Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 28, 1995 / Notices 10867

phone 1–800–NIH–OMAR (1–800–644–

6627).

Dated: February 9, 1995.

Ruth L. Kirschstein,

Deputy Director, NIH.

[FR Doc. 95–4823 Filed 2–27–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M

Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration

Grant to the Farm Resource Center

AGENCY: Center for Mental Health

Services (CMHS), Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services Administration

(SAMHSA), HHS.

ACTION: Planned single-source award to

support mental health outreach to coal

miners, farmers, and their families.

SUMMARY: This notice is to provide

information to the public concerning a

planned single-source award by the

CMHS/SAMHSA to the Farm Resource

Center (FRC) of Cairo, Illinois, to fund

the ‘‘MH Outreach to Coal Miners,

Farmers, and Families’’ project. Upon

receipt of a satisfactory grant

application that is recommended for

approval by an Initial Review Group

and the CMHS National Advisory

Council, approximately $600,000 in

Federal funds will be made available to

the FRC to carry out a 1-year project.

This is not a formal request for

applications. Grant funds will be

provided only to the FRC.

Authority/Justification: This grant

will be made under the authority of

Section 520A of the Public Health

Service Act (42 USC 290bb-32).

An award is being made on a singlesource basis in response to House and

Senate Appropriation Subcommittees

language contained in H.R. Report 103–

553 and S. Report 103–318 instructing

the agency to provide funding for two

pilot projects to provide outreach

counseling services to families of coal

miners. A grant is the appropriate

mechanism to fund this activity since

support will be provided for a public

purpose and agency involvement in the

actual conduct of the activity is not

required.

The FRC has provided mental health

and substance abuse outreach services

in rural Illinois since 1986. FRC has

provided counseling to farmers, coal

miners and their families, established a

statewide hotline, and utilized outreach

counselors to work with rural families

in their homes to address problems such

as depression, financial stress,

alcoholism, and domestic violence.

The FRC is uniquely qualified to carry

out the aims of this project in that it has

the distinction of being the only

organization with extensive experience

in linking coal miners, farmers, and

their families with mental health

services. Further, because of their years

of experience and organizational

readiness, the project can be

implemented with a minimal start-up

time. The FRC has in place mechanisms

to recruit, train, and dispatch volunteers

to provide outreach and counseling to

the target population. Moreover, FRC’s

trained staff have a long history of

working closely with State or regional

associations of the United Mine Workers

of America, Association of Public

Health Administrators, the Easter Seal

Society, and the Association of

Community Mental Health Agencies.

Background: A significant portion of

the adult population in the United

States reports experiencing personal or

emotional problems in the course of a

year. Half of these people say they are

unable to solve their problems, and

approximately one-third report they are

unable to do anything to make their

problems more bearable. Yet relatively

few seek help. Thus, outreach services

are important to engage more persons

into appropriate services. Outreach,

when carried out aggressively, can

engage and empower coal miners,

farmers, and their families by giving

them access to needed mental health

services.

The effects of economic stress are

pervasive in rural areas, and coal

miners, farmers, and their families have

been particularly hard hit.

Unemployment and underemployment

have resulted in a high incidence of

problems including alcohol/drug abuse,

family violence, depression, suicides,

and other stress-related symptoms.

This grant is intended to address the

mental health needs of a wide range of

rural population groups including the

poor, the elderly, the disabled, women

(particularly those of child bearing age),

and minority populations in Illinois and

West Virginia. It will enhance effective

service utilization in five areas by:

(1) Expanding the mental health

service capacity in communities to serve

persons in the target population;

(2) Increasing access to existing

mental health and related support

services;

(3) Increasing utilization of existing

mental health and related support

services;

(4) Developing effective public

education efforts to address mental

health and substance abuse issues; and

(5) Providing family-centered

outreach in the cultural context that is

most appropriate for the client and

family involved.

The proposed project will serve as a

national demonstration site on the

development and implementation of

outreach to rural families who are

experiencing mental illnesses or are atrisk of developing mental illnesses.

Dated: February 21, 1995.

Richard Kopanda,

Acting Executive Officer, SAMHSA.

[FR Doc. 95–4845 Filed 2–27–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4162–20–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID–030–05–1430–01; IDI–31091]

Intent To Prepare a Plan Amendment

to the Medicine Lodge Resource

Management Plan (RMP); Proposed

Sale of Public Land in Jefferson

County, ID

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a

Plan Amendment to the Medicine Lodge

Resource Management Plan (RMP);

Proposed Sale of Public Land in

Jefferson County, Idaho.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to 43 CFR part 1600,

the Idaho Falls office of the Bureau of

Land Management proposes to amend

the Medicine Lodge RMP to identify a

portion of the following described

public land as suitable for disposal. The

land, located in Jefferson County, Idaho,

will be examined for possible disposal

by direct sale to the City of Mud Lake.

Boise Meridian, Idaho

T. 6 N., R. 34 E., BM

Sec. 18, lot 10, NE1⁄4.

The land being considered for sale is

approximately 40 to 50 acres. A Cadastral

survey would be required to determine the

exact acreage and legal description.

DATES: Comments concerning the plan

amendment must be received no later

March 30, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Written comments

concerning the plan amendment may be

sent to the BLM Associate District

Manager, 940 Lincoln Road, Idaho Falls,

ID 83401.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Additional information may be obtained

by contacting Bruce Bash, Realty

Specialist, at the above address, or by

calling 208–524–7521.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

amendment would change the land

designation, of about 40–50 acres, from

retention status to transfer status. The

following resources would be

considered in preparation of the
10868 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 28, 1995 / Notices

amendment: lands, wildlife, range,

minerals, cultural resources, watershed/

soils, threatened/endangered species,

and hazardous materials. Staff members

representing each resource will be

consulted during preparation of the

environmental document.

The primary issue to be addressed is

the change in land designation from

retention to transfer status. The

amendment is not expected to be

controversial as the City of Mud Lake

currently holds an airport lease on the

same land. No public meetings are

scheduled; however, written comments

may be submitted after each of two

public notices.

Prepared documents will be available

at the BLM Idaho Falls office. Office

hours are 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, except

holidays.

Dated: February 16, 1995.

Gary L. Bliss,

Associate District Manager.

[FR Doc. 95–4801 Filed 2–27–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–M

Fish and Wildlife Service

Marine Mammals; Polar Bear Habitat

Conservation

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Availability of a draft Habitat

Conservation Strategy for Polar Bears in

Alaska; request for comments.

SUMMARY: Final Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service) regulations published

in the Federal Register on November 16,

1993, authorized and governed the

incidental, unintentional take of small

numbers of polar bear and walrus

during oil and gas industry operations

year-round in the Beaufort Sea and

adjacent northern coast of Alaska. Those

regulations contained provisions

requiring the Service by June 15, 1995,

to develop and being implementing a

strategy for the identification and

protection of important polar bear

habitats. The Service has developed a

draft Habitat Conservation Strategy for

Polar Bears in Alaska (Strategy),

announces its availability, and solicits

public comments.

DATES: Comments on the draft Strategy

must be received by May 1, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft Strategy

are available by contacting the Office of

Marine Mammals Management, Fish

and Wildlife Service, 1011 E. Tudor

Road, Anchorage, AK 99503; Telephone:

907/786–3800; FAX: 907/786–3816.

Written comments should be

submitted either by mail or FAX to

David McGillivary, Supervisor, Office of

Marine Mammals Management at the

above identified address, telephone, or

FAX numbers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David McGillivary in Anchorage,

Alaska, at 907/786–3800.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972

(Act) vested authority for management

and conservation of polar bears in the

United States (i.e., Alaska) with the

Service. Provisions in section 101(a)(5)

of the Act authorize the incidental,

unintentional take by U.S. citizens of

small numbers of marine mammals (e.g.,

polar bear) in specified activities other

than commercial fishing. As defined in

section 3 of the Act, the term ‘‘take’’

means to harass, hunt, capture, or kill,

or attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or

kill any marine mammal.

While the Act authorizes these

incidental takes, section 2(6) of the Act

states that:

Marine mammals * * * should be

protected and encouraged to develop to the

greatest extent feasible commensurate with

sound policies of resource management and

that the primary objective of their

management should be to maintain the

health and stability of the marine ecosystem.

In this regard, section 112(a) of the Act

authorizes the Secretary of the Interior

to prescribe regulations that are

necessary and appropriate to carry out

the purposes of the Act.

In addition to its responsibilities

under the Act, the Service has further

responsibilities under the 1973

International Agreement on the

Conservation of Polar Bears

(International Agreement). Article II of

this International Agreement states that:

Each Contracting Party [i.e., Canada,

Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the U.S.] shall

take appropriate action to protect the

ecosystems of which polar bears are a part,

with special attention to habitat components

such as denning and feeding sites and

migration patterns * * *

On December 17, 1991, BP

Exploration (Alaska), Inc., for itself and

on behalf of 14 other oil and gas related

companies operating in Alaska,

petitioned the Service to promulgate

regulations pursuant to section 101(a)(5)

of the Act to allow for the incidental,

unintentional take of small numbers of

polar bears and walrus during yearround oil and gas activities (i.e.,

exploration, development, and

production) in the Beaufort Sea and

adjacent northern coast of Alaska.

Culminating a two-year process, the

Service ultimately published a final rule

in the Federal Register on November 16,

1993 (58 FR 60402), with final

regulations initially effective beginning

on December 16, 1993, for an 18-month

period through June 16, 1995.

Consistent with the intent of the

International Agreement, the final rule

contains provisions that require the

Service to develop and begin

implementing a strategy, as part of our

management plan process pursuant to

section 115 of the Act, for the

identification and protection of

important polar bear habitats.

Development of a strategy, as well as the

initiation of steps to implement it, is

necessary for the Beaufort Sea final

regulations to be extended beyond their

initial 18 month effective period (now

set to expire on June 16, 1995) for a total

5-year period (through December 15,

1998) as authorized by the Act.

Initiating efforts to develop this draft

Strategy, the Service on December 28,

1993, published a ‘‘Notice of intent to

prepare a polar bear habitat protection

strategy, conduct public meetings, and

request [for] information,’’ in the

Federal Register (58 FR 68659). Public

meetings were held in Anchorage and

Barrow, Alaska, on January 20 and 25,

1994, respectively, in order to provide

background information and our

proposed plan for development of a

Strategy, and to solicit input from those

in attendance. The formal public

comment period associated with the

Notice closed on February 11, 1994.

Additional meetings subsequently were

held in coastal Alaska communities and

discussions have been conducted with

Alaskan Native hunters to collect

knowledge on polar bear habitat use.

The Service has also consulted with the

Marine Mammal Commission,

signatories to the International

Agreement, the Department of State, the

State of Alaska, the oil and gas industry,

conservation organizations, and

academia. Information obtained during

these various efforts has been

incorporated into the draft Strategy.

The objective of this Strategy is to

identify and enhance protection of

important polar bear habitats in Alaska.

This will enable the United States to

address the ecosystem protection

provisions of the Act and the

Agreement, and to ensure oil and gas

activities are conducted in a manner

that minimizes adverse impacts on polar

bears, their habitat, and on their

availability for subsistence uses. Its goal

is to maintain the integrity of the

ecosystem upon which polar bears

depend and to maintain polar bear

populations at optimum sustainable

population levels. The Service hereby

announces the availability of its draft

Strategy. Public review and comment is

solicited.