Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 55 / Friday, March 21, 1997 / Notices 13703

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of the Technical/

Agency Draft Recovery Plan for

Arabiss perstellata (Braun’s

Rockcress) for Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability

and public comment period.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service announces the availability for

public review of the technical/agency

draft recovery plan for Braun’s

rockcress. Braun’s rockcress (Arabis

perstellata) is a perennial herb that

grows in calcareous mesophytic and

sub-xeric forests in north-central

Kentucky and north-central Tennessee.

The Service solicits review and

comment from the public on this draft

plan.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery

plan must be received on or before May

20, 1997 to receive consideration by the

Service.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the draft recovery plan may obtain a

copy by contacting the Field Supervisor,

Asheville Filed Office, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, 160 Zillicoa Street,

Asheville, North Carolina 28801

(Telephone 704/258–3939). Written

comments and materials regarding the

plan should be addressed to the State

Supervisor at the above address.

Comments and materials received are

available on request for public

inspection, by appointment, during

normal business hours at the above

address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. J. Allen Ratzlaff at the address and

telephone number (Ext. 229) shown

above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Restoring endangered or threatened

animals or plants to the point where

they are again secure, self-sustaining

members of their ecosystems is a

primary goal of the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service’s endangered species

program. To help guide the recovery

effort, the Service is working to prepare

recovery plans for most of the listed

species native to the United States.

Recovery plans describe actions

considered necessary for conservation of

the species, establish criteria for

recognizing the recovery levels for

downlisting or delisting them, and

estimate time and cost for implementing

the recovery measures needed.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973

(Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et

seq.), requires the development of

recovery plans for listed species unless

such a plan would not promote the

conservation of a particular species.

Section 4(f) of the Act, as amended in

1988, requires that a public notice and

an opportunity for public review and

comment be provided during recovery

plan development. The Service will

consider all information presented

during a public comment period prior to

approval of each new or revised

recovery plan. The Service and other

Federal agencies will also take these

comments into account in the course of

implementing approved recovery plans.

Based upon available information

concerning the range, biology, and

threats to its continued survival, it is not

yet possible to determine if or when full

recovery of Braun’s rockcress is

possible. Accordingly, this draft

recovery plan outlines a mechanism that

provides for the protection and

maintenance of all known population

with emphasis on determining

autecological factors necessary to

manage the species. Braun’s rockcress

was officially listed as an endangered

species on January 3, 1995, primarily

because of its extremely limited range,

loss of habitat, competition from

invasive exotic plants, and other

detrimental impacts that result from site

disturbance. Comments and information

provided during this review will be

used in preparing the final recovery

plan.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments

on the recovery plan described. All

comments received by the date specified

above will be considered prior to

approval of the plan.

Authority

The authority for this action is

Section 4(f) of the Endangered Species

Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

Dated: March 12, 1997.

Nora A. Murdock,

Acting State Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 97–7150 Filed 3–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

Availability of an Environmental

Assessment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of the availability of a

Final Environmental Assessment on

development of a United States/Russia

bilateral agreement for the conservation

of a shared polar bear population;

request for comments.

SUMMARY: This Notice makes available

to the public the Final Environmental

Assessment for the Conservation of

Polar Bears in the Chukchi/Bering seas.

The Chukchi/Bering seas and a portion

of the Eastern Siberian Seal stock of

polar bears, hereafter referred to as the

Alaska-Chukotka population, is shared

between Russia and the United States.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the

agency responsible for management and

conservation of polar bears (Ursus

maritimus) in the United States,

proposes to develop a conservation

agreement for the Chukchi/Bering seas

stock of polar bears as part of the

Service’s natural resource stewardship

responsibilities in the management and

conservation of this international

resource.

In 1973, Canada, Denmark (on behalf

of Greenland), Norway, Russia, and the

United States signed the international

Agreement on the Conservation of Polar

Bears (1973 Agreement). Each country is

obligated to develop conservation

programs to comply with the 1973

Agreement. The Untied States relies

largely on the Marine Mammal

Protection Act to comply with the terms

of the 1973 Agreement. Also, in 1988 a

local Native-to-Native subsistence users

agreement was developed between the

Inupiat of the North Slope Borough in

the United States and the Inuvialuit of

the Northwest Territories, Canada, to

provide further protection for the shared

Beaufort Sea polar bear population. No

such agreement exists for the shared

Alaska-Chukotka population. Section

113(d) of the 1994 Amendments to the

Marine Mammal Protection Act state:

‘‘the Secretary, acting through the

Secretary of State and in consultation

with the Marine Mammal Commission

and the State of Alaska shall consult

with the appropriate officials of the

Russian Federation on the development

and implementation of enhanced

cooperative research and management

programs for the conservation of polar

bears in Alaska and Russia.’’ The

Service, in consultation with the

Department of State, the Marine

Mammal Commission, and the State of

Alaska proposes to enter into a

government-to-government bilateral

conservation agreement with the

Russian Federation. As a companion

action the Natives from Alaska and

Chukotka, Russia, plan to enter into a

Native-to-Native implementation

agreement for the Alaska-Chukotka

population.

The Final EA describes three

alternatives for entering into
13704 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 55 / Friday, March 21, 1997 / Notices

conservation agreements. The purpose

of the agreements is to unify

management regimes, regulate take,

enhance conservation of polar bears and

their habitat, and provide for nonconsumptive uses such as eco-tourism,

as well as consumptive uses.

The selected alternative (Alternative

3) of the Final EA describes a bilateral

management scenario where a

governmental-to-government agreement

establishes the guiding framework and

ultimate oversight role for an AlaskaChukotka Native-to-Native agreement. A

harvest system would be established by

an international joint commission

composed of one Federal and one

Native representative from each

country. Harvest levels would be

binding. Joint research and

managmenet, population and harvest

monitoring, enforcement, habitat

conservation, and conservation

education would be the primary

elements of the agreement. Alternative 3

is the preferred alternative because it

provides the basis for a comprehensive

and coordinated conservation program.

The agreement would provide guidance

for Russian and American governments

and Native entities to manage the shared

population stock and it would support

Russian efforts to curb threats to polar

bears associated with illegal

unquantified hunting and lack of

enforcement. A government-togovernment bilateral agreement would

also ensure closer coordination and

involvement in management decisions

by the primary users, namely the Native

people of Alaska and Chukotka.

In response to comments and

testimony received from the public, the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has

revised the draft EA, and now issues the

Final EA for the proposed action. The

comment period on the draft EA was

open for 60 days form July 19, 1996, to

September 17, 1996. During this period

the Service received written comments

from seven organizations, and one

individual. In addition, public hearings

were conducted in Anchorage, Alaska,

on August 14, 1996, and in Washington,

D.C., on August 21, 1996. Transcripts of

the proceedings from the public

hearings are on file at the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service Alaska Regional Office.

The Service also conducted community

meetings in Wales, Shishmaref,

Gambell, Savoonga, Barrow, and

Wainwright during the period of August

26 to September 6, 1996. Additionally,

the Service received comments from

three governmental organizations at the

conclusion of the comment period.

Copies of all written comments are on

file at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Regional Office.

Overall many of the public comments

endorsed the need for a bilateral treaty

between the U.S. and Russia. There

were no comments supporting

Alternative 1, the status quo, and

several which opposed it’s continuation.

Generally public support for a

coordinated U.S./Russia bilateral

agreement was contingent upon the

Service, and ultimately the agreement,

addressing a number of issues. The

Service has evaluated these issues and

provides a description of them with a

corresponding response in Section VI of

the Final EA. Public comments that

provided clarity have been incorporated

into the text of the Final EA.

The Service requests interested

persons to submit comments,

information, and suggestions concerning

these actions. The Final EA will be

available during a 30-day comment

period which ends on April 21, 1997.

Copies of the Final EA have been sent

to individuals or organizations which

commented or attended meetings to

entertain comment on the draft EA.

Copies are available upon request at the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine

Mammals Management Office, 1011 East

Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99503.

DATES: Written comments on the

Environmental Assessment should be

received on or before April 21, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be submitted to: Supervisor, Marine

Mammals Management, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Road,

Anchorage, Alaska 99503. Comments

may also be hand delivered to the same

address or sent by FAX (907) 786–3816.

Comments and materials received in

response to this action will be available

for public inspection at this address

during normal working hours of 8:00

a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through

Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Scott Schliebe at the U.S Fish and

Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals

Management, 1011 East Tudor Road,

Anchorage, Alaska 99503, (800) 362–

5148 or (907) 786–3812.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Discussions regarding development of

a unified management approach

between Russia and the United States

were initiated in Sochi, Russia in

October 1988, at the IUCN Polar Bear

Specialists Group Meeting. Further talks

occurred in May 1990, and

correspondence supporting the

development of a bilateral agreement

followed. Between 1992 and 1995,

protocols of agreement were developed

between the natural resource agencies of

the respective countries and the Native

users of Alaska and Chukotka. During

this period numerous discussions

between the Service and Native

representatives occurred and general

consensus was reached to develop a

government-to-government conservation

agreement and a companion Native-toNative agreement. These agreements

would be consistent with the terms of

the 1973 Agreement and include the

principles of population sustainability,

support for research and the collection

of biological information and local

knowledge, habitat conservation, and

conservation education. In April 1994,

the ‘‘Protocol of Intentions between the

Indigenous Peoples of Chukotka and

Alaska on the Conservation, Protection,

Management, and Study of the Bering

and Chukchi Sea Shared Polar Bear

Population’’ was signed. In the United

States a working group consisting of

representatives of the Service,

Department of State, Department of the

Interior, the Marine Mammal

Commission, Alaska Department of Fish

and Game, North Slope Borough, Alaska

Nanuuq Commission, and the Audubon

Society has met several times to discuss

the principles for a conservation

agreement. The need for public input

and review led to the development of

the draft EA in June 1996. Responses to

comments received during the 60 day

comment period ending September 17,

1996 were either incorporated into the

text or included in Section VI. The

Service will consider submitting a

request to the Department of State to

enter into formal negotiations with

Russia, following publication of the

Notice of Availability of the Final EA.

Dated: March 12, 1997.

Robyn Thorson,

Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 97–7149 Filed 3–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

Bureau of Land Management

[NM–060–07–1310–00 (0004)]

Carlsbad Resource Area; New Mexico

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Change of mailing address.

SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the new

mailing address of the Bureau of Land

Management, Carlsbad Resource Area

Office, Carlsbad, New Mexico.

DATE: April 24, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Howard Parman, Public Affairs Officer,

Bureau of Land Management, 2909 West