[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 197 (Friday, October 10, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58702-58703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-24980]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA-330-03-1610-00]


Notice of Availability of the Headwaters Forest Reserve Proposed 
Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Headwaters Forest Reserve 
Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and California Department 
of Fish and Game have jointly prepared a Proposed RMP and associated 
FEIS and EIR for the Headwaters Forest Reserve (Reserve) located in 
Humboldt County, California. The Proposed RMP and FEIS/FEIR have been 
prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Federal Land Policy 
and Management Act (FLPMA), the act establishing the Reserve (H.R. 
2107), and BLM policies. The Proposed RMP was developed with broad 
public participation beginning with scoping meetings in June 2000, 
release of a draft RMP with public meetings in June 2002, and ongoing 
dialogue with a variety of publics. Both land use planning and 
implementation-level planning for the Reserve are included in the 
Proposed RMP which addresses management on the approximately 7,500 acre 
Reserve.

DATES: BLM Planning Regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any person 
who participated in the planning process, and has an interest that may 
be adversely affected, may protest. The protest must be filed within 30 
days of the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes 
this notice in the Federal Register. More specific instructions and 
requirements for protests are contained in the Supplementary 
Information section of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Proposed RMP may be obtained from the 
following Bureau of Land Management locations: BLM Arcata Field Office, 
1695 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521, telephone (707) 825-2300; BLM 
California State Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-1834, Sacramento, CA 
95825, telephone (916) 978-4600; or requested by e-mail at 
[email protected]. BLM will also announce the availability of the 
Proposed RMP through local media outlets, the current project mailing 
list, and on the BLM Arcata Field Office Web site (http://www.ca.blm.gov/arcata/index.html).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Headwaters Forest Reserve Management 
Plan Information Line, (916) 737-3010, ext. 4326; Karen Kovacs, 
California Department of Fish and Game, (707) 441-5789; Lynda Roush, 
Bureau of Land Management, (707) 825-2300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Headwaters Forest Reserve was acquired 
by the Secretary of Interior and State of California on March 1, 1999 
as a culmination of a comprehensive agreement of 1996, the Headwaters 
Agreement, between the Department of Interior, State of California, and 
the Pacific Lumber Company (PALCO), for the transfer of approximately 
7,500 acres of old-growth and young-growth timber stands and associated 
buffers in a reserve, and among other considerations, the completion 
and approval of a Sustained Yield Plan (SYP) and Habitat Conservation 
Plan (HCP) for PALCO property. Cash transfer for the purchase of the 
Headwaters Forest Reserve was authorized in the 1997 Interior 
Appropriations bill (H.R. 2107) on the

[[Page 58703]]

Federal side and in Assembly Bill 1986 (AB 1986), Headwaters Forest, 
Owl Creek, and Grizzly Creek, on the state side. The Federal 
legislation authorizing acquisition, (1) established a specific 
boundary and point of access, (2) called for joint federal-state 
acquisition, with management by the federal government and an easement 
to guarantee conservation management granted to the state, and (3) 
established the requirement for the development of a management plan.
    The 7,500-acre tract acquired includes 3,100 acres of unharvested 
conifer forests dominated by redwood groves and surrounded by 4,400 
acres of previously harvested forest. It is located in the northwestern 
coast ranges of California near Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, part 
of California's north coast region. The Reserve includes the headwaters 
of three streams draining into Humboldt Bay; South Fork Elk River, 
Little South Fork Elk River, and Salmon Creek. The Reserve contains 
three federally listed threatened fish species: southern Oregon/
northern California coasts Coho salmon, northern California steelhead, 
and California coastal Chinook salmon, and two federally listed 
threatened animals: marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl. The 
Reserve is designated critical habitat for the Coho, Chinook, and the 
Murrelet. The Reserve is identified in the PALCO HCP as a site for 
monitoring undisturbed baseline conditions for water quality and 
wildlife habitat.
    BLM has considered an array of alternatives including specific land 
use allocations and prescriptions consistent with the legislative 
intent for the Reserve. Species management, forest and watershed 
restoration, recreation, critical resource values, and research are 
addressed.
    The planning process includes an opportunity for administrative 
review through a plan protest to the BLM Director should a previous 
commenter on the plan believe that the decision has been issued in 
error. Only those persons or organizations who participated in the 
planning process may protest. Protests from parties having no previous 
involvement will be denied without further review. A protesting party 
may raise only those issues which were submitted for the record during 
the planning process. New issues raised in the protest period should be 
directed to the BLM, Arcata Field Manager, 1695 Heindon Road, Arcata, 
CA 95521 for consideration in plan implementation, as potential plan 
amendments, or as otherwise appropriate. The period for filing protests 
begins when the EPA publishes in the Federal Register its Notice of 
Receipt of the FEIS containing the proposed resource management plan. 
To be considered ``timely'' the protest must be postmarked no later 
than the last day of the 30-day protest period. Also, although not a 
requirement, it is recommended that the protest be sent by certified 
mail, return receipt requested. E-mail protests will not be accepted. 
Faxed protests will be considered as potential valid protests provided 
(1) that the signed faxed letter is received by the Washington Office 
protest coordinator by the closing date of the protest period and (2) 
that the protesting party also provides the original letter by either 
regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest 
period. Please direct faxed protests to ``BLM Protest Coordinator'' at 
202-452-5112. Please direct the follow-up letter to the appropriate 
address provided below. Protest must be filed in writing to: Director 
(210), Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box 66538, Washington, DC 
20035; or by overnight mail to: Director (210), Attention: Brenda 
Williams, 1620 L Street NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036. In order 
to be considered complete, the protest must contain, at a minimum, the 
following information:
    1. The name, mailing address, telephone number, and interest of the 
person filing the protest.
    2. A statement of the issue or issues being protested.
    3. A statement of the part or parts of the plan being protested. To 
the extent possible, this should be done by reference to specific 
pages, paragraphs, sections, tables, maps, etc. included in the 
proposed RMP.
    4. A copy of all documents addressing the issue or issues which 
were submitted during the planning process or a reference to the date 
the issue or issues were discussed by you for the record.
    5. A concise statement explaining why the decision of the BLM 
California State Director is believed to be incorrect. This is a 
critical part of the protest. Take care to document all relevant facts. 
As much as possible, reference or cite the planning documents, 
environmental analysis documents, available planning records (i.e. 
meeting minutes or summaries, correspondence, etc.) A protest which 
merely expresses disagreement with the proposed decision, without 
supporting data will not provide additional basis for the Director's 
review of the decision.
    Please note that comments, including names and street addresses of 
respondents, are available for public review and/or release under the 
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. Respondents who wish to withhold name and/or street 
address from public review or from disclosure under FOIA, must state 
this prominently at the beginning of the written comment. Such requests 
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.
    The Director will promptly render a decision on the protest. The 
decision will be in writing and will be sent to the protesting party by 
certified mail, return receipt requested. The decision of the Director 
shall be the final decision of the Department of the Interior.

    Dated: April 21, 2003.
Lynda J. Roush,
Arcata Field Manager.

    Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the 
Federal Register on September 29, 2003.


[FR Doc. 03-24980 Filed 10-9-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P