Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 222 / Tuesday, November 18, 1997 / Notices 61523

Federal action significantly effecting the

quality of the human environment

within the meaning of Section 102(2)(C)

of NEPA. This preliminary information

may be revised due to public comment

received in response to this notice and

is based on information contained in the

EA and HCP. An appropriate excerpt

from the FONSI reflecting the Service’s

finding on the application is provided

below:

Based on the analysis conducted by

the Service, it has been determined that:

• Issuance of the ITP will not

appreciably reduce the likelihood of

survival and recovery of the effected

species in the wild.

• The HCP contains provisions which

sufficiently minimize and/or mitigate

the impacts of issuing the ITP.

• Issuance of the ITP would not have

significant effects on the human

environment in the project area.

• The proposed take is incidental to

an otherwise lawful activity.

• Adequate funding will be provided

to implement the measures proposed in

the submitted HCP and authorizing ITP.

The Service will also evaluate

whether the issuance of a Section

10(a)(1)(B) ITP complies with Section 7

of the Act by conducting an intraService Section 7 consultation. The

results of the biological opinion, in

combination with the above findings,

will be used in the final analysis to

determine whether or not to issue the

ITP.

Dated: November 4, 1997.

H. Dale Hall,

Deputy Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 97–30198 Filed 11–17–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Availability of an Environmental

Assessment and Receipt of an

Application for an Incidental Take

Permit for the Wildwash Sand and

Gravel Mine, San Bernardino County,

CA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: E. L. Yeager Construction

Company, Incorporated, of Riverside,

California, has applied to the Fish and

Wildlife Service for a 20-year incidental

take permit pursuant to section

10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species

Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The

Service proposes to issue an incidental

take permit for the federally-listed

threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus

agassizii) at the proposed mine site,

located in San Bernardino County,

California. The permit also would

include the state-listed threatened

Mojave ground squirrel (Spermophilus

mohavensis) and the unlisted

loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus),

should these species be listed during the

life of the permit. This notice announces

the availability of the permit application

and the environmental assessment. The

permit application includes the habitat

conservation plan for the Wildwash

Sand and Gravel Mine and an

implementing agreement. The Service

requests comments on these documents,

including the appropriateness of the

‘‘No Surprises’’ assurances contained in

section 12.3.a of the implementing

agreement. All comments received,

including names and addresses, will

become part of the administrative record

and may be made available to the

public.

DATES: Written comments should be

received on or before December 18,

1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be

addressed to Ms. Diane Noda, Field

Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife

Service, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B,

Ventura, California 93003. Written

comments may also be sent by facsimile

to (805) 644–3958.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Mr.

Ray Bransfield, Fish and Wildlife

Biologist, at the above address or call

(805) 644–1766.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Availability of Documents

Individuals wishing copies of the

documents should immediately contact

the Service’s Ventura Fish and Wildlife

Office at the above referenced address or

telephone. Documents also will be

available for public inspection, by

appointment, during normal business

hours at the above address.

Background

The permit applicant proposes phased

mining of up to 100 acres of desert

habitat adjacent to Interstate 15.

Portions of the site are occupied by the

desert tortoise. One loggerhead shrike

was observed on site during biological

surveys. The site is considered

potentially suitable habitat for the

Mojave ground squirrel, although

surveys were not conducted for this

species. During the initial mining phase,

lasting 5 years, the applicant would

mine sand and gravel on up to 35 acres

of land. During the subsequent phase(s),

lasting 15 years, the applicant would

mine up to an additional 65 acres.

The applicant needs an incidental

take permit from the Service because

endangered and threatened wildlife

species are protected against ‘‘take’’

pursuant to section 9 of the ESA. The

term ‘‘take’’ means to harass, harm,

pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap,

capture, or collect listed animal species,

or attempt to engage in such conduct (16

U.S.C. 1538). The Service, however,

may issue permits to take listed animal

species if such taking is incidental to,

and not the purpose of, otherwise lawful

activities. Regulations governing

permits for threatened and endangered

species are at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32.

As part of the permit application, the

applicant prepared a habitat

conservation plan that addresses the

desert tortoise, Mojave ground squirrel,

and loggerhead shrike. Pursuant to

section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Federal ESA,

the Service proposes to issue a permit

to the applicant for incidental take of

the threatened desert tortoise, and for

the Mojave ground squirrel and

loggerhead shrike should Federal take

authorization for these latter two species

be necessary during the life of the

permit. The ground squirrel and shrike

would be named on the permit;

however, incidental take authorization

for these species would become

effective only if they become listed

under the Federal ESA.

The proposed sand and gravel mine

would result in the loss of habitat for

the desert tortoise, Mojave ground

squirrel, and loggerhead shrike as the

ground is disturbed and the vegetation

communities are removed during

mining activities. This mining could

directly and indirectly affect these

species.

The proposed action would authorize

the incidental take of all desert tortoises

on the 100 acre site in the form of

harassment from being moved out of

harm’s way. Additionally, two desert

tortoises may be taken in the form of

direct mortality associated with mining

activities and vehicle travel on the mine

access road. If Mojave ground squirrels

are present on site, they would likely be

killed during the initial grading of the

mining areas. Loggerhead shrikes are

unlikely to be killed or injured by the

proposed action.

The applicant’s habitat conservation

plan contains measures to minimize

and/or mitigate the effects of the mining

on the three species. Before mining

begins, an amount of desert tortoise

habitat equal to that being destroyed

would be purchased and placed under

management for recovery of the desert

tortoise. A fence to prevent desert

tortoises from entering the mine would

be constructed under the supervision of
61524 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 222 / Tuesday, November 18, 1997 / Notices

a biologist and the area enclosed by the

fence would be systematically searched.

All desert tortoises found would be

relocated to adjacent habitat in a

manner consistent with current

handling procedures and guidelines.

Workers at the mine site would be

educated about the status of the desert

tortoise and what to do if desert

tortoises are found on access roads or

during work activities. The applicant

would ensure that trash is handled in a

way that does not lure predators of the

desert tortoise into the area.

The phasing of mining would reduce

the numbers of Mojave ground squirrels

killed at any given time. The acquisition

and management of off-site habitat

would be the primary means of

compensating for the loss of this habitat

and individual Mojave ground squirrels.

Nest tree buffers and grading season

restrictions would protect any

loggerhead shrikes nesting on site.

During reclamation of the site, trees

would be planted that provide nesting

habitat for the loggerhead shrike.

Environmental Assessment

The environmental assessment

considers the environmental

consequences of the proposed action

and no action alternatives. A no take

alternative was not feasible due to the

size of the proposed mine and the

unpredictable distribution of desert

tortoises in the project area. Under the

no action alternative, the Service would

not issue an incidental take permit to

the applicant and a habitat conservation

plan would not be implemented. The

applicant would not be able to proceed

legally with mining as planned due to

the presence of listed animal species in

the area.

Authority

This notice is provided pursuant to

section 10(c) of the ESA and Service

regulations for implementing the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 (40 CFR 1506.6). The Service will

evaluate the application, its associated

documents, and comments submitted

thereon to determine whether the

application meets the requirements of

the ESA. If the Service determines that

the requirements are met, a permit will

be issued for the incidental take of the

listed species. A final decision on

permit issuance will be made no sooner

than 30 days from the date of this

notice.

Dated: November 12, 1997.

Thomas Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland,

Oregon.

[FR Doc. 97–30200 Filed 11–17–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

Federal Geographic Data Committee

(FGDC); Public Review of Utilities Data

Content Standard

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The FGDC is conducting a

public review of the Utilities Data

Content Standard. The purpose of this

public review is to provide data users

and producers with an opportunity to

comment on this standard in order to

ensure that it meets their needs.

Specifically, the FGDC request

responses in three areas: (1) Identify any

‘‘ad hoc’’ or ‘‘defacto’’ standards being

used that address data content for

utilities systems; (2) identify additional

feature classes, feature types, attributes,

and domains not contained in this

standard that are necessary to meet a

user’s requirements; (3) identify any

issues that a user may have in

implementing the information

contained in the utilities standard into

a system’s feature schema.

Participants in the public review are

encouraged to provide comments that

address specific issues/changes/

additions that may result in revisions to

the draft utilities standard. All

participants who make comments

during the public review period will

receive an acknowledgment of the

receipt of their comment. After

comments have been considered,

participants will receive notification of

how their comments were addressed.

After the formal adoption of the

standard by the FGDC, the revised

standard and a summary analysis of the

changes will be made available.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before March 6, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

standard can be downloaded from the

following Internet address: http://

www.fgdc.gov/Standards/Documents/

Standards/Utility.

Requests for written copies of the

standard should be addressed to

‘‘Utilities Data Content Standard’’,

FGDC Secretariat (attn: Jennifer Fox),

U.S. Geological Survey, 590 National

Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive,

Reston, Virginia, 20192; or telephone

703–648–5514; facsimile 703–648–5755;

or Internet ‘‘gdc@usgs.gov.’’

Reviewer’s comments may be sent to

the FGDC via Internet mail to:

gdc.util@www.fgdc.gov. Reviewer

comments may also be sent to the FGDC

Secretariat at the above address. Please

send one hardcopy version of the

comments and a soft copy version,

preferably on a 3.5×3.5 diskette in

WordPerfect 5.0 or 6.0/6.1 format.

For answers to questions related to

the content of the standard please

contact the Federal Geographic Data

Committee (FGDC) Facilities Working

Group, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

General Engineering Branch 20

Massachusetts Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC 20314–1000; voice

telephone numbers: Kevin Backe (703)

428–6505, Nancy Blyler facsimile

telephone number: (703) 428–6991.

Dated: October 10, 1997.

John Fischer,

Acting Chief, National Mapping Division, U.S.

Geological Survey.

[FR Doc. 97–30167 Filed 11–17–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–31–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Homestead National Monument of

America, NE

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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

of the National Environmental Policy

Act, the National Park Service,

Department of the Interior will prepare

an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) to assess the impact of alternative

management concepts in a revised

General Management Plan (GMP) for

Homestead National Monument of

America. The purpose of revising the

GMP is to set forth the basic

management philosophy for the next 10

to 15 years, and provide the strategies

for addressing issues and achieving

identified management objectives. Some

of the issues needing addressing are:

flooding threats to the park’s developed

infrastructure and operations much of

which resides or occurs in a floodplain;

the restored tallgrass prairie’s

relationship to the park’s purpose;

cultural landscape alterations

misrepresenting the historic scene and

integrity; adequacy of domestic water

and sewerage infrastructure; Highway 4

and traffic safety; Freeman School’s

interpretive relationship and safe public

access thereto; unfulfilled legislative

mandates to serve as a repository for