58976 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 8, 2008 / Notices 

SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Service) announces the receipt of an 

application for an Enhancement of 

Survival Permit that would be issued 

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

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (Act). The application was 

developed in accordance with the 

Template Safe Harbor Agreement 

(Template SHA) for the Columbia Basin 

pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). 

The permit applicant is the Washington 

Department of Natural Resources 

(WDNR). Issuance of a permit to WDNR 

would exempt incidental take of the 

Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, which 

would otherwise be prohibited by 

section 9 of the Act, that is above the 

baseline conditions of WDNR properties 

enrolled under the Template SHA and 

that may result from the permittee’s 

otherwise lawful management activities. 

The Service requests comments from the 

public regarding the proposed issuance 

of a permit to WDNR. All comments 

received will become part of the public 

record. Before including your address, 

phone number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal information 

from public review, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

All comments received from 

organizations, businesses, or individuals 

representing organizations or businesses 

are available for public inspection in 

their entirety. 

DATES: To be fully considered, written 

comments from interested parties must 

be received on or before November 7, 

2008. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments 

concerning this notice should be 

addressed to Supervisor, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Upper Columbia Fish 

and Wildlife Office, 11103 East 

Montgomery Drive, Spokane, 

Washington 99206. You may also send 

comments by facsimile, at (509) 891– 

6748, or by electronic mail, at: 

fw1cbprabbit@fws.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Chris Warren at (509) 893–8020. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Availability of Documents 

Copies of the WDNR permit 

application, the Template SHA, and 

other relevant documents addressing the 

Service’s proposed issuance of the 

subject permit are available for public 

inspection, by appointment, during 

normal business hours at the Upper 

Columbia Fish and Wildlife Office (see 

ADDRESSES), or they may be viewed on 

the internet at the following address: 

http://www.fws.gov/easternwashington/. 

You may also request copies of the 

documents by contacting the Service’s 

Upper Columbia Fish and Wildlife 

Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT) . The Service is furnishing this 

notice to provide the public, other State 

and Federal agencies, and interested 

Tribes an opportunity to review and 

comment on the Service’s proposed 

issuance of a permit to the WDNR. 

Background 

On September 7, 2006, the Service 

announced the availability for public 

review and comment of a draft Template 

SHA, which was jointly developed by 

the Service and the Washington 

Department of Fish and Wildlife 

(WDFW), and a draft Environmental 

Assessment, which was developed by 

the Service pursuant to Federal 

responsibilities under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (71 FR 

52816). The final Template SHA was 

signed by the Service and WDFW on 

October 24, 2006. To date, the Service 

has issued 16 Permits under the 

Template SHA, which cover 109,425 

acres that fall within the historic 

distribution of the Columbia Basin 

pygmy rabbit. The WDNR has requested 

to enroll an additional 11,148 acres of 

State trust lands under the Template 

SHA. 

The primary objective of the Template 

SHA is to facilitate collaboration 

between the Service, WDFW, and 

prospective participants to voluntarily 

implement conservation measures to 

benefit the Columbia Basin pygmy 

rabbit. Another objective of the 

Template SHA is to facilitate the 

processing of enhancement of survival 

permits that will provide incidental take 

coverage for participants to relieve them 

of additional section 9 liability under 

the Act if implementation of their 

conservation measures results in 

increased numbers or distribution of 

Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits on their 

enrolled properties. 

This notice is provided pursuant to 

section 10(c) of the Act. The Service has 

previously determined that 

implementation of the Template SHA 

will result in conservation benefits to 

the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit and 

will not result in significant effects to 

the human environment. The Service 

will evaluate the permit application 

noticed herein, related documents, and 

any comments submitted thereon to 

determine whether the permit 

application is consistent with the 

measures prescribed by the Template 

SHA and whether it complies with 

relevant statutory and regulatory 

requirements. If it is determined that the 

requirements are met, a permit to 

exempt incidental take of the Columbia 

Basin pygmy rabbit will be issued to the 

applicant. The final permit 

determination will not be made until 

after the end of the 30-day comment 

period, and will fully consider all 

comments received. 

Dated: September 29, 2008. 

David J. Wesley, 

Deputy Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon. 

[FR Doc. E8–23557 Filed 10–7–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[ES–020–09–1610–DO–015M] 

Notice of Intent to Prepare a Resource 

Management Plan for the Jackson 

Field Office, Bureau of Land 

Management-Eastern States and 

Associated Environmental Impact 

Statement 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management—Eastern States (BLM-ES), 

Jackson Field Office, Jackson, 

Mississippi, intends to prepare a 

Resource Management Plan (RMP) with 

an associated Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) for the Southeastern 

United States and, by this notice, is 

announcing public scoping meetings. 

The RMP will bring all BLM land in the 

Southeastern United States under a land 

use plan 

DATES: The BLM will announce public 

scoping meetings to identify relevant 

issues through local news media, 

newsletters, and the BLM web site 

http://www.blm.gov/es/st/en/fo/

Jackson_Home_Page.html at least 15 

days prior to the first meeting. We will 

provide formal opportunities for public 

participation upon publication of the 

Draft RMP/EIS. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: Web 

Site: http://www.blm.gov/es/st/en/fo/

Jackson_Home_Page.html 

• E-mail: Gary_Taylor@blm.gov 

• Fax: (601) 977–5440 

• Mail: Jackson Field Office, BLM, 

Attn: Gary Taylor, 411 Briarwood Drive, 

Suite 404, Jackson, Mississippi 39206. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 8, 2008 / Notices 58977 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined at the Jackson Field 

Office. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information and/or to have your 

name added to our mailing list, contact 

Gary Taylor, telephone (601) 977–5413; 

or e-mail Gary_Taylor@blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

document provides notice that the BLM 

Field Office, Jackson, Mississippi, 

intends to prepare a RMP with an 

associated EIS for the BLM resources 

located in the Southeastern United 

States and intends to hold public 

scoping meetings that will be 

announced at a later date with public 

notice prior to those meetings. 

The planning area is located in the 

States of: Florida, Georgia, South 

Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, 

Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and 

Louisiana. This planning activity 

encompasses approximately 2,000,000 

acres of public lands and resources. The 

plan will fulfill the needs and 

obligations set forth by the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act (FLPMA), and BLM management 

policies. The BLM will work 

collaboratively with interested parties to 

identify the management decisions that 

are best suited to local, regional, and 

national needs and concerns. Coal 

resources exist in the State of Kentucky. 

This notice serves as a call for coal 

reserve information. 

The purpose of the public scoping 

process is to determine relevant issues 

that will influence the scope of the 

environmental analysis and EIS 

alternatives. These issues also guide the 

planning process. You may submit 

comments on issues and planning 

criteria in writing to the BLM at any 

public scoping meeting, or you may 

submit them to the BLM using one of 

the methods listed in the ADDRESSES

section above. To be most helpful, you 

should submit formal scoping 

comments within 30 days after the last 

public meeting. The minutes and list of 

attendees for each scoping meeting will 

be available to the public and open for 

30 days after the meeting to any 

participant who wishes to clarify the 

views he or she expressed. Individual 

respondents may request 

confidentiality. If you wish to withhold 

your name and/or address from public 

review or disclosure under the Freedom 

of Information Act, you must state this 

prominently at the beginning of your 

written comment. The BLM will honor 

such requests to the extent allowed by 

law. 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. Preliminary issues and 

management concerns have been 

identified by BLM personnel, other 

agencies, and in meetings with 

individuals and user groups. They 

represent the BLM’s knowledge to date 

regarding the existing issues and 

concerns with current land 

management. The major issues that will 

be addressed in this planning effort 

include: future management of the 

Federal resources in the southeast; 

protection of resources such as 

wetlands, sensitive species habitat and 

historic properties while allowing oil 

and gas development and mining; and 

management of surface lands within the 

planning area. Because of the scattered 

public land ownership pattern and 

small size of most parcels, land tenure 

adjustments have the potential to 

provide greater efficiencies in 

management and reduce workloads and 

costs. Some of the lands may be suitable 

for disposal under a variety of 

authorities. Some may be retained in 

public ownership and possibly 

transferred to other agencies. 

After public comments as to what 

issues the plan should address are 

gathered, they will be placed in one of 

three categories: 

1. Issues to be resolved in the plan; 

2. Issues to be resolved through policy 

or administrative action; or 

3. Issues beyond the scope of this 

plan. 

The BLM will provide an explanation 

in the plan as to why we placed an issue 

in category two or three. In addition to 

these major issues, a number of 

management questions and concerns 

will be addressed in the plan. The 

public is encouraged to help identify 

these questions and concerns during the 

scoping phase. 

The BLM will use an interdisciplinary 

approach to develop the plan in order 

to consider the variety of resource issues 

and concerns identified. Specialists 

with expertise in the following 

disciplines will be involved in the 

planning process: minerals and geology, 

outdoor recreation, archaeology, 

paleontology, wildlife and fisheries, 

lands and realty, hydrology, soils, 

sociology and economics. 

Dated: October 2, 2008. 

Juan Palma, 

State Director. 

[FR Doc. E8–23803 Filed 10–7–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GJ–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

National Capital Region 

ACTION: Notice/Request for Comments— 

The Lighting of the National Christmas 

Tree and the subsequent 27 day event. 

SUMMARY: The National Park Service is 

seeking public comments and 

suggestions on the planning of the 2008 

Lighting of the National Christmas Tree 

and the subsequent 27 day event. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

National Park Service is seeking public 

comments and suggestions on the 

planning of the 2008 Lighting of the 

National Christmas Tree and the 

subsequent 27 day event, which opens 

on December 4, 2008, on the Ellipse 

(President’s Park), south of the White 

House. The meeting will be held at 9 

a.m. on November 12, 2008 in Room 234 

of the National Capital Region 

Headquarters Building, at 1100 Ohio 

Drive, SW., Washington, DC (East 

Potomac Park). 

Persons who would like to comment 

at the meeting should notify the 

National Park Service by November 7, 

2008 by calling the White House Visitor 

Center weekdays between 9 a.m., and 4 

p.m., at (202) 208–1631. Written 

comments may be sent to the Park 

Manager, White House Visitor Center, 

1100 Ohio Drive, SW., Washington, DC 

20242, and will be accepted until 

November 12, 2008. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

November 12, 2008. Written comments 

will be accepted until November 12, 

2008. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

9:00 a.m. on November 12, 2008, in 

room 234 of the National Capital Region 

Headquarters Building, at 1100 Ohio 

Drive, SW., Washington, DC (East 

Potomac Park). Written comments may 

be sent to the Park Manager, White 

House Visitor Center, 1100 Ohio Drive, 

SW., Washington, DC 20242. Due to 

delays in mail delivery, it is 

recommended that comments be 

provided by telefax at 202–208–1643 or 

by e-mail to Scott_Tucker@nps.gov. 

Comments may also be delivered by 

messenger to the White House Visitor 

Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, 

NW., in Washington, DC. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Scott Tucker at the White House Visitor 

Center weekdays between 9 a.m., and 4 

p.m., at (202) 208–1631. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES