[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 4, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33525-33526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13924]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[MT100-03-1610-DU]


Intent To Prepare an Amendment to the Garnet Resource Management 
Plan (RMP) and an Associated Environmental Assessment (EA)

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) intends to prepare an amendment to the Garnet Resource 
Management Plan and an associated EA. This process will incorporate 
management direction for the Canada lynx, listed as a threatened 
species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which is based on the 
best scientific information available. If approved, the amendment would 
preserve the overall multiple-use direction of the RMP, while 
establishing management direction for Canada lynx conservation and 
recovery including: reducing or eliminating potential

[[Page 33526]]

adverse effects from management activities and protecting and restoring 
lynx, snowshoe hare, and alternate prey species habitat.
    Public Participation: The BLM is seeking comments from individuals, 
organizations, tribal governments, and Federal, State, and local 
agencies that are interested or may be affected by the proposed action. 
The scoping comment period will commence with the publication of this 
notice. Formal scoping will end 30 days after publication of this 
notice. Comments should be received on or before the end of the scoping 
period at the address listed below. While public participation is 
welcome at any time, comments received within 30 days of the 
publication of this notice will be especially useful in the preparation 
of the EA. To assist the BLM in identifying and considering issues and 
concerns on the proposed action, comments on the proposed EA should be 
as specific as possible. Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural 
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in 
addressing these points.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Lynx Amendment EA, Missoula Field 
Office, 3255 Fort Missoula Road, Missoula, MT 59804. Comments, 
including names and addresses of respondents, may be published as part 
of this EA. Individual respondents may request confidentiality; if you 
wish to withhold your name or street address from public review or from 
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests 
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from 
organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact 
George Hirschenberger, Missoula Field Office, (406) 329-3908.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM in the Montana State Office proposes 
to amend one land use plan, the Garnet Resource Management Plan, in the 
State of Montana. The proposed amendment would preserve the overall 
multiple-use direction of the RMP and modify or add management 
direction to the plan for Canada lynx conservation and recovery. The 
direction would be based on the management recommendations in the 
Canada Lynx Conservation Assessment and Strategy (LCAS), the Lynx 
Biological Assessment, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Final Listing 
rule, Federal Register, Volume 65, Number 127, 40601-40606, March 24, 
2000, and the best scientific information available. The BLM has 
identified preliminary issues and management concerns. The following 
represents the BLM's knowledge to date on potential planning issues: 
recreation, transportation, oil and gas leasing, mineral development, 
wildlife habitat restoration, prescribed fire, and livestock grazing 
and forest management, including timber harvesting, timber stand 
improvement and forest development. The BLM is seeking comments on the 
issues related to the proposed action.
    Background: The Canada lynx inhabits coniferous forests with cold, 
snowy winters and a prey base of snowshoe hares. The lynx occupies 
approximately 44,000 acres of habitat on BLM lands administered by this 
resource management plan, which are located in Granite, Missoula, and 
Powell Counties, Montana. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) 
listed the lynx as threatened, effective March 24, 2000. The Service 
concluded that the chief threat to the lynx in the contiguous United 
States is the lack of guidance to conserve the species in current 
Federal land management plans. The Ecology and Conservation of Lynx in 
the United States, a compendium of current scientific knowledge about 
lynx, was completed in 2000 by an international team of experts in lynx 
ecology, directed by the Rocky Mountain Research Laboratory. Based on 
this information, the Canada Lynx Conservation Assessment and Strategy 
(LCAS) was completed and later revised by a team of biologists from the 
Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in February 2000 and August 2000, 
respectively. After the lynx was proposed for listing in July 1998 
under the ESA, conferencing was initiated on the effects of agency 
plans on the lynx. A Biological Assessment (BA) was prepared, which 
indicated that some adverse effects on lynx were likely on each of the 
56 BLM and 57 Forest Service units evaluated. This BA was submitted to 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in February 2000. After listing, 
formal consultation on the plans was initiated, and was completed in 
October 2000. Because of the likelihood of adverse effects under 
current plans, and possible risk to lynx viability, the Assistant 
Director for Renewable Resources and Planning for the BLM Washington 
Office, and two Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Directors signed the 
Lynx Conservation Agreement in August 2000. It incorporates a staged 
approach to modifying management direction to better conserve the 
Canada lynx.

    Dated: May 2, 2003.
Scott W. Lieurance,
Acting Missoula Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 03-13924 Filed 6-3-03; 8:45 am]
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