Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 190 / Wednesday, October 1, 1997 / Notices 51481

safety relevance of mining equipment

design features using scientific and

engineering techniques, and analyses of

reported case-studies of mining

incidents that lead to traumatic injuries

or fatalities; (3) designs and conducts

epidemiological research studies to

identify and classify risk factors that

cause, or may cause, traumatic injuries

to miners; (4) designs, builds, and tests

proposed interventions, including

demonstrations of proposed

technologies using laboratory mock-ups,

full-scale demonstrations at the

laboratory’s experimental mines, or

through field evaluation in operating

mines; (5) evaluates and recommends

implementation strategies for injury

prevention and control technologies

developed by the Laboratory.

Disaster Prevention and Response

Branch (CC27). (1) Conducts laboratory

and field investigations of catastrophic

events such as explosions and

catastrophic structural or ground

failures to better understand cause and

effect relationships that initiate such

events; (2) designs and implements

appropriate intervention strategies; (3)

develops, tests, and promotes the use of

disaster prediction and risk evaluation

systems for control or reduction of risk;

(4) develops criteria and tests for

explosives to determine their suitability

for mine use and transportation; (5)

evaluates and recommends

implementation strategies for disaster

prevention; (6) assists in the

development and evaluation of

curricula for mine rescue, firefighting,

and the use of life support (self-rescuer)

equipment, in conjunction with other

health education, health

communication, and other information

and education activities of the Institute.

Following the functional statement for

the Division of Surveillance, Hazard

Evaluations, and Field Studies (CC5),

insert the following:

Spokane Research Laboratory (CC6).

(1) Provides leadership for prevention of

work-related illness, injury, and death

in the extractive industries in the

Western United States; (2) conducts

surveillance and tracks trends of fatal

and non-fatal traumatic injuries,

occupational diseases, health and safety

hazards, and the use of control

technology in the extractive industries,

with a focus on unique Western issues

such as those associated with deep

metal mines, Western coal mines, and

precious metal deposits; (3) conducts

field investigations, health hazard

evaluations, and laboratory studies of

occupational diseases, injuries, and

fatalities with focus on western-area

mineral-extractive industries; (4)

conducts laboratory and field

investigations to better understand the

causes of catastrophic events that may

lead to multiple injuries and fatalities,

such as collapse of underground

workings, massive slope failures, and

the collapse of mining facilities; (5)

develops, tests, and demonstrates

sensors, predictive models, and

engineering control technologies to

reduce miners risk for injury or death;

(6) develops and recommends

appropriate criteria for new standards,

NIOSH policy, documents, or testimony

related to health and safety in the

extractive industries.

Extramural Coordination and

Information Dissemination Activity

(CC62). (1) Coordinates with other

education and information

dissemination activities within the

Institute to assure that coordinated and

comprehensive mining research

information is effectively integrated into

the NIOSH dissemination and

intervention strategies; (2) serves as the

laboratory focal point for partnerships

with labor, industry and academia

involved with Western extractive

industries; (3) assists in the

development of mission-relevant

CRADAs and patents; (4) coordinates

mission-relevant technical assistance

and response activities for the western

United States.

Mining Surveillance and Statistics

Support Activity (CC63). (1) Describes

trends in incidence of mining-related

fatalities, morbidity, and traumatic

injury; (2) conducts surveillance on the

use of new technology and the use of

engineering controls; (3) coordinates the

surveillance activities with other

Institute-wide surveillance initiatives;

(4) provides statistical support for all

surveillance and research activities of

the Laboratory; (5) assists in the

development of research protocols; (6)

communicates the results of

surveillance activities to researchers to

assist in the planning and prioritization

of future studies.

Mining Injury and Disease Prevention

Branch (CC64). (1) Designs and

conducts field and laboratory research

studies to identify and classify risk

factors that cause, or may cause,

traumatic injuries or illness to miners;

(2) designs, builds, and tests proposed

interventions to reduce risk of injury or

disease, and conducts demonstrations of

proposed control technologies; (3)

assesses the health and safety

implications of mining equipment

design features using scientific and

engineering techniques; (4) evaluates

and recommends implementation

strategies for injury and disease

prevention and the effective utilization

of control technologies developed by the

laboratory.

Catastrophic Failure Detection and

Prevention Branch (CC65). (1) Conducts

laboratory and field investigations of

catastrophic events such as collapse of

underground workings, massive slope

failures, collapse of mine facilities, or

other events that lead to traumatic

injuries or fatalities; (2) develops

computer visualization models to

simulate mine conditions and test

alternative mining methods and

approaches for risk reduction and

catastrophic failure prevention; (3)

develops, tests, and promotes the use of

catastrophic failure prediction and risk

evaluation systems; (4) evaluates and

recommends implementation strategies

for catastrophic failure prevention.

Dated: September 4, 1997.

David Satcher,

Director.

[FR Doc. 97–25947 Filed 9–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–18–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of a Draft Revised

Recovery Plan for the Chittenango

Ovate Amber Snail (Novisuccinea

Chittenangoensis) for Review and

Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service announces the availability for

public review of a draft revised

Recovery Plan for the Chittenango ovate

amber snail (Novisuccinea

Chittengangoensis). The Chittenango

ovate amber snail is a terrestrial species

with only one known population, which

is located in the Chittenango Falls State

Park in Madison County, New York. It

was listed as a threatened species in

July 1978, and the initial recovery plan

was completed in March 1983. This

species was listed due to its rarity and

population decline; since listing, habitat

protection and captive propagation

activities have been implemented, but

the species’ status remains exceedingly

precarious. The primary threat to the

Chittenango ovate amber snail is

considered to be over-competition by an

introduced snail, Succiena sp B.

Additionally, potential threats persist

from habitat changes and inadvertent

human disturbance. The revised

recovery objective for this species is to

stabilize it by maintaining, to the extent

possible, the extant Chittenango ovate
51482 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 190 / Wednesday, October 1, 1997 / Notices

amber snail population in its

Chittenango Falls habitat while

establishing or verifying five additional

discrete populations in protected

habitats. The Service solicits review and

comment from the public on this draft

Plan revision.

DATES: Comments on the draft Recovery

Plan must be received December 1,

1997, to receive consideration by the

Service.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the draft Recovery Plan can obtain a

copy from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, Northeast Region Endangered

Species Program, 300 Westgate Center

Drive, Hadley, Massachusetts 01035,

telephone 413–253–8628. Comments

should be sent to this address, to the

attention of Mary Parkin.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary Parkin (see ADDRESSES).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

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 U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service’s endangered species

program. To help guide the recovery

effort, the Service is working to prepare

Recovery Plans for most of the listed

species native to the United States.

Recovery Plans describe actions

considered necessary for conservation of

the species, establish criteria for the

recovery levels for downlisting or

delisting them, and estimate time and

cost for implementing the recovery

measures needed.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973,

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)

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, as amended in

1988, requires that public notice and an

opportunity for public review and

comment be provided during Recovery

Plan development. The Service will

consider all information presented

during a public comment period prior to

approval of each new or revised

Recovery Plan. The Service and other

Federal agencies will also take these

comments into account in the course of

implementing Recovery Plans.

The document submitted for review is

the draft Chittenango Ovate Amber

Snail (Novisuccinea chittenangoensis)

Revised Recovery Plan. Since its

discovery in 1905, only one extant

Chittenango ovate amber snail

population has been verified, from a site

within the Chittenango Falls State Park

in New York.

This terrestrial snail requires the cool,

mild-temperature, moist conditions

provided by the spray and mist in its

environment. Its habitat lies within a

ravine at the base of a 167-foot waterfall,

and the ledges it occupies comprise an

early successional sere that is

periodically rejuvenated to a bare

substrate by floodwaters. This snail is

found on green vegetation such as

various mosses, liverworts, and other

low herbaceous vegetation within the

spray zone of the falls.

The Chittenango ovate amber snail

was listed as a threatened species in

July 1978 based on its rarity and a

decline in its population, and the initial

recovery plan for the species was

completed in March 1983. Since then,

full protection of the snail’s habitat has

been achieved and a captive

propagation program is underway, but

the species’ status remains exceedingly

precarious. The primary threat to the

sole wild population of this snail is

considered to be over-competition by an

introduced snail, Succinea sp B.

Additionally, potential threats persist

from habitat changes and inadvertent

human disturbance.

Due to the pervasive threat posed by

the competitor Succinea sp. B, delisting

of the Chittenango ovate amber snail is

not deemed achievable at this time. The

revised recovery objective for this

species, therefore, is to stabilize, to the

extent possible, the extant population at

Chittenango Falls while establishing or

verifying five additional, discrete

Chittenango ovate amber snail colonies

in protected habitats free from the

competition of Succinea sp. B. To

achieve this objective, four major

actions need to be implemented: (1)

continued protection of the species and

its habitat and Chittenango Falls; (2)

acquiring more data on the biological

and environmental requirements of N.

chittenangoensis; (3) enhancing the

snail’s habitat at Chittenango Falls as

feasible or appropriate; and (4) as

feasible, broadening the distribution of

the Chittenango ovate amber snail.

The draft Recovery Plan revision is

being submitted for agency review. After

consideration of comments received

during the review period, the revised

Plan will be submitted for final

approval.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments

on the Recovery Plan described. All

comments received by the date specified

above will be considered prior to

approval of the Plan.

Authority

The authority for this action is

Section 4(f) of the Endangered Species

Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

Dated: September 25, 1997.

Ronald E. Lambertson,

Regional Director, Region 5.

[FR Doc. 97–26094 Filed 9–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Comprehensive Management Plan

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare

comprehensive management plans and

associated environmental documents.

SUMMARY: This notice advises the pubic

that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(Service) intends to gather information

necessary to prepare comprehensive

management plans (CMPs) and

environmental assessments for units

within Illinois, Iowa, Michigan,

Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio. Readers

should note that pending legislation

may change the names of CMPs to

comprehensive conservation plans. The

CMPs will be prepared for the Illinois

River Refuges and Mark Twain, DeSoto,

Shiawassee, Minnesota Valley, Squaw

Creek, and Ottawa National Wildlife

Refuges and the Wetland Management

Districts in Minnesota. The Service is

furnishing this notice in compliance

with Service CMP policy and the

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) and implementing regulations:

(1) To advise other agencies and the

public of our intentions, and

(2) To obtain suggestions and

information one the scope of issues to

include in the environmental document.

DATES: Inquire at the address below for

due dates for comments regarding

specific projects.

ADDRESSES: Address comments and

requests for more information or to be

put on a mailing list to: Chief, Branch

of Ascertainment and Planning, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, Bishop Henry

Whipple Federal Building, 1 Federal

Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111,

(612) 725–3306, E-mail:

R3PLANNING@fws.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Service will solicit information from the

public via open houses and written

comments. Special mailings, newspaper

articles, and radio announcements in

the areas near each unit will inform

people of the time and place of open

houses to be held in 1997 and 1998

related to the CMP and NEPA

documentation.