Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 6 / Wednesday, January 9, 2008 / Notices 1643 

plan for the Steens Mountain 

Cooperative Management and Protection 

Area. 

Topics to be discussed by the Steens 

Mountain Advisory Council at these 

meetings include the Steens Mountain 

Comprehensive Recreation Plan; North 

Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project 

implementation; Science Strategy; 

South Steens Water Development 

Project EA; easements and acquisitions; 

In-holder Access EA; and categories of 

interest such as wildlife, special 

designated areas, partnerships/ 

programs, cultural resources, education/ 

interpretation, volunteer-based 

information, adaptive management and 

socioeconomics; and other matters that 

may reasonably come before the Steens 

Mountain Advisory Council. 

All meetings are open to the public in 

their entirety. Information to be 

distributed to the Steens Mountain 

Advisory Council is requested prior to 

the start of each Steens Mountain 

Advisory Council meeting. Public 

comment is generally scheduled for 11 

a.m. to 11:30 a.m., local time, both days 

of each meeting session. The amount of 

time scheduled for public presentations 

and meeting times may be extended 

when the authorized representative 

considers it necessary to accommodate 

all who seek to be heard regarding 

matters on the agenda. 

Under the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act management regulations 

(41 CFR 102–3.15(b)), in exceptional 

circumstances an agency may give less 

than 15 days notice of committee 

meeting notices published in the 

Federal Register. In this case, this 

notice is being published less than 15 

days prior to the meeting due to the 

urgent need to meet legal requirements 

for completion of the Steens Mountain 

Travel Management Plan/Environmental 

Assessment. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kevin Thissell, Burns District Office, 

28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon, 

97738, (541) 573–4400 or 

Kevin_Thissell@blm.gov. 

Dated: January 3, 2008. 

Dana R. Shuford, 

District Manager. 

[FR Doc. E8–247 Filed 1–8–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–33–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Anacostia Park Wetlands 

Management Plan With Goose 

Management Strategies 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Anacostia Park Wetlands Management 

Plan With Goose Management 

Strategies. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with 

§ 102(2)(C) of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 

4321 et. seq.), the National Park Service 

(NPS) will prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement for the Anacostia Park 

Wetlands Management Plan with Goose 

Management Strategies (EIS). 

The current Proposed Action is a 

modification of the original proposal to 

prepare an Environmental Assessment. 

Based on comments received during 

internal scoping (February 2007), 

agency scoping (March 2007) and public 

scoping (June–August 2007) for the 

Anacostia Park Wetlands Restoration 

Plan with Goose Management Strategies 

Plan/Environmental Assessment (EA), 

the NPS recognizes that wetland 

management actions could result in 

some significant impacts to the park’s 

resources. 

This notice serves as an 

announcement of an additional 30-day 

public comment period. Comments 

submitted to the park or through 

Planning, Environment and Public 

Comment (PEPC) during the public 

scoping period (June 25–August 10, 

2007) and at the public meetings (July 

17 and 18, 2007) for the EA will be 

considered as part of the planning 

process for the current proposed action 

and do not need to be resubmitted. The 

intent of this notice is to obtain 

suggestions and additional information 

on the scope of issues to be addressed 

in the EIS. 

DATES: NPS is soliciting further public 

input into this planning process until 

February 8, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted through the Planning, 

Environment and Public Comment 

(PEPC) Web site at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/anac or they may 

be submitted by mail to: 

Superintendent, National Capital Parks 

East, RE: Wetlands Restoration Plan/EIS, 

1900 Anacostia Dr., SE., Washington, 

DC 20020. 

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 identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

The NPS considers public 

participation and input as an integral 

part in the planning and environmental 

impact analysis process guiding 

preparation of the EIS. As mentioned 

above, comments submitted during the 

public scoping process for the EA do not 

need to be resubmitted, but additional 

input is welcome. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephen Syphax, Supervisory Resources 

Management Specialist, National 

Capital Parks-East, RE: Wetlands 

Restoration Plan/EIS, at 1900 Anacostia 

Drive, SE., Washington, DC 20020, by email at Stephen_Syphax@nps.gov, or by 

telephone at (202) 690–5160. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of this action is to develop and 

implement a wetlands management plan 

that facilitates the protection of natural 

wetland functions within Anacostia 

Park. Action is needed at this time to 

address the protection of natural 

wetland functions within wetlands in 

Anacostia Park. A plan is considered 

necessary to identify wetland 

restoration strategies that address factors 

affecting current and future restoration 

activities. 

The Anacostia River was historically 

flanked with nearly 2,500 acres of tidal 

marsh. However, in the early 20th 

century the Army Corps of Engineers 

was charged with a major ‘‘reclamation’’

effort designed to improve navigation by 

channeling and containing the river 

within a stone seawall. Tidal flats and 

wetlands were also drained and filled to 

help rid the area of mosquito-borne 

diseases. 

Public and government interest in 

restoring wetlands in the Anacostia 

River Watershed grew in the 1980s and 

the National Park Service began working 

with others to restore nearly 100 acres 

of tidal marsh. 

Over the past decade an increasing 

number of Canada geese have been 

observed in Anacostia Park. Normally a 

migratory species, these ‘‘resident’’

geese are the descendents of individuals 

that were captured and prevented from 

migrating in order to attract more of 

their kind. As a result, their offspring 

never migrated either. The abundance of 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
1644 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 6 / Wednesday, January 9, 2008 / Notices 

food and lack of predators in urban 

areas have fostered a rapidly growing 

population of these non-migratory 

Canada geese. 

In recent years, invasive exotic plant 

species have also increased, and 

restored wetlands have proven to be 

especially vulnerable to these. 

Construction methods, soil elevations, 

and hydrologic regimes have also 

proven to be critical to the success or 

failure of these efforts. 

Through scoping efforts, several draft 

objectives were outlined for the EIS: 

General—Ensure actions are 

consistent with the laws, policies and 

regulations that guide the National Park 

Service. 

Habitat and Vegetation—Restore, 

protect, and maintain wetlands for 

native fish and wildlife populations; 

maintain native wetlands vegetation and 

manage the encroachment of invasive 

and exotic plant species; and restore, 

protect, and maintain wetland 

functions. 

Wildlife—Manage the resident Canada 

goose population to allow for the 

restoration and protection of park 

resources. 

Visitor Experience—Enhance visitor 

experience by restoring, maintaining, 

protecting, and interpreting wetlands; 

and enhance public understanding of 

the value of wetland restoration and 

issues associated with the management 

of resident Canada geese. 

Park Operations—Consider and plan 

for impacts of wetland restoration 

efforts and resident Canada goose 

management response activities on 

current park operations, including 

budget, workload, and visitor 

experience. 

Cooperation and Coordination—

Cooperate and coordinate with the 

District of Columbia, the Army Corps of 

Engineers, and other governmental 

agencies as well as other stakeholders in 

implementing a wetlands management 

plan and goose management strategy. 

Preliminary scoping also identified 

several factors relevant to the success of 

wetland restoration efforts in Anacostia 

Park, including: resident Canada goose 

herbivory, erosion and sedimentation, 

hydrologic regimes, wetland vegetation 

planting methods, urbanization effects 

and invasive and exotic plant species. 

Some preliminary solutions have been 

proposed that will be evaluated as part 

of the planning process. To address 

resident Canada goose management, the 

following suggestions have been 

proposed for evaluation: Habitat 

alteration, visual deterrents or 

repellants, egg addling to control 

reproduction, and lethal controls such 

as capture and euthanasia or 

sharpshooting. To respond to erosion 

and sedimentation, proposed actions 

include: the use of bio logs to stabilize 

wetlands, vegetation evaluation, and 

soft and hard armoring. Suggestions for 

tackling issues surrounding hydrologic 

regimes and wetland vegetation are: 

Address surface elevation of wetland 

areas by planting vegetation appropriate 

to elevation, and provide conditions 

allowing wetlands to establish naturally 

without revegetation efforts. To address 

the effects of urbanization on the 

wetlands, suggestions include: Planting 

high uptake plants, using volunteers to 

remove trash, and mitigating outfall 

impacts. Lastly, to address the impacts 

of invasive and exotic plants potential 

actions include: Mapping and surveying 

invasive and exotic plant species in 

wetland areas, mechanical removal, 

chemical control (EPA approved 

herbicides), and biocontrols such as 

insects. The scope of the EIS includes 

the restored freshwater emergent tidal 

marshes in Anacostia Park. Potential 

areas for future restoration efforts will 

be identified in the EIS, but not 

analyzed in detail. 

Dated: December 21, 2007. 

Joseph M. Lawler, 

Regional Director, National Capital Region. 

[FR Doc. E8–245 Filed 1–8–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–JK–P 

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

[OMB Number 1103–NEW] 

Office of Community Oriented Policing 

Services; Agency Information 

Collection Activities: Proposed 

Collection; Comments Requested 

ACTION: 30–Day Notice of Information 

Collection Under Review: COPS NonHiring Progress Report. 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) 

Office of Community Oriented Policing 

Services (COPS) will be submitting the 

following information collection request 

to the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and approval in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995. The revision of 

a currently approved information 

collection is published to obtain 

comments from the public and affected 

agencies. This proposed information 

collection was previously published in 

the Federal Register Volume 72, 

Number 234, Pages 68898–68899, on 

December 6, 2007, allowing for a 60 day 

comment period. 

The purpose of this notice is to allow 

for an additional 30 days for public 

comment February 8, 2008. This process 

is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 

1320.10. 

If you have comments especially on 

the estimated public burden or 

associated response time, suggestions, 

or need a copy of the proposed 

information collection instrument with 

instructions or additional information, 

please contact Rebekah Dorr, 

Department of Justice Office of 

Community Oriented Policing Services, 

1100 Vermont Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20530. 

Written comments and suggestions 

from the public and affected agencies 

concerning the proposed collection of 

information are encouraged. Your 

comments should address one or more 

of the following four points: 

—Evaluate whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; 

—Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; 

—Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

—Minimize the burden of the collection 

of information on those who are to 

respond, including through the use of 

appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms 

of information technology, e.g., 

permitting electronic submission of 

responses. 

Overview of This Information 

Collection 

(1) Type of Information Collection: 

Proposed collection; comments 

requested. 

(2) Title of the Form/Collection: COPS 

Non-Hiring Progress Report. 

(3) Agency form number, if any, and 

the applicable component of the 

Department sponsoring the collection: 

None. U.S. Department of Justice Office 

of Community Oriented Policing 

Services. 

(4) Affected public who will be asked 

or required to respond, as well as a brief 

abstract: Primary: Law enforcement and 

partner public safety agencies, 

institutions of higher learning and nonprofit organizations that are recipients 

of COPS Non-Hiring Grants from Fiscal 

Year 2007 and forward. 

(5) An estimate of the total number of 

respondents and the amount of time 

estimated for an average respondent to 

respond/reply: 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES