Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 85 / Monday, May 4, 1998 / Notices 24567

because rotations are long (65–120 years

depending on species and site) and

selective harvest is used liberally (about

80 percent of east-side harvests are

uneven-aged management), fewer

ephemeral streams are exposed to the

temporary yet harsh conditions of a

standard clearcut at any given time than

would be observed under standard

commercial forestry.

Road management is another

important component of the Habitat

Conservation Plan and will also be

addressed through watershed analysis.

Watershed Analysis examines potential

risks to the resources, such as sediment

delivery from roads, and develops

prescriptions to reduce the vulnerability

of the resources. For instance, as a result

of the Quartz Mountain Watershed

Analysis within the Habitat

Conservation Plan area, a road-sediment

budget was established that included an

elaborate monitoring system. In that

watershed, sediment delivery must be

reduced to target levels prior to

construction of new roads.

In the Plum Creek Habitat

Conservation Plan area, the known bull

trout locations are within the Grizzly

Bear Recovery Zone. In that area, as part

of the Habitat Conservation Plan’s

grizzly bear conservation strategy, open

roads under Plum Creek’s control must

be reduced to below 1 mile per section

within the first 10 years of the plan.

The minimization and mitigation

measures described above represent the

minimum level of riparian conservation

that Plum Creek has committed to

implement. Several aspects of the

Habitat Conservation Plan, including

watershed analysis, are subject to

adaptive management as described

below. If additional actions are

necessary to protect bull trout,

adjustments would be made to

watershed analysis-derived

prescriptions and to the interim and

minimum buffer prescriptions.

Monitoring and Adaptive

Management: To ensure that the

mitigation and minimization strategies

are effective, the Habitat Conservation

Plan incorporates a variety of aquatic

monitoring components that will

provide feedback for adaptive

management. For habitat conditions,

Plum Creek will conduct bank-full and

low-flow cross-sectional and

longitudinal channel profiles, Wolman

pebble counts, large woody debris

counts, permanent photo points to

document changes in channel

morphology and substrate composition,

and measurement of the frequency and

residual volume of pools. To analyze the

effects on stream temperatures, Plum

Creek will initiate a study to measure

potential differences in stream

temperatures for four riparian

prescriptions, including 300-foot noharvest riparian buffers on fish-bearing

streams on National Forest lands.

Streams with verified populations of

bull trout, or those on the Clean Water

Act 303(d) list, will be monitored for

stream temperature at a minimum of

two locations per stream. Diurnal

fluctuations and maximum annual

temperature will be evaluated. Bull

trout streams will have additional

temperature measurements to monitor

conditions during the spawning season,

and to evaluate the effects of

groundwater input on stream

temperature. Ambient air temperature

will also be monitored.

In addition to habitat monitoring,

Plum Creek will assess salmonid

populations in a watershed with

recovering habitat conditions. To assess

the biological integrity of streams, Plum

Creek will continue long-term

monitoring of aquatic macroinvertebrates.

Plum Creek will also conduct

watershed analysis and re-evaluations of

watershed analyses to provide updated

information on hillslope conditions,

stream channel conditions, and the

effectiveness of resource protection

prescriptions. Examples of monitoring

and research done as a result of

watershed analysis include: (1) A road

sediment production study; (2) McNeil

sampling of streams to assess fine

sediment levels; (3) installation of

stream gages; (4) testing of digital

elevation hydrologic models; (5) stream

temperature monitoring; and (6) stream

surveys to evaluate channel changes and

large woody debris levels. If monitoring

results indicate that prescriptions are

ineffective or inadequate, the

prescriptions will be changed to make

them effective and adequate.

References

Baxter, C.V., Frissell, C.A. and F.R. Hauer. In

press. Geomorphology, logging roads and

the distribution of bull trout (Salvelinus

confluentus) spawning in a forested river

basin: implications for management and

conservation.

Quigley, T.M., R.W. Haynes and R.T.

Graham, technical editors. 1996.

Integrated scientific assessment for

ecosystem management in the interior

Columbia Basin and portions of the

Klamath and Great Basins. U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Forest

Service, Pacific Northwest Research

Station. Portland, Oregon.

Quigley, T.M. and S.J. Arbelbide, technical

editors. 1997. An assessment of

ecosystem components in the interior

Columbia Basin and portions of the

Klamath and Great Basins: Volume III.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest

Service, Pacific Northwest Research

Station. Portland, Oregon.

Thurow, R.F., D.C. Lee and B.E. Rieman.

1997. Distribution and status of seven

native salmonids in the Interior

Columbia River Basin and portions of the

Klamath River and Great Basins. North

American Journal of Fisheries

Management 17: 1094–1110.

U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department

of Commerce. 1996. Final Environmental

Impact Statement for the Proposed

Issuance of a Permit to Allow Incidental

Take of Threatened and Endangered

Species: Plum Creek Timber Company,

L.P., Lands in the I–90 Corridor, King

and Kittitas Counties, Washington. (U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, National

Marine Fisheries Service). Olympia,

Washington. March 1996.

Dated: April 29, 1998.

Thomas J. Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland,

Oregon.

[FR Doc. 98–11825 Filed 5–1–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

Technology Transfer Act of 1986

AGENCY: United States Geological

Survey, Interior.

ACTION: Notice to accept contribution

from private source.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Geological Survey is

accepting a $10,000 contribution from

the National Stone Association to

expedite a digital map showing

potential sources of crushed stone in the

conterminous United States.

ADDRESSES: If any other parties are

interested in making contributions for

the same or similar purposes, please

contact Mr. William Langer, U.S.

Geological Survey, Mineral Resources

Program, Box 25046, Mail Stop 973,

Denver, CO 80225; telephone (303) 236–

1249; e-mail blanger@usgs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

notice is to meet the USGS requirement

stipulated in the Survey Manual.

Dated: April 14, 1998.

P. Patrick Leahy,

Chief, Geologic Division.

[FR Doc. 98–11787 Filed 5–1–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–Y7–M