Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 15, 2001 / Notices 26879

Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque,

New Mexico. Please refer to the

respective permit number for each

application when submitting comments.

All comments received, including

names and addresses, will become part

of the official administrative record and

may be made available to the public.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Chief, Endangered Species Division,

Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the above

address. Documents and other

information submitted with these

applications are available for review,

subject to the requirements of the

Privacy Act and Freedom of Information

Act, by any party who submits a written

request for a copy of such documents

within 30 days of the date of publication

of this notice, to the address above.

Bryan Arroyo,

Assistant Regional Director, Ecological

Services, Region 2, Albuquerque, New

Mexico.

[FR Doc. 01–12172 Filed 5–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Reopening of Comment Period: Draft

Policy on National Wildlife Refuge

System: Mission, Goals, and Purposes

(Notice); Draft Appropriate Refuge

Uses Policy Pursuant to the National

Wildlife Refuge System Improvement

Act of 1997 (Notice); Draft WildlifeDependent Recreational Uses Policy

Pursuant to the National Wildlife

Refuge System Improvement Act of

1997 (Notice); and Draft Wilderness

Stewardship Policy Pursuant to the

Wilderness Act of 1964 (Notice)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice; further reopening of

comment period.

SUMMARY: We are reopening the

comment period on the Federal Register

notice dated January 16, 2001, that

invites the public to comment on the

following draft policies: National

Wildlife Refuge System: Mission, Goals,

and Purposes; Appropriate Refuge Uses

Policy Pursuant to the National Wildlife

Refuge System Improvement Act of

1997; Wildlife-Dependent Recreational

Uses Policy Pursuant to the National

Wildlife Refuge System Improvement

Act of 1997; and Wilderness

Stewardship Policy Pursuant to the

Wilderness Act of 1964.

DATES: Submit comments by or before

June 14, 2001. Note that you must

resubmit comments sent to us between

April 19, 2001 and before May 15, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments in the

following ways: in writing to Acting

Chief, Division of Conservation

Planning and Policy, National Wildlife

Refuge System, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room

670, Arlington, Virginia 22203; by FAX

to (703) 358–2248; or by e:mail to one

of the following addresses:

Mission_And _Goals_

Policy_Comments@fws.gov;

Appropriate_Uses_Policy_

Comments@fws.gov;

Wildlife_ Dependent_Recreational

_Uses_Policy_Comments@fws.gov; or

Wilderness_Policy_Comments@fws.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barry Stieglitz, Acting Chief, Division of

Conservation Planning and Policy,

National Wildlife Refuge System (703)

358–1744.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a

Federal Register notice dated January

16, 2001 (66 FR 3668) we published

draft policies for: National Wildlife

Refuge System: Mission, Goals, and

Purposes; Appropriate Refuge Uses

Policy Pursuant to the National Wildlife

Refuge System Improvement Act of

1997; Wildlife-Dependent Recreational

Uses Policy Pursuant to the National

Wildlife Refuge System Improvement

Act of 1997; and Wilderness

Stewardship Policy Pursuant to the

Wilderness Act of 1964. These policies,

affecting management and use of the

National Wildlife Refuge System,

represent the culmination of our initial

policy development in response to the

landmark National Wildlife Refuge

System Improvement Act of 1997.

In a subsequent Federal Register

notice dated March 15, 2001 (66 FR

15136) we extended the comment

period until April 19, 2001 to ensure

that the public had an adequate

opportunity to review and comment on

our draft policy.

To allow for continued discussion

with the States on these policies, we are

reopening the comment period for an

additional 30 days.

Dated: April 30, 2001.

Marshall P. Jones, Jr.,

Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service.

[FR Doc. 01–12215 Filed 5–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM–070–7122ES–839G; NMNM 104467]

Notice of Realty Action—Recreation

and Public Purpose (R&PP) Act

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The following described

public land in San Juan County, New

Mexico has been examined and found

suitable for classification for lease/

conveyance to Farmington Municipal

School under the provisions of the

R&PP Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 869 et

seq.). Farmington School proposes to

use the land for an elementary, a middle

school, and a satellite transportation

yard.

T. 29 N., R. 12 W.,

Sec. 2, lot 7;

Sec. 10, lot 1;

Sec. 11, lot 4.

Containing 116.14 acres, more or less.

Comment Dates: On or before June 29,

2001. Interested parties may submit

comments regarding the proposed

classification/conveyance of the lands to

the Bureau of Land Management at the

following address. Any adverse

comments will be reviewed by the Field

Manager, Bureau of Land Management

(BLM), 1235 La Plata Highway, Suite A,

Farmington, NM 87401, who may

sustain, vacate, or modify this realty

action. In the absence of any adverse

comments, this realty action becomes

the final determination of the

Department of the Interior and 60 days

from date of publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Information related to this action,

including the environmental

assessment, is available for review at the

Bureau of Land Management,

Farmington Field Office, at the above

address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Upon

publication of this notice in the Federal

Register, the lands will be segregated

from all other forms of appropriation

under the public land laws, including

the general mining laws, except for lease

or conveyance under the R&PP Act and

leasing under the mineral leasing laws.

The segregative effect will terminate

upon issuance of the patent to

Farmington Municipal School, or two

(2) years from the date of this

publication, whichever occurs first.

The lease/patent, when issued, will be

subject to the following terms,

conditions and reservations:

26880 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 15, 2001 / Notices

1. Reservation to the United States of

a right-of-way for ditches and canals in

accordance with 43 U.S.C. 945.

2. Reservation to the United States of

all minerals.

3. All valid existing rights, e.g. rightsof-way and leases of record.

4. Provisions that if the patentee or its

successor attempts to transfer title to or

control over the land to another or the

land is devoted to a use other than that

for which the land was conveyed,

without the consent of the Secretary of

the Interior or his delegate, or prohibits

or restricts, directly or indirectly, or

permits its agents, employees,

contractors, or subcontractors, including

without limitation, lessees, sublessees

and permittees, to prohibit or restrict,

directly or indirectly, the use of any part

of the patented lands or any of the

facilities whereon by any person

because of such person’s race, creed,

color, or national origin, title shall

revert to the United States.

The lands are not needed for Federal

purposes. Lease/conveyance is

consistent with current BLM land use

planning and would be in the public

interest.

Dated: April 30, 2001.

Joel E. Farrell,

Assistant Field Manager for Resources.

[FR Doc. 01–12154 Filed 5–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–FB–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM–030–1610–00]

Intent To Prepare a Resource

Management Plan Amendment (RMPA)

and Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) for McGregor Range in Otero

County, New Mexico

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management

(BLM), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a

Resource Management Plan Amendment

(RMPA) and Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) for McGregor Range,

New Mexico and Notice of Scoping

Meetings.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102 (2)(C)

of the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) of 1969, Council on

Environmental Quality (CEQ)

regulations (40 CFR 1500–1508), and the

Federal Land Policy and Management

Act (FLPMA) of 1976, the BLM, Las

Cruces Field Office will direct

preparation of an RMPA/EIS by URS

Corporation, a qualified consultant. The

RMPA/EIS will address BLM’s

management of the withdrawn public

land within McGregor Range in Otero

County, New Mexico. The RMPA/EIS

shall identify areas for limited,

restricted, or exclusive uses; levels of

resource production; allowable resource

uses; resource condition objectives;

program constraints; and general

management direction.

The BLM will conduct two public

scoping meetings to solicit input from

the public. The dates, times, and

locations for these meetings are as

follows:

Date Location

Wednesday,

June 20,

2001, 6:30

p.m. to 8:30

p.m.

Otero County Courthouse,

Commission Chambers,

Room 253, 1000 New

York Ave., Alamogordo,

New Mexico.

Thursday,

June 21,

2001, 6:30

p.m. to 8:30

p.m.

BLM—Las Cruces Field Office, 1800 Marquess Las

Cruces, New Mexico.

DATES: Written comments will be

accepted through July 5, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent

to: Tom Phillips, BLM, Las Cruces Field

Office, 1800 Marquess, Las Cruces, NM

88005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom

Phillips, Team Leader, at (505) 525–

4377 or Amy Lueders, Field Manager at

(505) 525–4300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1999

Congress passed the Military Lands

Withdrawal Act (PL 106–65) which

withdrew large tracts of public land for

military purposes. PL 106–65 included

the withdrawal of approximately

608,000 acres on McGregor Range in

Southern New Mexico. The legislation

directed the Secretary of the Interior to

manage the natural resources on

McGregor Range under FLPMA and to

develop a management plan within two

years of the law’s enactment. The

planning area will include withdrawn

public land on McGregor Range in Otero

County, encompassing approximately

608,000 acres administered by BLM.

The BLM, will work in concert with the

U.S. Army, Ft. Bliss, which will

participate as a cooperating agency for

the development of the RMPA/EIS.

It is anticipated that the RMPA/EIS

process will require 18 months to

complete and will include public and

agency scoping, coordination and

consultation with Federal, State, tribal,

and local agencies, public review and

public hearings on the published draft

RMPA/draft EIS, a published proposed

RMPA/final EIS, published Record of

Decision, and Plan Amendment.

Publication of the Record of Decision is

anticipated in November, 2002.

The BLM Interdisciplinary team that

will be developing this RMPA/EIS will

include specialists with expertise in:

soils, geology, vegetation, wildlife,

livestock grazing, recreation, cultural/

paleontology, and fire ecology.

BLM public information and scoping

will include notification to the public

and Federal, state, tribal, and local

agencies of the proposed action;

identification by the public of the range

of issues and concerns to be considered

in the EIS; development of planning

criteria; and the solicitation of

assistance from the public to identify

reasonable alternatives. In addition, the

public will have the opportunity to ask

questions regarding the proposed

project at scheduled public scoping

meetings (see SUMMARY section of this

notice).

Written comments should address: (1)

Issues to be considered, (2) if the

planning criteria are adequate for the

issues, (3) feasible and reasonable

alternatives to examine, and (4) relevant

information having a bearing on the

RMPA/EIS. BLM will maintain a

mailing list of parties and persons

interested in being kept informed about

the progress of the RMPA/EIS.

Documents relevant to this planning

effort will be available for public review

at the BLM Las Cruces Field Office

located at 1800 Marquess, Las Cruces,

New Mexico.

A range of reasonable alternatives,

including an alternative considering no

action as required by NEPA, will be

developed and analyzed in the EIS.

Through scoping, the public will assist

in developing alternatives. The results

of scoping will be sent to all those on

the mailing list for this project in a

newsletter or scoping report. Following

an in-depth analysis of the impacts

associated with the alternatives

analyzed, one alternative will be

selected as the agency-preferred

alternative. The agency-preferred

alternative will be identified in a draft

RMPA/draft EIS scheduled to be

released in the fall of 2001. Once the

draft is released additional public

review will be announced through the

media and a Federal Register notice.

Anticipated Issues and Concerns

The anticipated Issues/Concerns

include the following:

1. Soil and Water: Stream Channel

Conditions; Water Quality; Water

Quantity/Supply.

2. Vegegation: Management of

Grassland Habitat; Noxious/Invasive

Weeds.