Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 94 / Wednesday, May 16, 2007 / Notices 27541 

Dave Sisk, District Ranger, Medicine 

Wheel/Paintrock Ranger District, 

Bighorn National Forest, 604 E. Main, 

Lovell, Wyoming 82431. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Direct 

questions to Bernie Bornong, 

Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Bighorn 

National Forest, phone (307) 674–2600. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

allotments are located approximately 35 

miles, by road, southeast of Lovell, 

Wyoming in the Bighorn River drainage. 

National Forest System lands within the 

Bighorn National Forest will be 

considered in the proposal. The purpose 

of the analysis is to determine if 

livestock grazing will continue on the 

analysis area. If the decision is to 

continue livestock grazing, then 

updated management strategies 

outlining how livestock will be grazed 

will be developed to assure 

implementation of Forest Plan 

management direction. The analysis 

will consider actions that continue to 

improve trends in vegetation, watershed 

conditions, and ecological sustainability 

relative to livestock grazing within the 

allotments. Management actions are 

proposed to be implemented beginning 

in the year 2009. 

The Bighorn National Forest Land and 

Resource Management Plan (Forest 

Plan) identifies livestock grazing as an 

appropriate use and makes initial 

determinations for lands capable and 

suitable for grazing by domestic 

livestock. 

The fourteen allotments involved are: 

Bear/Crystal Creek Sheep and Goat 

(S&G), Beaver Creek S&G, Finger Creek 

Cattle and Horse (C&H), Grouse Creek 

S&G, Hunt Mountain S&G, Matthews 

Ridge C&H, Red Canyon S&G, Red 

Canyon C&H, Sunlight Mesa C&H, 

South Park C&H, Whaley Creek S&G, 

Wiley Sundown C&H, Antelope Ridge 

S&G, and Little Horn S&G Allotments. 

Purpose and Need for Action: The 

purpose of this project is to determine 

if livestock grazing will continue to be 

authorized on the fourteen allotments, 

and if it is to continue, how to best to 

utilize adaptive management strategies 

to maintain or achieve desired 

conditions and meet forest plan 

objectives. Livestock grazing is currently 

occurring on most of the allotments 

under the existing allotment 

management plan (AMP) and through 

direction provided in the Annual 

Operating Instructions. A few of the 

allotments are currently vacant. 

Continuation of livestock grazing will 

require reviewing existing management 

strategies and, if necessary, updating 

them to implement forest plan direction 

and meet Section 504 of Public Law 

104–19 (Rescission Bill, signed 7/27/ 

95). The results of this analysis may 

require modifying term grazing permits 

and AMPs. Modifications will be 

documented in updated AMPs for the 

allotments. 

An additional purpose of this project 

is to maintain or move toward desired 

conditions for sagebrush/grassland 

communities; specifically, to maintain a 

mosaic of vegetation composition and 

structure that emulates, or moves 

toward, natural processes. The need to 

provide a mosaic of sagebrush cover 

densities has been identified in the 

project area. 

Proposed Action: The proposed action 

is to continue livestock grazing using 

adaptive management strategies to meet 

or move toward Forest Plan and 

allotment-specific desired conditions. 

This includes changing livestock 

management strategies, constructing 

additional improvements (fences and 

water developments), and treating 

sagebrush. 

Possible Alternatives: Two additional 

alternatives have been identified to date: 

(a) Remove livestock grazing from these 

allotments; and, (b) Continue current 

management strategies. 

Responsible Official: Dave Sisk, 

District Ranger, Medicine Wheel/ 

Paintrock Ranger District, Bighorn 

National Forest, 604 E. Main, Lovell, 

Wyoming 82431. 

Nature of Decision to be Made: The 

Responsible Official will consider the 

results of the analysis and its findings 

and then document the final decision in 

a Record of Decision (ROD). The 

decision will determine whether or not 

to authorize livestock grazing on all, 

part, or none of the allotments, and if so, 

what adaptive management design 

criteria, adaptive options, and 

monitoring will be implemented so as to 

meet or move toward the desired 

conditions in the defined timeframe. 

Scoping Process: Formal scoping for 

this project occurred in March 2007. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review: A draft 

environmental impact statement will be 

prepared for comment. The comment 

period on the draft environmental 

impact statement will be 45 days from 

the date the Environmental Protection 

Agency publishes the notice of 

availability in the Federal Register. 

The Forest Service believes, at this 

early stage, it is important to give 

reviewers notice of several court rulings 

related to public participation in the 

environmental review process. First, 

reviewers of draft environmental impact 

statements must structure their 

participation in the environmental 

review of the proposal so that it is 

meaningful and alerts an agency to the 

reviewer’s position and contentions. 

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. 

NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also, 

environmental objections that could be 

raised at the draft environmental impact 

statement stage but that are not raised 

until after completion of the final 

environmental impact statement may be 

waived or dismissed by the courts. City 

of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 

1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin 

Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 

1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of 

these court rulings, it is very important 

that those interested in this proposed 

action participate by the close of the 45 

day comment period so that substantive 

comments and objections are made 

available to the Forest Service at a time 

when it can meaningfully consider them 

and respond to them in the final 

environmental impact statement. 

To assist the Forest Service in 

identifying and considering issues and 

concerns on the proposed action, 

comments on the draft environmental 

impact statement should be as specific 

as possible. It is also helpful if 

comments refer to specific pages or 

chapters of the draft statement. 

Comments may also address the 

adequacy of the draft environmental 

impact statement or the merits of the 

alternatives formulated and discussed in 

the statement. Reviewers may wish to 

refer to the Council on Environmental 

Quality Regulations for implementing 

the procedural provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act at 40 

CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. 

Comments received, including the 

names and addresses of those who 

comment, will be considered part of the 

public record on this proposal and will 

be available for public inspection. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, 

Section 21) 

Dated: March 4, 2007. 

Dave Sisk, 

Medicine Wheel/Paintrock District Ranger. 

[FR Doc. E7–9386 Filed 5–15–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RIN 0648–XA17] 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Take of Anadromous Fish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
27542 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 94 / Wednesday, May 16, 2007 / Notices 

Atmospheric Administration, 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit. 

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public 

that an incidental take permit has been 

issued to the Grants Pass Irrigation 

District for the continued operation and 

maintenance of Savage Rapids Dam at 

Grants Pass, Oregon, and that the 

decision documents are available upon 

request. 

DATES: Permit 1607 was issued on May 

7, 2007, subject to certain conditions set 

forth therein, and took effect on May 7, 

2007. The permit expires on November 

1, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the 

decision documents or any of the other 

associated documents should be 

directed to the Habitat Conservation 

Division, NOAA’s National Marine 

Fisheries Service, 2900 NW Stewart 

Parkway, Roseburg, OR 97470. The 

documents are also available on the 

Internet at www.nwr.noaa.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken 

Phippen, at phone number: (541) 957- 

3385, e-mail: ken.phippen@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice is relevant to the following 

species: 

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch): 

threatened Southern Oregon and 

Northern California Coasts 

evolutionarily significant unit. 

Dated: May 10, 2007. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–9423 Filed 5–15–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XA32 

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; 

General Provisions for Domestic 

Fisheries; Application for an Exempted 

Fishing Permit 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional 

Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, 

Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant 

Regional Administrator), has made a 

preliminary determination that an 

Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 

application submitted by Dr. Pingguo 

He of the University of New Hampshire 

(UNH) contains all of the required 

information and warrants further 

consideration. The Assistant Regional 

Administrator has made a preliminary 

determination that the activities 

authorized under this EFP would be 

consistent with the goals and objectives 

of the Northeast (NE) Multispecies 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP). 

However, further review and 

consultation may be necessary before a 

final determination is made to issue an 

EFP. Therefore, NMFS announces that 

the Assistant Regional Administrator 

proposes to recommend that an EFP be 

issued that would allow one commercial 

fishing vessel to conduct fishing 

operations that are otherwise restricted 

by the regulations governing the 

fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States. The EFP would enable 

researchers to test an experimental 

whiting net that uses wheeled ground 

gear by granting exemption from the 

requirement to use a raised footrope 

trawl. Regulations under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act require publication of 

this notification to provide interested 

parties the opportunity to comment on 

applications for proposed EFPs. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before May 31, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by any of the following 

methods: 

• Email: DA7–138@noaa.gov. Include 

in the subject line ‘‘Comments on 

wheeled whiting trawl EFP.’’

• Mail: Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional 

Administrator, NMFS, NE Regional 

Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, 

MA 01930. Mark the outside of the 

envelope ‘‘Comments on wheeled 

whiting trawl EFP, DA7–138.’’

• Fax: (978) 281–9135. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Douglas Potts, Fishery Management 

Specialist, 978–281–9341. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An 

application for an EFP was submitted on 

May 2, 2007, by Dr. He of UNH and his 

industry partner Vincent Balzano, for a 

project funded under the Northeast 

Consortium. The primary goal of this 

study is to conduct feasibility and field 

testing of a trawl net equipped with a 

novel wheeled ground gear that may 

reduce the environmental impact on the 

seabed and reduce fuel consumption by 

the vessel. 

The EFP would exempt one vessel 

from the requirement to use a raised 

footrope trawl net as specified at 50 CFR 

648.80(a)(16) while conducting research 

trips in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) Grate 

Raised Footrope Trawl Whiting 

Exempted Fishery. 

Initial testing of this gear will be 

conducted on a beach by towing the 

ground gear between two rented beach 

vehicles. During these trials, video 

recordings and photographs will be 

taken to evaluate the gear’s rolling 

function and necessary initial 

adjustments and modifications will be 

made. 

At sea research trips would be 

conducted over four days between July 

1 and November 30, 2007. The 

experimental trawl net, with the 

exception of the ground gear, would 

conform to the requirements of this 

exempted fishery including a minimum 

2.5–inch (6.35 cm) mesh size and a 

properly installed finfish excluder 

device. During trials, observations of the 

gear would be made with an underwater 

camera system and acoustic monitoring 

instruments would be used to measure 

net geometry. 

The applicant may request minor 

modifications and extensions to the EFP 

throughout the year. EFP modifications 

and extensions may be granted without 

further notice if they are deemed 

essential to facilitate completion of the 

proposed research and have minimal 

impacts that do not change the scope or 

impact of the initially approved EFP 

request. Any fishing activity conducted 

outside the scope of the exempted 

fishing activity would be prohibited. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: May 11, 2007. 

James P. Burgess, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–9376 Filed 5–15–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[XRIN: 0648–XA29] 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council’s (Council) Vessel 

Monitoring Systems (VMS)/Enforcement 

Committee will meet to consider actions 

affecting New England fisheries in the 

exclusive economic zone (EEZ). 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES