54706 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 179 / Friday, September 16, 2005 / Notices 

determine whether the requesting party 

consents to the fees charged by NAL. 

Estimate of Burden: Average 1.00 

minute per response. 

Description of Respondents: 

Respondents to the collection of 

information are those libraries, 

institutions, or organizations that 

request interlibrary loans or copies of 

material in the NAL collections. Each 

respondent must furnish the 

information for each loan or copying 

request. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

2100. 

Frequency of Responses: Average 15 

per respondent. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 525 hours. 

Comments: Comments are invited on 

(a) Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether the 

information will have a practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate 

of the burden of the proposed collection 

of information including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 

and clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, such as 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques. Comments may be sent to 

Wayne Thompson at the address listed 

above within 65 days after date of 

publication. All responses to this notice 

will be summarized and included in the 

request for OMB approval. All 

comments will also become a matter of 

public record. 

Dated: September 8, 2005. 

Edward B. Knipling, 

Administrator, ARS. 

[FR Doc. 05–18380 Filed 9–15–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Information Collection; Request for 

Comment; National Forest Visitor Use 

Monitoring 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Forest Service is seeking comments 

from all interested individuals and 

organizations on the extension with 

revision of information collection, 

National Forest Visitor Use Monitoring. 

DATES: Comments must be received in 

writing on or before November 15, 2005 

to be assured of consideration. 

Comments received after that date will 

be considered to the extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this 

notice should be addressed to Dr. 

Donald B.K. English, NVUM Program 

Manager, USDA-Forest Service, 1400 

Independence Ave SW., Washington, 

DC 20250. 

Comments also may be submitted via 

facsimile to (202) 205–1145 or by e-mail 

to: denglish@fs.fed.us. 

The public may inspect comments 

received at Room 4 Central, Yates 

Building, USDA-Forest Service, 

Recreation and Heritage Resources staff, 

1400 Independence Ave. SW., 

Washington, DC during normal business 

hours. Visitors are encouraged to call 

ahead to (202) 205–9595 to facilitate 

entry to the building. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Donald B.K. English, Recreation and 

Heritage Resources staff, at (202) 205–

9595. Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

may call the Federal Relay Service at 1–

800–877–8339, 24 hours a day, every 

day of the year, including holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Government Performance and 

Results Act of 1993 requires that Federal 

agencies establish measurable goals and 

monitor their success at meeting those 

goals. Two items the Forest Service 

must measure are: (1) The number of 

visits that occur on the National forest 

lands for recreation and other purposes, 

and (2) the views and satisfaction level 

of recreational visitors to National 

Forest System lands about the types and 

quality of recreation services the agency 

provides. The agency is often asked for 

this kind of information from a variety 

of organizations that include 

Congressional Staffs, newspapers, 

magazines, and recreational trade 

organizations. 

National Forest System land managers 

will use the collected information to 

better understand their recreational 

customers, to improve recreational 

opportunities and services, and to 

identify barriers that prevent the agency 

from meeting the recreational needs of 

its customers. Data and results from this 

information collection are key 

considerations in revising land and 

resource management plans for National 

Forests, as required by the National 

Forest Management Act of 1976, and in 

agency strategic planning efforts. In 

addition, information and results from 

this collection are directly used in 

several of the OMB Program Analysis 

Reporting Tool (PART) measures for the 

Forest Service Recreation program. 

Examples include measures of customer 

satisfaction, participation in physically 

active outdoor activities, and estimates 

of recreation visitation. 

The currently approved information 

collection is designed to estimate the 

number of visits to National Forests and 

Grasslands for recreation as well as 

obtain information on key management 

issues including the proportion of 

visitors that engage in various outdoor 

recreation activities, the geographic and 

demographic populations served, visitor 

satisfaction with facilities and services 

provided, the amount of recreational use 

that occurs on designated wilderness 

areas, and salient economic aspects of 

recreational use of National Forests. The 

collected information will be shared 

with all National Forest System land 

managers and upon request, with others. 

Results from this collection will be 

published in agency reports and various 

research journals. 

The sampling design, survey 

instrument, and analysis protocols are 

also being tested at several areas by the 

Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau 

of Land Management to evaluate the 

applicability of this collection as a 

scientifically-credible and effective 

means of obtaining visitation estimates 

and visitor characteristics on its lands. 

As well, the DOI National Park Service 

and Fish and Wildlife Service will be 

testing the protocols on their lands in 

Southern Nevada to obtain information 

needed to conform with the Southern 

Nevada Public Land Management Act. 

Title: National Visitor Use 

Monitoring. 

OMB Number: 0596–0110. 

Expiration Date of Approval: April 30, 

2006. 

Type of Request: Extension with 

revision. 

Abstract: Data from this information 

collection is used to estimate the 

number of recreational visits to National 

Forests and Grasslands, and designated 

wilderness areas, as well as the types of 

activities in which these visitors 

participate. The data are used to identify 

recreational markets, defined customers 

served, evaluate visitor satisfaction, and 

estimate the economic values and 

impacts of recreational visits. 

Respondents are asked questions about 

the activities in which they participate 

while visiting National Forest System 

lands, the duration of their visit, how 

often they visit, what types of items they 

have purchased during their visit, and 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 179 / Friday, September 16, 2005 / Notices 54707 

their satisfaction with various aspects of 

the locations they visited. 

Forest Service or contractor personnel 

will interview visitors as they exit 

National Forest System lands at a 

stratified random sample of recreational 

sites and forest access points. Surveys 

will be conducted on about one-fifth of 

the National Forests each year, so that 

complete coverage of agency lands 

occurs over a five-year cycle. Results of 

this study will be published in agency 

reports and various research journals. 

Data gathered in this collection is not 

available from other sources. 

Estimate of Annual Burden: 10 

minutes. 

Type of Respondents: People who 

visit National Forest System lands. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Respondents: 66,000. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Responses per Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 11,000 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 agency, including whether the 

information will have practical or 

scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the 

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 

request for Office of Management and 

Budget approval. 

Dated: September 2, 2005. 

Frederick R. Norbury, 

Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest 

System. 

[FR Doc. 05–18385 Filed 9–15–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Plumas National Forest, Feather River 

Ranger District, California, Slapjack 

Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice to intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement to disclose the environmental 

effects from construction of defensible 

fuel profile zones (DFPZs); harvest and 

reforestation of timber stands; watersted 

rehabilitation; control of noxious weeds; 

construction of temporary roads and 

reconstruction of specified roads; 

decommissioning of roads; road access 

restrictions, and underburning forest 

fuels and debris in the Slapjack project 

area. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received within 

30 days of the publication of this notice 

in the Federal Register. The draft 

environmental impact statement is 

expected by January 2006, and the final 

environmental impact statement is 

expected by April 2006. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments 

concerning this notice to James M. Pen ̃ a, 

Forest Supervisor, Plumas National 

Forest, P.O. Box 11500, 159 Lawrence 

Street, Quincy, CA 95971. Comments 

may be (1) mailed to the Responsible 

Official; (2) hand-delivered between the 

hours of 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, excluding holidays; (3) 

faxed to (530) 283–7746; or (4) 

electronically mailed to: commentspacificsouthwestplumas@fs.fed.us. 

Comments submitted electronically 

must be in Rich Text Format (.rtf). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Susan Joyce, Project Leader, Feather 

River Ranger District, 875 Mitchell 

Avenue, Oroville, CA 95965, or call 

(530) 534–6500. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Project Location 

The Slapjack project area is located 

approximately 19 air miles east of 

Oroville, California, near the 

communities of Challenge, Brownsville, 

Dobbins, Forbestown, Feather Falls, 

Woodleaf, Clipper Mills, and Strawberry 

Valley. The project area consists of 

approximately 27,000 acres of public 

and private land and is located within 

Butte, Yuba, and Plumas Counties, 

California. It is generally situated 

between Lake Oroville to Dobbins to the 

west, the North Yuba River to Wambo 

Bar on the East, and from Barton Hill to 

the town of Feather Falls to the North. 

The area ranges in elevation from 

approximately 1,300 to 3,800 feet above 

mean sea level. 

The legal description of the project 

area is: Township (T) 20N, Range (R) 6E, 

portions of Sections 15, 23, 25, 26, and 

34; T20N, R8E, portions of Section 32; 

T19N, R6E, portions of Sections 2–5, 9, 

11 and 14; T19N, R7E, portions of 

Sections 1, 8, 11–13, 16–21 and 27–34; 

T19N, R8E, portions of Sections 4, 5, 

and 6; T18N, R7E, portions of Sections 

2, 3, 12, 14, 22, 23, 26, and 34, Mount 

Diablo Base and Meridian. 

Proposed Action 

The Forest Service proposes to 

construct approximately 18 miles of 

DFPZs with a total treatment area of 

approximately 4,800 acres. A DFPZ is a 

strategically located strip of land 

approximately 1⁄4 mile in width on 

which fuels, both living and dead, have 

been modified in order to reduce the 

potential for sustained crown fire and to 

allow fire suppression personnel a safer 

location from which to take action 

against a wildfire. Proposed DFPZs are 

located primarily on ridges. Due to 

dense brush in the area, use of 

herbicides is proposed to maintain the 

effectiveness of the DFPZs. Use of 

mechanical ground based equipment is 

proposed on 1,099 acres in DFPZs for 

masticating woody shrubs and trees 

under 10 inches in diameter at breast 

height. The healthiest, largest, and 

tallest conifers would be left at a 

spacing of 18 to 25 feet, depending on 

size of the remaining trees. Mastication 

would break up fuel continuity in these 

stands. 

The Forest Service also proposes to 

harvest approximately 12 million board 

feet of timber through application of 

group selection and individual tree 

selection harvest methods. Group 

selection timber harvest would be 

conducted on approximately 240 acres 

within and near the DFPZ treatment 

units. Group selection involves harvest 

of trees up to 30-inches in diameter 

from small (1⁄2 to 2 acres) groups. The 

240 acres would be harvested from a 

total area of about 2,291 acres. Over 

time, this would create an uneven-aged 

(all-aged) forests made up of a 

patchwork of small groups of same-aged 

trees. Individual tree selection harvest 

would be conducted on 148 acres to 

improve forest health and favor fire 

resilient tree species. 

Use of existing and temporary roads 

would be needed to access timber and 

DFPZ treatment areas. An estimated 26 

miles of existing road would be 

reconstructed with 2 additional miles of 

road resurfacing. An additional 26 miles 

of road, no longer in use or needed, 

would be decommissioned or closed by 

various methods, such as removal of 

culverts, ripping and seeding, 

recountouring, and installing barriers. 

Use of herbicides to control the 

spread of noxious weeds is proposed on 

10 to 15 acres. Aquatic and riparian