62748 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 203 / Thursday, October 19, 2000 / Notices

completed (1996) to determine if

changes to the recommendations are

warranted; discussion on the

development of a risk assessment of the

Asian Swamp Eel; and review of future

committee goals and projects.

Minutes of the meeting will be

maintained by the Executive Secretary,

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force,

Suite 851, 4401 North Fairfax Drive,

Arlington, Virginia 22203–1622; and the

Chair of the Ballast Water and Shipping

Committee at the Environmental

Standards Division, Office of Operations

and Environmental Standards, U.S.

Coast Guard (G–MSO–4), 2100 Second

Street, SW, room 1309, Washington, DC

20593–0001. Minutes for the meetings

will be available at these locations for

public inspection during regular

business hours, Monday through Friday.

Dated: October 13, 2000.

William Knapp,

Acting Co-Chair, Aquatic Nuisance Species

Task Force, Acting Assistant Director—

Fisheries and Habitat Conservation.

[FR Doc. 00–26839 Filed 10–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Establishment of Caddo Lake National

Wildlife Refuge

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Director of the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service approved the

establishment of the Caddo Lake

National Wildlife Refuge on portions of

the approximately 8,500-acre Longhorn

Army Ammunition Plant in Harrison

County, Texas. This refuge will be

established for the purpose of migratory

bird and other fish and wildlife

management, conservation, and

protection.

DATES: This action was effective on

October 13, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barbara Rose with the Fish and Wildlife

Service in Albuquerque, NM, 505–248–

7412.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

authority to transfer real property

jurisdiction, custody, and control from

one Federal agency to another is found

in the Federal Property and

Administrative Services Act of 1949, as

amended (40 U.S.C. 471–535). In

addition, the Act of May 19, 1948,

Public Law 80–537 (16 U.S.C. 667b)

provides that, upon request, ‘‘real

property which is under the jurisdiction

or control of a Federal agency and no

longer required by such agency * * *

may, notwithstanding any other

provisions of law, be transferred,

without reimbursement * * * to the

Secretary of the Interior if the real

property has particular value in carrying

out the national migratory bird

management program.’’ The Secretary

also has authority pursuant to the Fish

and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1934,

as amended (16 U.S.C. 661–666c), and

the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as

amended (16 U.S.C. 742 a–j; 70 Stat.

1119), to enter into cooperative

agreements to manage fish and wildlife

resources on lands owned by or under

the jurisdiction of another entity. The

National Wildlife Refuge System

Administration Act of 1966, as amended

(16 U.S.C. 668dd), consolidates all areas

administered by the Fish and Wildlife

Service for the management,

conservation, and protection of fish and

wildlife (including those areas managed

by the Service under cooperative

agreement with other Federal

departments or agencies) into the

National Wildlife Refuge System and

places restrictions on the transfer,

exchange, or other disposal of lands

within the System.

The Director approved the

establishment of the Caddo Lake

National Wildlife Refuge on October 13,

2000. The Service will enter into a

cooperative agreement with the

Department of the Army that will

establish the Caddo Lake National

Wildlife Refuge. Initially we will obtain

permission to conduct migratory bird

and other fish and wildlife protection

and conservation activities on portions

of the approximately 8,500-acre

Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant

(LHAAP). In this arrangement the Army

will retain primary jurisdiction,

custody, and control of the LHAAP, and

we will create an ‘‘overlay’’ refuge on a

portion of the Army lands. The Army is

in the process of cleaning up those areas

within the LHAAP that have

environmental contaminants. When the

Army, the Environmental Protection

Agency, and the Service agree that the

lands within the overlay refuge are

suitable for transfer, we could then

accept primary jurisdiction, custody,

and control over these lands, and the

overlay status would dissipate.

The Army acquired the land from a

number of private landowners and

established the LHAAP in October 1942

to produce trinitrotoluene (TNT). The

plant became excess to the Army’s

needs in July 1997, and on April 17,

1998, we expressed an interest in

receiving a no-cost transfer of the lands

under the authority of the Act of May

19, 1948. The site is located within

Harrison County, Texas, in the

unincorporated village of Karnack and

is adjacent to the Caddo Lake State Park

and Wildlife Management Area. The

area is in the northeastern part of the

State, about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the

Louisiana State line and 25 miles (40

km) from the City of Shreveport,

Louisiana. It is about 15 miles (24 km)

from the cities of Marshall and Jefferson,

Texas.

The refuge is designed to protect one

of the highest quality old-growth

bottomland hardwood forests in the

southeastern United States. The

hardwood forest lies along Harrison

Bayou, and the associated wetlands are

located along the shore of Caddo Lake.

These wetlands are listed as a ‘‘Wetland

of International Significance’’ under the

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and is

one of only 17 such designated areas in

the United States.

The establishment of this refuge will

ensure the conservation and protection

of the migratory and resident waterfowl

and neotropical migratory birds

associated with these wetlands. Studies

have listed up to 224 species of birds,

22 species of amphibians, 46 species of

reptiles, and 93 species of fish in this

area. A total of 20 animal species of

concern are located or potentially

located on the LHAAP and adjacent

Caddo Lake. They include seven species

of fish, six species of reptiles, six

species of birds and four species of

mammals. Two species are federally

listed under the Endangered Species Act

(Louisiana black bear and bald eagle).

In compliance with the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, we

prepared a draft Environmental

Assessment (EA), distributed on August

11, 2000, that evaluated four

alternatives and their potential impacts.

A public meeting/open house was held

on August 21, 2000, in Karnack, Texas,

at the Caddo Lake State Park. The

comment period closed on September

11, and the final EA was completed on

September 21, 2000. The proposal was

coordinated with the State of Texas

Clearinghouse in the Governor’s Office,

the Congressional delegations, Harrison

County, Texas Parks and Wildlife

Department, The State Historic

Preservation Office, Texas Natural

Resource Conservation Commission, the

Department of the Army, the U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers, the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, and

the General Services Administration—

Greater Southwest Region, the ‘‘Friends

of Longhorn,’’ the Caddo Lake Institute,

and other local citizens. All comments

received at the public meeting and via

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 203 / Thursday, October 19, 2000 / Notices 62749

letters, faxes, and email during the

comment period were considered and

incorporated in the final EA.

We received a total of 64 letters on the

draft EA, 59 of which supported the

preferred alternative proposal for an

overlay refuge with potential transfer of

jurisdiction, custody, and control to the

Service. One letter expressed opposition

to any Service involvement at the

LHAAP because of possible impacts on

future economic development. Two

letters supported an option of retaining

the refuge in overlay status only; two

letters expressed no preference. A total

of 52 people attended the public

meeting, and 14 spoke during the

meeting. All speakers and questioners at

the meeting and open house expressed

support for some Service involvement at

the LHAAP. In addition, the Army has

published a number of environmental

documents dealing with the cleanup of

contaminants during the last decade.

Many public meetings have been held

and continue to be held to update the

public on the cleanup process.

Based on the documentation

contained in the environmental

assessment, we signed a Finding of No

Significant Impact on September 22,

2000. We will establish an overlay

refuge and potentially accept primary

jurisdiction, custody and control of up

to 8,500 acres at the Longhorn Army

Ammunition Plant in Harrison County,

Texas. A draft Conceptual Management

Plan has been prepared.

Primary Author: Barbara Wyman,

Division of Realty, National Wildlife

Refuge System.

Dated: October 13, 2000.

Jamie Rappaport Clark,

Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 00–26845 Filed 10–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Indian Gaming; Notice of Approved

Amended Tribal-State Compact

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Approved Amended

Tribal-State Compact.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 11 of the

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988,

Pub. L. 100–497, 25 U.S.C. 2710, the

Secretary of the Interior shall publish, in

the Federal Register, notice of approved

Tribal-State Compacts for the purpose of

engaging in Class III gaming activities

on Indian lands. The Assistant

Secretary—Indian Affairs, Department

of the Interior, through his delegated

authority, has approved the Amended

Compact of 1992 between the

Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin

and the State of Wisconsin, which was

executed on August 18, 2000.

DATES: This action is effective October

19, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

George T. Skibine, Director, Indian

Gaming Management, Bureau of Indian

Affairs, Washington, DC 20240, (202)

219–4066.

Dated: October 4, 2000.

Kevin Gover,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 00–26882 Filed 10–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Indian Gaming; Notice of Approved

Tribal State Compact

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Approved Tribal-State

Compact.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 11 of the

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988

(IGRA), Pub. L. 100–497, 25 U.S.C.

2710, the Secretary of the Interior shall

publish, in the Federal Register, notice

of approved Tribal-State Compacts for

the purpose of engaging in Class III

gaming activities on Indian lands. The

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs,

Department of the Interior, through his

delegated authority, has approved the

Tribal-State Compact between the State

of California and the Pauma Band of

Mission Indians, which was executed

on May 1, 2000.

DATES: This action is effective October

19, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

George T. Skibine, Director, Office of

Indian Gaming Management, Bureau of

Indian Affairs, Washington, DC, 20240

(202) 219–4066.

Dated: October 6, 2000.

Kevin Gover,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 00–26881 Filed 10–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR–958–1430–ET; HAG01–0010; OR–

52315]

Proposed Withdrawal Public Meeting

Announcement; Oregon

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The United States Department

of Agriculture, Forest Service, filed an

application to withdraw approximately

9,533 acres of National Forest System

lands to protect recreational, scenic,

cultural and traditional use values in

addition to threatened, endangered, and

sensitive flora and fauna natural

resource values. This notice identifies

the time, place, and location of two

public open houses whereby the public

is invited to be involved in and

comment on the Forest Service’s

proposed action.

DATES: Written comments should be

received on or before January 4, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be sent to the Forest Supervisor, Rogue

River National Forest, 333 W. 8th Street,

Medford, Oregon 97501.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

United States Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service filed an

application to withdraw National Forest

System lands from location and entry

under the mining laws, subject to valid

existing rights to protect an area on the

Rogue River and Umpqua National

Forests known as the Huckleberry

Patch. The notice of segregation became

effective on the date the notice of

withdrawal was originally published in

the Federal Register, which was

October 5, 2000, 65 FR page 59464.

Notice is hereby given that an open

house relative to the proposed

withdrawal will be held at the following

locations on the dates shown at the

times indicated:

Douglas County Library, 1409 NE

Diamond Lake Blvd., Roseburg,

Oregon from 4 P.M. to 7 P.M., on

November 20th, 2000. Questions may

be directed to Jake O’Dowd, Forest

Service 541–957–3354.

Jackson County Courthouse, 10 S.

Oakdale, Medford, Oregon from 4

P.M. to 7 P.M., on November 21st,

2000. Questions may be directed to

Bengt Hamner, Forest Service 541–

858–2304.