Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 10 / Thursday, January 15, 1998 / Notices 2409

Umpqua River; thence along said center

of the South Umpqua River North

67°55′10′′ West 470.14 feet to a point;

thence continuing along said center of

the South Umpqua River north

76°26′00′′ West 108.67 feet to a point;

thence leaving said center of the South

Umpqua River and running South

4°50′21′′ West 621.98 feet to a 5⁄8 inch

iron rod; thence North 89°28′50′′ West

513.13 feet to a 5⁄8 inch iron rod located

on the easterly right-of-way of County

Road Number 35; thence along said

easterly right-of-way South 0°42′17′′

West 160.66 feet to the point of

beginning. Containing 17.46 acres, more

or less.

Title to the land described above is

conveyed subject to any valid existing

easements for public roads and

highways, for public utilities and for

railroads and pipelines and any other

rights-of-way or reservations of record.

Dated: December 19, 1997.

Kevin Gover,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 98–976 Filed 1–14–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WO–260–1030–2–24 1A]

Request for Emergency Clearance of

an Information Collection Relating to

Wild Horses and Burros

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

announces that we have requested

emergency approval from the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) by

January 30, 1998, to collect information

relating to certain wild horses and

burros. The BLM needs this information

to issue title to adopters of wild horses

and burros since 1992 who have not yet

received title to the animals. We do not

anticipate that collecting this

information will extend beyond the 180-

day maximum permitted by statute.

DATES: Comments on the request for

emergency clearance should be sent as

soon as possible. Comments on the

proposed collection must be received by

January 30, 1998, to be assured of

consideration.

ADDRESSES: Mail comments on the

request for emergency clearance directly

to the Office of Management and

Budget, Interior Department Desk

Officer (1004–NEW), Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Washington, D.C. 20503. Please send a

copy of your comments to the Bureau of

Land Management Information

Clearance Officer (WO–630), 1849 C St.,

N.W., Mail Stop 401 LS, Washington,

D.C. 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carole Smith, (202) 452–0367, from

whom a copy of the proposed

emergency collection is available.

NATURE OF COMMENTS: We specifically

request your comments on the proposed

collection in relation to the following:

(1) Whether the collection of

information is necessary for BLM’s

proper functioning, including whether

or not the information will have

practical utility;

(2) The accuracy of BLM’s estimate of

the burden of collecting the information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used;

(3) The quality, utility and clarity of

the information to be collected; and

(4) How to minimize the burden of

collecting the information on those who

are to respond, including using the

appropriate automated, electronic,

mechanical, or other forms of

information technology.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Wild,

Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of

December 15, 1971, as amended, places

these animals under BLM’s management

and protection. BLM must manage these

animals so as to achieve and maintain

a thriving, natural ecological balance on

the public lands. Maintaining the

balance requires removing excess

animals from the range and offering

healthy animals for adoption. These

animals go to individuals who are

qualified to provide humane care and

proper treatment. If these individuals

demonstrate proper treatment and care

for 1 year, BLM may grant title to not

more than four animals per year to these

individuals.

The regulations at 43 CFR 4750.5

require BLM to issue titles after 1 year

to adopters who have held the animals

for a year and have complied with all

applicable requirements. Since 1992,

about 2,500 individuals have adopted

about 4,000 horses but do not have title

to them. Untitled animals are Federal

property and subject to BLM’s

jurisdiction and oversight. This

information collection would assist

these adopters in getting title to the

animals.

The collection would be conducted as

follows: BLM would send registered

letters to the approximately 2,500

adopters at their addresses of record

during the first week of February 1998.

Respondents would be asked to verify

preprinted information about each horse

or burro as accurate or to correct it and

would give information about what

happened to the horse or burro and

where it is currently located. Those

individuals who still have their horses

would be asked to title them by

submitting an application for title. The

application requests information about

the animal(s) and the adopter’s name

and address and also requires a certified

statement from a veterinarian or other

animal professional that the animal or

animals were properly cared for and in

good health. We expect a 30% to 35%

response rate to this mailing.

Individuals who did not respond but for

whom letters were not returned by the

Postal Service would receive a second

letter, sent by regular mail.

The time for reading the letter and

preprinted information, verifying and

supplying data and getting a

certification as to the health of the

animal or animals is estimated at 1

hour, 15 minutes per response. This

time includes 45 minutes for the

adopter to fill in the required

information and 30 minutes for the

veterinarian or other applicable

individual to search his or her records

and certify that the animals were

humanely treated and cared for.

The BLM needs this information in

advance of the time frames required by

a regular information collection in order

to meet its data needs and to comply

with a settlement in Fund for the

Animals and Animal Protection League,

Inc. v. Shea. The terms of the settlement

agreement in this lawsuit require BLM

to get OMB approval for two forms

relating to maintenance and care and

titling of wild horses and burros. The

titling effort associated with this

collection will assist in meeting the

terms and intent of the settlement

agreement.

Dated: January 9, 1998.

Carole Smith,

Bureau of Land Management Information

Collection Officer.

[FR Doc. 98–1011 Filed 1–14–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–84–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT–930–08–1310–00]

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Utah.

ACTION: Notice of Adoption/Notice of

Availability of Record of Decision.