Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 68 / Friday, April 10, 2009 / Notices 16351 

who are focusing their own work on 

natural resource management values 

and objectives, and will facilitate further 

application of findings. The exact 

number of respondents will be 

dependent upon the number of agencies 

that choose to participate. Volunteers 

from up to ten different agencies, or subunits of those agencies, per year will be 

selected to participate. Each will be 

allocated 200–600 surveys, for a 

maximum of 4,000 completed surveys 

per year for the project as a whole. 

Estimate of Annual Burden: 20 

minutes. 

Type of Respondents: Individuals 

who currently volunteer, or who have 

recently volunteered, for a natural 

resources (land) management agency, 

age 18 or older. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Respondents: 4000. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Responses per Respondent: 1.0. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 1,333 hours. 

Comment is invited on: (1) Whether 

this collection of information is 

necessary for the stated purposes and 

the proper performance of the functions 

of the lead agency, including whether 

the information will have practical or 

scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the 

lead agency’s estimate of the burden of 

the collection of information, including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (4) 

ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on 

respondents, including the use of 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. 

All comments received in response to 

this notice, including names and 

addresses when provided, will be a 

matter of public record. Comments will 

be summarized and included in the 

submission request toward Office of 

Management and Budget approval. 

Dated: April 6, 2009. 

Richard W. Sosa, 

Acting Assistant Deputy Chief, National 

Forest System. 

[FR Doc. E9–8187 Filed 4–9–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District; 

Deschutes National Forest; Oregon; 

Lava Rock OHV System 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement (EIS) on a proposed action to 

designate a motorized off-highway 

vehicle (OHV) trail system on a portion 

the Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District. In 

addition, the project would close and 

decommission roads and unneeded 

trails. The project area encompasses 

140,650 acres and is roughly bounded 

by U.S. Highway 97 to the west; 

Newberry National Volcanic Monument 

to the east, Forest Roads 9701–900 and 

1801–400 to the north, and Forest Road 

22 to the south. The project area is 

approximately six miles south of Bend, 

Oregon. The alternatives will include 

the proposed action, no action, and 

additional alternatives that respond to 

issues generated through the scoping 

process. The agency will give notice of 

the full environmental analysis and 

decision making process so that 

interested and affected people may 

participate and contribute to the final 

decision. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 30 

days following the date that this notice 

appears in the Federal Register. The 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

is expected to be available in July 2009 

and the final environmental impact 

statement is expected September 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Shane Jeffries, District Ranger, Bend/Ft. 

Rock Ranger District, 1230 NE 3 St., 

Suite A–262, Bend, OR 97701. 

Comments may also be sent via e-mail 

to comments-pacificnorthwestdeschutes-bend-ftrock@fs.fed.us, or via 

facsimile to (541) 383–4700. Please put 

‘‘Lava Rock OHV Project’’ in the subject 

line of your e-mail. 

Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern 

Time, Monday through Friday. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Peter Sussmann, Interdisciplinary Team 

Leader, at (541) 383–5594 or via e-mail 

at prsussman@fs.fed.us. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The purpose of the Lava Rock OHV 

Project is to designate appropriate 

motorized trails for Class 1, Class 2 and 

Class 3 OHVs while reducing overall 

road and trail densities within the 

project area. The need for this sitespecific proposal results directly from 

the implementation of the Forest 

Service Travel Management Rule, a 

nationally codified rule that prohibits 

motorized travel off of designated 

routes. The Deschutes National Forest is 

currently in the process of developing 

an EIS to display the effects of 

implementing the rule, which is 

expected to be completed by 2010. 

Recognizing the effect to the OHV 

community once the Rule is 

implemented, the Deschutes and 

Ochoco National Forests worked in 

conjunction with the recommendations 

of the Deschutes Provincial Advisory 

Committee’s Travel Management 

Working Group to identify opportunities 

for trail systems in sustainable 

locations. The Lava Rock OHV area is 

one of three areas identified by the 

working group of participants 

representing motorized and nonmotorized recreation interests that had 

potential community support for a 

designated trail system. 

Additionally, there is a need to meet 

the objectives for recreation as stated in 

the Deschutes National Forest Land and 

Resource Management Plan (‘‘Forest 

Plan’’) and under Forest Service policy. 

The Forest Plan directs land managers 

to provide a full range of recreation 

opportunities, maintain existing trail 

systems, provide additions or 

modifications which will meet 

increasing and changing demands in 

dispersed recreation, and to designate 

trails and areas where OHVs can operate 

legally. Forest Service policy, as stated 

in the Forest Service Manual at FSM 

2355, further directs land managers to 

provide a diversity of off-road 

recreational opportunities when use is 

compatible with established land and 

resource objectives, where use is 

consistent with resource capability and 

suitability, when the off-road 

opportunity is an appropriate National 

Forest Recreation Activity, and when 

there is a demonstrated demand for 

these opportunities. 

Finally, there is an opportunity to 

reduce negative impacts to resources 

within the area that are caused by 

unregulated motorized use. There is a 

need to reduce the density of system 

roads within the project area to reduce 

fragmentation and minimize motorized 

disturbance to wildlife. Additionally, 

there is a need to concentrate motorized 

16352 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 68 / Friday, April 10, 2009 / Notices 

OHV use on designated routes and close 

user-created trails in excess of those 

needed to provide a functional trail 

system. 

Proposed Action 

The proposed action would designate 

OHV trails to provide loop and point-topoint trail experiences with a variety of 

challenge levels for Class 1, Class 2 and 

Class 3 OHVs. Approximately 80 miles 

of dual-use Class 1 and 3 trails, 45 miles 

of Class 2 trails and 76 miles of Class 

3 only trails are proposed for 

designation on existing system roads, 

user created trails, and newly 

constructed trails. Up to three new 

staging areas and two existing staging 

areas are proposed for designation to 

facilitate use and connectivity between 

the proposed Lava Rock OHV system 

and the existing East Fort Rock OHV 

system. 

The proposed action would close and 

obliterate user created trails and nonsystem roads not designated by the Lava 

Rock OHV system. It is estimated that 

more than 50 miles of these trails are 

present and available for closure. 

Additionally, system roads that are in 

excess of administrative or public access 

needs would be closed or 

decommissioned in order to reduce road 

densities in the project area. 

Responsible Official 

The responsible official will be Shane 

Jeffries, Bend/Ft. Rock District Ranger, 

Deschutes National Forest. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The responsible official will decide 

whether or not to create a system of 

OHV trails within the project area, and 

if so, where the trails and staging areas 

will be located, which class(es) of OHVs 

will be allowed on each trail, if and 

where new trails will be located, and 

which user-created trails should be 

closed or kept open. The responsible 

official will also decide how to mitigate 

impacts of these actions and will 

determine when and how monitoring of 

effects will take place. 

Scoping Process 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping process, which guides the 

development of the environmental 

impact statement. It is important that 

reviewers provide their comments at 

such times and in such manner that 

they are useful to the agency’s 

preparation of the environmental impact 

statement. Therefore, comments should 

be provided prior to the close of the 

comment period and should clearly 

articulate the reviewer’s concerns and 

contentions. The submission of timely 

and specific comments can affect a 

reviewer’s ability to participate in 

subsequent administrative appeal or 

judicial review. 

Public comments regarding this 

proposal are requested in order to assist 

in identifying issues, determine how to 

best manage the resources, and to focus 

the analysis. Comments received, 

including names and addresses of those 

who comment, will be considered part 

of the public record on this proposed 

action and will be available for public 

inspection. Comments submitted 

anonymously will be accepted and 

considered; however, those who submit 

anonymous comments will not have 

standing to appeal the subsequent 

decision under the Code of Federal 

Regulations, Title 36, Part 215 (36 CFR 

part 215). Additionally, pursuant to 7 

CFR 1.27(d), any person may request the 

agency to withhold a submission from 

the public record by showing how the 

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 

permits such confidentiality. Persons 

requesting such confidentiality should 

be aware that, under FOIA, 

confidentiality may be granted in only 

very limited circumstances, such as to 

protect trade secrets. The Forest Service 

will inform the requester of the agency’s 

decision regarding the request for 

confidentiality, and where the request is 

denied, the agency will return the 

submission and notify the requester that 

the comments may be resubmitted with 

or without name and address within a 

specified number of days. 

The Forest Service believes, at this 

early stage, it is important to give 

reviewers notice of several court rulings 

related to public participation in the 

environmental review process. First, 

reviewers of a draft EIS must structure 

their participation in the environmental 

review of the proposal so that it is 

meaningful and alerts an agency to the 

reviewer’s position and contentions 

[Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. 

v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978)]. 

Also, environmental objections that 

could be raised at the draft EIS stage but 

that are not raised until after completion 

of the final EIS may be waived or 

dismissed by the courts [City of 

Rangoon v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 

1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980)]. Because of these 

court rulings, it is very important that 

those interested in this proposed action 

participate by the close of the 45-day 

comment period so that substantive 

comments and objections are made 

available to the Forest Service at a time 

when it can meaningfully consider them 

and respond to them in the final EIS. 

To assist the Forest Service in 

identifying and considering issues and 

concerns on the proposed action, 

comments on the draft EIS should be as 

specific as possible. It is also helpful if 

comments refer to specific pages or 

chapters of the draft statement. 

Comments may also address the 

adequacy of the draft EIS of the merits 

of the alternatives formulated and 

discussed in the statement. Reviewers 

may wish to refer to the Council on 

Environmental Quality Regulations for 

implementing the procedural provisions 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing 

these points. 

Dated: March 25, 2009. 

A. Shane Jeffries, 

Bend/Fort Rock District Ranger. 

[FR Doc. E9–8094 Filed 4–9–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Fresno County Resource Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Fresno County Resource 

Advisory Committee will be meeting in 

Prather, California on April 21st. The 

purpose of the meeting will be to 

discuss a monitoring plan for the 

projects approved on April 2nd. 

DATES: The meeting will be from 6 p.m. 

to 8:30 p.m. in Prather, CA. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the High Sierra Ranger District, 29688 

Auberry Rd., Prather, CA. Send written 

comments to Robbin Ekman, Fresno 

County Resource Advisory Committee 

Coordinator, do Sierra National Forest, 

High Sierra Ranger District, 29688 

Auberry Road, Prather, CA 93651 or 

electronically to rekman@fs.fed.us. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robbin Ekman, Fresno County Resource 

Advisory Committee Coordinator, (559) 

855–5355 ext. 3341. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is open to the public. 

Committee discussion is limited to 

Forest Service staff and Committee 

members. However, persons who wish 

to bring Payments to States Fresno 

County Title II project matters to the 

attention of the Committee may file 

written statements with the Committee 

staff before or after the meeting. Agenda 

items to be covered include: (1) Develop 

a monitoring plan (2) Set future meeting 

dates.