Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 204 / Monday, October 24, 2005 / Notices 61469 

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 7, 2005. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Magda Ruiz, Recovery Division, Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, 

Washington, DC 20472, (202) 646–2705. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is 

hereby given that, in a letter dated 

October 7, 2005, the President declared 

a major disaster under the authority of 

the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 

U.S.C. 5121–5206 (the Stafford Act), as 

follows: 

I have determined that the damage in 

certain areas of the State of North Carolina 

resulting from Hurricane Ophelia on 

September 11–17, 2005, is of sufficient 

severity and magnitude to warrant a major 

disaster declaration under the Robert T. 

Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 

Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121–5206 (the 

Stafford Act). Therefore, I declare that such 

a major disaster exists in the State of North 

Carolina. 

In order to provide Federal assistance, you 

are hereby authorized to allocate from funds 

available for these purposes such amounts as 

you find necessary for Federal disaster 

assistance and administrative expenses. 

You are authorized to provide Public 

Assistance in the designated areas; Hazard 

Mitigation throughout the State; and any 

other forms of assistance under the Stafford 

Act you may deem appropriate. Consistent 

with the requirement that Federal assistance 

be supplemental, any Federal funds provided 

under the Stafford Act for Public Assistance 

and Hazard Mitigation will be limited to 75 

percent of the total eligible costs. If Other 

Needs Assistance under Section 408 of the 

Stafford Act is later warranted, Federal 

funding under that program will also be 

limited to 75 percent of the total eligible 

costs. 

Further, you are authorized to make 

changes to this declaration to the extent 

allowable under the Stafford Act. 

The Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA) hereby gives notice that 

pursuant to the authority vested in the 

Acting Under Secretary for Emergency 

Preparedness and Response, Department 

of Homeland Security, under Executive 

Order 12148, as amended, Michael Karl, 

of FEMA is appointed to act as the 

Federal Coordinating Officer for this 

declared disaster. 

I do hereby determine the following 

areas of the State of North Carolina to 

have been affected adversely by this 

declared major disaster: 

The counties of Brunswick, Carteret, 

Craven, Dare, Hyde, Jones, New 

Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, and Pender 

for Public Assistance. 

All counties within the State of North 

Carolina are eligible to apply for 

assistance under the Hazard Mitigation 

Grant Program. 

(The following Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Numbers (CFDA) are to be used 

for reporting and drawing funds: 97.030, 

Community Disaster Loans; 97.031, Cora 

Brown Fund Program; 97.032, Crisis 

Counseling; 97.033, Disaster Legal Services 

Program; 97.034, Disaster Unemployment 

Assistance (DUA); 97.046, Fire Management 

Assistance; 97.048, Individuals and 

Households Housing; 97.049, Individuals and 

Households Disaster Housing Operations; 

97.050, Individuals and Households 

Program—Other Needs; 97.036, Public 

Assistance Grants; 97.039, Hazard Mitigation 

Grant Program.) 

R. David Paulison, 

Acting Under Secretary, Emergency 

Preparedness and Response, Department of 

Homeland Security. 

[FR Doc. 05–21136 Filed 10–21–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Availability of a Proposed Safe Harbor 

Agreement for the California RedLegged Frog and Valley Elderberry 

Longhorn Beetle for the Burrows and 

Big Bluff Ranches in Tehama County, 

CA 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; receipt of 

application. 

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public 

that the owners of the Burrows Ranch 

and Big Bluff Ranch (Applicants) have 

applied to the Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Service) for an enhancement of survival 

permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of 

the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) (Act). 

The permit application includes a 

proposed Safe Harbor Agreement 

(Agreement) between the Applicants 

and the Service for the threatened 

California red-legged frog (CRLF, Rana 

aurora draytonii) and the valley 

elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB, 

Desmocerus californicus dimorphus). 

The Agreement and permit application 

are available for public comment. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

received on or before November 23, 

2005. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

addressed to Catrina Martin, Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and 

Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, W–

2605, Sacramento, California 95825. 

Written comments may be sent by 

facsimile to (916) 414–6711. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Catrina Martin, Sacramento Fish and 

Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES); 

telephone: (916) 414–6600. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Availability of Documents 

You may obtain copies of the 

documents for review by contacting the 

individual named above. You may also 

make an appointment to view the 

documents at the above address during 

normal business hours. 

Background 

Under a Safe Harbor Agreement, 

participating landowners voluntarily 

undertake management activities on 

their property to enhance, restore, or 

maintain habitat benefiting species 

listed under the Act. Safe Harbor 

Agreements encourage private and other 

non-Federal property owners to 

implement conservation efforts for 

listed species by assuring property 

owners they will not be subjected to 

increased property use restrictions as a 

result of their efforts to attract listed 

species to their property or increase the 

numbers or distribution of listed species 

already on their property. Application 

requirements and issuance criteria for 

enhancement of survival permits 

through Safe Harbor Agreements are 

found in 50 CFR 17.22(c). We have 

worked with the Applicants to develop 

the proposed Agreement for the 

conservation of covered species on their 

Ranches in Tehama County, California. 

This Agreement allows for 

management and conservation of the 

CRLF and VELB (covered species) on 

7,450 acres of private land, owned by 

the Applicants in Tehama County, 

California. The proposed duration of the 

Agreement is 15 years, and the proposed 

term of the enhancement of a survival 

permit is 17 years. The permit would 

run the additional 2 years upon a 

determination by the Service that the 

actions identified in the Agreement 

were implemented prior to its 15 year 

expiration. This Agreement will allow 

the Applicants to return to baseline 

condition after 15 years, if so desired by 

the Applicants. 

The Applicants also will receive 

incidental take authorization, should 

take of the covered species occur while 

conducting otherwise lawful activities. 

While unlikely, it is possible that in the 

course of normal activities, the 

Applicants could take a covered species. 

The Agreement fully describes the 

proposed project, management actions, 

and the conservation benefits that will 

be gained for the CRLF and the VELB. 

The Service has made a preliminary 

determination that the proposed 

Agreement and permit application are 

eligible for categorical exclusion under 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

of 1969 (NEPA). We explain the basis 

61470 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 204 / Monday, October 24, 2005 / Notices 

for this determination in an 

Environmental Action Statement, which 

is also available for public review. 

The presence of both CRLF and VELB 

on the enrolled properties is uncertain 

at this time due to lack of detailed 

survey information. For the purposes of 

the Agreement, the Service and 

Applicants have set the baseline for 

CRLF and VELB as the habitat that 

existed on the ranches prior to wetland 

creation activities. Therefore, the CRLF 

baseline is 18 reservoirs comprising 

approximately 45 acres. Sixteen of the 

reservoirs occur on the Burrows Ranch 

and two on the Big Bluff Ranch. For the 

VELB, the baseline is 65 naturally 

occurring elderberry bushes, of which 

39 occur on the Burrows Ranch and 25 

occur on the Big Bluff Ranch. 

Under the Agreement, the Applicants 

would or have undertaken activities to 

benefit the CRLF. The Applicants have 

fenced nine existing reservoirs and six 

newly created ponds and installed 

watering troughs in order to exclude 

livestock from the reservoirs. The 

Applicants propose to: (1) Manage 

existing wetlands (through the use of 

livestock or light equipment) to 

maintain open water and wetland 

vegetation to benefit CRLF; (2) where 

practical and feasible for the Applicants 

and where it does not interfere with the 

operation of the Ranches, undertake 

bullfrog eradication efforts in ponds 

where bullfrogs are present; and (3) 

where practical and feasible for the 

Applicants and where it does not 

interfere with the operation of the 

Ranches, fence additional reservoirs and 

newly created ponds to exclude 

livestock. In addition to this, Burrows 

Ranch has created approximately 5.7 

acres of ponds. These ponds were 

developed through a cooperative 

agreement with the Service’s Partners 

for Fish and Wildlife program. 

To benefit the VELB the Applicants 

propose to: (1) Manage vegetation and 

activity around the elderberry plants 

following the most current guidelines 

and measures developed and approved 

by the Service; (2) allow for recruitment 

of elderberry plants within riparian 

areas near existing elderberry plant 

communities by allowing all newly 

established elderberry plants within 50 

feet of existing elderberry plants to grow 

and mature; and (3) work with the 

Service to identify suitable habitat areas 

and once funding is secured, plant 

elderberry bushes in areas amenable to 

the Applicants. 

Under the Agreement, consistent with 

the Service’s Safe Harbor Policy 

published in the Federal Register on 

June 17, 1999 (64 FR 32717), the Service 

would issue a permit to the Applicants 

authorizing incidental take as a result of 

normal land management activities on 

the Ranches’ 7,450 acres. The properties 

subject to this Agreement range in 

elevation from approximately 800 feet to 

1,760 feet and have traditionally been 

used for agricultural production, 

including cattle grazing and farming for 

dry land crops. Some of the land use 

activities that the Applicants have 

completed to further their land 

stewardship goals and to increase 

income from hunting and livestock 

grazing include creating wildlife habitat 

ponds for waterfowl, amphibians, game 

species, and others; fencing existing 

reservoirs and installing watering 

troughs in order to exclude livestock 

from the reservoirs to improve habitat 

for waterfowl; maintaining and 

monitoring wood duck nest boxes; 

clearing decadent brush and reseeding 

to annual clovers and perennial grasses 

to provide wildlife food and cover; 

planting grains and alfalfa for wildlife; 

and holding annual Stewardship Days 

in which neighbors, college students, 

resource agency employees, and others 

learn about sustainable ranch 

management and wildlife habitat 

improvement techniques, conduct 

vegetation and wildlife monitoring, and 

more. 

Public Review and Comments 

Individuals wishing copies of the 

permit application, copies of our 

preliminary Environmental Action 

Statement, and/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 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. Individual respondents 

may request that we withhold their 

home address from the record, which 

we will honor to the extent allowable by 

law. There also may be circumstances in 

which we would withhold from the 

record a respondent’s identity, as 

allowable by law. If you wish us to 

withhold your name and/or address, 

you must state this prominently at the 

beginning of your comment. 

Anonymous comments will not be 

considered. All submissions from 

organizations or businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, are 

available for public inspection in their 

entirety. 

We will evaluate this 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 we determine that the 

requirements are met, we will sign the 

proposed Agreement and issue an 

enhancement of survival permit under 

section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Act to the 

Applicants for take of the CLRF and the 

VELB incidental to otherwise lawful 

activities in accordance with the terms 

of the Agreement. We will not make our 

final decision until after the end of the 

30-day comment period and will fully 

consider all comments received during 

the comment period. 

The Service provides this notice 

pursuant to section 10(c) of the Act and 

pursuant to implementing regulations 

for NEPA (40 CFR 1506.6). 

Dated: October 18, 2005. 

Ken McDermond, 

Deputy Manager, California/Nevada 

Operations Office, Sacramento, California. 

[FR Doc. 05–21172 Filed 10–21–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Geological Survey 

Request for Public Comments on 

Extension of Existing Information 

Collection Submitted to OMB for 

Review Under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act 

A proposal extending information 

collection described below has been 

submitted to the Office of Management 

and Budget for approval under the 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Copies of the 

proposed collection of information may 

be obtained by contacting the Bureau’s 

clearance officer at the phone number 

listed below. OMB has up to 60 days to 

approve or disapprove the information 

collection but may respond after 30 

days; therefore, public comments 

should be submitted to OMB within 30 

days in order to assure their maximum 

consideration. Address your comments 

and suggestions on the proposal by fax 

(202) 395–6566 or e-mail 

(oira_docket@omb.eop.gov) to the Office 

of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget,