Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 200 / Friday, October 17, 1997 / Notices 54123

Date Issued: July 21, 1997.

Permit Number: 829937.

Applicant: Holnam Inc./HCR Limestone

Inc.

Species: Red-cockaded woodpecker.

Project Location: Citrus and Alachua

Counties, Florida.

Date Issued: August 21, 1997.

Permit Number: 832536.

Applicant: E.J. Mouhot.

Species: Florida scrub jay.

Project Location: Charlotte County,

Florida.

Date Issued: September 29, 1997.

Dated: October 10, 1997.

Judy L. Jones,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 97–27573 Filed 10–16–97; 8:45 am].

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[1020–04 MT–001-EA97]

Final Supplementary Rule Requiring

the Use of Certified Noxious Weed

Seed-Free Forage on Public Lands in

Montana and the Availability of the

Environmental Assessment, Decision

Record, and Finding of No Significant

Impact for Implementation of

Requirements for Weed Seed-Free

Forage on Public Lands in the Bureau

of Land Management; Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Montana State Office 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 Montana. The EA’s proposed

action consisted of a supplementary rule

under 43 CFR 8365.1–6 to require the

use of certified noxious weed seed-free

forage on those public lands. Forage

subject to this rule would include hay,

grains, cubes, pelletized feeds, straw,

and mulch. The State Director of the

BLM’s Montana State Office 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 State Director is

requiring that public land users,

including permittees and local, state, or

federal government agents conducting

administrative activities, use certified

noxious weed seed-free forage on BLMadministered public lands in Montana.

Six people commented on the

Proposed Supplementary Rule

Requiring the Use of Certified Noxious

Weed Seed-Free Forage on Public Lands

in Montana, placed in the Federal

Register dated March 28, 1997. The

comments are covered in the USDI,

43CFR4130.0–2, October 1, 1996,

concerning supplemental feeding on

BLM-administered lands.

Montana encompasses approximately

8,069,002 acres of public land

administered by BLM. This rule will

affect public land users who use hay or

other forage products on the BLMadministered public lands in Montana

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 seedfree forage products, while on BLMadministered public lands in Montana.

EFFECTIVE DATES: The rule will become

effective November 17, 1997 and will

remain in effect until modified or

rescinded by the Authorized Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Hank McNeel, Weed Management

Specialist, BLM Montana State Office,

P.O. Box 36800, Billings, MT 59107, 406

255–2931.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EA is

consistent with the land use plans for

Montana BLM.

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 are

jointly developing noxious weed-free or

weed seed-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,

Montana has developed the Montana

Noxious Weed Seed Free Forage

Program and the Regional Weed Free

Forage Certification Standards for crop

inspection; a certification-identification

process; participates in a regional

inspection certification-identification

process; and encourages forage

producers in Montana to grow noxious

weed seed-free products and have them

certified.

Region I of the United States Forest

Service, Department of Agriculture,

implemented a similar policy for all

National Forest lands in Montana in

1997. This proposal will provide a

standard regulation for all users of BLMadministered public lands in the

Montana and will provide for

coordinated and consistent management

with the U.S. Forest Service.

In cooperation with the State of

Montana and the U.S. Forest Service,

Montana State Office is implementing a

ban of the use of forage that has not

been certified, on all BLM-administered

lands within Montana. 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 Montana 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 Hank

McNeel, Weed Management Specialist,

BLM Montana State Office.

For the reasons stated above, under

the authority of 43 Code of Federal

Regulations 8365.1–6, the Montana

State Director issues supplementary

rules to read: Supplementary Rules to

Require the Use of Certified Noxious

Weed Seed-Free Forage on Bureau of

Land Management-Administered Public

Lands in Montana.

1. To help prevent the spread of

weeds on BLM-administered lands in

Montana, shall be closed to possessing,

transporting or storing hay, grain, cubed

or pelletized products, straw, and mulch

that has not been certified as free of

noxious weed seed.

2. Certification will comply with

‘‘Montana Noxious Weed Seed Free

Forage Program and the Regional Weed

Free Forage Certification Standards

Procedures Manual for Certification of:

Hay, Pellets, Mulch, Straw, Cubes and

Feeds by the State of Montana
54124 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 200 / Friday, October 17, 1997 / Notices

Department of Agriculture, Helena,

Montana, April 1, 1997.

3. The possession or storage of hay,

grain, straw, or cubedor pelletized

products that have an identifiable label

as being certified Noxious Weed and/or

Noxious Weed Seed-Free by an

authorized State or County Department

of Agriculture Official; the authorizing

State must be recognized as having a

Noxious Weed Certification Program for

agronomic products; each individual

bale or container must be tagged or

marked as weed or weed seed-free and

reference the written certification.

4. The following persons are exempt

from this order: (1) Any person with a

permit signed by an authorized officer

of the BLM’s Montana State Office or

field offices within Montana,

specifically authorizing the prohibited

act or omission within that resource

area; (2) Persons transporting forage

products on Federal and State Highways

and County roads that are not BLM

Development Road or Trails.

5. 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: October 3, 1997.

Thomas P. Lonnie,

Deputy State Director, Division of Resources.

[FR Doc. 97–27327 Filed 10–16–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[CA–350–1230–00]

Notice of Intent To Prepare Land Use

Plan Amendment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Department of the Interior, Eagle Lake

Resource Area, California.

SUMMARY: This is a Notice of Intent to

Prepare a Land Use Plan Amendment

for the Fort Sage OHV Area. The

planning process to date included

scoping, a public meeting and

development of an Environmental

Assessment for revised OHV

designations. This Notice of Intent is

specifically to amend the Honey Lake/

Beckwourth Management Framework

Plan of 1976.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Scoping

commended on May 20, 1996. A public

meeting was held June 12, 1996 in

Susanville, California. All comments

received since scoping commenced and

during the public meetings, are being

considered in this process.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Honey Lake/Beckwourth Management

Framework Plan is in the area of the

Northwest Great Basin in Southeastern

Lassen County, California. The scoping,

and public participation covers the

whole of the Fort Sage OHV Area. This

draft plan amendment for the Honey

Lake/Beckwourth Management

Framework Plan is scheduled for

completion in late December, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR RELATED

DOCUMENTS CONTACT: Linda Hansen,

Area Manager, Eagle Lake Resource

Area, 2950 Riverside Drive, Susanville,

California 96130. Telephone: (916) 257–

0456.

Linda Hansen,

Area Manager.

[FR Doc. 97–27616 Filed 10–16–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–40–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR–050–1020–00: GP8–0010]

Notice of Meeting of John Day-Snake

Resource Advisory Council

October 7, 1997.

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Prineville District.

ACTION: Meeting of John Day-Snake

Resource Advisory Council: Pendleton,

Oregon; November 24, 1997.

SUMMARY: A meeting of the John DaySnake Resource Advisory Council will

be held on November 24, 1997 from 8:00

am to 5:00 pm, at the Double Tree Inn,

304 SE Nye Ave, Pendleton, Oregon.

The meeting is open to the Public.

Public comments will be received at

1:00 pm. Topics to be discussed by the

council include the Interior Columbia

Basin Ecosystem Management Project,

Standards for Rangeland Health and

Guidelines for Livestock Grazing on

public lands, development of a John Day

River Management Plan, and an update

on significant land exchanges within the

council’s geographic area.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James L. Hancock, Bureau of Land

Management, Prineville District Office,

3050 NE Third Street, Prineville, Oregon

97754, or call 541–416–6700.

Dated: October 7, 1997.

James L. Hancock,

District Manager.

[FR Doc. 97–27537 Filed 10–16–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–33–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT–912–08–0777–52]

Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of meeting of the Utah

Resource Advisory Council.

SUMMARY: A meeting of the Utah

Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will

be held November 7, 1997, from 8:00

a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Provo Park

Hotel, 101 West 100 North in Provo,

Utah. The purpose of this meeting is to

review and accept, by the RAC, the fire

rehab methods and policies which will

then be submitted to the State Director

for implementation. We will also

discuss recreation issues across the

state.

Resource Advisory Council meetings

are open to the public; however,

transportation, meals, and overnight

accommodations are the responsibility

of the participating public. A public

comment period has been scheduled

from 2:30–3:00 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Anyone

interested in attending the meeting or

wanting to address the Council, should

contact Sherry Foot at the Bureau of

Land Management, Utah State Office,

324 South State Street, Salt Lake City,

Utah, 84111 or by calling (801) 539–

4195.

Dated: October 9, 1997.

Ted Stephenson,

Acting. State Director.

[FR Doc. 97–27575 Filed 10–16–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CO–010–07–1020–00–241A]

Northwest Colorado Resource

Advisory Council Meeting

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The next meetings of the

Northwest Colorado Resource Advisory

Council will be held on Friday,

November 7, 1997, in Eagle, Colorado.

DATES: Friday, November 7, 1997.

ADDRESSES: For further information,

contact Joann Graham, Bureau of Land

Management (BLM), Grand Junction

District Office, 2815 H Road, Grand

Junction, Colorado 81506; Telephone

(970) 244–3037.