Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 203 / Thursday, October 19, 2000 / Notices 62747

mammals. The application was

submitted to satisfy requirements of the

Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and

the regulations governing marine

mammals (50 CFR 18).

Applicant: U.S.G.S. Alaska Science

Center, Anchorage AK, PRT–690038.

Permit Type: Take, import, and export

for scientific research.

Name and Number of Animals: Polar

bear (Ursus maritimus), 200.

Summary of Activity To Be

Authorized: The applicant has requested

renewal and amendment of the permit

for take activities, import and export to

include: Chemically immobilize; ear-tag;

tattoo; paint-mark; remove tooth;

measure (including bio-electrical

impedance); weigh; collect samples of

blood, blubber, skin, and claw shavings

(from the captured bears and from

legally hunted and salvaged bears); fit

up to 50 females bears with a neck

collar of either a VHF radio transmitter

device or a satellite transmitter device;

recapture and release; import an

unspecified number of biological

samples from legally acquired polar

bears; and export an unspecified

number of biological samples acquired

from the captured bears, from legally

hunted bears, and from salvaged bears

for the purpose of scientific research.

Source of Marine Mammals: North

and Northwest coast of Alaska, pack and

fast-ice of the Beaufort, Bering, and

Chukchi Seas, and import samples from

Canada, Greenland, Norway, or Russia.

Period of Activity: From the issuance

date of the permit to October 31, 2005.

Applicant: Florida Museum of Natural

History, Gainesville, FL, PRT–033974.

Permit Type: Take for scientific

research.

Name and Number of Animals:

Manatees (Trichechus spp.),

approximately 50 samples from 25

individual animals annually.

Summary of Activity To Be

Authorized: The applicant has requested

a permit to conduct stable isotopic

analyses of tooth fragments taken from

existing museum specimens of the three

manatee species (T. inunguis, T.

manatus, and T. senegalensis) and from

teeth that have been naturally shed from

captive individuals of West Indian

manatees (T. manatus). These teeth

fragments will be analyzed for the

determination of diet composition to

compare the modern manatees’ diet

with ancient manatee diet.

Source of Marine Mammals: Existing

museum specimens, captive-held

animals in U.S. facilities.

Period of Activity: Up to three years

from the issuance date of the permit.

Applicant: U.S.G.S., Biological

Resources Division, Santa Cruz, CA,

PRT–672624.

Permit Type: Take for scientific

research.

Name and Number of Animals:

Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris

nereis), up to 500.

Summary of Activity To Be

Authorized: The applicant has requested

an amendment to the permit to

authorize capture and flipper tagging of

up to 500 sea otters, take blood and

tooth samples from 250 animals, and

instrument 135 animals with implanted

radio transmitters. In addition, up to 30

of the implanted animals will be

instrumented with TDRs (time/depth

recorders); up to 10 of the implanted

animals will be recaptured annually for

the first 2 years to retrieve and replace

the implanted radios; and up to 25 of

these animals per year will be

recaptured once for the years 3 through

5 to replace their implanted radios. No

animals weighing less than 20 pounds

will be surgically instrumented.

Source of Marine Mammals: Entire

range of Southern sea otters in

California.

Period of Activity: Up to 5 years from

the issuance date of the amended

permit.

Applicant: Branko Terkovich,

Mendham, NJ, PRT–034570.

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport-hunted from the Lancaster Sound

polar bear population, Northwest

Territories, Canada for personal use.

Written data or comments should be

submitted to the Director, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Division of

Management Authority, 4401 North

Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington,

Virginia 22203 and must be received by

the Director within 30 days of the date

of this publication.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has

information collection approval from

OMB through February 28, 2001. OMB

Control Number 1018–0093. Federal

Agencies may not conduct or sponsor

and a person is not required to respond

to a collection of information unless it

displays a current valid OMB control

number.

Documents and other information

submitted with these applications are

available for review, subject to the

requirements of the Privacy Act and

Freedom of Information Act, by any

party who submits a written request for

a copy of such documents to the

following office within 30 days of the

date of publication of this notice: U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of

Management Authority, 4401 North

Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington,

Virginia 22203. Phone: (703/358–2104);

FAX: (703/358–2281).

Dated: October 13, 2000.

Charlie Chandler,

Chief, Branch of Permits, Division of

Management Authority.

[FR Doc. 00–26944 Filed 10–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force

Risk Assessment and Management

Committee Meeting

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces a

meeting of the Risk Assessment and

Management Committee of the Aquatic

Nuisance Species Task Force. The

meeting topics are identified in the

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

DATES: The Committee will meet from

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday,

November 1, 2000; and from 8:30 a.m.

to 12 p.m., Thursday, November 2,

2000.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the US Geological Survey, Biological

Resources Division, Florida Caribbean

Science Center, 7920 NW 71st Street,

Gainesville, FL; phone (352) 378–8181.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Richard Orr, Chair, Risk Assessment

and Management Committee, at (202)

208–2616 or by email at

richard_orr@os.doi.gov or Sharon Gross,

Executive Secretary, Aquatic Nuisance

Species Task Force at (703) 358–2308 or

by e-mail at: sharon_gross@fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.

I), this notice announces a meeting of

the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task

Force Assessment and Management

Committee. The Task Force was

established by the Nonindigenous

Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and

Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4701–

4741). Topics to be addressed at this

meeting include: Discussion on the

Screening Process, risk analysis and

pathway identification components of

the Draft National Invasive Species

Management Plan; examination of the

methodology and outreach used in

conducting the Florida Sturgeon Culture

Risk Assessment; review of new

information on Black Carp obtained

since the original risk assessment was

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