Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 39 / Thursday, February 27, 1997 / Notices 8981

Rationale for Decision

The decision to issue the permit and

sign the Implementation Agreement was

made because the Habitat Conservation

Plan proposed by the Washington

Department of Natural Resources to

comply with the Endangered Species

Act, as well as its legal and

constitutional mandates as the trustee

manager of State timber lands, meets the

statutory criteria for issuance of an

incidental take permit under section 10

of the Act, as well as the Fish and

Wildlife Service’s trust responsibility to

Native American Tribes. The Proposed

Habitat Conservation Plan Alternative

specifically addresses listed species

throughout the planning area and

riparian habitat management which

captures the majority of species that

might inhabit the planning units west of

the Cascade Crest, including

anadromous salmonids which are a

resource subject to the Fish and Wildlife

Service’s trust responsibility.

Furthermore, the Proposed Habitat

Conservation Plan Alternative provides

management goals for all forest types

throughout the planning area, and

associated species, as well as special

habitat management for habitats such as

large trees, caves, talus slopes, wetlands,

oak woodlands, down logs, and

standing snags in the planning units

west of the Cascade Crest.

The permit was granted only after the

Fish and Wildlife Service determined

that the permit was applied for in good

faith, that all permit issuance criteria

were met, including the requirement

that granting the permit would not

jeopardize the continued existence of

the species, and that the permit is

consistent with the purposes and

policies set forth in the Endangered

Species Act of 1973, as amended.

Dated: February 20, 1997.

Donald V. Friberg,

Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.

[FR Doc. 97–4836 Filed 2–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

Geological Survey

Request for Public Comments on

Proposed Information Collection to be

Submitted to the Office of Management

and Budget for Review Under the

Paperwork Reduction Act

The proposed 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. Chapter 35). Copies of the

proposed collection instrument may be

obtained by contacting the Bureau’s

clearance officer at the phone number

listed below. Comments and suggestions

on the proposal should be made within

60 days directly to the Bureau Clearance

Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 208

National Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley

Drive, Reston, Virginia, 20192.

Telephone 703–648–7313.

Specific public comments are

requested 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: ‘‘The National Atlas of the

United States of America’’.

OMB approval number: New

Collection.

Abstract: Potential customers of

electronic national atlas products will

be asked questions that provide (1)

potential uses of these products; (2) type

of personal computer used: (3) current

method of acquiring atlas-type

information; (4) demographic

information; and (5) personal

expectations from the products. Survey

questionnaires will be distributed by

mail in a return postage-paid format.

Focus groups will be held at various

locations across the United States and

could include prototype product testing.

Customer information gathered from the

questionnaires and focus groups will be

used to evaluate ‘‘The National Atlas of

the United States of America’’ products

and to make development adjustments

based on customer responses. The

proposed collection is limited in scope

to the National Atlas products and the

capability of the products to meet

customer needs. The USGS intends to

develop a cooperative research and

development agreement with private

industry to assist in product

development and to provide an

additional avenue for product

distribution.

Bureau form number: None.

Frequency: An estimated 2–3 surveys

and 5–8 focus groups per year to

evaluate potential customer segments

and reactions.

Description of respondents: Owners of

powerful home personal computers,

some with Internet access—potentially

the general public, libraries, and

schools.

Estimated completion time: Varies

depending on the mechanism used:

Approximately 0.25 hour (15 minutes)

per survey and 1 hour per focus group

session.

Annual responses: Approximately

1,000 survey and 100 focus group

responses.

Annual burden hours: 350.

Bureau clearance officer: John

Cordyack, 703–648–7313.

Dated: February 20, 1997.

Jack Fischer,

Associate Division Chief for Operations.

[FR Doc. 97–4903 Filed 2–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–31–M

Federal Geographic Data Committee

(FGDC); Application Notice

Establishing the Closing Date for

Transmittal of Applications Under the

FGDC National Spatial Data

Infrastructure (NSDI) Framework

Demonstration Projects Program for

Fiscal Year (FY) 1997

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey,

Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for

competitive cooperative agreement

awards for fiscal year 1997.

SUMMARY: The purpose of the FGDC

National Spatial Data Infrastructure

(NSDI) Framework Demonstration

Projects Program (FDPP) is to facilitate

and provide resources for the

development and implementation of the

NSDI framework concept. Under this FY

1997 program announcement,

applications are to be directed towards

projects that test a full range of

information content; technical,

operational, and business contexts; and

institutional interactions of the

framework concept. These projects

should demonstrate the sustained

ability, over a geographic area, to supply

data to the greater geospatial data

community from locally available data

sources through the implementation of

the framework process.

In addition, these projects should

provide practical examples of

framework implementation, suggest

innovative alternative approaches to

accomplish framework goals and

indicate topics for future research and

development. Applicants are being

sought who are establishing long-term

organizational structures, and

cooperative arrangements with other

organizations in sustained efforts to