55570 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 207 / Monday, October 27, 1997 / Notices

5. Wenzel, R., Pulverer, G., Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus homiletics on the

Hands of Health Care Workers: A Route of

Transmission or a Source? Journal of

Hospital Infection (Germany). Nov. 1995;

31(3):195–120AB.

6. Kaltenthaler, E.C., Elsworth, A.M.,

Schweiger, M.S. Mara, D.D., Brfaunholttz,

D.A., Faecal Contamination on Children’s

Hands and Environmental Surfaces in

Primary Schools in Leeds. Epidemiology and

Infection (U.K.). Dec. 1995; 115(3):527–34.

7. Sengupta, P.G., Sicar, B.K., Mandal, S.K.

Mukhopadhyay, A.K., Nair, G.B., et al.,

Epidemiology of Vibro cholerae 0139 with

Special References to Intrafamilial

Transmission in Calcutta. Journal of Infection

(India). Jul. 1995; 31(1):45–7.

8. Gerding, D.N., Johnson, S., Peterson,

L.R., Mulligan, M.E., Silva, J.A., Jr.,

Clostridium difficile-Associated Diarrhea and

Colitis. Infection Control & Hospital

Epidemiology, Aug. 1995; 457–77AB.

9. Urano, T., Noguchi, K., Jiang, G.,

Tsukumi, K., Survey of Pseudomonas

aeruginosa Contamination in Human Beings

and Laboratory Animals. Experimental

Animals (Japan). Jul. 1995; 44(3):233–9.

[FR Doc. 97–28366 Filed 10–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Intent To Prepare an Environmental

Impact Statement, Canal Hoya Timber

Sale, Tongass National Forest, Stikine

Area, Wrangell, Alaska

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent; revision.

SUMMARY: The Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare

a Draft Environmental Impact Statement

for the Canal Hoya Timber Sale located

on the Stikine Area of the Tongass

National Forest. This Notice of Intent

revises the Notice of Intent published

December 23, 1996 (page 67530) by

describing changes to the purpose and

need and the schedule for decision. A

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

is being prepared to respond to the new

management direction and standards

and guidelines of the Tongass National

Forest Land and Resource Management

Plan (Forest Plan) released in May 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments,

suggestions or questions concerning the

analysis and Environmental Impact

Statement should be sent to Scott

Posner, Canal Hoya Team Leader,

Wrangell Ranger District, Stikine Area,

Tongass National Forest, P.O. Box 51,

Wrangell, Alaska, 99929, phone (907)

874–2323.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Canal

Hoya Study Area includes Value

Comparison Unit 520 and 521 on the

mainland in Southeast Alaska,

approximately 30 miles southeast of

Wrangell, Alaska.

The Tongass National Forest Land

and Resource Management Plan of May

1997 provides the overall guidance

(land use designations, goals, objectives,

management prescriptions, standards

and guidelines) to achieve the desired

future condition for the area in which

this project is proposed. This revised

Forest Plan allocates portions of the

study area to two management

prescriptions; Timber Production and

Modified Landscape. The new standards

and guidelines in the revised Forest

Plan provide increased protection for

riparian areas, beach fringe, brown bear

foraging areas and wetland soils, which

affect the assumptions on which the

purpose and need in the original Notice

of Intent were based.

The purpose and need for the project

is to respond to the goals and objectives

identified by the Forest Plan for the

timber resource and to move the Canal

Hoya Study Area towards the desired

future condition. The Forest Plan

identified the following goals and

objectives: (1) manage the timber

resource for production of saw timber

and other wood products from suitable

timber lands made available for timber

harvest, on an even-flow, long-term

sustained yield basis and in an

economically efficient manner (Revised

Forest Plan page 2–4; (2) seek to provide

a timber supply sufficient to meet the

annual market demand for Tongass

National Forest timber, and the demand

for the planning cycle (page 2–4); and 3)

maintain and promote industrial wood

production from suitable timber lands,

providing a continuous supply of wood

to meet society’s needs (page 3–144).

The Canal Hoya Timber Sale will be

designed to produce desired resource

values, products, and conditions in

ways that also sustain the diversity and

productivity of ecosystems (page 2–1).

The Canal Hoya Timber Sale is now

expected to provide a range of volume

to the timber industry from 10 to 17

million board feet. The range of

alternatives to be considered in the

Environmental Impact Statement will be

determined during analysis and reflect

issues raised during scoping.

The Proposed Action provides for: (1)

construction of approximately 10 miles

of specified road and additional

temporary road; (2) harvest of

approximately 750 acres of timber; and,

(3) construction of a log transfer facility

east of the Canal Creek estuary and

another log transfer facility east of the

Hoya Creek estuary. The log transfer

facilities could use a floating, removable

structure. This level of development

would result in the harvest of

approximately 14 million board feet of

sawlog and utility timber volume.

A number of public comments have

been received on this project. Based on

comments from the public and other

agencies during the scoping effort, the

following significant issues have been

identified. How will the design of the

sale affect:

(1) Harvest economics?

(2) Scenic and tourism values?

(3) Bears that also use the Anan

Wildlife Viewing Area?

(4) Wildlife habitat and species

conservation?

(5) Freshwater and marine resources?

(6) Forest soils?

These issues were used to design

alternatives to the proposed action and

to identify the potential environmental

effects of the proposed action and

alternatives. The draft Environmental

Impact Statement is scheduled for

publication in January 1998 and the

Final Environmental Impact Statement

and Record of Decision is scheduled for

publication in May 1998.

The Forest Service believes, at this

stage, it is important to alert reviewers

about 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 important that

those interested in this proposed action

participate by the close of the draft

Environmental Impact Statement 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.

No other revisions are made to the

original Notice of Intent published

December 23, 1996.

Patricia A. Grantham,

Acting Forest Supervisor, Stikine Area.

[FR Doc. 97–28384 Filed 10–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M