36388 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 133 / Wednesday, July 10, 1996 / Notices

The following request has been

submitted to the Office of Management

and Budget for review under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995:

Faculty Loan Repayment Program

(FLRP) Application (0915–0150)

Extension and Revision—Under the

HRSA FLRP program, disadvantaged

graduates from certain health

professions schools may enter into a

contract under which HRSA with the

Department of Health and Human

Services will make payments on eligible

graduate educational loans in exchange

for a minimum of two years of service

as a full-time faculty member of a health

professions school. Applicants must

complete an application and provide

information on all eligible education

loans. Once HRSA has selected the

participants, HRSA will request

verification from their lenders of loan

balances and terms of their outstanding

educational loans.

Estimated annual response burden is

as follows:

Type of respondent Number of

respondents

Responses

per

respondent

Hours per responseTotal annual

hour burden

Applicants ....................................................................................................... 75 1 1 75

Lenders ........................................................................................................... 100 1 .5 50

Total ..................................................................................................... 175 ........................ .......................... 125

Written comments and

recommendations concerning the

proposed information collection should

be sent within 30 days of this notice to:

Virginia Huth, Human Resources and

Housing Branch, Office of Management

and Budget, New Executive Office

Building, Room 10235, Washington,

D.C. 20503.

Dated: July 1, 1996.

J. Henry Montes,

Associate Administrator for Policy

Coordination.

[FR Doc. 96–17470 Filed 7–9–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–15–P

ADVISORY COMMISSION ON

INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS

Notice of Meeting of the Advisory

Commission on Intergovernmental

Relations (ACIR)

SUMMARY: The Advisory Commission on

Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) will

hold a meeting on Tuesday, July 23,

1996, beginning at 10:00 AM and

concluding at 2:00 PM in the Hall of the

States, Room #383/385, 444 North

Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC.

The ACIR meeting agenda will focus on

two items: (1) Discussion and action on

release of the ACIR final report, The

Role of Federal Mandates in

Intergovernmental Relations, to the

President and the U.S. Congress; and (2)

discussion of ACIR’s programs,

products, and services after September

30, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Advisory Commission on

Intergovernmental Relations, 800 K

Street, NW, Suite 450, South Tower,

Washington, DC 20575, Phone: (202)

653–5540/FAX: (202) 653–5429,

Internet:ir002529@interramp.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As

directed by Section 302 of the Unfunded

Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L.

104–4), the Advisory Commission on

Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) was

‘‘to investigate and review the role of

federal mandates in intergovernmental

relations’’ and to make a final report to

the President and Congress on the

findings, conclusions, and

recommendations of the Commission.

During this meeting, the Commission

will discuss and take action on the

release of the final report and

recommendations to the President and

the Congress. Also, in response to the

1996 Treasury, Postal Service and

General Government Appropriations

Act calling for the ‘‘prompt and orderly

termination’’ of ACIR, the Commission

will discuss ACIR’s programs, products,

and services after September 30, 1996.

The ACIR meeting will be held in

Tuesday, July 23, 1996, in the Hall of

the States, Room 383/385, 444 North

Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC.

The meeting will begin at 10:00 AM and

conclude at 2:00 PM.

Dated: July 3, 1996.

William E. Davis,

Executive Director.

[FR Doc. 96–17516 Filed 7–9–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 5500–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species (CITES)

Notification; Rescinding of Prohibition

of Trade in CITES Listed Species With

Thailand and Recommendation From

CITES Secretariat on Prohibition of

Trade in Greek Tortoises From Turkey

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Information No. 26.

SUMMARY: This Notice of Information

(NOI) is an update from the prohibitions

identified in NOI 22 and NOI 25.

Specifically, this NOI removes the

prohibition on trade in CITES listed

species and their products with

Thailand identified in NOI 22,

published on July 15, 1991 (56 FR

32260) and, removes the prohibition on

imports of Greek tortoises from Turkey

identified in NOI 25, published on

January 23, 1996 (61 FR 1780). This

Notice includes a revised Summary Of

U.S. Prohibitions Pursuant To Notices

Of Information (NOI).

DATES: This notice is effective on July

10, 1996 and will be effective until

further notice.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, Office of Management

Authority, Mail Stop 430 ARLSQ, 1849

C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240

regarding Notifications to the Parties, or

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division

of Law Enforcement, P.O. Box 3247,

Arlington, VA 22203–3247, regarding

enforcement actions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Susan S. Lieberman, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Office of Management

Authority, telephone (703) 358–2095,

regarding Notifications to the Parties, or

Thomas L. Striegler, Special Agent in

Charge, Investigations, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Division of Law

Enforcement, telephone (703) 358–1949,

for enforcement actions.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April

22, 1991, the CITES Secretariat issued

Notification to the Parties No. 636,

which recommended that all Parties

prohibit trade with Thailand in any

specimens of species included in the

CITES Appendices. On April 2, 1992,

the CITES Secretariat issued

Notification to the Parties No. 673,

which recommended to the Parties that

the prohibition of trade with Thailand

on specimens of species included in the
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 133 / Wednesday, July 10, 1996 / Notices 36389

CITES Appendices be lifted. The

Government of Thailand instituted the

Wild Animal Reservation and Protection

Act on March 13, 1992, and this

legislation was deemed by the CITES

Secretariat to be sufficient to effectively

implement CITES within Thailand.

However, the Service requested

additional assurances from the

Government of Thailand that CITES

would be effectively implemented

within that country. Such assurances

were provided when the Government of

Thailand instituted Ministerial

Regulation No. 2 and Ministerial

Regulation No. 4 in 1994, which

established the list of protected species

and the procedures for obtaining

permits for those protected species

pursuant to the Wild Animal

Reservation and Protection Act. These

Ministerial Regulations were formally

transmitted to the Service through

diplomatic channels on November 20,

1995.

NOI 25 (61 FR 1780) contains the

background on the concern by the

CITES Parties for species designated as

being subject to significant levels of

international trade and the remedial

measures instituted by the CITES

Secretariat for those species.

The subjects of this notice are as

follows:

A. Subject: Thailand: ban on imports

and exports of specimens of species

included in the CITES Appendices from

Thailand.

Source of Foreign Law Information:

Thailand’s Wild Animal Reservation

and Protection Act of 1992 and, two

Ministerial Regulations of 1994, to

implement this Act.

Action by the Fish and Wildlife

Service: Since the publication of Notice

of Information No. 22 (56 FR 32260), the

Government of Thailand instituted the

Wild Animal Reservation and Protection

Act in order to effectively implement

the provisions of CITES within

Thailand. In 1994, the Government of

Thailand instituted Ministerial

Regulations No. 2 and No. 4 the clarify

the implementation of the Wild Animal

Reservation and Protection Act.

The Service is satisfied that Thailand

has initiated the action necessary to

sufficiently implement the provisions of

CITES within Thailand. Therefore, the

prohibition on trade in specimens of

species included on the CITES

Appendices with Thailand is hereby

withdrawn.

B. Subject: Turkey: ban on imports of

specimens of Greek tortoise (Testudo

graeca).

Source of Foreign Law Information:

CITES Secretariat Notification to the

Parties No. 887, issued on November 30,

1995, calls on Parties to lift the

suspension of imports of Testudo graeca

specimens from Turkey.

Action by the Fish and Wildlife

Service: Since the publication of Notice

of Information No. 25 (61 FR 1780), the

Secretariat has received information

from the Management Authority of

Turkey relating to its implementation of

the recommendations of the Animals

Committee on significant levels of trade

in Testudo graeca. The Secretariat is

satisfied that Turkey, by indicating that

no exports of specimens of Testudo

graeca would be authorized, has

initiated the action necessary to

implement these recommendations.

Therefore, the Standing Committee’s

recommendation to the Parties to

suspend imports of specimens of

Testudo graeca is hereby withdrawn.

However, since Turkey does not allow

the export of specimens of Testudo

graeca, imports of specimens of Testudo

graeca from Turkey continue to be

prohibited under CITES.

Summary of U.S. Prohibitions Pursuant

to Notices of Information (NOI)

NOI22: Effective July 30, 1991.

NOI23: Effective December 22, 1994.

NOI24: Effective June 3, 1995.

NOI25: Effective January 23, 1996.

Country NOI No. Species

Argentina ................................... 23 Lama guanicoe.

Azerbaijan ................................. 23 Felis lynx.

China ......................................... 23 Ptyas mucosus.

Ghana ....................................... 25 Kinixys belliana, K. erosa, K. homeana.

India .......................................... 23 Rana tigerina.

Rana hexadactyla.

Indonesia ................................... 23 Cacatua sulphurea.

Pytas mucosus.

Latvia ......................................... 23 Felis lynx.

Lithuania .................................... 23 Felis lynx.

Madagascar .............................. 24 Coracopsis vasa.

Chamaeleo spp. (except Chameleo lateralis, C. oustaleti, C. pardalis, C. verrucosus).

Phelsuma spp. (except Phelsuma laticauda, P. lineata, P. madagascariensis, P. quadriocellata).

Moldova ..................................... 23 Felis lynx.

Peru ........................................... 23 Aratinga erythrogenys.

Solomon Is ................................ 24 Ornithoptera urvillianus.

Ornithoptera victoriae.

Tanzania ................................... 23 & 24 Agapornis fischeri.

Eryx colubrinus.

Geochelone pardalis.

Malacochersus tornieri.

Poicephalus crytoxanthus.

Poicephalus meyeri.

Poicephalus rufiventris.

Tauraco fischeri.

Ukraine ...................................... 23 Felis lynx.
36390 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 133 / Wednesday, July 10, 1996 / Notices

Dated: July 1, 1996.

Donald J. Barry,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish and

Wildlife and Parks.

[FR Doc. 96–17421 Filed 7–9–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

Availability of an Environmental

Assessment and Receipt of an

Application Submitted by Mr. Ben

Cone, Jr., for an Incidental Take Permit

for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in

Association with Management

Activities on his Property in Pender

County, North Carolina

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Mr. Ben Cone, Jr., (Applicant)

has applied to the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service (Service) for an

incidental take permit pursuant to

Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered

Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended.

The proposed permit would authorize

the incidental take of a federally

endangered species, the red-cockaded

woodpecker Picoides borealis (RCW)

known to occur on property owned by

the Applicant in Pender County, North

Carolina. The Applicant is requesting an

incidental take permit in order to ensure

complete flexibility in managing his

property, which will include timber

management activities and prescribed

burning. The Applicant’s property,

known as Cone’s Folly, is located in

west-central Pender County between the

Black River and the Town of Atkinson.

Cone’s Folly consists of approximately

7,200 acres on the main tract and an

additional 800 acres on another separate

tract. The proposed permit would

authorize incidental take of RCWs on

Cone’s Folly in exchange for mitigation

elsewhere as described further in the

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Section

below.

The Service also announces the

availability of an environmental

assessment (EA) and habitat

conservation plan (HCP) for the

incidental take application. Copies of

the EA and/or HCP may be obtained by

making a request to the Regional Office

(see ADDRESSES). This notice also

advises the public that the Service has

made a preliminary determination that

issuing the incidental take permit is not

a major Federal action significantly

affecting the quality of the human

environment within the meaning of

Section 102(2)(C) of the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

amended. The Finding of No Significant

Impact is based on information

contained in the EA and HCP. The final

determination will be made no sooner

than 30 days from the date of this

notice. This notice is provided pursuant

to Section 10 of the Act and National

Environmental Policy Act Regulations

(40 CFR 1506.6).

DATES: Written comments on the permit

application, EA and HCP should be sent

to the Service’s Regional Office (see

ADDRESSES) and should be received on

or before August 9, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the application, HCP, and EA may

obtain a copy by writing the Service’s

Southeast Regional Office, Atlanta,

Georgia. Documents will also be

available for public inspection by

appointment during normal business

hours at the Regional Office, 1875

Century Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta,

Georgia 30345 (Attn: Endangered

Species Permits), or at the following

Field Offices: Field Supervisor, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, 160 Zillicoa

Street, Asheville, North Carolina 28801,

(telephone 704/258–3939); Redcockaded Woodpecker Recovery

Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, College of Forest and

Recreational Resources, 261 Lehotsky

Hall, Box 341003, Clemson, South

Carolina 29634–1003 (telephone 864/

656–2432); or Sandhills Red-cockaded

Woodpecker Recovery Biologist, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, 225 N.

Bennett Street, Southern Pines, North

Carolina 28388 (telephone 910/695–

3323). Written data or comments

concerning the application, EA, or HCP

should be submitted to the Regional

Office. Comments must be submitted in

writing to be processed. Please reference

permit under PRT–816491 in such

comments, or in requests of the

documents discussed herein.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Rick G. Gooch, Regional Permit

Coordinator, (see ADDRESSES above),

telephone: 404/679–7110; or Ms. Janice

Nicholls, Biologist, Asheville Field

Office, (see ADDRESSES above),

telephone: 704/258–3939.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The RCW

is a territorial, non-migratory

cooperative breeding bird species.

RCWs live in social units called groups

which generally consist of a breeding

pair, the current year’s offspring, and

one or more helpers (normally adult

male offspring of the breeding pair from

previous years). Groups maintain yearround territories near their roost and

nest trees. The RCW is unique among

the North American woodpeckers in

that it is the only woodpecker that

excavates its roost and nest cavities in

living pine trees. Each group member

has its own cavity, although there may

be multiple cavities in a single pine tree.

The aggregate of cavity trees is called a

cluster. RCWs forage almost exclusively

on pine trees and they generally prefer

pines greater than 10 inches diameter at

breast height. Foraging habitat is

contiguous with the cluster. The

number of acres required to supply

adequate foraging habitat depends on

the quantity and quality of the pine

stems available.

The RCW is endemic to the pine

forests of the Southeastern United States

and was once widely distributed across

16 States. The species evolved in a

mature fire-maintained ecosystem. The

RCW has declined primarily due to the

conversion of mature pine forests to

young pine plantations, agricultural

fields, and residential and commercial

developments, and to hardwood

encroachment in existing pine forests

due to fire suppression. The species is

still widely distributed (presently

occurs in 13 southeastern States), but

remaining populations are highly

fragmented and isolated. Presently, the

largest known populations occur on

federally owned lands such as military

installations and national forests.

In North Carolina, there are an

estimated 733 active RCW clusters as of

1994; 56 percent are on Federal lands,

22 percent are on State lands, and 22

percent are on private lands. There has

not been a complete inventory of RCWs

in North Carolina so it is difficult to

precisely assess the species’ overall

status in the State. However, the known

populations on public lands are

regularly monitored and generally

considered stable. The population trend

on private lands in North Carolina is

less clear. While several new active

RCW clusters have been discovered on

private lands over the past few years,

many previously documented RCW

clusters have been lost. Most of the

RCW clusters on private lands are in

relatively small populations (i.e., 1–5

groups), and aside from the Sandhills

Region, few are protected through any

type of conservation agreement.

The population of RCWs on Cone’s

Folly presently consists of 29

individuals at 12 active clusters. The

nearest known RCW group(s) to the

population at Cone’s Folly is

approximately 1–2 miles away at Colly

Swamp, which consists of several

privately-owned tracts across the Black

River in Bladen County. The extensive

Colly Swamp area extends from the

Black River west to near Singletary Lake

State Park (approximately 10 miles

west), which also hosts at least two

active RCW clusters. The nearest known

RCW concentration on the east side of