[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 13, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10330-10331]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-6030]



-----------------------------------------------------------------------


DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment of Army 
Guidelines for Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Management

AGENCY: Department the Army, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Army intends to revise guidelines for the management of 
the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) on Army installations. The RCW is a 
federally listed endangered species found on seven Army installations 
in the southeastern United States: Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort 
Stewart, Georgia; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Benning, Georgia; 
Fort Polk, Louisiana; Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal, North 
Carolina; and Camp Blanding, Florida. The following Army installations 
do not currently have RCWs, but are within the species' range: Fort 
Gordon, Georgia; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort McClellan, Alabama; 
Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant; and Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The 
guidelines will be used by Army installations as baseline standards in 
preparing their RCW management plans. In the guidelines revision 
process, the Army will seek to identify measures which will increase 
RCW populations on military installations while simultaneously 
enhancing the realism of military training activities conducted on 
military installations with RCW populations. As part of the guidelines 
revision process, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 
requires preparation of an environmental assessment to determine the 
environmental impact of the guidelines and whether the impact is 
significant. If the assessment determines that there will be a 
significant impact on the environment, NEPA requires preparation of an 
environmental impact statement. Additionally, the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973 requires a biological assessment to assess the effects of 
the guidelines on endangered and threatened species.
    The public is invited to participate in the guidelines revision 
process by submitting written comments and suggestions throughout the 
revision process and to review the draft guidelines. The Army 
anticipates that draft guidelines will be available for public review 
in the third quarter of 1996.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and suggestions or requests for notice of 
the release of draft Army RCW Guidelines may be forwarded to Department 
of the Army, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and 
Plans, Attn: DAMO-TRS (Army Endangered Species Team), Washington, DC 
20310-0400.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions regarding this action may be directed to Major Mark R. 
Lindon, Army Endangered Species Team, (703) 695-2452.


[[Page 10331]]

    Dated: March 6, 1996.
Raymond J. Fatz,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, Environment, Safety and 
Occupational Health, OASA (I,L&E).
[FR Doc. 96-6030 Filed 3-12-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-M