Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices 34621

details of seal behavioral observations,

and estimates of the amount and nature

of all takes of seals by harassment or in

other ways. In the unanticipated event

that any cases of pinniped mortality are

judged to result from demolition

activities, this will be reported to NMFS

immediately.

Consultation

NBVC has not requested the take of

any listed species. Therefore, NMFS has

determined that a section 7 consultation

under the Endangered Species Act is not

required at this time.

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA)

The Department of the Navy,

following Council on Environmental

Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500), has

found that demolition and disposal

involving buildings or structures neither

on, nor eligible for, listing on the

National Register of Historic Places and

requiring removal of hazardous

materials, are categorically excluded

from further documentation under

NEPA (32 CFR 775, Department of Navy

Procedures for Implementing the

National Environmental Policy Act).

NBVC is preparing a Record of

Categorical Exclusion for all phases of

this demolition project.

Conclusions

NMFS has preliminarily determined

that the short-term impact of conducting

demolition and removal activities in

Mugu Lagoon will result, at worst, in a

temporary modification in behavior by

harbor seals, and potentially northern

elephant seals and California sea lions.

While behavioral modifications may be

made by these species to avoid the

resultant acoustic and visual stimuli,

previous observations of the responses

of pinnipeds to loud military overflights

and regular human activities near the

Mugu Lagoon haul-out sites have not

shown injury, mortality, or extended

disturbance. Therefore, NMFS

preliminarily concludes that the effects

of the planned demolition activities will

have no more than a negligible impact

on pinnipeds.

Due to the localized nature of these

activities, the number of potential

takings by harassment are estimated to

be small. In addition, no take by injury

and/or death is anticipated, and the

potential for temporary or permanent

hearing impairment will be avoided

through the incorporation of the

mitigation measures mentioned in this

document. No rookeries, mating

grounds, areas of concentrated feeding,

or other areas of special significance for

marine mammals occur within or near

Mugu Lagoon during the period of

demolition activities.

Proposed Authorization

NMFS proposes to issue an IHA to

NBVC for demolition activities to take

place in Mugu Lagoon, CA during a 1-

year period provided the previously

mentioned mitigation, monitoring, and

reporting requirements are incorporated.

NMFS has preliminarily determined

that the proposed activity would result

in the harassment of only small

numbers of harbor seals and potentially

northern elephant seals and California

sea lions; would have no more than a

negligible impact on these marine

mammal stocks; and would not have an

unmitigable adverse impact on the

availability of marine mammal stocks

for subsistence uses.

Information Solicited

NMFS requests interested persons to

submit comments and information

concerning this request to Donna

Wieting, Chief, Marine Mammal

Conservation Division, Office of

Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD

20910-3225.

Dated: June 25, 2001.

Wanda Cain,

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Protected

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–16468 Filed 6–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 062201A]

Endangered Species; Permits

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permits 1260, 1262

and 1135; Issuance of an amendment to

scientific research/enhancement permit

1177.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the

following actions regarding permits for

takes of endangered and threatened

species for the purposes of scientific

research and/or enhancement under the

Endangered Species Act (ESA): NMFS

has issued permit 1262 to Dr. Cindy

Driscoll, of Maryland Department of

Natural Resources; permit 1260 to Dr.

Joseph Powers, of NMFS - Southeast

Regional Office; permit 1133 to the

Columbia River Research Laboratory of

the U.S. Geological Survey at Cook, WA

(USGS) and NMFS has issued an

amendment to scientific research/

enhancement permit 1177 to the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers, Portland

District in Portland, OR (Corps).

ADDRESSES: The applications and

related documents are available for

review in the indicated office, by

appointment:

For permits 1260, 1262: Endangered

Species Division, F/PR3, 1315 East West

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910

(phone:301–713–1401, fax: 301–713–

0376).

For permits 1177, 1135: Protected

Resources Division, F/NWO3, 525 NE

Oregon Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR

97232–2737 (phone: 503–230–5400, fax:

503–230–5435).

Documents may also be reviewed by

appointment in the Office of Protected

Resources, F/PR3, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD

20910-3226 (phone:301-713-1401).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

permits 1260, 1262: Terri Jordan, Silver

Spring, MD (phone: 301–713–1401, fax:

301–713–0376, e-mail:

Terri.Jordan@noaa.gov)

For permit 1135: Robert Koch,

Portland, OR (ph: 503–230–5424, fax:

503–230–5435, e-mail:

Robert.Koch@noaa.gov).

For permit 1177: Leslie Schaeffer,

Portland, OR (phone: 503–230–5433,

fax: 503–230–5435, e-mail:

Leslie.Schaeffer@noaa.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

Issuance of permits and permit

modifications, as required by the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16

U.S.C. 1531–1543) (ESA), is based on a

finding that such permits/modifications:

(1) are applied for in good faith; (2)

would not operate to the disadvantage

of the listed species which are the

subject of the permits; and (3) are

consistent with the purposes and

policies set forth in section 2 of the

ESA. Scientific research and/or

enhancement permits are issued under

Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA.

Authority to take listed species is

subject to conditions set forth in the

permits. Permits and modifications are

issued in accordance with and are

subject to the ESA and NMFS

regulations governing listed fish and

wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 222–226).

Those individuals requesting a

hearing on an application listed in this

notice should set out the specific

reasons why a hearing on that

application would be appropriate (see

ADDRESSES). The holding of such

hearing is at the discretion of the

34622 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

NOAA. All statements and opinions

contained in the permit action

summaries are those of the applicant

and do not necessarily reflect the views

of NMFS.

Species Covered in This Notice

The following species and

evolutionarily significant units (ESU’s)

are covered in this notice:

Sea turtles

Threatened and endangered Green

turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Endangered Hawksbill turtle

(Eretmochelys imbricata)

Endangered Kemp’s ridley turtle

(Lepidochelys kempii)

Endangered Leatherback turtle

(Dermochelys coriacea)

Threatened Loggerhead turtle (Caretta

caretta)

Fish

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch):

threatened Southern Oregon/Northern

California Coasts (SONCC).

Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus

mykiss): threatened lower Columbia

River (LCR)

Permits and Modified Permits Issued

Permit 1260

Notice was published on August 31,

2000 (65 FR 52988), that Dr. Joseph

Powers, of SERO applied for a scientific

research permit (1260). The applicant

has requested a 4–year permit to take

listed sea turtles in the coastal waters of

the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

The research conducted in these areas

support the National Marine Fisheries

Service sea turtle recovery program.

Research activities include: directed in

water research, aerial surveys, resource

surveys, and fishery technology testing

and implementation. Leatherback,

loggerhead, green, hawksbill and

Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the focus

of the recovery efforts in the southeast

region. Permit 1260 was issued on June

18, 2001, authorizing take of listed

species. Permit 1260 expires April 1,

2004.

Permit 1262

Notice was published on August 17,

2000 (65 FR 50185), that Dr. Cindy

Driscoll, of MD Department of Natural

Resources applied for a scientific

research permit (1262). The applicant

has requested a 5–year permit to take 50

loggerhead, 30 Kemp’s ridley, 10

leatherback, 5 green and 5 hawksbill

turtles from the upper and middle

Chesapeake Bay for scientific research

purposes. Each turtle would be

captured, handled, measured, weighed,

tagged, and have biological samples

(tissue and blood) collected and then

released. Yearly sampling would occur

from May to November. Permit 1262

was issued on June 19, 2001,

authorizing take of listed species. Permit

1262 expires July 31, 2006.

Permit 1135

Notice was published on March 2,

1998 (63 FR 10198), that USGS applied

for a scientific research permit (1135).

Permit 1135 was issued to USGS on

June 18, 2001. Permit 1135 authorizes

USGS an annual take of adult and

juvenile, threatened, LCR steelhead

associated with research designed to

provide information on the survival

rates, growth rates, habitat use,

population densities, fish health, and

life history diversity of steelhead in the

Wind River Basin of southern

Washington. The research will provide

information that will assist state, tribal,

and Federal managers in their effort to

restore LCR steelhead populations and

their habitats in the Wind River Basin.

ESA-listed adult and juvenile steelhead

will be observed/harassed during

snorkel surveys and during habitat

surveys at selected sites in the Wind

River Basin. ESA-listed juvenile

steelhead will also be collected using a

backpack electrofisher, anesthetized,

sampled for biological data (length,

weight, disease status) and tissues/

scales, allowed to recover from the

anesthesia, and released. Indirect

mortalities associated with the research

are authorized. In addition, ESA-listed

juvenile steelhead will be taken lethally

for pathological analyses. Permit 1135

expires on December 31, 2002.

Permit 1177

NMFS has issued an amendment to

the Corps’ scientific research/

enhancement permit to extend the

permit through June 30, 2003. The

permit was due to expire on

June 30, 2001. The permit authorizes

take of adult and juvenile, threatened,

SONCC coho salmon associated with

scientific research and an adult fish

trap-and-haul program at Elk Creek Dam

on the Rogue River in OR. The purpose

of the trap-and-haul program is to move

returning ESA-listed adult fish above

Elk Creek Dam, an impassable barrier

for adult salmonids, so that the fish may

use the habitat upstream of the dam for

natural spawning. To determine the

annual spawning success of the fish

upstream of the dam, ESA-listed

juvenile fish will be observed by

snorkeling. In addition, ESA-listed adult

fish carcasses will be examined for

evidence of spawning and immediately

returned to the stream. Permit 1177

expires on June 30, 2003.

Dated: June 22, 2001.

Phil Williams,

Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–16466 Filed 6–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Public Hearing on the Draft

Supplement to the 1997 Environmental

Impact Statement for the Yuma

Training Range Complex

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Announcement of public

hearing.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National

Environmental Policy Act as

implemented by the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations (40

CFR parts 1500–1508), the Department

of the Navy has prepared a Supplement

to the 1997 Environmental Impact

Statement for the Yuma Training Range

Complex to evaluate the cumulative

impacts on the Sonoran Pronghorn, an

endangered species, of Marine Corps

actions when added to other past,

present and reasonably foreseeable

future actions. Three public hearings

will be held in order to collect public

comments on the document as indicated

below.

DATES: Public hearings will be held on

the following dates and at the locations

listed below.

1. Tuesday, July 10, 2001, in the Gila

Vista Junior High School Cafeteria, 2245

Arizona Avenue, Yuma, AZ, 5:30 to 8:00

p.m.

2. Wednesday, July 11, 2001, in the

Gila Bend High School Cafeteria, 308

North Martin, Gila Bend, AZ, 5:30 to

8:00 p.m.

3. Thursday, July 12, 2001, in the

Northwest Neighborhood Center, 2160

North 6th Ave, Tucson, AZ, 5:30 to 8:00

p.m.

ADDRESSES: All written comments

regarding the document should be

received by July 30, 2001, and may be

directed to Commander, Southwest

Division, Naval Facilities Engineering

Command, Code 5DPR.DT (Attn: Ms.

Deb Theroux), 220 Pacific Highway, San

Diego, CA, 92132–5190.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Deb Theroux, telephone (619) 532–1162,

FAX (619) 522–1242.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Marine Corps completed an