[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 172 (Friday, September 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47224-47225]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-23858]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Northern Goshawk Habitat Management

ACTION: Proposal to prepare interim direction for Northern Goshawk 
habitat management in the Intermountain Region, (R4) U.S. Forest 
Service.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Regional Forester (R4), in 
cooperation with Bureau of Land Management and the USDI-Fish and 
Wildlife Service, is reviewing Utah state-wide information (Habitat 
Assessment and Management Recommendations for the Northern Goshawk in 
the State of Utah (in press) and USDI-FWS 12-month finding on a 
petition to list the northern goshawk (FR, June 29, 1998, Volume 63, 
Number 124, pages 35183 to 35184)) relating to the sustainability of 
habitat for the northern goshawk. A Conservation Strategy and Agreement 
for the Management of Northern Goshawk Habitat in Utah is being 
developed based on the Assessment. The Forest Service is proposing to 
amend regional direction, Regional Guides, and Forest Plans to 
incorporate interim direction in the form of goals and objectives, 
desired habitat conditions, standards and guidelines, and monitoring 
requirements based on the information in the Assessment and the 
Strategy. The interim direction will apply to National Forest System 
Lands throughout Utah.
    The purpose and need for the proposed action is to provide state-
wide consistency in future project design, implementation and 
monitoring that will insure long-term goshawk habitat sustainability 
throughout the state of Utah. The proposed amendment to the Regional 
Guide and six national forests in Utah would be prospective only, and 
would not apply to projects that have been approved prior to the 
effective date of the amendments. This action will provide interim 
direction to protect habitat and populations of northern goshawks until 
existing forest plans are revised or suitably amended. Specifically, 
the proposed action will include National Forest System Lands on the 
Wasatch-Cache, Uinta, Ashley, Manti-LaSal, Fishlake and Dixie National 
Forests in the Intermountain Region.
    The Forest Service serves notice that the agency is seeking 
information and comments from federal, state, and local agencies, and 
other individuals or organizations who may be interested or affected by 
the proposed action for the sustainability of northern goshawk habitat 
in Utah. This input will be used in preparing regional direction, 
Forest Plan amendments and/or Guides, and accompanying environmental 
analyses.
    Written comment should be sent to the agency within 30 days from 
the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest Service, in accordance with 16 
U.S.C. 1604 and 36 CFR parts 219 et seq., develops Land and Resource 
Management Plans to provide for multiple use and sustained yield of 
products and services including outdoor recreation, range, timber, 
watershed, wildlife and fish, and wilderness. At its discretion, the 
Forest Service may amend Regional Guides (36 CFR 219.8) and/or Forest 
Plans based on the results of monitoring and evaluation (36 CFR 
219.10(f), 219.12(k)). Review of research reports, published 
professional papers and agency assessments indicates that additional 
long term programmatic habitat management direction may be warranted 
for the northern goshawk in Utah. This long-term approach is being 
developed through the Conservation Strategy and Agreement for the 
Management of Northern Goshawk Habitat in Utah (to be released in the 
fall of 1998). This interim direction is being proposed to preserve 
options for long term management that will be developed during Forest 
Plan revision. Once the conservation strategy is released that 
information plus the current policy direction to use the 1992 Reynolds 
et al., report will be used during project level design and National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis and disclosure of effects.
    A range of alternatives will be considered. One of these will be 
the ``no action'' alternative in which current management would 
continue. Other alternatives could examine the effect of varying 
approaches to the interim direction.
    The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from 
federal, state and local agencies, and other individuals and 
organizations who may be interested or affected by the proposed action. 
This information will be used in determining the scope of the 
amendments to the Regional Guide, direction, and Forest Plans. Prior to 
completing these amendments, the Forest Service will publish a Notice 
of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register to describe the specific 
proposal and type of NEPA documentation. At the time such a Notice is 
published, there will be additional opportunities for public comment.
    The responsible official will be the Regional Forester for the 
Intermountain Region; Intermountain Region, Federal Building, 324 25th 
Street, Ogden, Utah 84401.
    The determination of proposed amendments is expected to be 
completed and available for public review by November 30, 1998. At that 
time an improved estimate of time for

[[Page 47225]]

amendments and/or revisions will be available although we expect most 
of the amendment work to take less than a year.

    Dated: August 31, 1998.
Jack A. Blackwell,
Regional Forester, Intermountain Region.
[FR Doc. 98-23858 Filed 9-3-98; 8:45 am]
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