDRESSES: A copy of the decision may 

be obtained from: Bureau of Land 

Management, Alaska State Office, 222 

West Seventh Avenue, #13, Anchorage, 

Alaska 99513–7504. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The 

Bureau of Land Management by phone 

at 907–271–5960, or by e-mail at 

ak.blm.conveyance@ak.blm.gov. Persons 

who use a telecommunication device 

(TTD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–

8330, 24 hours a day, seven days a 

week, to contact the Bureau of Land 

Management. 

Michael Bilancione, 

Land Law Examiner, Branch of Adjudication 

II. 

[FR Doc. E7–15019 Filed 8–1–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–$$–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[CA–310–0777–XG 

Notice of Public Meeting: Northwest 

California Resource Advisory Council 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976 (FLPMA), and the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act of 1972 

(FACA), the U.S. Department of the 

Interior, Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM) Northwest California Resource 

Advisory Council will meet as indicated 

below. 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

Thursday and Friday, Sept. 20–21, 2007, 

in Redding, California. On Sept. 20, the 

council members convene at 10 a.m. at 

the BLM Redding Field Office, 355 

Hemsted Dr., and depart immediately 

for a field tour of BLM-managed public 

lands near Redding. Members of the 

public are welcome on the tour, but they 

must provide their own transportation 

and lunch. On Sept. 21, the council 

convenes at 8 a.m. in the Conference 

Room of the Redding Field Office. Time 

for public comment has been set aside 

for 11 a.m. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rich 

Burns, BLM Ukiah Field Office 

manager, (707) 468–4000; or BLM 

Public Affairs Officer Joseph J. Fontana, 

(530) 252–5332. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 12- 

member council advises the Secretary of 

the Interior, through the BLM, on a 

variety of planning and management 

issues associated with public land 

management in Northwest California. At 

this meeting, agenda topics include an 

update on management proposals for 

the Sacramento River Bend, field office 

reports on minerals management, a 

report on the BLM Managing for 

Excellence initiative, and status reports 

on management plan development for 

Cow Mountain and Lacks Creek. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

42428 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 148 / Thursday, August 2, 2007 / Notices 

Members will also hear status reports on 

activities in the Arcata, Redding and 

Ukiah field offices and the California 

Coastal National Monument. All 

meetings are open to the public. 

Members of the public may present 

written comments to the council. Each 

formal council meeting will have time 

allocated for public comments. 

Depending on the number of persons 

wishing to speak, and the time 

available, the time for individual 

comments may be limited. Members of 

the public are welcome on field tours, 

but they must provide their own 

transportation and lunch. Individuals 

who plan to attend and need special 

assistance, such as sign language 

interpretation and other reasonable 

accommodations, should contact the 

BLM as provided above. 

Dated: July 26, 2007. 

Joseph J. Fontana, 

Public Affairs Officer. 

[FR Doc. 07–3766 Filed 8–1–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–40–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Reclamation 

San Joaquin River Restoration 

Program 

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a 

Program Environmental Impact 

Statement/Environmental Impact Report 

(PEIS/EIR) and Notice of Scoping 

Meetings. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

the California Environmental Quality 

Act (CEQA), the Bureau of Reclamation 

(Reclamation) and the California 

Department of Water Resources (DWR) 

propose to prepare a PEIS/EIR for the 

San Joaquin River Restoration Program 

(Program). The proposed Program is 

expected to be implemented by 

Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS), the National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), the California 

Department of Fish and Game (DFG), 

and the DWR. 

DATES: Four scoping meetings will be 

held to solicit public input on 

alternatives, concerns, and issues to be 

addressed in the PEIS/EIR. The meeting 

dates are: 

• Tuesday, August 28, 2007, 6 p.m. to 

8:30 p.m., Tulare, CA 

• Wednesday, August 29, 2007, 6 p.m. 

to 8:30 p.m., Fresno, CA 

• Thursday, August 30, 2007, 6 p.m. to 

8:30 p.m., Los Banos, CA 

• Monday, September 10, 2007, 1:30 

p.m. to 4 p.m., Sacramento, CA 

Written comments on the scope of the 

PEIS/EIR should be sent by September 

21, 2007 to Ms. Margaret Gidding, 

Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage 

Way MP–140, Sacramento, CA 95825 or 

via e-mail at mgidding@mp.usbr.gov. 

ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting 

locations are: 

• International Agri-Center, Banquet 

Hall, 4450 S. Laspina St., Tulare, CA 

93274 

• Piccadilly Inn, University, Ballroom, 

4961 North Cedar Ave., Fresno, CA 

93726 

• Merced County Fairgrounds, Germino 

Room, 403 F St., Los Banos, CA 93635 

• Library Galleria, 828 I St., 

Sacramento, CA 95814 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Margaret Gidding at the above address, 

by telephone at 916–978–5104, TDD 

916–978–5608 or via fax at 916–978–

5114. Additional information is 

available online at http:// 

www.restoresjr.com. If special assistance 

is required at one of the scoping 

meetings, please contact Ms. Margaret 

Gidding via the phone number or e-mail 

listed above no less than five working 

days prior to the meetings. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Development of the PEIS/EIR for the 

Program is being carried out under 

Congressional authorization granted to 

the Secretary of the Interior under 

section 3406(c)(1) of the Central Valley 

Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) and 

will serve as the initial planning and 

environmental review activities 

necessary to implement the Settlement 

described below. 

In 1992, Congress passed the CVPIA 

(Pub. L. 102–575, Title XXXIV) in order 

to protect, restore, and enhance fish, 

wildlife, and associated habitats in 

California’s Central Valley. Specifically, 

CVPIA Section 3406(c)(1) requires the 

Secretary of the Interior to ‘‘[d]evelop a 

comprehensive plan, which is 

reasonable, prudent, and feasible, to 

address fish, wildlife, and habitat 

concerns on the San Joaquin River, 

including but not limited to the 

streamflow, channel, riparian habitat, 

and water quality improvements that 

would be needed to reestablish where 

necessary and to sustain naturally 

reproducing anadromous fisheries from 

Friant Dam to its confluence with the 

San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San 

Joaquin Delta Estuary.’’

In 1988, a coalition of environmental 

groups, led by the Natural Resources 

Defense Council (NRDC), filed a lawsuit 

challenging the renewal of the long-term 

water service contracts between the 

United States and the Central Valley 

Project, Friant Division contractors. 

After more than 18 years of litigation of 

this lawsuit, known as the Natural 

Resources Defense Council et al., v. 

Rodgers, et al., a Settlement was 

reached. On September 13, 2006, the 

Settling Parties reached agreement on 

the terms and conditions of the 

Settlement which was subsequently 

approved by the Court on October 23, 

2006. The ‘‘Settling Parties’’ include the 

NRDC, Friant Water Users Authority, 

and the Departments of the Interior and 

Commerce. 

The Settlement is based on two 

parallel goals: 

• To restore and maintain fish 

populations in ‘‘good condition’’ in the 

main stem of the San Joaquin River 

below Friant Dam to the confluence of 

the Merced River, including naturally 

reproducing and self-sustaining 

populations of salmon and other fish 

(Restoration Goal); and 

• To reduce or avoid adverse water 

supply impacts to all of the Friant 

Division long-term contractors that may 

result from the Interim Flows and 

Restoration Flows provided for in the 

Settlement (Water Management Goal). 

The Settlement states that the 

Secretary of the Interior will implement 

the terms and conditions of the 

Settlement. Additionally, the Settling 

Parties agreed that implementation of 

the Settlement will also require 

participation of the State of California 

(State). Therefore, concurrent with the 

execution of the Settlement, the Settling 

Parties entered into a Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU) with the State (by 

and through the California Resources 

Agency, DWR, DFG, and the California 

Environmental Protection Agency) 

regarding the State’s role in the 

implementation of the Settlement. The 

‘‘implementing agencies’’, which 

include Reclamation, USFWS, NMFS, 

DWR, and DFG, are responsible for the 

management of the Program to 

implement the Settlement. 

Public Disclosure 

Before including your name, address, 

phone number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES