Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 1997 / Notices 58977

and not the purpose of otherwise lawful

activities. Regulations governing

permits for endangered and threatened

species are at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32.

Under the proposed action, the

Service would issue an incidental take

permit for up to 85 species as described

in the La Mesa Subarea Plan.

Approximately 122 of the 179 acres of

undeveloped land within La Mesa

would be developed, primarily within

the proposed Eastridge subdivision.

Project-level biological surveys would

be required for all future development

proposals that would result in loss of

native habitats due to grading and

development. The direct impacts to

coastal sage scrub habitat and other

sensitive vegetation communities and

associated species would be mitigated

through the acquisition of off-site, inkind habitat at a 1:1 ratio for all upland

habitats (except southern maritime

chaparral, native grassland, and oak

woodlands, which have not been

identified within the City but would

require in-kind mitigation at a 2:1 ratio

if identified within an area to be

impacted). Offsite habitat would be

acquired within an identified preserve

area, either in the City of Poway,

California, consistent with the approved

Poway Subarea Habitat Conservation

Plan, or in another location as approved

by the Service and California

Department of Fish and Game. The La

Mesa Subarea Plan is intended to be

consistent with, and to complement, the

Poway Subarea Plan and the regional

Multiple Species Conservation Program

plan (Regional Plan).

In July 1997, the Service approved the

Regional Plan. This long-term plan was

prepared by the City of San Diego and

11 other participating jurisdictions,

including La Mesa. The Regional Plan

covers an approximately 900-squaremile area (580,000 acres) of rapid

growth within the highly urbanized

setting of southwestern San Diego

County. The Regional Plan establishes a

mechanism for creation of an

approximate 172,000-acre preserve

system that would conserve numerous

sensitive plant and animal species and

their habitats.

The existing 179 acres of coastal sage

scrub in La Mesa comprises 0.2 percent

of the total coastal sage scrub mapped

in the regional planning area. The

habitat in La Mesa is not included in the

planning area of the regional preserve

system due to its size and isolated

location. In this regional context, the

habitat in La Mesa is not considered a

core biological resource area or linkage.

The Environmental Assessment for

the La Mesa permit application

considers the effects to the human

environment of the proposed action and

three alternatives. These alternatives

include scenarios of no action, full

development, and preservation of all

undeveloped habitat within La Mesa.

Under the no action alternative, the

Service would not issue an incidental

take permit to the City of La Mesa for

its Subarea Plan. Property owners in La

Mesa would need to submit individual

permit applications to the Service if

proposed developments would result in

take of endangered or threatened

species. Potentially, all 179 acres of

remaining habitat within the City could

be developed over time. The result

would be an uncoordinated and noncomprehensive approach to evaluating

the resources within La Mesa.

Another alternative is issuing a permit

to the City of La Mesa for incidental take

associated with full rather than partial

development of the Eastridge property.

Loss of the remaining 179 acres of

habitat within La Mesa would be

mitigated offsite at a 1:1 ratio.

Under another alternative, all of the

undeveloped habitat (179 acres) within

the City of La Mesa would be preserved.

No take of listed species would occur

and no take authorizations would be

issued.

This notice is provided pursuant to

section 10(c) of the Endangered species

Act of 1973, as amended, and Service

regulations for implementing the

National Environmental Policy Act (40

CFR 1506.6). All comments received

will become part of the public record

and may be released.

The Service will evaluate the

application, associated documents, and

comments submitted thereon to

determine whether the application

meets the requirements of the

Endangered Species Act. A final

decision on permit issuance will be

made no sooner than 30 days from the

date of this notice.

Dated: October 24, 1997.

Thomas J. Dwyer,

Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.

[FR Doc. 97–28871 Filed 10–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force

Meeting and Field Trip

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of meeting and

Chesapeake Bay field trip.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

Fall 1997 Meeting of the Aquatic

Nuisance Species Task Force and a field

trip related to nonindigenous species

issues in the Chesapeake Bay. A number

of topics will be addressed during the

Task Force meeting, including:

Administration Initiative on Non-Native

Invasive Species; a meeting of Task

Force principals and proposal on

staffing and funding; Task Force

policies regarding regional panels,

membership, and committee

establishment and membership; Task

Force web site proposal and plans;

proposal for two-tier ANS designation/

control program; and a green crab

control program proposal. In addition,

updates will be provided on other

nonindigenous species issues and

activities, including those of the Task

Force’s Great Lakes on ANS and

Western Regional Panel. The meeting is

open to the public. Interested persons

may make oral statements at the

meetings or submit written statements

for consideration. The public is

welcome to participate in the

Chesapeake Bay field trip.

DATES: The ANS Task Force will meet

from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on

Thursday, November 13, 1997. The

Chesapeake Bay field trip will begin at

the Conference Center, Smithsonian

Environmental Research Center,

Edgewater, Maryland, at 8:00 a.m. on

Friday, November 14, 1997, and

conclude at the Inner Harbor, Baltimore,

Maryland, by early afternoon.

ADDRESSES: The Task Force meeting

will be held in the Conference Center of

the USDA Center at Riverside, 4700

River Road, Riverdale, Maryland. The

Chesapeake Bay field trip will leave

from the Conference Center,

Smithsonian Environmental Research

Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road,

Edgewater, Maryland, and conclude at

the Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert A. Peoples, Executive Secretary,

ANS Task Force, by telephone at 703–

358–2025 or E-Mail at

robertlpeoples@fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.

I), this notice announces the Fall 1997

meeting of the Aquatic Nuisance

Species Task Force, as established by

the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance

Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16

U.S.C. 4701–4741). It also announces a

Chesapeake Bay field trip to view

nonindigenous species and their

impacts and visit, subject to availability,

a vessel in Baltimore Harbor to view

ballast water management facilities.
58978 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 1997 / Notices

Minutes of the meeting will be

maintained by the Executive Secretary,

ANS Task Force, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Suite

840, Arlington, Virginia 22203–1622

and will be available for inspection

during regular business hours within 30

days following the meeting.

Dated: October 28, 1997.

Gary Edwards,

Assistant Director—Fisheries, Co-Chair,

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.

[FR Doc. 97–28886 Filed 10–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

Request for Public Comments on

Extension of Existing Information

Collection To Be Submitted to OMB for

Review Under the Paperwork

Reduction Act

A request extending the information

collection described below will be

submitted to the Office of Management

and Budget for approval under the

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)).

Copies of the proposed collection may

be obtained by contacting the Bureau’s

clearance officer at the phone number

listed below. Public comments on the

proposal should be made within 60 days

directly to the Bureau Clearance Officer,

U.S. Geological survey, 807 National

Center, Reston, VA 20192.

As required by OMB regulations at 5

CFR 1320.8(d)(1), the U.S. Geological

Survey solicits specific public

comments as to:

1. Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions on the

bureaus, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

2. The accuracy of the bureau’s

estimate of the burden of the collection

of information, including the validity of

the methodology and assumptions used:

3. The quality, utility, and clarity of

the information to be collected; and.

4. How to minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, including the use of

appropriate automated, electronic,

mechanical, or other forms of

information technology.

Title: North American Reporting

Center for Amphibian Malformations.

OMB Approval No: 1028–0056.

Summary: The collection of

information referred herein applies to a

World-Wide Web site that permits

individuals who observed malformed

amphibians or who inspect substantial

numbers of normal or malformed

amphibians to report those observations

and related information. The Web site is

termed the North American Reporting

Center for Amphibian Malformations.

Information will be used by scientists

and federal, state and local agencies to

identify areas where malformed

amphibians occur and the rates of

occurrence.

Estimated Completion Times: 20

minutes.

Estimated Annual Number Of

Respondents: 900.

Frequency: Once.

300 hours: 300 hours.

Affected Public: Primarily U.S. and

Canadian residents.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To obtain copies of the survey, contact

the Bureau clearance office, U.S.

Geological Survey, 807 National Center,

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston,

Virginia, 20192, telephone (703) 648–

7313, or go to the Web Site (http://

www.npsc.nbs.gov./narcam).

Dated: October 20, 1997.

Susan Haseltine,

Deputy Chief Biologist for Science.

[FR Doc. 97–28858 Filed 10–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–31–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID–933–1430–01; IDI–13232, IDI 015026C]

Termination of Recreation and Public

Purpose Act Classification and Desert

Land Entry Classification and Opening

Order; Idaho

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice terminates a

Recreation and Public Purpose Act

Classification on 639.84 acres and a

Desert Land Classification on 16.26

acres, as these classifications are no

longer needed. A portion of the lands

affected by these classifications will be

exchanged to the State of Idaho

pursuant to section 206 of the Federal

Land Policy and Management Act of

1976.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 31, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Catherine D. Foster, BLM Idaho State

Office, 1387 S. Vinnell Way, Boise,

Idaho 83709, 208–373–3863.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July

31, 1964, the following lands were

classified as unsuitable for entry under

the Desert Land Act of March 3, 1877 as

amended and supplemented (43 U.S.C.

321, et. seq.): lot 7 of section 24, T. 6

N., R. 35 E., Boise Meridian. On

December 29, 1980, the following

described lands were classified as

unsuitable for entry under the

Recreation and Public Purposes Act of

June 14, 1926, as amended (43 U.S.C.

869–869–4): lot 17, S1⁄2SW1⁄4,

SW1⁄4SE1⁄4 of section 22, and N1⁄2,

N1⁄2S1⁄2 of section 27, T. 6 N., R. 36 E.,

Boise Meridian. Both the classification

and segregation on the above described

lands are hereby terminated. The area

described above aggregates 656.1 acres

in Jefferson County.

At 9 a.m. on October 31, 1997 both

classifications will be terminated. A

portion of these lands will remain

closed to location and entry under the

public land laws and the mining laws,

as they are currently segregated for

exchange. The only lands which will be

opened to location and entry are

described as follows:

T. 6 N., R. 36 E., B.M., section 27:

N1⁄2, N1⁄2S1⁄2.

At 9 a.m. on October 31, 1997 these

lands will be opened to operation of the

public land laws generally, subject to

valid existing rights, the provisions of

existing withdrawals, and the

requirements of applicable law. All

valid applications received at or prior to

9 a.m. on October 31, 1997 be

considered simultaneously filed at that

time. Those received thereafter will be

considered in the order of filing.

At 9 a.m. on October 31, 1997 these

lands will be opened to location and

entry under the United States mining

laws, subject to valid existing rights, the

provisions of existing withdrawals,

other segregations of record and the

requirements of applicable law.

Appropriation of any of the lands

described above under the general

mining laws prior to the date and time

of restoration is unauthorized. Any such

attempted appropriation, including

attempted adverse possession under 30

U.S.C. 38, shall vest no rights against

the United States. Acts required to

establish a location and to initiate a

right of possession are governed by State

law where not in conflict with Federal

law. The Bureau of Land Management

will not intervene in disputes between

rival locators over possessory rights

since Congress has provided for such

determinations in local courts.

Dated: October 22, 1997.

Jimmie Buxton,

Branch Chief, Lands and Minerals.

[FR Doc. 97–28866 Filed 10–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P