Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 219 / Thursday, November 13, 1997 / Notices 60915

settlement money. The MOU

established a Trustee Committee

consisting of representatives from DOI

and the State of Utah to plan and direct

restoration activities.

The Trustee Committee outlined the

following project goals: (1) to restore,

replace, enhance, or acquire appropriate

natural , functioning habitats along the

Jordan River corridor for the benefit of

identified trust resources; (2) to ensure

that funds are utilized to provide

maximum benefits for trust resources;

and (3) to ensure the provision of

benefits to trust resources in perpetuity.

Restoration alternatives to meet these

goals were identified. These alternatives

included: (a) no-action or natural

recovery, (b) restoration on the Sharon

Steel/Midvale Slag sites, and (c) Jordan

River Corridor replacement/

enhancement of habitat for trust

resources. Due to its protective and

relatively cost effective nature,

replacement/enhancement of resources

in the Jordan River corridor was chosen

as the preferred alternative for

enhancement of wetland and riparian

migratory bird habitats.

The primary steps towards

achievement of project restoration

objectives were subsequently identified

as: (1) definition of restoration targets in

terms of species and habitats, (2)

development of criteria to consider

when identifying and ranking projects,

(3) identification of restoration tools or

activities and solicitation of cooperative

project proposals, (4) identification and

ranking of specific restoration projects

(cooperative proposals) and/or sites, (5)

implementation of selected project(s),

and (6) monitoring of the project(s) to

ensure long-term viability.

The Sharon Steel Damage Settlement

Restoration Plan: A Concept Document

was subsequently issued which lent

guidance to the restoration project

selection process. The Draft Sharon

Steel Restoration Plan identifies

restoration projects selected for funding

through cooperative agreements that

will be implemented through

partnerships with State or Federal

agencies, county or local governments,

or nonprofit organizations. Close

cooperation among all programs in the

Jordan River corridor (e.g., Central Utah

Project, Jordan River Parkway plans,

Jordan River Sub-basin Watershed

Management Council, etc.) will insure

cost-effective expenditure of public

funds, increase success of all programs,

and provide maximum benefits to the

Jordan River ecosystem.

Management in perpetuity for wildlife

will be assured by Restoration Plan

stipulations which require land/wildlife

management plans for each project

proposal, and deed restrictions, which

stipulate future land uses and return of

lands to DOI or the State of Utah if

cooperative agreements and

management plan objectives are not

upheld. Monitoring of sites will be

performed by the Service to document

project progress, assure compliance

with management objectives and deed

restrictions, and to measure timely

success in the restoration of trust

resources.

Interested members of the public are

invited to review and comment on the

Draft Restoration Plan. In Utah, copies

are available for review at the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service’s Ecological

Services Office in Salt Lake City (145

East 1300 South, Suite 404, Salt Lake

City), the Utah Department of

Environmental Quality, Division of

Environmental Response and

Remediation (168 North 1950 West, Salt

Lake City), and the Salt Lake City

Library.

A public informational meeting will

be held to describe the restoration

projects proposed in the Restoration

Plan and to answer questions. The

meeting will be held November 20,

1997, at Midvale City Hall at 7:30 p.m.

All written and public meeting

comments will be considered and

addressed in the final Restoration Plan.

Dated: November 6, 1997.

Joseph J. Webster,

Acting Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.

[FR Doc. 97–29828 Filed 11–12–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA–350–1020–00]

Notice of Resource Advisory Council

Meeting

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Mananagement,

Northeast California Resource Advisory

Council, Susanville, California.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Bureau of Land

Management’s Northeast California

Resource Advisory Council will meet

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 1997, at the BLM’s

Eagle Lake Field Office, 2950 Riverside

Drive, Susanville, CA 96130.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

meeting begins at 10 a.m. in the

conference room of the BLM office.

Members will discuss development of

BLM-California’s Environmental Impact

Statement for Healthy Rangeland

Standards and Guidelines, and discuss

progress on phase one fire management

planning in the Alturas, Eagle Lake and

Surprise Resource Areas. Public

comments will be taken at 1 p.m.

Depending on the number of persons

wishing to speak a time limit could be

established.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Jeff

Fontana, public affairs officer, (530)

257–5381.

John Bosworth,

Acting Area Manager.

[FR Doc. 97–29818 Filed 11–12–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–40–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AZ–050–07–1220–00; 8322]

Arizona: Closure of All Public Lands

Within the La Posa Plain Camping

Closure Area to Overnight Occupation,

Identification of Five ‘‘Fourteen-Day

Camping Areas,’’ and Restriction of

Native Wood Collection

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of closure of all public

lands within the La Posa Plain Camping

Closure Area to overnight occupation,

identification of five ‘‘Fourteen-Day

Camping Areas,’’ and restriction of

Native Wood Collection.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that all

types of camping and night-time

occupation must occur within

designated camping areas within the La

Posa Plain Area, and that native wood

collection is prohibited on the public

land within the La Posa Plain Camping

Closure Area. The area affected by the

closure contains 121,500 acres more or

less.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Bureau of Land Management, Yuma

Field Office, La Posa Interdisciplinary

Management Plan specified that no

overnight occupation or collection of

native wood shall be permitted with the

closure area. This closures of public

land within this area to overnight

occupation and firewood collection is

being implemented to resolve natural

resource impacts resulting from

unauthorized dumping of solid and

liquid waste, disturbance of native soils,

and depletion of native wood resources.

Camping and occupation of public land

within this area is restricted to five

designated 14-day camping areas and

the La Posa Long-Term Visitor Area

(LTVA). The five 14-day camping areas

are: Plomosa Road located 5 miles north

of Quartzsite, Arizona, on the north and

south sides of Plomosa Road; Dome