2996 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 20, 1998 / Notices

Dated: January 11, 1998.

Richard Kopanda,

Executive Officer, SAMHSA.

[FR Doc. 98–1217 Filed 1–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4162–20–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Notice of Intent to Prepare

Comprehensive Conservation Plans

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare

Comprehensive Conservation Plans.

SUMMARY: This notice advises that the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service)

intends to gather information necessary

to prepare Comprehensive Conservation

Plans (CCP) and associated

environmental documents for the

Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge

Complex in southeastern North Dakota

and the Waubay National Wildlife

Refuge Complex in northeastern South

Dakota. The Service is furnishing this

notice in compliance with Service CCP

policy to advise other agencies and the

public of its intentions and to obtain

suggestions and information on the

scope of issues to be considered in the

planning process.

DATES: Written comments should be

received by February 19, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for

more information to Allison Banks,

Planning Team Leader, Division of

Realty, P.O. Box 25486, Denver, CO

80225.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Allison Banks, Planning Team Leader,

Division of Realty, P.O. Box 25486,

Denver, CO 80225.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Service has initiated Comprehensive

Conservation Planning for the

Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge

Complex and the Waubay National

Wildlife Refuge Complex.

The Tewaukon Complex includes the

Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge and

the Tewaukon Wetland Management

District (WMD). The Waubay Complex

includes the Waubay National Wildlife

Refuge and the Waubay Wetland

Management District. Each National

Wildlife Refuge has specific purposes

for which it was established and for

which legislation was enacted. Those

purposes are used to develop and

prioritize management goals and

objectives within the National Wildlife

Refuge System mission, and to guide

which public uses occur on the refuge.

The planning process is a way for the

Service and the public to evaluate

management goals and objectives for the

best possible conservation efforts of this

important wildlife habitat, while

providing for wildlife-dependent

recreation opportunities that are

compatible with each national wildlife

refuge’s establishing purposes and the

mission of the National Wildlife Refuge

System.

The Tewaukon National Wildlife

Refuge (approximately 8,500 acres) was

established as ‘‘* * * a refuge and

breeding ground for migratory birds and

other wildlife * * *’’ and ‘‘* * * for

use as an inviolate sanctuary or for any

other management purpose, for

migratory birds’’ (Migratory Bird

Conservation Act), by Executive Order

6910, on November 26, 1934. The

Tewaukon WMD consists of fee

Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA’s)

(approximately 14,000 acres), and

wetland easements (approximately

33,000 acres). The Complex is located in

Richland, Ransom, and Sargent counties

of North Dakota. The Tewaukon

Complex also administers three

easement refuges: Lake Elsie, Storm

Lake, and Wild Rice. The WPA’s are all

open to hunting, fishing, and trapping

in accordance with the Code of Federal

Regulations.

The Tewaukon National Wildlife

Refuge Complex lies within the prairie

pothole and tallgrass/mixed grass

prairie ecosystem in southeastern North

Dakota. High densities of a variety of

shallow, productive wetlands

surrounded by grasslands produce high

quality migration and nesting habitat for

migratory birds. Tewaukon is a mixing

point for migrating birds of both the

Central and Mississippi Flyways. The

name ‘‘Tewaukon’’ is derived from an

ancient tribal name Te Wauk Kon,

roughly translated as Son of Heaven.

The main water source for Tewaukon,

the Wild Rice River, is a tributary of the

Red River which flows through Fargo,

North Dakota. A portion of the refuge

fee title land, several WPA’s, and

wetland easements are located within

the Sisseton-Wahpeton Indian

Reservation boundary.

Waubay National Wildlife Refuge,

located northeastern South Dakota, was

established as ‘‘* * * a refuge and

breeding ground for migratory birds and

other wildlife: * * *.’’ by Executive

Order 7245, dated December 10, 1935.

The word ‘‘Waubary’’ is of Sioux Indian

original meaning ‘‘a nesting place for

birds.’’ The refuge covers 4,740 acres of

grasslands, wetlands, native forests, and

croplands. Present public use includes

wildlife viewing, environmental

education, deer hunting, ice fishing,

hiking, and picnicking.

The Waubay WMD manages 40,000

acres of fee WPA’s, 100,000 acres of

waterfowl management rights easements

and 125,000 waterfowl habitat

protection easements in Clark,

Codington, Day, Grant, Roberts, and

Marshall counties of northeastern South

Dakota.

Three distinct physiographic regions

dominate the Waubay WMD, each with

unique habitat properties. The Coteau

des Prairies, a series of north to south

parallel terminal moraines rising 800

feet or more in elevation above adjacent

lowlands, covers nearly 80 percent of

the WMD. Numerous glacial lakes and

smaller wetland basins dot the Coteau.

To the east and west of the Coteau lies

the Minnesota River and James River

Lowlands, respectively. These lowland

areas contain flat, fertile, agricultural

land that is more intensively cropped

that the hilly Coteau grassland region.

All WPA’s are open to hunting, fishing,

and trapping in accordance with the

Code of Federal Regulations.

The Service will conduct a

comprehensive conservation planning

process that will provide opportunity

for Tribal, State and local governments,

agencies, organizations, and the public

to participate in issue scoping and

public comment. The Service is

requesting input for issues, concerns,

ideas, and suggestions for the future

management of the Tewaukon and

Waubay Complexes. Anyone interested

in providing input is invited to respond

to the following three questions.

(1) What makes the Tewaukon/

Waubay Complexes (or any specific

unit) special or unique for you?

(2) What problems or issues do you

want to see addressed in the

Comprehensive Conservation Plans?

(3) What improvements would you

recommend for the Tewaukon/Waubay

Complexes (or any specific unit)?

The Service has provided the above

questions for your optional use. There is

no requirement to provide information

to the Service. The Planning Team

developed these questions to facilitate

finding out more information about

individual issues and ideas concerning

the Tewaukon/Waubay Complexes.

Comments received by the Planning

Team will be used as part of the

planning process, individual comments

will not be referenced in our reports or

directly respond to.

There will also be an opportunity to

provide input at open houses to be

scheduled for February and/or March

1998 to scope issues and concerns

(schedule can be obtained from the

Planning Team Leader at the above

address). All information provided

voluntarily by mail, phone, or at public

meetings becomes part of the official

public record (e.g., names, addresses,
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 20, 1998 / Notices 2997

letters of comment, input recorded

during meetings). If requested under the

Freedom of Information Act by a private

citizen or organization, the Service may

provide copies of such information.

The environmental review of this

project will be conducted in accordance

with the requirements of the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), NEPA

Regulations (40 CFR 1500–1508), other

appropriate Federal laws and

regulations, Executive Order 12996, the

National Wildlife Refuge System

Improvement Act of 1997, and Service

policies and procedures for compliance

with those regulations.

We estimate that the draft

environmental documents will be

available for review in March 1999.

Dated: January 9, 1998.

Ralph O. Morgenweck,

Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.

[FR Doc. 98–1204 Filed 1–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of the Technical/

Agency Draft Recovery Plan for the

Spruce-Fir Moss Spider 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 (Service) announces the

availability for public review of the

technical/agency draft recovery plan for

the spruce-fir moss spider (Microhexura

montivaga). Historically, at least five

different mountain peaks in the

Southern Appalachian Mountains of

western North Carolina and eastern

Tennessee are known to have supported

populations of the spruce-fir moss

spider. Today, however, only two small

relict populations of the spider are

known to survive—one on Grandfather

Mountain in North Carolina and one on

Mount LeConte in Tennessee. The

typical habitat of the spruce-fir moss

spider is found in well-drained moss

mats growing on rocks and boulders in

well-shaded situations in mature highelevation conifer forests dominated by

Fraser fir (Abier fraseri) and scattered

red spruce (Picea rubens). These factors

are deteriorating rapidly, primarily due

to infestation and the resulting mortality

of the fir by the balsam woolly adelgid

(an exotic insect pest) and possibly air

population and other factors now yet

fully understood. The spider requires

situations of high and constant

humidity, and the loss of forest canopy,

leading to increased light and decreased

moisture on the forest floor (resulting in

desiccation of the moss mats), appears

to be the major threat to its continued

existence. Unless new populations are

found or reestablished and existing

population are maintained, this species

will remain in jeopardy of extinction for

the foreseeable future. The Service

solicits review and comments from the

public on this draft plan.

DATES: Comments on this technical/

agency draft recovery plan must be

received on or before March 23, 1998 to

receive consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the technical/agency draft recovery plan

may obtain a copy by contacting the

Asheville Field 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 Field

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.

John Fridell, Fish and Wildlife

Biologist, at the address and telephone

number shown in the ADDRESSES section

(Ext. 225).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Restoring endangered or threatened

animals and plants to the point where

they are again secure, self-sustaining

members of their ecosystems is a

primary goal of the 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 the

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,

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)

(Act), 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.

The primary species considered in

this draft recovery plan is the spruce-fir

moss spider (Microhexura montivaga).

The area of emphasis for recovery

actions includes the Southern

Appalachian Mountains of western

North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

Habitat protection, reintroduction, and

the preservation of genetic material are

the major objectives of this 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 final plan.

Authority

The authority for this action is section 4(f)

of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C.

1533(f).

Dated: January 6, 1998.

Brian P. Cole,

State Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 98–1232 Filed 1–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

Closure to Collection of Petrified Wood

Order Established; Folsom Field

Office, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Establishment of petrified wood

collecting closure order within public

lands managed by the Folsom Field

Office, California.

SUMMARY: Certain described public

lands administered by the Folsom Field

Office in the vicinity of the

communities of Dutch Flat and Gold

Run are hereby closed to the collection

of petrified wood. This closure will be

in effect on all the below described

public lands:

Mount Diablo Meridian, California

T. 15 N., R. 10 E.,

Section 3: Lots 4,5;

Section 4: Lot 19;

Section 9: SWSE; Lots 3,4,5,7,8,9; MS1483;

Section 16: N/2NE, SWNE.

Totalling 320.29 acres, more or less.