Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2001 / Notices 30747

introduction and establishment of nonnative waterfowl.

We anticipate that this Agreement

will result in the following benefits: (1)

Establishment of a self-sustaining

population or expansion of core

populations for nene and koloa on the

island of Hawaii; (2) reduced likelihood

of hybridization of koloa with feral

mallards and preservation of genetic

integrity of koloa on the island of

Hawaii; (3) increased genetic diversity

of nene; (4) safe nesting sites that will

support reproduction and an increased

number of koloa and nene in the wild

(anticipated five pairs of koloa and ten

pairs of nene); (5) greater understanding

of the effectiveness of management

techniques for koloa and nene; (6) and

additional sources of koloa and nene for

future management activities.

Consistent with Safe Harbor policy,

we propose to issue a permit to the

Ranch authorizing incidental take of

koloa and nene which occur on the

enrolled lands, and their progeny, as a

result of lawful activities at the Ranch,

so long as baseline conditions are

maintained and terms of the Agreement

are implemented. These activities

include unintentional incidental take of

koloa and nene from: (1) Koa forestry;

(2) eco-tourism; (3) cultivation of

agricultural crops; and (4) cattle grazing.

We expect that the maximum level of

incidental take authorized under the

Agreement will never be realized. The

Ranch has no plans to change land uses.

Further, we anticipate that any koloa or

nene taken will not be injured or

harmed, but will be relocated, with

permission from landowners, to other

suitable lands. We expect that the

creation and enhancement of wetland

and associated upland habitat will

result in the establishment of a selfsustaining permanent population or

expansion of core populations for nene

and koloa on the island of Hawaii.

Therefore, the cumulative impact of the

Agreement and the activities it covers,

which are facilitated by the allowable

incidental take, will provide a net

conservation benefit to koloa and nene.

We provide this notice pursuant to

section 10(c) of the Act and pursuant to

implementing regulations for NEPA (40

CFR 1506.6). We will evaluate the

permit application, associated

documents, and comments submitted

thereon to determine whether the

permit application meets the

requirements of section 10(a) of the Act

and NEPA regulations. If, upon

completion of the 30-day comment

period, we determine that the

requirements are met, we will sign the

Agreement and issue an enhancement of

survival permit under section

10(a)(1)(A) of the Act to Umikoa Ranch

for take of koloa and nene incidental to

otherwise lawful activities in

accordance with the terms of the

Agreement.

Public Review and Comments

Individuals wishing copies of the

permit application, the Environmental

Action Statement, or copies of the full

text of the Agreement, including a map

of the proposed permit area, references,

and legal descriptions of the proposed

permit area, should contact the office

and personnel listed in the ADDRESSES

section above.

If you wish to comment on the permit

application, Environmental Action

Statement, or the Agreement, you may

submit your comments to the address

listed in the ADDRESSES section of this

document. Comments and materials

received, including names and

addresses of respondents, will be

available for public review, by

appointment, during normal business

hours at the address in the ADDRESSES

section above and will become part of

the public record, pursuant to section

10(c) of the Act.

Dated: May 23, 2001.

Anne Badgley,

Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.

[FR Doc. 01–14324 Filed 6–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

North American Wetlands

Conservation Act: Request for Small

Grants Proposals for Year 2002

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is

to advise the public that we, the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and

the North American Wetlands

Conservation Council (Council), are

currently entertaining proposals that

request match funding for wetland and

wetland-associated upland conservation

projects under the Small Grants

program. Projects must meet the

purposes of the North American

Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989, as

amended. We will give funding priority

to projects from new grant applicants

with new partners, where the project

ensures long-term conservation benefits.

However, previous Act grantees are

eligible to receive funding and can

compete successfully on the basis of

strong project resource values.

DATES: Proposals must be postmarked

no later than Friday, November 30,

2001.

ADDRESSES: Address proposals to:

Division of Bird Habitat Conservation,

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401

North Fairfax Drive, Suite 110,

Arlington, Virginia 22203, Attn: Small

Grants Coordinator.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Keith A. Morehouse, Small Grants

Coordinator, or Office Secretary,

Division of Bird Habitat Conservation,

703–358–1784; facsimile 703–358–2282.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The purpose of the 1989 North

American Wetlands Conservation Act

(NAWCA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 4401

et seq.) is, through partnerships, to

promote long-term conservation of

North American wetland ecosystems

and the waterfowl and other migratory

birds, fish and wildlife that depend

upon such habitats. Principal

conservation actions supported by

NAWCA are acquisition, enhancement

and restoration of wetlands and

wetlands-associated uplands habitat.

Initiated in 1996, the underlying

objective of the Small Grants program is

to promote long-term wetlands

conservation activities through

encouraging participation by new

grantees and partners who may not

otherwise be able to compete in the

regular grants program. We also hope

that successful participants in the Small

Grants program will be encouraged to

participate in the NAWCA-based

Standard Grants program. Over the first

six years of the program, about 472

proposals requesting a total of

approximately $16.2 million competed

for funding. Ultimately, 122 projects

were funded over this period for about

$4.7 million. For 2002, with the

approval of the Migratory Bird

Conservation Commission, we have

made the Small Grants program

operational at a base level of $1.0

million. Between $1.0 and $2.0 million

in Small Grants projects may be funded.

However, ultimately, the level of Small

Grant funding depends upon the quality

of the pool of grant proposals.

To be considered for funding in the

2002 cycle, proposals must have a grant

request no greater than $50,000. We will

accept all wetland conservation

proposals that meet the requirements of

the Act. However, considering

appropriate proposal resource values,

we will give funding priority to projects

from new grant applicants (individuals

or organizations who have never

received a NAWCA grant) with new

partners, where the project ensures

long-term conservation benefits. This

30748 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2001 / Notices

priority system does not preclude

former NAWCA grant recipients from

receiving Small Grants funding;

ultimately, project resource value is the

critical factor in deciding which projects

receive funding. Also, projects are likely

to receive a greater level of attention if

they are part of a broader related or

unrelated effort to bring or restore

wetland or wetland-associated upland

conservation values to a particular area

or region.

In addition, proposals must represent

on-the-ground projects, and any

overhead in the project budget must

constitute 10 percent or less of the grant

amount. The anticipated magnitude of

wetlands and wildlife resources benefits

that will result from project execution is

an important factor in proposal

evaluation, and there should be a

reasonable balance between acreages of

wetlands and wetland-associated

uplands. Mitigation-related projects may

be precluded from consideration,

depending upon the nature of the

mitigation application.

Please keep in mind that NAWCA and

matching funds may be applied only to

wetlands acquisition, creation,

enhancement, and/or restoration; they

may not be applied to signage, displays,

trails or other educational features,

materials and equipment, even though

the goal of the project may ultimately be

to support wetland conservation

education curricula. Projects oriented

toward education are not ordinarily

eligible for NAWCA funding because

education is not a primary purpose of

the Act. However, useful project

outcomes can include educational

benefits resulting from conservation

actions. Research is also not a primary

purpose of the Act, and research

proposals are not considered for

funding.

Even though we require less total

application information for Small

Grants than we do for the Standard

Grants program, Small Grant proposals

must have clear explanations and meet

the basic purposes given above and the

1:1 or greater non-Federal matching

requirements of the NAWCA. Small

Grants projects must also be consistent

with Council-established guidelines,

objectives and policies. All non-Federal

matching funds and proposed

expenditures of grant funds must be

consistent with Appendix A of the

Small Grants instructions, ‘‘Eligibility

Requirements for Match of NAWCA

Grant and Non-Federal Funds.’’

Applicants must submit a completed

Standard Form 424, Application For

Federal Assistance. Hard copies of

Small Grant instructions (booklets) are

no longer provided, except under

special circumstances. However, the

NAWCA Program website,

birdhabitat.fws.gov, contains

instructions for completing and

submitting a Small Grant application, as

well as forms and instructions for the

Standard Form 424.

Small Grant proposals may be

submitted prior to the due date but must

be postmarked no later than Friday,

November 30, 2001. Address submitted

proposals as follows: Division of Bird

Habitat Conservation, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax

Drive, Suite 110, Arlington, VA 22203,

Attn: Small Grants Coordinator.

Applicants must submit complete

grant request packages to the Division of

Bird Habitat Conservation (DBHC),

including all of the documentation of

partners (partner letters) with funding

pledge amounts. Information on funding

in partner letters, i.e., amounts and

description regarding use, must

correspond with budget amounts in the

budget table and any figures provided in

the narrative.

With the volume of proposals

received, we are not usually able to

contact proposal sources to verify and/

or request supplemental data and/or

materials. Thus, those proposals lacking

required information or containing

conflicting information are subject to

being declared ineligible and not further

considered for funding.

For more information, call the DBHC

office secretary at 703–358–1784,

facsimile 703–358–2282, or send E-mail

to R9ARW_DBHC@FWS.GOV. Small

Grant application instructions may be

available by E-mail as a WordPerfect

file, upon request.

In conclusion, we require that, upon

arrival in the DBHC, proposal packages

must be: complete with regard to the

information requested, presented in the

format requested, and be presented

according to the established deadline.

The Service has submitted

information collection requirements to

the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for review and approval under

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. On May 26, 1999,

OMB gave its approval for this

information collection and confirmed

the approval number as 1018–0100. An

agency may not conduct or sponsor, and

a person is not required to respond to,

a collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid OMB control

number. The information collection

solicited: is necessary to gain a benefit

in the form of a grant, as determined by

the North American Wetlands

Conservation Council and the Migratory

Bird Conservation Commission; is

necessary to determine the eligibility

and relative value of wetland projects;

results in an approximate paperwork

burden of 80 hours per application; and

does not carry a premise of

confidentiality. The information

collections in this program will not be

part of a system of records covered by

the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).

Dated: May 22, 2001.

Thomas O. Melius,

Assistant Director—Migratory Birds and State

Programs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 01–14327 Filed 6–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Indian Gaming

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of approved Tribal-State

Compact.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 11 of the

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988

(IGRA), Pub. L. 100–497, 25 U.S.C.

2710, the Secretary of the Interior shall

publish, in the Federal Register, notice

of approved Tribal-State Compacts for

the purpose of engaging in Class III

gaming activities on Indian lands. The

Deputy Assistant Secretary—Indian

Affairs (Management), Department of

the Interior, through his delegated

authority, has approved the Off-Track

Wagering Compact between the

Choctaw Nation and the State of

Oklahoma, which was executed on

March 28, 2001.

DATES: This action is effective June 7,

2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

George T. Skibine, Director, Office of

Indian Gaming Management, Bureau of

Indian Affairs, Washington, DC 20240,

(202) 219–4066.

Dated: May 25, 2001.

James H. McDivitt,

Deputy Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs

(Management).

[FR Doc. 01–14308 Filed 6–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Indian Gaming

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of approved Tribal-State

Compact.