Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 101 / Thursday, May 23, 1996 / Notices 25843

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

John Natvig, Williams Mountain Project

Area Interdisciplinary Team Leader,

(970) 723–8204.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Routt

National Forest Land and Resource

Management Plan (Forest Plan) provides

a blueprint for a Desired Future

Condition (DFC) on public lands

administered by the Medicine Bow/

Routt National Forest. In addition the

Forest Plan establishes resource goals

and outputs needed to manage the

resources while achieving the DFC. The

nature and scope of the proposed action

includes a combination of prescribed

fire and silvicultural treatments to

create vegetation patterns consistent

with those created through natural

process and cycles in order to optimize

habitat capability for a range of wildlife

management indicator species (Forest

Plan, III–125). Treatments and

associated activities being considered

include timber harvest, road

construction, and prescribed fire.

Management activities would also be

implemented to maintain structural

diversity (Forest Plan, III–12), manage

aspen for retention (Forest Plan, III–13),

prevent or suppress epidemic insect and

disease populations (Forest Plan, III–

79), and decrease fuel conditions to

permit fire suppression forces to meet

fire protection objectives for the area

(Forest Plan, III–78).

The decision to be made is whether or

not to proceed with the vegetation

treatments and associated road

construction activities. A range of

alternative actions will be developed

based on public and agency issues

raised during the scoping process.

The Forest Service manages the land

within the analysis area under

‘‘Management Prescriptions 2B, 4B, and

5B.’’ The proposed action is consistent

with the Routt National Forest Plan.

The following are preliminary issues

and concerns which have been

identified: (1) Prescribed fire and/or

prescribed natural fire should be

considered as a tool to meet

management needs. (2) Management

activities need to be analyzed in regard

to effects on wildlife management

indicator species. (3) Management

activities should emulate natural

processes, their function, and result in

a landscape pattern similar to natural

disturbance. (4) Management activities

may have negative effects on adjacent

private lands. (5) Management activities

may have a negative effect on visual

quality. (6) The unroaded character of

the area should be maintained.

The Responsible Official will be Larry

W. Ross, Parks District Ranger,

Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest

and Thunder Basin National Grasslands,

612 5th Street, PO Box 158, Walden,

Colorado, 80480.

The Draft Environmental Impact

Statement is expected to be available in

October 1996 and the Final

Environmental Impact Statement

available in January 1997.

A 45-day public comment period on

the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement will commence on the day

the Environmental Protection Agency

publishes a ‘‘Notice of Availability’’ in

the Federal Register.

The Forest Service believes it is

important to give reviewers notice at

this early stage 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 contents.

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 meaningful 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 this 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.)

Please note that comments you make on

this Draft Environmental Impact

Statement will be regarded as public

information.

Dated: May 14, 1996.

Larry W. Ross,

Parks District Ranger, Medicine Bow/Routt

National Forest.

[FR Doc. 96–12980 Filed 5–22–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

Southeast Alaska Federal Subsistence

Regional Advisory Council; Meeting

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Southeast Alaska Federal

Subsistence Regional Advisory Council

will meet in Juneau, Alaska, on June 4

and 5, 1996, at the Juneau City Council

Chambers. The public is invited to

attend the meeting, observe the

proceedings, and provide oral testimony

on two agenda items: (1) The advance

notice of proposed rulemaking

published April 4, 1996, in the Federal

Register (61 FR 15014) concerning

modifications to Federal Subsistence

Management Regulations for Public

Lands in Alaska, at Title 36, Code of

Federal Regulations, part 242, and 50

CFR part 100, and (2) revision of the

Tongass National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan (61 FR

18587).

DATES: The meeting will be held June 4

and 5, 1996, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Oral testimony will be taken from 2 p.m.

to 5:30 p.m. on June 5.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Juneau City Council Chambers, 155

S. Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Fred P. Clark, Council Coordinator,

(907) 586–7895).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Southeast Alaska Federal Subsistence

Regional Advisory Council is one of the

councils established in each subsistence

resource region by the Federal

Subsistence Board, to provide regional

forums for the collection and expression

of opinions and recommendations on

matters related to subsistence taking and

uses of fish and wildlife resources on

public lands and to provide for public

participation in the Federal regulatory

process. The councils operate in

accordance with the Federal Advisory

Committee Act and have been

established in accordance with the

Alaska National Interest Lands

Conservation Act.

Dated: May 17, 1996.

Kimberly Evart Bown,

Acting Deputy Regional Forester for

Resources, USDA Forest Service, Alaska

Region—Region 10.

[FR Doc. 96–12944 Filed 5–22–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M