Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 158 / Friday, August 15, 1997 / Notices 43745

27E; T13N, R26–27E; T14N R27E. This

closure will be in effect from 6:00 a.m.

through 4:00 p.m. on Sunday,

September 21, 1997.

EXCLUSIONS: The above restrictions do

not apply to agency, race officials, law

enforcement, or emergency response

personnel during the conduct of their

official duties in relation to the race

event.

Authority: 43 CFR 8364 and 43 CFR 8372.

PENALTY: Any person failing to comply

with the closure order may be subject to

imprisonment for not more than 12

months, or a fine in accordance with the

applicable provisions of 18 U.S.C. 3571,

or both.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fran

Hull, Outdoor Recreation Planner,

Carson City District, Bureau of Land

Management, 1535 Hot Springs Road,

Carson City, Nevada 89706. Telephone:

(702) 885–6000.

Dated: August 4, 1997.

Clifford D. Ligons,

Assistant District Manager, Non-Renewable

Resources.

[FR Doc. 97–21641 Filed 8–14–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY–985–0777–66]

Supplementary Rule Requiring the Use

of Certified Noxious Weed-Free Forage

on Public Lands in the Bighorn Basin,

Wyoming and the Availability of the

Environmental Assessment, Decision

Record, and Finding of No Significant

Impact for Implementation of

Requirements for Weed-Free Forage

on Public Lands in the Bureau of Land

Management’s Worland District,

Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notices.

SUMMARY: The Worland District of the

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

recently prepared an environmental

assessment (EA) documenting the

analysis of two alternatives for

managing noxious weeds on public

lands in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming.

The EA’s proposed action consisted of

a supplementary rule under 43 CFR

8365.1–6 to require the use of certified

noxious weed-free forage on those

public lands. Forage subject to this rule

would include hay, cubes, straw, and

mulch. The District Manager of the

BLM’s Worland District has issued a

decision record that the EA’s proposed

action and supplemental rule will not

have any significant impact on the

human environment and that an

environmental impact statement is not

required. Therefore, the District

Manager is requiring that public land

users, including permittees and local,

state, or federal government agents

conducting administrative activities, use

certified noxious weed-free forage on

BLM-administered public lands in the

Worland District, Wyoming. In addition

to certified weed-free forage, the use of

pelletized feeds and grain products is

authorized.

The Worland District encompasses

approximately 3,089,600 acres of public

land in Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, and

Washakie counties in Northwestern

Wyoming. This rule will affect public

land users who use hay or other forage

products on the BLM-administered

public lands in the Worland District

such as recreationists using pack and

saddle stock, ranchers with grazing

permits, outfitters, and contractors who

use straw or other mulch for

reclamation purposes. These

individuals or groups would be required

to use only certified noxious weed-free

forage products, while on BLMadministered public lands in the

Worland District, Wyoming.

EFFECTIVE DATES: The rule will become

effective September 1, 1997 and will

remain in effect until modified or

rescinded by the Authorized Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bureau of Land Management, Worland

District Office, Roger Inman, Resource

Advisor, P. O. Box 119, 101 South 23rd

Street, Worland, Wyoming 82401–0119,

or telephone (307) 347–5292.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

environmental assessment (EA) is

consistent with the land-use plans for

the Worland District.

Noxious and undesirable weeds are a

serious problem in the western United

States. Estimates of the rapid spread of

weeds in the west include 2,300 acres

per day on BLM-administered public

lands and 4,600 acres per day on all

federally-administered land in the west.

Species such as leafy spurge, spotted

knapweed, Russian knapweed, musk

thistle, dalmatian toadflax, purple

loosestrife, houndstoungue, and other

non-native noxious and undesirable

weeds have no natural controls to keep

their populations in balance.

Consequently, these weeds invade

healthy ecosystems, displace native

vegetation, reduce species diversity, and

damage wildlife habitat. Widespread

infestations lead to soil erosion and

stream sedimentation. Furthermore,

noxious weed invasions weaken

revegetation efforts, reduce livestock

and wildlife grazing capacity,

occasionally affect the health of public

land users by aggravating allergies and

other ailments, and threaten federallyprotected or native plants and animals.

To help reduce the spread of noxious

weeds, a number of Western States have

jointly developed noxious weed-free

forage certification standards, and, in

cooperation with various federal, state,

and county agencies, passed weed

management laws. Because hay and

other forage products containing

noxious weed seed are part of the

infestation problem, Wyoming has

developed a state crop inspection; a

certification-identification process;

participates in a regional inspection

certification-identification process; and

encourages forage producers in

Wyoming to grow noxious weed-free

products and have them certified.

Region II of the United States Forest

Service, Department of Agriculture,

implemented a similar policy for all

National Forest lands in Wyoming in

1996. The Wyoming BLM implemented

a standard stipulation on all Special

Recreation Permits in 1994, requiring

permit holders who use livestock to use

certified noxious weed-free products.

This proposal will provide a standard

regulation for all users of BLMadministered public lands in the

Worland District and will provide for

coordinated and consistent management

with the U.S. Forest Service.

In cooperation with the State of

Wyoming and the U.S. Forest Service,

the Worland District is implementing a

ban of the use of forage that has not

been certified, on all BLM-administered

lands within the Worland District. This

proposal includes public information to

insure that: (1) This ban is well

publicized and understood, and (2)

visitors to and land users of public

lands administered by the Worland

District BLM will know where they can

purchase state-certified hay and other

forage products.

These supplementary rules will not

appear in the Code of Federal

Regulations. The principal author of

these supplementary rules is Roger

Inman, Resource Advisor, of the

Worland District, Wyoming BLM.

For the reasons stated above, under

the authority of 43 Code of Federal

Regulations 8365.1–6, the Worland

District Manager issues supplementary

rules to read:

Supplementary Rules to Require the

Use of Certified Noxious Weed-Free

Forage on Bureau of Land Management-
43746 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 158 / Friday, August 15, 1997 / Notices

Administered Public Lands in the

Worland District, Wyoming.

1. To help prevent the spread of

weeds on BLM-administered lands in

Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, and

Washakie counties of Wyoming,

effective September 1, 1997, all BLMadministered public lands within the

BLM’s Worland District of Wyoming,

shall be closed to possessing,

transporting or storing hay, cubes,

straw, and mulch that has not been

certified as free of noxious weed seed.

2. Certification will comply with

‘‘Regional Weed Free Forage

Certification Standards,’’ jointly

developed by the states of Wyoming,

Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Utah, and

Nebraska, for noxious weed-free forage.

3. The following persons are exempt

from this order: (1) Any person with a

permit signed by an authorized officer

of the BLM’s Bighorn Basin Resource

Area office or the Cody Resource Area

office, specifically authorizing the

prohibited act or omission within that

resource area; (2) Persons possessing or

using pelletized feed or grain products;

and (3) Persons transporting forage

products on Federal and State Highways

and County roads.

4. Any person who knowingly and

willfully violates the provisions of these

supplemental rules may be commanded

to appear before a designated United

States Magistrate and may be subject to

a fine of not more than $1,000 or

imprisonment of not more than 12

months, or both, as defined in 43 United

States Code 1733(a).

Dated: July 29, 1997.

Darrell Barnes,

District Manager.

[FR Doc. 97–21628 Filed 8–14–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AZ–030–1920–00–4305]

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement for

the Proposed Improvement of

Diamond Bar Road From the Pearce

Ferry Road Near Meadview, Arizona, to

the Western Boundary of the Hualapai

Indian Reservation in Mohave County,

AZ

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent, notice of

scoping period, and notice of scoping

meetings.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C)

of the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969, the Bureau of Land

Management (BLM), Kingman Field

Office, will be directing the preparation

of an environmental impact statement

(EIS) to analyze the impacts of a

proposal to improve Diamond Bar Road,

an existing unimproved road that

crosses BLM and private lands in

northwestern Arizona. The project

proponent is the Bureau of Indian

Affairs (BIA), Truxton Canyon Agency.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs proposes

to widen the existing road to a two-lane

highway, pave it, construct dirt

shoulders on each side, and install

culverts as needed. Approximately 70

percent of the proposed roadway would

follow the alignment of the existing

road. This proposal conforms with

BLM’s Kingman Resource Area

Resource Management Plan, approved

in 1995. The BLM will act as Lead

Agency and the BIA as Cooperating

Agency for preparation of the EIS.

This notice is intended to invite the

public to participate in identifying

issues and developing alternatives for

the proposal.

DATES: Three meetings to identify public

concerns will be held on the following

dates at the locations indicated. Each

meeting is scheduled to start at 6–8 p.m.

September 3, 1997, Holiday Inn, 3100

East Andy Devine, Kingman, Arizona

86401

September 4, 1997, VFW Hall, 15943

Pearce Ferry Road, Dolan Springs,

Arizona 86441

September 5, 1997, Hualapai

Multipurpose Building, 921 Hualapai

Way, Peach Springs, Arizona 86434

Comments relating to the

identification of issues and alternatives

will be accepted for up to 30 days

following the publication of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to: Bureau

of Land Management, Kingman Field

Office, 2475 Beverly Avenue, Kingman,

Arizona 86401.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Don

McClure, Project Manager, (520) 757–

3161.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

purpose of and need for this project are

to enhance the safety and efficiency of

motorized travel on Diamond Bar Road

and to accommodate projected future

traffic demand resulting from further

development of Grand Canyon West on

the Hualapai Indian Reservation.

Diamond Bar Road provides access to

Grand Canyon West, primarily for

commercial and private vehicles

originating from Las Vegas. Grand

Canyon West is a development near the

rim of the Grand Canyon that currently

consists of an airport and associated

terminal building, a food service

facility, restrooms, and a permits office.

Implementation of a master plan for

Grand Canyon West completed in 1994,

is expected to cause up to a sixfold

increase in the total number of visitors

over a ten-year period. This increase

would result in a substantial increase in

the number of vehicles on Diamond Bar

Road. The proposed improvement of

Diamond Bar Road would accommodate

this increased volume by providing a

roadway designed for up to 2,400

vehicles per day.

Anticipated Issues

Management concerns that will be

addressed include, but are not limited

to, impacts on vegetation, visual quality,

recreation, cultural resources,

socioeconomic, public safety, and the

Joshua Tree Forest Area of Critical

Environmental Concern. Studies to be

conducted include a native plant

inventory, biological evaluation,

cultural resource survey, traffic study,

and visual impact analysis. Tribal

consultation pursuant to Section 106 of

the National Historic Preservation Act of

1966, as amended, is ongoing.

Other Relevant Information

The EIS will be prepared by an

interdisciplinary team of resource

specialists in the fields of vegetation

(including salvage), wildlife, visual

quality, archaeological and traditional

cultural resources, soils, range

management, realty, and roadway

design. Complete records of all phases

of the EIS process will be available for

public review at the Kingman Field

Office, 2475 Beverly Avenue, Kingman,

86401.

Dated: August 11, 1997.

Michael A. Ferguson,

Acting State Director.

[FR Doc. 97–21638 Filed 8–14–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–32–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV–030–1220–00; Federal Register Notice

No. NV–030–97–006]

Limited Use Designation of Federal

Lands

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the boundary of the Jumbo-Bailey

Watershed Limited Use Area. Washoe

County, Nevada, has been expanded.

Furthermore, motorized vehicle traffic is

restricted to designated routes. The term

‘‘designated routes’’ replaces the