80332 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 221 / Friday, November 17, 2023 / Notices 

Virtual Public Meeting 

To provide for the wide attendance of 

interested parties, two virtual public 

meetings will be conducted. See DATES

and ADDRESSES for the dates and times 

of the virtual public meetings. During 

the meetings, the Service will present 

information about the management 

strategy and MBTA take authorization 

and provide an opportunity for the 

public to ask questions about the 

proposed management strategy and the 

DEIS. The first meeting will provide 

additional focus on barred owl 

management within the northern 

spotted owl’s range. The second meeting 

will provide additional focus on 

management within the range of 

California spotted owls. No opportunity 

for oral comments will be provided. 

Written comments may be submitted by 

the methods listed in ADDRESSES. 

Reasonable Accommodations 

Persons needing reasonable 

accommodations in order to participate 

in the public meetings should contact 

the Service’s Oregon Fish and Wildlife 

Office as soon as possible, using one of 

the methods listed in ADDRESSES. In 

order to allow sufficient time to process 

requests, please make contact at least 10 

days before the public meeting date. 

Information regarding this proposed 

action is available in alternative formats 

upon request. 

Public Availability of Comments 

You may submit your comments and 

materials by one of the methods listed 

in ADDRESSES. Before including your 

address, phone number, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—might 

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. All submissions from 

organizations or businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, will be 

made available for public disclosure in 

their entirety. 

Comments and materials we receive, 

as well as references for supporting 

documentation we used in preparing the 

DEIS, will be available for public 

inspection online in Docket No. FWS– 

R1–ES–2022–0074 at https://

www.regulations.gov/ (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT). 

Next Steps and Decision To Be Made 

After public review and comment, the 

Service will review any comments 

received and prepare a final EIS (FEIS). 

The Service will also complete an ESA 

Section 7 biological opinion before 

making a final decision. At least 30 days 

after the FEIS is published, we expect 

that the Service will complete a record 

of decision pursuant to 40 CFR 1505.2, 

in accordance with applicable 

timeframes established in 40 CFR 

1506.11. The current estimate for the 

issuance of the record of decision is July 

2024. 

Authority 

We provide this notice in accordance 

with the requirements of NEPA and its 

implementing regulations (40 CFR 

1503.1 and 1506.6). 

Bridget Fahey, 

Deputy Regional Director, Pacific Region. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25032 Filed 11–16–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2023–0195; 

FXES11140400000–245–FF04EA1000] 

Receipt of Incidental Take Permit 

Application and Proposed Habitat 

Conservation Plan for the Alabama 

Beach Mouse, Baldwin County, AL; 

Categorical Exclusion 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comment. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service), announce receipt of 

an application from Christopher 

Johnson and Gator Wood Properties, 

LLC (applicants) for an incidental take 

permit (ITP) under the Endangered 

Species Act. The applicants request the 

ITP to take the federally listed Alabama 

beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus 

ammobates) incidental to construction 

of a multi-family development in Gulf 

Shores, Baldwin County, Alabama. We 

request public comment on the 

application, which includes the 

applicants’ proposed habitat 

conservation plan (HCP), and the 

Service’s preliminary determination that 

the proposed permitting action may be 

eligible for a categorical exclusion 

pursuant to the Council on 

Environmental Quality’s National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

regulations, the Department of the 

Interior’s (DOI) NEPA regulations, and 

the DOI Departmental Manual. To make 

this preliminary determination, we 

prepared a draft environmental action 

statement and low-effect screening form, 

both of which are also available for 

public review. We invite comment from 

the public and local, State, Tribal, and 

Federal agencies. 

DATES: We must receive your written 

comments on or before December 18, 

2023. 

ADDRESSES:

Obtaining Documents: You may 

obtain copies of the documents online 

in Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2023–0195 

at https://www.regulations.gov. 

Submitting Comments: If you wish to 

submit comments on any of the 

documents, you may do so in writing by 

any of the following methods: 

• Online: https://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments 

on Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2023–0195. 

• U.S. mail: Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R4– 

ES–2023–0195; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg 

Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin 

Lentz, Project Manager, by telephone at 

251–298–3853 or via email at erin_

lentz@fws.gov. Individuals in the United 

States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 

hearing, or have a speech disability may 

dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to 

access telecommunications relay 

services. Individuals outside the United 

States should use the relay services 

offered within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 

announce receipt of an application from 

Christopher Johnson and Gator Wood 

Properties, LLC (applicants) for an 

incidental take permit (ITP) under the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

The applicants request the ITP to take 

the federally listed Alabama beach 

mouse (Peromyscus polionotus 

ammobates) (ABM) incidental to the 

construction of a 29-unit multi-family 

development (project) in Gulf Shores, 

Baldwin County, Alabama. We request 

public comment on the application, 

which includes the applicants’ 

proposed habitat conservation plan 

(HCP), and the Service’s preliminary 

determination that this proposed ITP 

qualifies as low effect, and may qualify 

for a categorical exclusion pursuant to 

the Council on Environmental Quality’s 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) regulations (40 CFR 1501.4), the 

Department of the Interior’s (DOI) NEPA 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 221 / Friday, November 17, 2023 / Notices 80333 

regulations (43 CFR 46), and the DOI’s 

Departmental Manual (516 DM 

8.5(C)(2)). To make this preliminary 

determination, we prepared a draft 

environmental action statement and 

low-effect screening form, both of which 

are also available for public review. 

Proposed Project 

The applicants request a 50-year ITP 

to take ABM by converting 

approximately 1.24 acre (ac) of occupied 

ABM foraging and sheltering habitat 

incidental to the construction of a 29- 

unit multifamily development located 

on two parcels totaling 1.50 ac in 

Baldwin County, Alabama. The western 

parcel has already been developed (0.26 

ac) and the remaining portion of the 

project area (1.24 ac) is ABM habitat. 

Even though the parcels consist of 

highly degraded secondary dune 

habitat, it is occupied by ABM. The 

applicants proposed to mitigate for the 

take of the ABM through a contribution 

to the City of Gulf Shores Dune 

Enhancement Fund at a rate of $250 per 

unit ($7,250 annually) for the life of the 

permit (50 years). Contributions to the 

Gulf Shores Dune Enhancement Fund 

are directed towards the maintenance of 

suitable dune habitat for the ABM 

within the Gulf Shores City jurisdiction. 

Our Preliminary Determination 

The Service has made a preliminary 

determination that the applicants’ 

project, including land clearing, 

infrastructure building, landscaping, 

and the proposed mitigation and 

minimization measures, would 

individually and cumulatively have a 

minor effect on the Alabama beach 

mouse and the environment. Therefore, 

we have preliminarily determined that 

the proposed ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) 

permit would be a low-effect ITP that 

individually or cumulatively would 

have a minor effect on the Alabama 

beach mouse and may qualify for 

application of a categorical exclusion 

pursuant to the Council on 

Environmental Quality’s NEPA 

regulations, DOI’s NEPA regulations, 

and the DOI Departmental Manual. A 

low-effect incidental take permit is one 

that would result in (1) minor or 

nonsignificant effects on species 

covered in the HCP; (2) nonsignificant 

effects on the human environment; and 

(3) impacts that, when added together 

with the impacts of other past, present, 

and reasonably foreseeable actions, 

would not result in significant 

cumulative effects to the human 

environment. 

Next Steps 

The Service will evaluate the 

application and the comments received 

to determine whether to issue the 

requested permit. We will also conduct 

an intra-Service consultation pursuant 

to section 7 of the ESA to evaluate the 

effects of the proposed take on the 

species. We will consider all of the 

above in determining whether the 

permit issuance criteria of section 

10(a)(l)(B) of the ESA have been met. If 

met, the Service will issue ITP number 

PER4215073 to Christopher Johnson and 

Gator Wood Properties, LLC. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, be aware that your entire 

comment, including your personal 

identifying information, may be made 

available to the public. While you may 

request that we withhold your personal 

identifying information, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

Authority 

The Service provides this notice 

under section 10(c) of the Endangered 

Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and 

its implementing regulations (50 CFR 

17.32) and the National Environmental 

Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and 

its implementing regulations (40 CFR 

1500–1508 and 43 CFR 46). 

William J. Pearson, 

Field Supervisor, Alabama Ecological Service 

Field Office. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25435 Filed 11–16–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[NPS–WASO–VRP–WS–NPS36769; 

PPWOVPADW0–244–PPMPRLE1Y.LB0000] 

Evaluation and Authorization 

Procedures for Fixed Anchors and 

Fixed Equipment in National Park 

Service Wilderness Areas 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comment. 

SUMMARY: The National Park Service 

(NPS) announces the availability of a 

draft Wilderness Stewardship Reference 

Manual 41 guidance governing the 

management of climbing activities in 

wilderness areas in the National Park 

System. We invite comments from the 

public, and local, State, Tribal, and 

Federal agencies. 

DATES: We will accept comments 

received or postmarked on or before 

11:59 p.m. ET on January 16, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: 

Document availability: The draft 

guidance is available online at: https:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/RM41_fixed_

anchors. 

Comment Submission: You may 

submit written comments by one of the 

following methods: 

• Electronically: https://

parkplanning.nps.gov/RM41_fixed_

anchors. 

• Mail or hand deliver to: Fixed 

Anchors, National Park Service, 1849 C 

Street NW, MS–2457 Washington, DC 

20240. 

Instructions: Comments will not be 

accepted by fax, email, or in any way 

other than those specified above. 

Comments delivered on external 

electronic storage devices (flash drives, 

compact discs, etc.) will not be 

accepted. Bulk comments in any format 

(hard copy or electronic) submitted on 

behalf of others will not be accepted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Roger Semler, Wilderness Stewardship 

Division Manager, National Park 

Service, (202–430–7615), fixed_

anchors@nps.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Wilderness Act was passed in 

1964 and signed into law by President 

Lyndon B. Johnson. This Act 

established the National Wilderness 

Preservation System ‘‘ . . . for the 

permanent good of the whole people.’’ 

The Wilderness Act directs Federal land 

management agencies, including the 

NPS, to manage wilderness areas and 

preserve wilderness character. To 

support the mandates of the Wilderness 

Act, the NPS developed specific policies 

to address wilderness management and 

stewardship. NPS Management Policies 

2006, Chapter 6, and Director’s Order 41 

(2013) help managers understand why 

wilderness is important and how they 

can effectively manage these areas to 

preserve wilderness character. The 

Wilderness Stewardship Reference 

Manual 41 (RM 41) expands on policies 

for managing wilderness and offers 

comprehensive guidance to NPS 

employees responsible for managing 

and preserving wilderness character and 

the wilderness resource throughout the 

National Park System. RM41 addresses 

the management of recreational 

climbing activities in wilderness, 

including the evaluation and 

authorization process for fixed anchors 

and fixed equipment associated with 

climbing activities in NPS administered 

wilderness areas. 


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