21730 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 84 / Tuesday, May 1, 2001 / Notices

Need and Use of the Information:

APHIS will collect information to

prevent the spread of insect pests and

noxious weeds in the United States. If

the information were not collected there

would be no way of preventing noxious

weeds from entering the United States.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 30,000.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 11,345.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

Title: Plum Pox Compensation.

OMB Control Number: 0579–0159.

Summary of Collection: Plum Pox is

an extremely serious viral disease of

plants that can affect may stonefruit

species, including plum, peach, apricot,

almond, and nectarine. The United

States Department of Agriculture is

responsible for preventing plant pest

and noxious weeds from entering the

United States, preventing the spread of

pests and weeds not widely distributed

in the United States and eradicating

those imported pests and weeds when

eradication is feasible. Chapter 8 of the

Plant Quarantine Act (7 U.S.C. 161)

provides authority for the Secretary of

Agriculture to quarantine any State,

Territory, or District of the United States

to prevent the spread of insect pests and

plant diseases new or not widely

distributed throughout the United

States. Section 102 of the Organic Act (7

U.S.C. 147a) states, in part, that ‘‘the

Secretary of Agriculture, either

independently or in cooperation with

the States * * * is authorized to carry

out operations or measures to detect,

eradicate, suppress, control, prevent, or

retard the spread of plant pests.’’ The

Animal & Plant Health Inspection

Service (APHIS) will collect information

using form PPQ 651, Application for

Plum Pox Compensation, in order to

qualify agricultural producers for

disaster payments in conjunction with

losses suffered as a result of Plum Pox.

Need and Use of the Information:

APHIS will collect the owner’s name

and address, a description of the

owner’s property, and a certification

statement that the plums removed from

the owner’s property were commercial

plums. The owners will also need to

send APHIS a copy of the public order

or destruction order that describes the

number of plum trees removed. The

information will be used to obtain the

correct address to which funds are to be

sent, and to verify the location and

number of plum trees for which the

owner is requesting replacement funds.

If the information were not collected,

APHIS would be unable to reimburse

eligible grove and nursery owners for

the loss of their trees.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 12.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 2.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

Title: District of Columbia Plant

Health Certificate.

OMB Control Number: 0579–0166.

Summary of Collection: The United

States Department of Agriculture is

responsible for preventing plant pests

and noxious weeds from entering the

United States, preventing the spread of

pests and weeds not widely distributed

in the United States and eradicating

those imported pests and weeds when

eradication is feasible. The Federal

Plant Protection Act authorized the

Department to carry out this mission.

The Plant Protection and Quarantine

(PPQ) Division of the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

provides certification services for plant

material moving interstate to ensure

other states that the plants and plant

products they are receiving from the

District of Columbia are free of

prohibited or otherwise regulated plant

pests. APHIS will collect information

using form PPQ 571, District of

Columbia Plant Health Certificate.

Need and Use of the Information:

APHIS will collect information to certify

that the domestic plant or other plant

material described by the shipper has

been inspected according to appropriate

procedures and that it is considered free

from certain plant diseases, insects, or

other pests, and is considered to

conform with the requirements of the

importing State. If the information is not

collected, it would likely result in the

interstate spread of damaging

agricultural pests. Further, entities in

the District of Columbia would be

unable to ship their products to other

States, as other States require this

certification.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit; Not-for-profit

institutions.

Number of Respondents: 4.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 40.

Nancy B. Sternberg,

Departmental Clearance Office.

[FR Doc. 01–10745 Filed 4–30–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Availabilty of Environmental

Assessment To Amend the Hiawatha

National Forest Land and Resource

Management Plan

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of

Environmental Assement.

SUMMARY: On May 1, 2001, Hiawatha

National Forest Supervisor, Clyde N.

Thompson (Responsible Official)

announced the preferred alternative and

availability of the Rock River Canyon

Wilderness Environmental Assessment

for a 30-day comment and review

period. The preferred alternative would

amend the Hiawatha National Forest

Land and Resource Management Plan

(Forest Plan) to revise the standards and

guidelines for management of the Rock

River Canyon Wilderness. This notice is

pursuant to National Forest System

Land and Resource Management

Planning regulations (36 CFR 219.35(b),

65 FR 67579, November 9, 2000). Copies

of the Environmental Assessment (EA)

are available upon request.

DATES: On May 1, 2001, Hiawatha

National Forest Supervisor, Clyde N.

Thompson announced the preferred

alternative and availability of the Rock

River Canyon Wilderness

Environmental Assessment for public

review and comment. Comments on the

EA must be received no later than May

31, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send comments or requests

for documents to: Forest Supervisor,

Hiawatha National Forest, 2727 North

Lincoln Road, Escanaba, MI 49829 or

email comments to mailroom r9

hiawatha@fs.fed.us, with the subject

line: ‘‘Rock River Canyon Wilderness

EA.’’

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Janel Crooks, Project Coordinator, at

906–387–2512. TDD 906–387–3371. Or

access the forest web page at

www.fs.fed.us/r9/hiawatha.

Responsible Official: Clyde N.

Thompson, Forest Supervisor, 2727

North Lincoln Rd., Escanaba, Michigan

49829.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

proposed Forest Plan Amendment No.

22 describes programmatic standards

and guidelines that allow for existing

recreation use while reducing resource

impacts to the Wilderness and

wilderness values. These standards and

guidelines address trails, camping and

other management concerns. The

preferred alternative designates existing

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 84 / Tuesday, May 1, 2001 / Notices 21731

trails, prohibits new trails, and

institutes voluntary registration for

overnight and day use. This is a nonsignificant amendment. Public

involvement has been an important part

of the decision making process for this

proposal. Public comments were

gathered in 1992 through a survey of

users. In April 1993, a public scoping

letter was sent to over 400 interested

parties and a notice was published in

the local newspaper. On December 17,

1999, a second public scoping letter was

mailed to over 400 interested parties

and a legal notice was published in the

Escanaba Daily Press, Escanaba, MI. On

May 1, 2001, legal notice was published

in the Daily Press, Escanaba, MI,

notifying the public of the availability of

the EA for review. A 30-day comment

period follows release of the EA on May

1, 2001. Comments on the EA must be

received no later than May 21, 2001. A

final decision is expected by November

2001. this decision will be subject to

appeal pursuant to USDA Forest Service

regulations 36 CFR 217.3.

Dated: April 16, 2001.

Clyde N. Thompson,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 01–10500 Filed 4–30–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Garnet Stars & Sands Project; Idaho

Panhandle National Forests, Benewah

and Latah Counties, Idaho

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement.

SUMMARY: The St. Joe Ranger District of

the Idaho Panhandle National Forests is

beginning an analysis and preparation

of an environmental Impact Statement

to address recreational digging, leasing

and/or sale of the garnet resource in the

Emerald, Hidden, Wood and Cat Spur

Creek drainages. The responsible official

is Forest Supervisor, Idaho Panhandle

National Forests, 3815 Schreiber Way,

Coeur d’ Alene, ID 83815.

The garnet resource consists of both

sands and gemstones. The sands are

used for industrial purposes, primarily

as abrasives. The Project Area produces

extraordinary quality and quantity of

large garnets, with some of the drainages

producing star garnets. These gemstones

are use commercially for jewelry and are

sought after by recreationists.

Much of the Emerald Creek drainage,

on public and private lands, has been

mined in the past. Two lease renewals,

one new lease application, one

prospecting permit extension, and eight

new prospecting permit applications

have been submitted. In addition, the

Forest Service currently manages a

public digging areas (by fee permit) in

281 Gulch, a tributary to Emerald Creek.

The Purpose and Need for this project

is based in the fact that the garnet

resource is finite and valuable and there

is considerable public interest in leasing

of gemstones and sands and retaining

the recreational digging area. The

Purpose and Need for this project is as

follows:

• Respond to public interest in

developing the mineral resource, while

conserving the garnet resource for future

generations.

• Gemstone deposits within the

current Forest Service recreational

digging area in 281 Gulch are becoming

depleted. If the Forest Service is going

to continue to provide this unique

recreational digging opportunity, other

areas need to be tested, identified and

developed.

• Resolve twelve pending mining

applications or extensions (lease

applications, permit applications and

permit extensions) for both garnets and

sand, dating back to 1996.

DATES: The Draft Environmental Impact

Statement is expected to be filed by

October 1, 2001. The Final

Environmental Impact Statement is

expected to be filed by June 30, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent

to: Garnet Stars & Sands, St. Joe Ranger

District, PO Box 407, St. Maries, ID

83861.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions should be referred to Tracy

Gravelle, St. Joe Ranger District, Avery

Office, HC Box 1, Avery, ID 83861.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Action

Public Recreational Gemstone Digging

Areas

(1) The Forest Service would reserve

Wood Creek and certain tributaries of

the East Fork of Emerald Creek (281

Gulch, Garnet Gulch, No Name, PeeWee

and Strom Creeks) and for public

recreational digging of gemstone

garnets. These areas would not be

available for commercial lease.

These drainages would be tested with

a combination of auger holes, hand or

machine-dug trenches. After testing,

drainages will be listed in order of

priority for development. Each drainage

would require different development.

The following activities are likely:

Only one drainage at a time would be

open.

All site may have trees cut and

removed and/or used for reclamation.

An average of 200–300 feet per year

would be opened and reclaimed

according to design features in Chapter

2 of the EIS.

Reclamation will follow Best

Management Practices and include sitespecific mitigations that will be

developed for this analysis.

Details by Drainage

281 Gulch: Progressive digging would

continue in the two forks to the

confluence of the East and West Forks.

Digging would then continue on the

main fork of 281 to Road 447.

Overburden removal would be needed.

Garnet Gulch: The original parking

area for Pee Wee and NoName creeks

would be used for this drainage. The aframe would be located at the parking

area and a toilet facility installed. An

estimated 1⁄2 mile trail would be

constructed. Some overburden removal

may be necessary.

PeeWee and No Name Creeks: These

drainages have been recreational digging

areas previously and are known to have

high quality gemstones. At the time,

there was no equipment brought in to

remove overburden and it is believed

that there may be more resource

available. Development would include a

toilet facility but the parking and other

site space still exist. These two areas

shared parking areas. Overburden

removal is likely going to be necessary.

Strom Gulch: Parking, the a-frame and

toilet may be developed on the upper

road (Rd. 1487) or this site would utilize

the facilities for Pee Wee and NoName

Creeks. No overburden removal is

expected.

Wood Creek: parking and a site for the

a-frame and toilet would be developed.

Some overburden removal may be

necessary.

Lease Application

(2) The pending lease application (ID

29529) for gemstones on Bechtel Butte

would be approved. This entails the

following: 5 to 6 pits 15 feet in diameter;

one backhoe trench 100 feet long by 20

feet wide and 8 feet deep on the ridge;

a bobcat excavator would be used to fill

in and dig smaller trenches (T42N, R1E,

Sections 9, 10, 15 & 16). It is expected

that these activities would begin in 2002

and continue through 2007.

Prospecting Permits

Prospecting permits also suggest that

there could be further development

applied for in the form of a lease

application. In order to perform an

efficient analysis, for some of the

permits we are assuming subsequent