Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 53 / Monday, March 19, 2012 / Notices 16059 

expand the waterfowl hunting area to 

5,570 acres. 

• We will provide an additional 100 

acres, and develop three blinds for 

goose hunting, including a barrier-free 

blind. Two blinds for waterfowl 

hunting, including a barrier-free blind, 

will also be developed. Walk-in hunters 

will access the blinds on a first-comefirst-served basis. 

• We will develop a year-round 

cartop boat launch, parking area, and 

0.6-mile Porter Point Trail, to access the 

South Bay. 

• A special-permit elk hunt is 

planned on the Leadbetter Point Unit. 

Elk and deer hunting are proposed 

during State seasons on the South Bay 

and East Hills Units. 

Public Availability of Documents 

In addition to options listed under 

ADDRESSES, you can view our CCP/ROD 

at the following libraries. 

• Ilwaco Timberland Library, 158 1st 

Ave. North, Ilwaco, WA 98624. 

• South Bend Timberland Library, 

1216 West 1st St., South Bend, WA 

98586. 

• Ocean Park Timberland Library, 

1308 256th Place, Ocean Park, WA 

98640. 

• Astoria Public Library, 450 10th St., 

Astoria, OR 97103. 

Dated: March 7, 2012. 

Richard R. Hannan, 

Acting Regional Director, Pacific Region, 

Portland, Oregon. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6532 Filed 3–16–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R7–R–2011–N273; 

FXRS12650700000U4–123–FF07R06000] 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement; 

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Land 

Exchange/Road Corridor, Cold Bay, AL 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comments; announcement of 

public meetings. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 

availability of a draft environmental 

impact statement (DEIS) for the Izembek 

National Wildlife Refuge proposed land 

exchange/road corridor for public 

review and comment. In the DEIS, we 

describe the purpose and need, the 

proposed action, alternatives, and 

impact analysis for the proposed land 

exchange/road corridor of certain lands 

owned by the United States and 

managed by the Service, certain lands 

owned by the State of Alaska, and 

certain lands owned by the King Cove 

Corporation. The DEIS also evaluates a 

proposed road corridor through the 

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and 

the Izembek Wilderness Area. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, please 

send your written comments by May 18, 

2012. We will hold public meetings in 

the five communities within and near 

the Refuge, and also in the city of 

Anchorage, in Alaska. We will 

announce these upcoming public 

meetings in local news media. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

or requests for copies or more 

information by any of the following 

methods. You may request a summary 

of the DEIS, or a CD–ROM containing 

the summary and full DEIS. 

Agency Web Site: Download a copy of 

the summary or full DEIS document at 

http://izembek.fws.gov/EIS.htm. 

Email: izembek_eis@fws.gov; include 

‘‘Izembek National Wildlife Refuge 

DEIS’’ in the subject line of the message. 

Fax: Attn: Stephanie Brady, Project 

Team Leader, (907) 786–3965. 

U.S. Mail: Stephanie Brady, Project 

Team Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, 1011 East Tudor Rd., MS–231, 

Anchorage, AK 99503. 

In-Person Pickup or Drop-off: You 

may pick up a copy or drop off 

comments during regular business hours 

at the address listed above. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephanie Brady, (907) 786–3357, or at 

the addresses above. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

With this notice, we continue the EIS 

process for the Izembek National 

Wildlife Refuge land exchange/road 

corridor proposal. We started this 

process with notices of intent in the 

Federal Register (74 FR 39336; August 

6, 2009; 75 FR 8396; February 24, 2010), 

indicating the beginning of the scoping 

period and publishing the dates and 

locations of the scoping meetings. 

The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge 

(417,533 acres) and the North Creek 

(8,452 acres) and Pavlof (1,447,264 

acres) units of the Alaska Peninsula 

National Wildlife Refuge are located at 

the westernmost tip of the Alaska 

Peninsula. To the north of the Izembek 

Refuge is the Bering Sea; to the south is 

the Pacific Ocean. The Alaska Peninsula 

is dominated by the rugged Aleutian 

Range, part of the Aleutian arc chain of 

volcanoes. Landforms include 

mountains, active volcanoes, U-shaped 

valleys, glacial moraines, low tundra 

wetlands, lakes, sand dunes, and 

lagoons. Elevations range from sea level 

to the 9,372-foot Shishaldin Volcano. 

Shishaldin Volcano is a designated 

National Natural Landmark. Alaska 

Maritime National Wildlife Refuge 

stretches from the Arctic Ocean to the 

southeast panhandle of Alaska and 

protects breeding habitat for seabirds, 

marine mammals, and other wildlife on 

more than 2,500 islands, spires, rocks, 

and coastal headlands. 

Background 

On December 6, 1960, Public Land 

Order 2216 established the 498,000-acre 

Izembek National Wildlife Range, which 

included Izembek Lagoon and its entire 

watershed near the tip of the Alaska 

Peninsula as ‘‘a refuge, breeding ground 

and management area for all forms of 

wildlife.’’ Eighty-four thousand, two 

hundred acres of this national wildlife 

range, including Izembek Lagoon, are 

state lands under the Submerged Lands 

Act, 43 U.S.C. 1312. The State of Alaska 

established the Izembek State Game 

Refuge to continue protecting the rare 

resources of Izembek Lagoon in 1972. In 

December 1980, the Alaska National 

Interest Lands Conservation Act 

(ANILCA; Pub. L. 96–487) was enacted. 

Section 303(3) redesignated the existing 

Izembek National Wildlife Range, 

containing the 417,533-acre watershed 

surrounding Izembek Lagoon, as the 

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. 

As described in ANILCA, Izembek 

Refuge purposes include the following: 

(i) To conserve fish and wildlife 

populations and habitats in their natural 

diversity * * *; 

(ii) To fulfill the international treaty 

obligations of the United States with 

respect to fish and wildlife and their 

habitats; 

(iii) To provide, in a manner 

consistent with the purposes set forth in 

subparagraphs (i) and (ii), the 

opportunity for continued subsistence 

uses by local residents; and 

(iv) To ensure, to the maximum extent 

practicable and in a manner consistent 

with the purposes set forth in paragraph 

(i), water quality and necessary water 

quantity within the refuge. 

Section 702(6) of ANILCA also 

designated 300,000 acres (72%) of the 

Izembek Refuge Unit as wilderness. The 

Wilderness Act creates additional 

purposes for designated wilderness 

areas within refuge boundaries. 

Specifically, these areas are to be 

managed ‘‘for the use and enjoyment of 

the American people in such manner as 

will leave them unimpaired for future 

use and enjoyment as wilderness, and 

so as to provide for the protection of 

these areas, the preservation of their 


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16060 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 53 / Monday, March 19, 2012 / Notices 

wilderness character, and for the 

gathering and dissemination of 

information regarding their use and 

enjoyment as wilderness.’’ The 

Wilderness Act specifically prohibits 

the construction of permanent roads 

through wilderness area designated 

under the Act. 

The Izembek Refuge is inhabited by a 

diverse and abundant community of fish 

and wildlife. Izembek Lagoon and 

adjacent coastal waters and wetlands 

form one of the most important 

migratory bird staging habitats in the 

world. In recognition of that, in 2001 it 

was designated as a Globally Important 

Bird Area by the American Bird 

Conservancy for its importance to 

internationally migrating birds. 

Hundreds of thousands of geese, ducks, 

and shorebirds use the Izembek Refuge’s 

wetlands and the adjacent lagoons to 

rest and feed during their long 

migrations between arctic breeding 

areas and their diverse wintering areas, 

some as far away as South America and 

New Zealand. Each spring and fall, 

Izembek Lagoon provides staging habitat 

for more than 90% of the world’s 

population of Pacific brant and many 

sea ducks and other waterbirds winter at 

the Izembek Refuge and adjacent marine 

waters. 

Together, the Izembek Refuge and 

Izembek State Game Refuge, which 

encompasses the tidelands of Izembek 

Lagoon, were recognized for the area’s 

extraordinary ecological values when 

they became one of the first sites in 

North America to be designated a 

Wetland of International Importance 

under the Ramsar convention, one of 

only 19 such sites within the United 

States. Izembek Lagoon supports some 

of the most extensive remaining eelgrass 

meadows in the world, providing a rich 

environment for waterbirds and other 

wildlife. The Refuge was also 

designated as a Globally Important Bird 

Area by the American Bird Conservancy 

for its importance to internationally 

migrating birds. Izembek Lagoon and 

adjacent habitats qualify as a site of 

Regional Importance (hosts at least 

20,000 birds annually) and likely 

International Importance (hosts at least 

100,000 birds annually) in the Western 

Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve 

Network (WHSRN). The lagoon’s barrier 

islands protect the eelgrass habitat and 

wildlife species from the dramatic 

storms of the Bering Sea. 

The Izembek Refuge also supports 

species of concern such as the 

threatened Steller’s Eider, threatened 

sea otter, threatened Steller Sea Lion, 

tundra swan, black brant, gray-bellied 

brant, and Emperor Goose. Wildlife 

habitat throughout the Izembek 

Wilderness currently maintains a high 

level of connectivity providing 

undisturbed habitat for brown bears, 

caribou, moose, salmon and countless 

migratory birds. Additionally, caribou 

use Izembek Refuge as wintering 

grounds and brown bear use the area 

around the isthmus for denning. Red 

fox, wolves and wolverines are found on 

the refuge and harbor seals can be seen 

along the coastline and in the lagoons. 

Coho, chum, sockeye and pink salmon 

return in great numbers to the many 

streams of Izembek Refuge to spawn 

each year. 

The Refuge also has a rich human 

history, from ancient settlements of 

Alaska Natives, through the 18th and 

19th century Russian fur traders, to a 

World War II outpost. The Izembek 

Wilderness covers most of the refuge 

and includes pristine streams, extensive 

wetlands, steep mountains, tundra, and 

sand dunes, and provides high scenic, 

wildlife, and scientific values, as well as 

outstanding opportunities for solitude 

and primitive recreation. The overall 

remoteness of the Izembek National 

Wildlife Refuge and associated 

wilderness also lends itself to providing 

visitors with outstanding opportunities 

for primitive and unconfined recreation. 

Currently, the narrow isthmus 

separating the Bering Sea from the 

North Pacific is not fragmented by road 

construction and provides connectivity 

of habitat for many species inhabiting 

the southern Alaska Peninsula region. In 

addition to lands within Izembek 

Refuge, the land exchange involves 

parcels on Sitkinak Island within Alaska 

Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and 

parcels owned by the King Cove 

Corporation and the State of Alaska. 

Sitkinak Island is primarily owned by 

the State of Alaska, with two parcels 

owned by the Service. Some of the State 

of Alaska lands proposed for exchange 

would become part of the Alaska 

Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge if 

the exchange is approved. 

The King Cove Corporation is an 

Alaska Native Village Corporation 

established under the Alaska Native 

Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (43 

U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (ANCSA). Under the 

authority of ANCSA, Congress granted 

King Cove Corporation land 

entitlements within and adjacent to 

Izembek Refuge. The State of Alaska 

also owns lands, submerged lands, 

shorelands, and tidelands within and 

adjacent to Izembek and Alaska 

Peninsula Refuges, including the 

Izembek State Game Refuge. 

Prior legislation and an EIS also 

focused on providing access between 

the communities of King Cove and Cold 

Bay. The King Cove Health and Safety 

Act (Section 353) of the Omnibus 

Consolidated and Emergency 

Supplemental Appropriations Act of 

1999 (Pub. L. 105–227) provided 

appropriations of $37.5 million for the 

Aleutians East Borough to construct a 

marine-road link between the 

communities of King Cove and Cold Bay 

($20 million). This law also provided 

appropriation for improvements to the 

King Cove Airport ($15 million) and 

King Cove Clinic ($2.5 million). The 

conference committee report on this law 

stated the committees have agreed to 

these funds as an alternative to an 

easement for a road through the Izembek 

National Wildlife Refuge wilderness 

area to address critical health and safety 

needs. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

completed the King Cove Access Project 

EIS and issued a Record of Decision 

addressing the marine-road link in 2003. 

The road was constructed to Lenard 

Harbor, where hovercraft support 

facilities were installed. A hovercraft 

was purchased and began operating in 

2007. Hovercraft transit service was 

provided by the Aleutians East Borough 

until November 2010. King Cove 

residents continued to advocate for a 

road as the safest and most reliable 

transportation system. 

In 2009 the Omnibus Public Land 

Management Act of 2009 (Act), Public 

Law 111–11; 123 Stat. 991, was enacted. 

Subject to complying with the 

requirements of the Act, it authorized 

the Secretary of the Interior to enter into 

a land exchange between the Service 

and State of Alaska and between the 

Service and the King Cove Corporation 

for the purpose of constructing a singlelane gravel road between the 

communities of King Cove and Cold 

Bay, Alaska through Izembek National 

Wildlife Refuge. The land exchange 

would involve the removal of 

approximately 200 acres within the 

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, 

including lands within the wilderness 

portion of the Refuge, for the road 

corridor, and approximately 1,600 acres 

of Federal land within the Alaska 

Maritime National Wildlife Refuge on 

Sitkinak Island. In exchange, we would 

receive approximately 43,093 acres of 

land owned by the State of Alaska and 

approximately 13,300 acres of land 

owned by the King Cove Corporation. 

The lands from the State of Alaska 

would be designated wilderness, as 

would the approximately 2,565 acres of 

lands from the King Cove Corporation. 

These lands are located around Cold 

Bay and adjacent to the North Creek 

Unit of Alaska Peninsula National 

Wildlife Refuge. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 53 / Monday, March 19, 2012 / Notices 16061 

The extraordinary wildlife and 

wilderness resources of Izembek 

National Wildlife Refuge have been 

recognized for their national and 

international significance. Congress 

designated the wilderness area for its 

outstanding opportunities for solitude 

and primitive and unconfined type of 

recreation. It contains outstanding 

ecological, geological, or other features 

of scientific, educational, scenic, and 

historical value. It has retained its 

primeval character and influence, 

without permanent improvements or 

human habitation, and is currently 

managed to protect and preserve its 

natural conditions. Section 6402(b) of 

the Act, requires the Service to prepare 

an environmental impact statement 

(EIS) under the National Environmental 

Policy Act of 1969, as amended 

(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and its 

implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 

1500–1508). The Act directs that the EIS 

analyze the proposed land exchange and 

the potential construction and operation 

of a road between the communities of 

King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska. The 

Act requires that the Service identify a 

specific road corridor through the 

Refuge in consultation with the State, 

the City of King Cove and the Agdaagux 

Tribe of King Cove. Following 

completion of the EIS and Record of 

Decision section 6402(d) of the Act 

requires the Secretary to determine 

whether the land exchange (including 

the construction of a road between the 

City of King Cove, Alaska, and the Cold 

Bay Airport) is in the public interest. 

EIS Alternatives We Are Considering 

Subject to complying with the 

requirements of the Act, the Secretary of 

the Interior is authorized to consider a 

land exchange between the Service and 

State of Alaska and between the Service 

and the King Cove Corporation for the 

purpose of constructing a single-lane 

gravel road between the communities of 

King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska. The 

Act also required that we prepare this 

draft EIS. The Agdaagux Tribe of King 

Cove, Aleutians East Borough, City of 

King Cove, Federal Highway 

Administration/Western Federal Lands, 

King Cove Corporation, Native Village 

of Belkofski, State of Alaska, and U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska 

District (Corps) are formal cooperators 

in the preparation of this draft EIS. The 

Service is the lead agency. 

The DEIS includes evaluation of two 

specific potential road corridors through 

the Izembek Refuge and wilderness that 

were identified in consultation with the 

State of Alaska, the City of King Cove, 

and the Agdaagux Tribe of King Cove. 

We developed and evaluated the 

following alternatives, summarized in 

the table and described briefly below. A 

full description of each alternative is in 

the DEIS. 

Alternative 1 

No Action Alternative 2 Alternative 3 Alternative 4 Alternative 5 

No land exchange. Current 

modes of transportation, 

including air and marine.

Land Exchange and southern road alignment 

through Izembek refuge 

and wilderness.

Land Exchange and northern alignment through 

Izembek refuge and wilderness.

Hovercraft operation 6 

days per week from 

northeast hovercraft terminal to Cross Wind 

Cove.

Lenard Harbor ferry with 

Cold Bay dock improvements. 

Alternative 1—No Action 

Under Alternative 1, the Service 

would not enter into a land exchange 

with King Cove Corporation and the 

State of Alaska for the purpose of 

constructing a road between King Cove 

and Cold Bay, Alaska. Current modes of 

transportation between the cities of King 

Cove and Cold Bay would continue to 

operate, including air, personal marine 

vessels, ferry service approximately 

twice per month in the summer season, 

and seasonal hovercraft service. This 

alternative assumes that The Aleutians 

East Borough would reinstitute 

hovercraft service between the new 

northeast terminal and Cross Wind Cove 

in 2013. Scheduled hovercraft service 

would be three days per week during 

the months of April through October. 

As the DEIS was approaching 

completion, the Aleutians East Borough 

sent the Service a letter stating that they 

will not resume hovercraft service in the 

foreseeable future. The final EIS will 

reflect the current status of the 

hovercraft and other changes that are 

made in response to public comments. 

Alternative 2—Land Exchange and 

Southern Road Alignment 

Alternative 2 proposes a land 

exchange between the federal 

government, State of Alaska, and King 

Cove Corporation as described in the 

Proposed Action. The estimated amount 

of federal land exchanged in this 

alternative for the road corridor would 

be 201 acres, including 131 acres in 

Izembek Wilderness, assuming a 100- 

foot corridor width. 

Alternative 3—Land Exchange and 

Central Road Alignment 

Alternative 3 proposes a land 

exchange between the federal 

government, State of Alaska, and King 

Cove Corporation, as described in the 

Proposed Action. The estimated amount 

of federal land exchanged in this 

alternative for the road corridor would 

be 227 acres, including 152 acres in 

Izembek Wilderness, assuming a 100- 

foot corridor width. 

Alternative 4—Hovercraft Operations 

From the Northeast Hovercraft 

Terminal to Cross Wind Cove (Six Days 

Per Week) 

Alternative 4 is the Proposed Action 

in the 2003 EIS for the King Cove 

Access Project completed by the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers. The 

alternative considered in this EIS would 

not require further construction 

activities; the alternative will consider 

operations of the hovercraft, as 

described in the 2003 EIS, for service 6 

days per week between the Northeast 

Hovercraft Terminal and the Cross Wind 

Cove. As the DEIS was approaching 

completion, the Aleutians East Borough 

sent the Service a letter stating they will 

not resume hovercraft service in the 

foreseeable future. 

Alternative 5—Lenard Harbor Ferry 

With Cold Bay Dock Improvements 

Alternative 5 would use a ferry to 

travel 14 miles between a terminal in 

Lenard Harbor and a substantially 

modified Cold Bay dock. This 

alternative is similar to an alternative 

that was analyzed in the 2003 EIS, with 

the exception of project elements that 

have been permitted or constructed to 

date, including the access road to the 

site, a terminal building with associated 

utility infrastructure, and a parking area. 

However, the Lenard Harbor terminal 

structure has been damaged by a storm, 

and would have to be replaced. 

Upgrades to the parking area and 

security fencing would also be 

necessary. Ferry service would be 

provided 6 days per week. 


emcdonald on DSK29S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
16062 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 53 / Monday, March 19, 2012 / Notices 

Preferred Alternative 

There is no preferred alternative 

selected for the Draft EIS. We will 

evaluate public comments and have a 

preferred alternative in the final EIS. 

Public Review 

We started the EIS for Izembek Refuge 

land exchange/road corridor in August 

2009. At that time and throughout the 

planning process, we requested public 

comments and considered and 

incorporated them in numerous ways. 

In January 2010, we published a scoping 

newsletter describing the process for the 

EIS and informing the public of 

upcoming scoping meetings, and how 

they could be informed or involved. In 

October 2010, we published another 

newsletter informing the public of the 

issues identified during scoping. These 

newsletters were mailed to 

approximately 1,000 individuals, 

agencies, and organizations, and the 

documents were available over the 

Internet at http://izembek.fws.gov/ 

eis.htm. 

To gather additional input from the 

public, we held seven public open 

house meetings—five in communities 

adjacent to or within the boundaries of 

the Izembek Refuge; one in Washington, 

DC; and one in Anchorage, Alaska. 

Individuals and organizations 

provided 31,568 comments during the 

scoping process. The responses came in 

emails, web forms, postcards, faxes, 

letters, and public hearing transcripts. 

Approximately 87 people spoke at 

meetings in 7 communities. The 

responses were reviewed, coded, and 

analyzed. Comments were sorted into 

broad issue groups including: 

1. NEPA process (permits, the EIS, 

consultation and coordination); 

2. Purpose and need for the action; 

3. Proposed action, alternatives, and 

mitigation measures; 

4. Affected environment, 

environmental consequences, and 

potential direct, indirect, and 

cumulative impacts; and 

5. Data and available information. 

We considered and evaluated these 

issues and public concerns, and used 

them to develop various aspects of the 

DEIS. The DEIS is now available for 

public review. As described in the 

following sections, the public may 

obtain copies of the DEIS summary, 

compact discs of the full document or 

view the document on our web site. 

Comments may be submitted at public 

meetings or via email, regular mail or 

fax. Once the public comment period 

ends, the comments will be analyzed 

and used to craft the final EIS which 

will be released later this year. 

Public Availability of Documents 

In addition to any methods in 

ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain 

documents at our Web site: http:// 

izembek.fws.gov/EIS.htm. 

Public Meetings 

We will involve the public through 

open houses, meetings, and written 

comments. We will mail documents to 

our national and local Refuge mailing 

lists. Public open house meetings will 

be held in Anchorage, Cold Bay, False 

Pass, King Cove, Nelson Lagoon and 

Sand Point, Alaska. Dates, times, and 

locations of each meeting or open house 

will be announced in advance in local 

media and on our Web sites. 

Submitting Comments/Issues for 

Comment 

We particularly seek comments on the 

issues and alternatives addressed in the 

DEIS. We will respond to all substantive 

comments in the final EIS. 

We consider comments substantive if 

they: 

• Question, with reasonable basis, the 

accuracy of the information in the 

document; 

• Question, with reasonable basis, the 

adequacy of the environmental 

assessment; 

• Present reasonable alternatives 

other than those presented in the draft 

EIS; and/or 

• Provide new or additional 

information relevant to the assessment. 

Next Steps 

After this comment period ends, we 

will analyze the comments and address 

them in the form of a final EIS and 

decision document. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Dated: March 13, 2012. 

Geoffrey L. Haskett, 

Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Anchorage, Alaska. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6476 Filed 3–16–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

Advisory Board for Exceptional 

Children 

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian 

Education (BIE) is announcing that the 

Advisory Board for Exceptional 

Children (Advisory Board) will hold its 

next meeting in Albuquerque, New 

Mexico. The purpose of the meeting is 

to meet the mandates of the Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 

(IDEA) for Indian children with 

disabilities. 

DATES: The Advisory Board will meet on 

Thursday, March 29, 2012, from 

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday, March 

30, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Mountain Time. Orientation for new 

members will be held on Wednesday, 

March 28, 2012, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

Mountain Time. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting and orientation 

will be held at the Manuel Lujan, Jr. 

Indian Affairs Building, 1011 Indian 

School Road North West, Albuquerque, 

New Mexico 87104; telephone number 

(505) 563–5383. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sue 

Bement, Designated Federal Officer, 

Bureau of Indian Education, 

Albuquerque Service Center, Division of 

Performance and Accountability, 1011 

Indian School Road NW., Suite 332, 

Albuquerque, NM 87104; telephone 

number (505) 563–5274. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, the BIE is announcing 

that the Advisory Board will hold its 

next meeting in Albuquerque, New 

Mexico. The Advisory Board was 

established under the Individuals with 

Disabilities Act of 2004 (20 U.S.C. 1400 

et seq.) to advise the Secretary of the 

Interior, through the Assistant 

Secretary—Indian Affairs, on the needs 

of Indian children with disabilities. The 

meetings are open to the public. 

The following items will be on the 

agenda: 

• Introduction of Advisory Board 

members. 

• Introduction of Appointed Advisory 

Board Chair. 

• Appointment of Advisory Board 

Vice Chair. 

• Appointment of Advisory Board 

Secretary. 

• Report from Gloria Yepa, 

Supervisory Education Specialist, BIE, 


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