Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 41 / Monday, March 3, 1997 / Notices 9445

the above address or call (202) 208–

3550.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

meetings are a follow-up to similar

meetings conducted by the OIEP/BIA

since 1990. The purpose of the

consultation, as required by 25 U.S.C.

2010(b), is to provide Indian tribes,

school boards, parents, Indian

organizations and other interested

parties with an opportunity to comment

on potential issues raised during

previous consultation meetings or being

considered by the BIA regarding Indian

education programs. A consultation

booklet for the April meetings is being

distributed to Federally recognized

Indian Tribes, Bureau Area and Agency

Offices and Bureau-funded schools. The

booklets will also be available from

local contact persons and at each

meeting.

Dated: February 24, 1997.

Ada E. Deer,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 97–5162 Filed 2–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

Bureau of Land Management

[WY–930–1610–00]

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the

Decision Record and Finding of No

Significant Impact for the management

of Big Cedar Ridge Fossil Plant Area in

Washakie County, Wyoming.

SUMMARY: The decision record for the

Big Cedar Ridge Fossil Plant Area

outlines management for 1,550 acres in

the Bighorn Basin Resource Area of the

Worland District, amends the 1988

Resource Management Plan (RMP) for

the former Washakie Resource Area, and

designates an Area of Critical

Environmental Concern (ACEC) on 260

acres, where fossil plants are

concentrated.

The general management objective

and emphasis within the Big Cedar

Ridge Fossil Plant Area will be for

scientific research, public education,

recreation, and protection of the fossil

resources.

The BLM will also pursue withdrawal

of the public lands from entry under the

mining laws to prohibit the staking of

mining claims on 260 acres of BLMadministered public lands where fossils

are concentrated. This action constitutes

an amendment to the Washakie RMP.

In addition, an ACEC is designated on

the same 260 acres. This ACEC

designation constitutes an amendment

to the Washakie RMP and will take

effect at the end of a 60-day public

comment period.

EFFECTIVE DATES: Comments on the Big

Cedar Ridge Fossil Plant proposed

ACEC should be sent to the BLM’s

Worland District Office at P.O. Box 119,

Worland, Wyoming 82401, within 60

days of the publication date of this

notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Margy Tidemann, Editorial Assistant,

Bureau of Land Management, at the

address cited above or at 307–347–5100.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The fossil

concentration areas at Big Cedar Ridge,

discovered in 1990 by Dr. Scott Wing of

the Smithsonian Institution, meet the

relevance and importance criteria for

ACEC designation. The plants form a

complete late Cretaceous-age vegetative

community that was buried in-place by

volcanic ash about 72 million years ago.

The flora, consisting of flowering plants,

ferns, palms, and conifer trees,

preserves a true instant in time,

highlighting relationships between the

ancient landscape and its vegetation.

Paleobotanists have already been able to

establish plant, soil, and topographic

associations. This is possibly the oldest

site in the world where such

associations are seen. Excavations in

1992 resulted in the identification of

over 100 new plant species. Scientists

have also been able to distinguish at

least five different types of insect

predation which took place on the flora

of Big Cedar Ridge.

As described in the decision record

for the area, a detailed activity or

implementation plan will be developed

for the 260-acre fossil concentration

areas. These areas will be routinely

monitored and any needed management

changes will be made to insure that

resource damage does not occur.

The 260-acre fossil concentration

areas will be managed primarily for

research, public education, and fossil

interpretation, as well as hobby

(noncommercial) collection of fossils.

Surface-disturbing activities that are

not related to research, public

education, interpretation, or hobby

collection of fossils will be prohibited in

the 260-acre fossil concentration areas.

As required, further environmental

analyses will be conducted on any

future site-specific activity or

implementation planning to be done in

the Big Cedar Ridge area. This would

include opportunities for public

comment.

Any detailed activity planning that

may be conducted in the Big Cedar

Ridge area will consider needs for sitespecific mitigation of surface-disturbing

activities for things like locating trails,

roads, exhibits, and facilities to enhance

public education.

Dated: February 19, 1997.

Alan R. Pierson,

State Director.

[FR Doc. 97–5086 Filed 2–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–22–P

Bureau of Land Management

[AK–910–07–1310–00–NPR–A]

Notice of Scoping Meetings on an

Integrated Activity Plan (IAP)/

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

for the National Petroleum Reserve—

Alaska (NPR–A)

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings.

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) is announcing

scoping meetings for its IAP/EIS for

approximately 4.6 million acres in

northeastern NPR–A. The IAP/EIS will

address long-term management

strategies for several natural resources

that are present in the area. Potential

issues that the IAP/EIS may address

include, but are not limited to, wildlife

resources (terrestrial and aquatic)

protection; mineral resource

development (including oil and gas

leasing); subsistence resources and

activities and possible impacts on

subsistence from various management

alternatives; access; recreation; visual

resources; threatened and endangered

species; and historic, cultural, soil,

water, and vegetation resources.

Potential management actions and

activities that may be considered in the

IAP/EIS and that may have

environmental and subsistence impacts

for the area include mineral material

extraction, leasable mineral exploration

and development, recreation,

commercial development, modification

of the existing Special Areas, and

identification of any new areas for

additional resource protection. These

public scoping meetings will provide an

opportunity for the public to contribute

ideas and information about the

resources of the area and how they

should be managed. Translators will be

present at meetings in Barrow, Atqasuk,

and Nuiqsut.

DATES: The BLM will hold public

scoping meetings according to the

following schedule:

1. March 17, 1997, Barrow, Alaska,

North Slope Borough Assembly Room,

7:30 p.m.

2. March 18, 1997, Atqasuk, Alaska,

Community Center, 7:30 p.m.