Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 194 / Friday, October 7, 2005 / Notices 58737 

Applicant: Michael J. Vorst, Destin, 

FL, PRT–110049. 

The applicant requests a permit to 

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus) 

sport hunted from the Lancaster Sound 

polar bear population in Canada for 

personal, noncommercial use. 

Dated: September 30, 2005. 

Monica Farris, 

Senior Permit Biologist, Branch of Permits, 

Division of Management Authority. 

[FR Doc. 05–20240 Filed 10–6–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Draft Supplemental Environmental 

Impact Statement on the Translocation 

of Southern Sea Otters 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public 

that we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service), have prepared a draft 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement on the Translocation of 

Southern Sea Otters (draft SEIS), which 

is available for public review. The draft 

SEIS evaluates options for continuing, 

revising, or terminating the southern sea 

otter translocation program (52 FR 

29754; August 11, 1987). The document 

describes the proposed action and other 

alternatives under consideration and 

discloses the direct, indirect, and 

cumulative environmental effects of 

each of the alternatives. 

DATES: We will accept comments on this 

draft SEIS until January 5, 2006. Public 

hearings regarding this draft SEIS and 

associated proposed rule will be held in 

Santa Barbara, California, on November 

1, 2005, and in Monterey, California, on 

November 3, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Individuals who would like 

a copy of this draft SEIS for review 

should contact Greg Sanders, U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, Ventura Fish and 

Wildlife Office, 2493 Portola Road, 

Suite B, Ventura, California 93003–

7726. The draft SEIS is also available on 

the Internet at http://ventura.fws.gov 

and at the California libraries listed 

below: 

Ventura County Library. 

Santa Barbara County Library. 

Monterey County Library. 

Public hearing locations will be 

announced in the Santa Barbara News 

Press and the Monterey Herald. 

For how to submit your comments, 

please see ‘‘Public Comments Solicited’’

under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg 

Sanders, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, 2493 

Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, 

California 93003–7726 (telephone: 805/ 

644–1766 x315; facsimile: 805/644–

3958). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: It is our 

intent that the draft SEIS be as accurate 

as possible. Therefore, we solicit 

comments or suggestions from the 

public, other concerned governmental 

agencies, the scientific community, 

industry, or any other interested party 

concerning this draft SEIS. 

On July 27, 2000, we published a 

notice in the Federal Register (65 FR 

46172) announcing our intent to prepare 

a supplement to our 1987 Final 

Environmental Impact Statement on the 

Translocation of Southern Sea Otters 

and inviting comments on the scope of 

the supplement. Comments submitted 

were considered and are reflected in the 

draft SEIS made available for comment 

through this notice. 

Contrary to expectations and to the 

primary recovery objective of the 

program, the translocation of sea otters 

to San Nicolas Island has not resulted in 

an established population sufficient to 

repopulate other areas of the range 

should a catastrophic event affect the 

mainland population. Additionally, 

maintenance of a designated 

management (no-otter) zone has proven 

to be more difficult than anticipated and 

hinders recovery of the southern sea 

otter. The draft SEIS evaluates options 

for continuing, revising, or terminating 

the southern sea otter translocation 

program. 

We consider six alternatives, 

including a No Action Alternative. 

Alternative 1 resumes implementation 

of the 1987 southern sea otter 

translocation program as originally 

defined. Alternative 2 resumes 

implementation of the 1987 southern 

sea otter translocation program but 

reduces the size of the management 

zone. Alternatives 3A, 3B, and 3C allow 

for the natural range expansion of 

southern sea otters through termination 

of the 1987 translocation program, 

including its associated translocation 

zone and management zone, but differ 

in the actions to be taken with sea otters 

existing in these zones upon 

termination of the program. Alternative 

3A requires the short-term removal of 

sea otters from both the management 

zone and the translocation zone before 

natural range expansion is allowed. 

Alternative 3B requires the short-term 

removal of sea otters from the 

translocation zone only. The Service’s 

proposed action (Alternative 3C) is to 

allow for the natural range expansion of 

sea otters through termination of the 

1987 translocation program and to allow 

sea otters existing in the former 

translocation and management zones to 

remain there. 

Public Comments Solicited 

If you wish to comment, you may 

submit your comments and materials 

concerning this draft SEIS by any one of 

several methods: 

(1) You may submit written comments 

and materials to the Field Supervisor, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura 

Fish and Wildlife Office, 2493 Portola 

Road, Suite B, Ventura, California 

93003–7726; 

(2) You may send comments by 

electronic mail (e-mail) to 

fw1seaotterseis@fws.gov; or 

(3) You may attend a public hearing 

and present oral testimony and/or 

written testimony. 

Our practice is to make comments, 

including names and home addresses of 

respondents, available for public review 

during regular business hours. 

Individual respondents may request that 

we withhold their home addresses from 

the record, which we will honor to the 

extent allowable by law. In some 

circumstances, we will withhold from 

the record a respondent’s identity, as 

allowable by law. We will not consider 

anonymous comments. If you wish for 

us to withhold your name and/or 

address, you must state your preference 

prominently at the beginning of your 

comments. We will make all 

submissions from organizations or 

businesses, and from individuals 

identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, available 

for public inspection in their entirety. 

This notice is provided pursuant to 

Fish and Wildlife Service regulations for 

implementing the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (40 

CFR 1506.6). 

Dated: September 20, 2005. 

Michael Fris, 

Acting Manager, California/Nevada 

Operations Office. 

[FR Doc. 05–19146 Filed 10–6–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P