5498 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 20 / Wednesday, January 30, 2008 / Notices 

miles of existing roads, (15) 

decommission 18 miles of roads, (16) 

construct 19 permanent log landings, 

and (17) construct 20 temporary log 

landings. The total treatment area is 

6,569 acres. 

Responsible Official 

Stevan J. Christiansen, District 

Ranger; St. Ignace Ranger District; 

W1900 W US–2; St. Ignace, Michigan 

49781. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The decision to be made is whether or 

not to manage the vegetation on any or 

all of the 6,569 acres by harvesting, and; 

whether or not to manage the 

transportation system through 

construction of temporary and 

permanent roads and log landings, 

addition of unclassified roads, and road 

closures and decommissioning. 

Scoping Process 

The St. Ignace Ranger District 

proposes to scope for information by 

contacting persons and organizations on 

the Hiawatha’s mailing list and 

landowners within or adjacent to the 

project area. In addition a legal notice 

will be posted in the local newspapers. 

An open house is also scheduled for 

January 30, 2008 at the St. Ignace 

District office at the address listed 

above, from 5–8 p.m. This present 

solicitation is for comments on this 

Notice of Intent and the scoping 

materials available elsewhere, such as 

on the Hiawatha National Forest 

webpage. 

Preliminary Issues 

Preliminary or potential issues have 

been identified from experience with 

similar projects. 

(1) Timber harvesting may adversely 

impact wildlife species requiring early 

succession habitat. 

(2) Timber harvesting may adversely 

impact wildlife species requiring late 

succession habitat. 

(3) Closing and decommissioning 

roads could reduce the amount of legal 

motorized vehicle activity and could 

increase the amount of illegal motorized 

vehicle activity. 

(4) Closing and decommissioning 

roads could result in adverse effects to 

soils, riparian areas and wetlands, 

wildlife, and plants. 

(5) Timber harvesting and road 

building may adversely impact Canada 

lynx or Hart’s tongue fern. 

(6) The karst topography and its 

dependent above-ground and belowground resources may be impacted by 

the area’s ability to produce valuable 

timber products. 

Addresses 

Information is available electronically 

on the Hiawatha National Forest 

webpage: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ 

hiawatha/planning.htm—click on 

‘‘Niagara’’. Send electronic comments 

to: comments-eastern-hiawatha-stignace@fs.fed.us. When submitting 

electronic comments, please reference 

the Niagara Project on the subject line. 

In addition, include your name, mailing 

address, and whether you would like a 

CD or paper copy of the draft EIS. 

Comment Requested 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping process which guides the 

development of the environmental 

impact statement. Comments are most 

valuable if they are within the scope of 

the proposed action, specific to the 

proposed action, have a direct 

relationship to the proposed action, and 

include supporting reasons for 

consideration in the environmental 

impact statement and any subsequent 

decisions. Comments will be used to 

identify relevant issues, display 

environmental effects, or develop a 

range of reasonable alternatives to the 

proposed action. Any referenced 

scientific literature should be 

accompanied by a complete copy of the 

literature, and rationale as to its 

pertinence to the Niagara Project. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review: A draft 

environmental impact statement will be 

prepared for comment. The comment 

period on the draft environmental 

impact statement will be 45 days from 

the date the Environmental Protection 

Agency publishes the notice of 

availability in the Federal Register. 

The Forest Service believes, at this 

early stage, it is important to give 

reviewers notice of several court rulings 

related to public participation in the 

environmental review process. First, 

reviewers of draft environmental impact 

statements must structure their 

participation in the environmental 

review of the proposal so that it is 

meaningful and alerts an agency to the 

reviewer’s position and contentions. 

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. 

NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also, 

environmental objections that could be 

raised at the draft environmental impact 

statement stage but that are not raised 

until after completion of the final 

environmental impact statement may be 

waived or dismissed by the courts. City 

of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 

1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin 

Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 

1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of 

these court rulings, it is very important 

that those interested in this proposed 

action participate by the close of the 45 

day comment period so that substantive 

comments and objections are made 

available to the Forest Service at a time 

when it can meaningfully consider them 

and respond to them in the final 

environmental impact statement. 

To assist the Forest Service in 

identifying and considering issues and 

concerns on the proposed action, 

comments on the draft environmental 

impact statement should be as specific 

as possible. It is also helpful if 

comments refer to specific pages or 

chapters of the draft statement. 

Comments may also address the 

adequacy of the draft environmental 

impact statement or the merits of the 

alternatives formulated and discussed in 

the statement. Reviewers may wish to 

refer to the Council on Environmental 

Quality Regulations for implementing 

the procedural provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act at 40 

CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. 

Comments received, including the 

names and addresses of those who 

comment, will be considered part of the 

public record on this proposal and will 

be available for public inspection. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

21) 

Dated: January 23, 2008. 

Stevan J. Christiansen, 

District Ranger. 

[FR Doc. E8–1607 Filed 1–29–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Notice of Meeting; Federal Lands 

Recreation Enhancement Act (Title VIII, 

Pub. L. 108-447) 

AGENCY: USDA Forest Service. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Eastern Region 

Recreation Resource Advisory 

Committee will hold its third meeting 

via teleconference. The purpose of the 

meeting is to receive recommendations 

concerning recreation fee proposals on 

areas managed by the Forest Service in 

Michigan and to discuss other items of 

interest related to the Federal Lands 

Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004. 

A final detailed agenda, with any 

additions/corrections to agenda topics 

and meeting time, will be sent to 

regional media sources at least 14 days 

before the meeting, and hard copies can 

also be mailed or sent via FAX. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 20 / Wednesday, January 30, 2008 / Notices 5499 

Individuals who need special assistance 

such as sign language interpretation or 

other reasonable accommodations, or 

who wish a hard copy of the agenda, 

should contact Marcia Heymen at 626 E. 

Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53202 

no later than 10 days prior to the 

meeting. 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

February 26, 2008. 

Send written comments to Cheryl 

Chatham, Designated Federal Official 

for the Eastern Recreation RAC, US 

Forest Service, PO Box 1270, Hot 

Springs, AR 71902. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cheryl Chatham, Designated Federal 

Official US Forest Service, PO Box 1270, 

Hot Springs, AR 71902. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is open to the public. 

Committee discussion is limited to 

Forest Service staff and Committee 

members. However, persons who wish 

to bring recreation fee matters to the 

attention of the Committee may file 

written statements with the Committee 

staff before or after the meeting. A 

public input session will be provided 

and individuals who made written 

requests by February 20, 2008, will have 

the opportunity to address the 

Committee at the meeting. 

The Recreation RAC is authorized by 

the Federal Land Recreation 

Enhancement Act, which was signed 

into law by President Bush in December 

2004. 

Dated: January 23, 2008. 

Cheryl G. Chatham, 

Designated Federal Officer. 

[FR Doc. 08–389 Filed 1–29–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410-11-M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Mendocino Resource Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Mendocino County 

Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) 

will meet February 15, 2008 in Willits, 

California. Agenda items to be covered 

include: (1) Approval of minutes, (2) 

Public Comment, (3) Sub-committees, 

(4) Discussion—items of interest, (5) 

Discussion/approval of projects, (6) next 

agenda items and meeting date. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

February 15, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 12 

noon. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Mendocino County Museum, 

located at 400 E. Commercial St., 

Willits, California. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Roberta Hurt, Committee Coordinator, 

USDA, Mendocino National Forest, 

Covelo Ranger District, 78150 Covelo 

Road, Covelo, CA 95428. (707) 983–

8503; e-mail rhurt@fs.fed.us. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is open to the public. Persons 

who wish to bring matters to the 

attention of the Committee may file 

written statements with the Committee 

staff by February 10, 2008. Public will 

have the opportunity to address the 

committee at the meeting. 

Dated: January 23, 2008. 

Lee Johnson, 

Designated Federal Official. 

[FR Doc. 08–381 Filed 1–29–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Notice of Meeting; Federal Lands 

Recreation Enhancement Act (Title VIII, 

Pub. L. 108–447) 

AGENCY: USDA Forest Service. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Southern Region 

Recreation Resource Advisory 

Committee will hold its third meeting at 

Staybridge Suites—Atlanta Perimeter 

Center East, 4601 Ridgeview Road in 

Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of the 

meeting is to receive recommendations 

concerning recreation fee proposals on 

areas managed by the Forest Service in 

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, 

Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North 

Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, 

Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and the 

territory of Puerto Rico; and to discuss 

other items of interest related to the 

Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

Act of 2004. 

A final detailed agenda, with any 

additions/corrections to agenda topics, 

location, field trips and meeting times, 

will be sent to regional media sources at 

least 14 days before the meeting, and 

hard copies can also be mailed or sent 

via FAX. Individuals who need special 

assistance such as sign language 

interpretation or other reasonable 

accommodations, or who wish a hard 

copy of each agenda, should contact 

Caroline Mitchell at PO Box 1270, Hot 

Springs, AR 71902 (501–321–5318) no 

later than 10 days prior to the meeting. 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

February 20–21, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

Staybridge Suites—Atlanta Perimeter 

Center East, 4601 Ridgeview Road in 

Atlanta, Georgia. Send written 

comments to Cheryl Chantham 

Designated Federal Official for the 

Southern Recreation RAC, US Forest 

Service, PO Box 1270, Hot Springs, AR 

71902. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cheryl Chatham, Designated Federal 

Official, US Forest Service, PO Box 

1270, Hot Springs, AR 71902. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is open to the public. 

Committee discussion is limited to 

Forest Service staff and Committee 

members. However, persons who wish 

to bring recreation fee matters to the 

attention of the Committee may file 

written statements with the Committee 

staff before or after the meeting. A 

public input session will be provided 

and individuals who made written 

requests by February 14, 2008, will have 

the opportunity to address the 

Committee at the meeting. The 

Recreation RAC is authorized by the 

Federal land Recreation Enhancement 

Act, which was signed into law by 

President Bush in December 2004. 

Dated: January 23, 2008. 

Cheryl G. Chatham, 

Designated Federal Officer, Southern Region. 

[FR Doc. 08–390 Filed 1–29–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

Rural Utilities Service 

Notice of Request for Revision of a 

Currently Approved Information 

Collection 

AGENCIES: Rural Housing Service, 

Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural 

Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Proposed collection; Comments 

requested. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces Rural Development’s 

intention to request a revision for a 

currently approved information 

collection in support of loan programs 

administered by the Rural Housing 

Service, Business-Cooperative Service, 

and Rural Utilities Service. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by April 29, 2008. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES