Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 13 / Wednesday, January 21, 1998 / Notices 3151

from the Director, Office of SelfGovernance whether it has been

selected to receive an advance planning

grant.

In order to provide sufficient time for

tribes/consortia to effectively use the

planning and negotiation grants, the

following target dates have been

established for the awarding of grants.

(1) Negotiation Grants: Since

agreements for the 1998 fiscal year need

to be signed and submitted by July 1,

1998, to allow sufficient time to prepare

for negotiations, new participating tribes

will be selected and awarded

negotiation grants by May 1, 1998.

(2) Advance Planning Grants: In order

to avoid delays in planning activity and

future participation in tribal selfgovernance, advance planning grants

will be awarded to tribes/consortia by

July 1, 1998.

Submitting Applications

(1) Applications must be submitted in

accordance with the interim rule

published in the Federal Register on

April 23, 1996, and by the deadlines

identified in this announcement.

(2) Applications may be mailed or

hand-delivered.

(3) Applications which are mailed

must be postmarked no later than the

date given in this notice for the

particular type of grant being applied

for.

Dated: January 14, 1998.

William A. Sinclair,

Director, Office of Self-Governance.

[FR Doc. 98–1289 Filed 1–20–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary

Alaska Land Managers Forum

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice is published in

accordance with section 10(a)(2) of the

Federal Advisory Committee Act

(FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. (1988) and 41

CFR 101–6.1015(b). The Department of

the Interior hereby gives notice of a

public meeting of the Alaska Land

Managers Forum to be held from 8:30

a.m. to noon on Wednesday, January 28,

1998. The meeting will take place in

Conference Room 114, 1689 C Street,

Anchorage, Alaska. This meeting will be

held to receive and discuss work group

reports on recreation and tourism. The

agenda will also include several briefing

items.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ronald B. McCoy at (907) 271–5485 or

Sally Rue at (907) 465–4084.

Deborah L. Williams,

Special Assistant to the Secretary for Alaska.

[FR Doc. 98–1300 Filed 1–20–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–RP–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Availability of an Environmental

Assessment, Finding of No Significant

Impact, and Receipt of an Application

for an Incidental Take Permit by

International Paper Company for

Timber Management Practices on its

Lands in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana,

Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South

Carolina, and North Carolina

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: International Paper Company

(Applicant) seeks an incidental take

permit (ITP) from the Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service) pursuant to Section

10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species

Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), as

amended (Act). The permit would apply

to all of the applicant’s land holdings in

Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,

Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and

North Carolina that contain the federally

endangered red-cockaded woodpecker

(RCW) (Picoides borealis). The applicant

has a total of 18 known active clusters

in Alabama (2), Georgia (2), South

Carolina (9), and Louisiana (5). The

applicant wants to eventually transfer

its baseline responsibility of 18 RCW

clusters to its Southlands Experimental

Forest (SEF) in Bainbridge, Georgia

where there are currently two active

RCW clusters. This ITP would authorize

take of the existing 16 RCW groups in

Alabama, South Carolina, and Louisiana

incidental to timber management

activities, plus any clusters in excess of

the baseline at SEF.

The Service also announces the

availability of an environmental

assessment (EA) and Habitat

Conservation Plan/Application for

Incidental Taking (HCP). Copies of the

EA and/or HCP may be obtained by

making a request to the Regional Office

(see ADDRESSES). Requests must be in

writing to be processed. This notice also

advises the public that the Service has

made a preliminary determination that

issuing the ITP is not a major Federal

action significantly affecting the quality

of the human environment within the

meaning of Section 102(2)(C) of the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 (NEPA), as amended. The Finding

of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is

based on information contained in the

EA and HCP. The final determination

will be made no sooner than 30 days

from the date of this notice. This notice

is provided pursuant to Section 10 of

the Act and NEPA regulations (40 CFR

1506.6). The Service specifically

requests comment on the

appropriateness of the ‘‘No Surprises’’

assurances should the Service

determine that an ITP will be granted

and based upon the submitted HCP.

Although not explicitly stated in the

HCP, the Service has, since August

1994, announced its intention to honor

a ‘‘No Surprises’’ Policy for applicants

seeking ITPs. Copies of the Service’s

‘‘No Surprises’’ Policy may be obtained

by making a written request to the

Regional Office (see ADDRESSES). The

Service is soliciting public comments

and review of the applicability of the

‘‘No Surprises’’ Policy to this

application and HCP.

DATES: Written comments on the permit

application, EA, and HCP should be

sent to the Service’s Regional Office (see

ADDRESSES) and should be received on

or before February 20, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the application, HCP, and EA may

obtain a copy by writing the Service’s

Southeast Regional Office, Atlanta,

Georgia. Documents will also be

available for public inspection by

appointment during normal business

hours at the Regional Office, 1875

Century Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta,

Georgia 30345 (Attn: Endangered

Species Permits), or Field Supervisor,

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

Brunswick Field Office, 4270 Norwich

Street, Brunswick, Georgia 31520.

Written data or comments concerning

the application, EA, or HCP should be

submitted to the Regional Office.

Requests for the documentation must be

in writing to be processed. Comments

must be submitted in writing to be

processed. Please reference permit

number PRT–833203 in such comments,

or in requests of the documents

discussed herein.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Rick G. Gooch, Regional Permit

Coordinator, (see ADDRESSES above),

telephone: 404/679–7110; or Mr. Robert

Brooks, Fish and Wildlife Biologist,

Brunswick Field Office, (see ADDRESSES

above), telephone: 912/265–9336.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Picoides

borealis (or RCW) is a non-migratory

species that once was common in the

southern Coastal Plain from east Texas

to Florida and north to Maryland,