This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

6353

Vol. 65, No. 27

Wednesday, February 9, 2000

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[TM–00–200]

Notice of Program Continuation;

Correction

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice; correction.

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing

Service (AMS) is correcting a notice that

appeared in the Federal Register on

January 12, 2000. The notice announces

that the Federal-State Marketing

Improvement Program (FSMIP) was

allocated $1,200,000 in the Federal

budget for Fiscal Year 2000; however,

pertinent information in the SUMMARY

and DATES sections of the notice was

omitted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

FSMIP Staff, Transportation and

Marketing, Agricultural Marketing

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Room 4006 South Building, P.O. Box

96456, Washington, D.C. 20090–6456.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

AMS published a notice that appeared

in the January 12, 2000 Federal Register

at 65 FR 1846. The notice announced

that the FSMIP was allocated $1,200,

000 in the Federal budget for fiscal year

2000. Pertinent information in the

SUMMARY and DATES sections of the

notice was omitted. In the SUMMARY, a

reference to community-based

organizations was omitted. In the DATES

section, reference to a two-round

consideration of proposals was not

made. Accordingly, this document

makes the appropriate corrections to

those sections of the notice.

Correction

In FR Doc. 00–714, published on

January 12, 2000, on page 1846, first

column, the SUMMARY and DATES

sections are corrected to read:

‘‘SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given

that the Federal-State Marketing

Improvement Program (FSMIP) was

allocated $1,200,000 in the Federal

budget for FY 2000. Funds remain

available for this program. States

interested in obtaining funds under this

program are invited to submit proposals.

While only State Departments of

Agriculture or other appropriate State

Agencies are eligible to apply for funds,

State Agencies are encouraged to

involve industry groups and

community-based organizations in the

development of proposals and the

conduct of projects.’’ and

‘‘DATES: Funds will be allocated on the

basis of two rounds of consideration.

Proposals received by February 18, 2000

will be considered during the first

round. Proposals which are not selected

for funding during the first round and

other proposals received by May 1, 2000

will be considered during the second

round.’’

Dated: February 3, 2000.

Eileen Stommes,

Deputy Administrator, Transportation and

Marketing.

[FR Doc. 00–2977 Filed 2–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–02–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Intent To Prepare an Environmental

Impact Statement; Fernow

Experimental Forest, Tucker County,

WV

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Forest Service intends to

prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) for proposed research

activities on the Fernow Experimental

Forest. The purpose of the proposed

research is to evaluate the effectiveness

of silvicultural tools that include cutting

and prescribed burning on central

Appalachian forests. The goal of the

proposed research is to improve

understanding about and management

of central Appalachian hardwood

forests.

The 4700-acre Fernow Experimental

Forest is situated inside the parameters

of the Monongahela National Forest in

Tucker County, West Virginia. These

proposed research activities are in

compliance with the Monongahela

National Forest Management Plan,

which provides overall guidance for

management of the area, including

direction for management of the Fernow

Experimental Forest. Public comment is

invited on the scope of the analysis that

should be conducted and on the

identification of alternatives.

DATES: Comments must be submitted in

writing and received by March 27, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Written comments

concerning the scope of the proposed

research activities should be directed to

Dr. Mary Beth Adams, Project Leader

and Responsible Official, Timber and

Watershed Laboratory, P.O. Box 404,

Parsons, WV 26287.

Comments also may be submitted via

facsimile to (304) 478–8692 or by e-mail

to madams/r9lmonong@fs.fed.us.

Comments received in response to this

notice, including name and address

when provided, will be considered part

of the public record and will be

available for public inspection.

The public may inspect comments

received at the Office of the Project

Leader, Timber and Watershed

Laboratory, Nursery Bottom, Parsons,

West Virginia.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Mary Beth Adams, Project Leader,

Timber and Watershed Laboratory, at

(304) 478–2000, ext. 130.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The charter of the Fernow

Experimental Forest is to facilitate

ecological research on the central

Appalachian forests. The 4700-acre

Fernow Experimental Forest (the Forest)

is situated inside the parameters of the

Monongahela National Forest and is

located south of Parsons, West Virginia.

The Forest is administered by the Forest

Service Northeastern Research Station,

Research Work Unit NE–4353,

‘‘Sustainable Forest Ecosystems in the

Central Appalachians.’’ The Research

Work Unit is located at the Timber and

Watershed Laboratory in Parsons, West

Virginia. The mission of this research

unit is: (1) To explain the role of natural

and human-induced factors in

sustaining central Appalachian forest

ecosystems and (2) to provide

guidelines for managing central

Appalachian forests for a range of

6354 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 9, 2000 / Notices

products and benefits while maintaining

the productivity and diversity of the

soil, water, and forest resources. The

goal of the proposed research activities

is to improve understanding about and

management of central Appalachian

hardwood forests.

The Forest Service proposes to

continue some research activities begun

in the 1950s and to initiate some new

research activities in the year 2000.

These actions are consistent with the

Research Work Unit Description;

individual Study Plans; the

Monongahela National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan,

Management Prescription 8, page 202,

Vegetation; and the General Plan for the

Fernow Experimental Forest.

The purpose of the research initiated

in the 1950s was to study the effects of

various silvicultural practices on forest

productivity, species composition and

diversity, wildlife populations, and

ecosystem processes. This research

continues and involves the application

of experimental treatments, including

diameter-limiting cutting on 186 acres,

single-tree selection on 229.6 acres, a

financial maturity harvesting method

based on projected rates of return on

investment on 343.4 acres, and small

clearcuts on 26 acres.

The proposed new research activities

would involve application of

silvicultural treatments to stands of

trees as part of an ongoing research

experiment. The silvicultural treatments

involve cutting individual trees,

according to the silvicultural

prescription, and removing the stems

from the stand. Branches and tree tops

remain in the stand. Rubber-tired

skidders and cable logging systems will

be used to remove the trees. Existing

skid trails and roads will be utilized. No

new permanent roads will be

constructed. After completion of

silvicultural treatments, roads and decks

used in the logging process will be

closed.

One of the purposes of the proposed

new research activities is to evaluate the

effectiveness of prescribed burning as a

silvicultural and ecological tool on the

central Appalachian forests. An area of

119 acres will be treated with prescribed

fire. Research activities that include

prescribed fires will be conducted

according to State regulations

administered by the West Virginia

Division of Forestry. A slow-moving fire

(1–5 ft/min) that produces high amounts

of heat (2–4 ft flame lengths) conducted

in the spring is deemed to have the most

beneficial effect in improving oak

competitiveness and will be used in

these research activities. All personnel

supervising and working on the fire will

have received training in the use of

prescribed fire and in fire suppression.

Comments Are Requested

The Forest Service is soliciting

comments from Federal, State, and local

agencies and other individuals or

organizations that may be interested in

or affected by the proposed research

activities in:

• Identifying potential issues;

• Identifying issues to be analyzed in

depth;

• Eliminating insignificant issues or

those which have been covered by a

relevant previous environmental

analysis;

• Identifying potential environmental

effects of the proposed activities;

• Identifying and exploring

alternatives to the proposed research

activities; and

• Determining potential cooperating

agencies and task assignments.

The following issues already have

been identified:

• Potential impacts to Threatened,

Endangered or Sensitive Species;

• Potential impacts on Biodiversity,

including concerns about fragmentation

of interior habitat, and loss of old

growth habitat;

• Sediment impacts on streams from

roads, skid trails, and log landings.

Comments received will be

considered in preparation of the draft

EIS. The draft EIS is expected to be filed

with the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) and to be available for

public review in March 2000. EPA will

publish a notice of availability of the

Draft EIS in the Federal Register. The

comment period on the draft will be 45

days from the date the EPA notice

appears in the Federal Register. Copies

of the draft EIS will be distributed to

interested and affected agencies,

organizations, tribes, and members of

the public for their review and

comment. It is very important that those

interested in the management of the

Fernow Experimental Forest comment

at that time.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on the draft environmental

impact statement should be as specific

as possible. It is also helpful if

comments refer to specific pages or

chapters of the draft statement.

Comments may also address the

adequacy of the draft environmental

impact statement or the merits of the

alternatives formulated and discussed in

the statement. Reviewers may wish to

refer to the Council on Environmental

Quality Regulations for implementing

the procedural provisions of the

National Environmental Policy Act at 40

CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.

At this early stage, the Forest Service

believes it is important to give reviewers

notice of several court rulings related to

public participation in the

environmental review process. First,

reviewers of a draft EIS must structure

their participation in the environmental

review of the proposal so that it is

meaningful and alerts an agency to the

reviewer’s position and contentions

(Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp.

v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978)).

Also, environmental objections that

could be raised at the draft EIS stage but

that are not raised until after completion

of the final EIS may be waived or

dismissed by the courts. (City of Angoon

v. Hodel 803 f. 2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir.

1986) and Wisconsin Heritage, Inc. v.

Harris, 490F. Suppl. 1334, 1338 (E.D.

Wis. 1980)). Because of these court

rulings, it is very important that those

interested in this proposed action

participate by the close of the comment

period so that substantive comments

and objections are made available to the

Forest Service at a time when it can

meaningfully consider them and

respond to them in the final EIS.

The final EIS will be completed in

June 2000. In the final EIS, the Forest

Service will respond to comments

received in response to the

environmental consequences discussed

in the draft EIS and applicable laws,

regulations, and policies considered in

making the decision regarding this

proposal. The responsible official will

document the decision and the rationale

for that decision in the Record of

Decision. That decision will be subject

to Forest Service Administrative Appeal

Regulations at 36 CFR part 215.

Dated: January 28, 2000.

Randle G. Phillips,

Deputy Chief, Programs and Legislation.

[FR Doc. 00–2748 Filed 2–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

John Day/Snake Resource Advisory

Council, Hells Canyon Subgroup

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Hells Canyon Subgroup

of the John Day/Snake Resource

Advisory Council will meet on March 9

and 10, 2000, at the Baker Ranger

District, 3165 10th Street, Baker City,

Oregon. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m.

and continue until 5 p.m. the first day