Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 194 / Monday, October 6, 2008 / Notices 58263 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R1–ES–2008–N00172; 10120–1112– 

0000–F2] 

Proposed Willamette Valley Native 

Prairie Habitat Programmatic Safe 

Harbor Agreement for the Fender’s 

Blue Butterfly in Benton, Lane, Linn, 

Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties, 

OR 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; receipt of 

application. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service) proposes to issue itself 

an enhancement of survival permit 

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

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (Act), for a programmatic Safe 

Harbor Agreement (Agreement). The 

proposed term of the Agreement is 15 

years, and the proposed term of the 

permit is 25 years. In accordance with 

regulation, the Service is completing the 

application process for this proposed 

permit. The requested permit would 

authorize the Service to extend 

incidental take coverage with 

assurances to eligible landowners who 

are willing to carry out habitat 

management measures that would 

benefit the federally-listed endangered 

Fender’s blue butterfly (Icaricia 

icarioides fenderi) and the threatened 

Kincaid’s lupine (Lupinus sulphureus 

ssp. kincaidii) by enrolling them under 

the Agreement as Cooperators through 

issuance of Certificates of Inclusion. The 

covered area or geographic scope of this 

Agreement includes the known and 

potential range of the Fender’s blue 

butterfly, which occurs on prairie 

habitat within Benton, Lane, Linn, 

Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties of 

Oregon. We request comments from the 

public on the permit application, 

proposed Agreement and related 

documents, which are available for 

review (see ADDRESSES below). 

DATES: Comments must be received 

from interested parties on or before 

November 5, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit your 

written comments to: Project Leader, 

Fish and Wildlife Service, 2600 S.E. 

98th Ave., Suite 100, Portland, Oregon 

97266, or facsimile (503) 231–6195. 

Include your name and address in your 

comments and refer to the ‘‘Willamette 

Valley Programmatic Safe Harbor 

Agreement.’’ Copies of the draft 

documents are available for public 

inspection, by appointment, at the 

above address during normal business 

hours. You may also view the 

documents on the Internet at http:// 

www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/species/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information or to receive copies 

of the documents on CD ROM, please 

contact Richard Szlemp at (503) 231– 

6179. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under a 

Safe Harbor Agreement, participating 

landowners voluntarily undertake 

management activities on their property 

to enhance, restore, or maintain habitat 

benefiting species listed under the Act 

(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Safe Harbor 

Agreements, and the subsequent 

enhancement of survival permits that 

are issued pursuant to section 

10(a)(1)(A) of the Act, encourage private 

and other non-federal property owners 

to implement conservation efforts for 

listed species by assuring that they will 

not be subjected to increased property 

use restrictions as a result of their efforts 

to attract listed species to their property, 

or to increase the numbers or 

distribution of listed species already on 

their property. Application 

requirements and issuance criteria for 

enhancement of survival permits 

through Safe Harbor Agreements are 

found in 50 CFR 17.22(c). These permits 

allow future incidental take of covered 

species above the mutually agreed upon 

baseline conditions for those species in 

accordance with the terms of the permit 

and accompanying agreement. 

The Service has developed the 

proposed Agreement for the 

conservation of the Fender’s blue 

butterfly. The Fender’s blue butterfly 

was listed as an endangered species by 

the Service in 2000 (65 FR 3875). As of 

the time of its listing, it was known to 

occupy only 32 sites across 408 acres 

(165 hectares). Of the 32 sites found to 

support Fender’s blue butterfly, 

Kincaid’s lupine (Lupinus sulphureus 

ssp. kincaidii) has been documented as 

co-occurring as a larval host plant at 27 

of the sites (65 FR 3875). 

The geographical area covered by this 

Agreement includes the known and 

potential range of the Fender’s blue 

butterfly within the Willamette Valley 

in Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, Polk, 

and Yamhill counties of Oregon. 

Properties that are eligible for 

enrollment are non-Federal lands where 

the butterfly occurs or could occur 

through colonization, translocation, or 

reintroduction. Activities under the 

Agreement are also expected to benefit 

Kincaid’s lupine, a federally-listed as 

threatened plant. However, Kincaid’s 

lupine is not included as a ‘‘covered 

species.’’ 

The Fender’s blue butterfly is 

threatened due to few populations, low 

numbers, and habitat fragmentation. 

Conserving existing populations and 

actively maintaining, enhancing, and 

expanding the size of existing butterflyoccupied habitat patches is essential for 

recovery. In addition, reestablishing 

habitat connectivity by creating 

stepping stones of habitat between 

existing butterfly populations will 

improve the prospects for individuals to 

reach other suitable 9 habitats for 

reproduction, dispersal, and 

recolonization (71 FR 63874). This 

Agreement is intended to encourage 

non-federal landowners to undertake 

proactive conservation and restoration 

actions for the Fender’s blue butterfly 

(and Kincaid’s lupine). 

Site-specific plans will be developed 

for each property to be enrolled. In 

addition to the monitoring, one or more 

of the following on-the-ground activities 

will be included in the plans: (a) 

Removal of invasive, non-native 

herbaceous plants and woody 

vegetation; (b) revegetation with native 

species; (c) collection of Kincaid’s 

lupine seed and plant material for use 

in species recovery efforts; (d) 

reintroduction and augmentation of 

Kincaid’s lupine; and (e) reducing 

threats. Environmental baseline 

conditions for the Fender’s blue 

butterfly will be established on each 

property as lands are enrolled. 

The programmatic nature of the 

Agreement provides eligible landowners 

with a streamlined process for obtaining 

assurances that specified actions taken 

to benefit the Fender’s blue butterfly 

will not result in additional regulatory 

obligations under the Act. Without the 

regulatory assurances provided through 

the Agreement and permit, landowners 

may otherwise be unwilling or reluctant 

to engage in activities that would benefit 

the Fender’s blue butterfly on their 

properties. 

A draft Environmental Action 

Statement now available for public 

review (see ADDRESSES ) indicates that 

the proposed Agreement and permit 

decision may be eligible for a categorical 

exclusion under the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

The Service will evaluate the permit 

application, associated documents, and 

comments submitted thereon to 

determine whether the permit 

application meets the requirements of 

section 10(a) of the Act and the 

requirements under NEPA. All 

comments received, including names 

and addresses, will become part of the 

administrative record and will be 

available for review pursuant to section 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
58264 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 194 / Monday, October 6, 2008 / Notices 

10(c) of the Act. Individual respondents 

may request that we withhold their 

home addresses and telephone numbers 

to the extent allowable by law. If you 

wish us to withhold this personal 

information, you must state this 

prominently at the beginning of your 

comment. Anonymous comments will 

not be considered. 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. 

If we determine that all requirements 

are met, we will sign the Agreement and 

issue an enhancement of survival permit 

under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Act to 

the Service’s Oregon Fish and Wildlife 

Office (OFWO). The OFWO will serve as 

the permit holder, and may extend 

coverage to interested, eligible 

landowners for the take of Fender’s blue 

butterfly, incidental to otherwise lawful 

activities in accordance with the terms 

of the Agreement, Certificates of 

Inclusion and permit. Please note that 

the Service will not be receiving any 

assurances as holder of the permit, but 

permitted landowners will. This notice 

is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of 

the Act and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 

1506.6). 

Dated: August 8, 2008. 

David J. Wesley, 

Deputy Regional Director, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Region 1, Portland, Oregon. 

[FR Doc. E8–23556 Filed 10–3–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[ES–956–1420–BK–TRST, ES–055522 Group 

62, Louisiana] 

Eastern States: Filing of Plat of Survey 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Filing of Plat of 

Survey; Louisiana. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) will file the plat of 

survey of the lands described below in 

the BLM-Eastern States, Springfield, 

Virginia, 30 calendar days from the date 

of publication in the Federal Register. 

Contact Information: Bureau of Land 

Management, 7450 Boston Boulevard, 

Springfield, Virginia 22153. Attn: 

Cadastral Survey. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

survey was requested by the Bureau of 

Indian Affairs. 

The plat represents the dependent 

resurvey of lands held in trust by the 

United States of America for the TunicaBiloxi Indian Tribe in Township 2 

North, Range 3 East of the Louisiana 

Meridian, Louisiana. The survey was 

accepted on September 15, 2008. 

We will place a copy of the plat we 

described in the open files. It will be 

available to the public as a matter of 

information. If BLM receives a protest 

against this survey, as shown on the 

plat, prior to the date of official filing, 

we will stay the filing pending our 

consideration of the protest. We will not 

officially file the plat until the day after 

we accepted or dismissed all protests 

and they have become final, including 

decisions on appeals. Copies of the plat 

will be made available upon request and 

prepayment of the reproduction fees. 

Dated: September 16, 2008. 

Ronald J. Eberle, 

Acting Chief Cadastral Surveyor. 

[FR Doc. E8–23509 Filed 10–3–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GJ–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[ES–956–1420–BK–TRST, ES–055523 Group 

20, North Carolina] 

Eastern States: Filing of Plat of Survey 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Filing of Plat of 

Survey; North Carolina. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) will file the plat of 

survey of the lands described below in 

the BLM-Eastern States, Springfield, 

Virginia, 30 calendar days from the date 

of publication in the Federal Register. 

Contact Information: Bureau of Land 

Management, 7450 Boston Boulevard, 

Springfield, Virginia 22153. Attn: 

Cadastral Survey. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

survey was requested by the Bureau of 

Indian Affairs. 

The plat represents the dependent 

resurvey of a portion of the Cathcart 

Tract, lands held in trust by the United 

States of America for the Eastern Band 

of the Cherokee Indians in Swain 

County, North Carolina. The survey was 

accepted on September 10, 2008. 

We will place a copy of the plat we 

described in the open files. It will be 

available to the public as a matter of 

information. If BLM receives a protest 

against this survey, as shown on the 

plat, prior to the date of official filing, 

we will stay the filing pending our 

consideration of the protest. We will not 

officially file the plat until the day after 

we accepted or dismissed all protests 

and they have become final, including 

decisions on appeals. Copies of the plat 

will be made available upon request and 

prepayment of the reproduction fees. 

Dated: September 16, 2008. 

Ronald J. Eberle, 

Acting Chief Cadastral Surveyor. 

[FR Doc. E8–23510 Filed 10–3–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GJ–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Special Resource Study, 

Environmental Impact Statement, 

Blackstone River Valley, 

Massachusetts and Rhode Island 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement, 

Blackstone River Valley Special 

Resource Study. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with section 

102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 

Policy Act of 1969, the National Park 

Service (NPS) is preparing an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for a Special Resource Study (SRS) of 

landscape features and sites that 

contribute to the understanding of the 

Blackstone River Valley National 

Heritage Corridor as the birthplace of 

the Industrial Revolution in the United 

States. This study was mandated by 

Public Law 109–338, the ‘‘John H. 

Chafee Blackstone River Valley National 

Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of 

2006.’’ 

The Blackstone River Valley National 

Heritage Corridor encompasses 24 

communities located along the 

Blackstone River and its tributaries 

spanning from Worcester, MA to 

Providence, RI. Within the boundaries 

of the heritage corridor lie 

approximately 400,000 acres of land and 

over 500,000 people. The waters of the 

Blackstone River powered the Slater 

Mill, a National Historic Landmark, in 

Pawtucket, RI, America’s first successful 

textile mill. This creative spark 

contributed to the nation’s historic 

evolution as a global industrial and 

technological power. 

The Blackstone River Valley National 

Heritage Corridor was established by 

Public Law 99–647 in November 1986 

for the purpose of preserving and 

interpreting for educational and 

inspirational benefit of present and 

future generations the unique and 


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