[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 140 (Friday, July 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42362-42363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-14416]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR-931-6320 HAG5-0122]


Notice of Availability of a Final Integrated Pest Management 
Program Environmental Impact Statement for the Provolt and Sprague Seed 
Orchards; Jackson and Josephine Counties, OR

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 102 of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the 
availability of a Final EIS that evaluates, analyzes, and discloses to 
the public direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of a 
proposed integrated pest management program at the Provolt and Sprague 
Seed Orchards in Jackson and Josephine Counties, Oregon, in BLM's 
Medford District. The integrated pest management program is proposed to 
control the insect, weed, animal, and disease problems at the

[[Page 42363]]

orchards, and to maintain healthy, vigorous crop trees for the 
production of seed and other vegetative materials used for 
reforestation and a variety of land management actions.

DATES: Written comments on the Final EIS will be accepted for 30 days 
following the date that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. BLM asks 
that those submitting comments on the Final EIS make them as specific 
as possible with reference to page numbers and chapters of the 
document. Comments will not receive a formal response; however, they 
will be considered and included as part of the BLM decision-making 
process.
    Freedom of Information Act Considerations: Public comments 
submitted for this planning action, including names and street 
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the 
BLM Medford District Office, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, Oregon, during 
regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, 
except holidays; or at the respective seed orchard locations, by 
appointment (see addresses and telephone numbers below). 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 comments. 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.

ADDRESSES: Please address questions, comments, or requests for copies 
of the Final EIS to Mr. Gordon Lyford, Natural Resource Specialist, 
Provolt and Sprague Seed Orchards at 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR 
97504, or by fax at 541-618-2400, or by e-mail to [email protected]. A copy of the Final EIS has been sent to those persons 
who responded to BLM indicating that they wished to receive a copy of 
the Final EIS. Copies of the Final EIS will be available at Medford and 
Grants Pass public libraries located in Jackson and Josephine Counties, 
OR, and on the BLM Medford District Web site at http://www.or.blm.gov/medford/planning/medpest_eis_main.html. Public reading copies will 
also be available for review at the following locations:

Provolt Seed Orchard, 14171 Williams Highway, Grants Pass, OR 97527, 
541-846-7296.
Sprague Seed Orchard, 1980 Russell Road, Merlin, OR 97532, 541-476-
4432.
BLM Medford District Office, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR 97504, 541-
618-2200.
USDI Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Office (OR931), 333 SW. 
First Avenue, Portland, OR 97204, 503-808-6002.
Bureau of Land Management Office of Public Affairs, Main Interior 
Building, Room 3321, 1849 C St., NW., Washington, DC 20240.

    Background information and maps used in developing the Final EIS 
are available at the Medford District Office and the Oregon State 
Office in Portland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Gordon Lyford, Natural Resource 
Specialist, Provolt and Sprague Seed Orchards at 3040 Biddle Road, 
Medford, OR 97504, 541-618-2401, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final EIS analyzes three action 
alternatives and the no action alternative to manage pests at Provolt 
and Sprague. The alternatives can be summarized as follows:
    Alternative A--Maximum Production Integrated Pest Management. Pests 
would be managed using all identified biological, chemical, prescribed 
fire, cultural, and other pest control methods, including aerial 
application by helicopter.
    Alternative B--Integrated Pest Management with Environmental 
Protection Emphasis. Pests would be managed using all of the methods in 
Alternative A, with special exceptions designed to further protect 
workers' health and safety and the environment.
    The limitations were based on results of the human health and 
ecological risk assessment, scoping comments, and consultation with the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries office 
under the Endangered Species Act.
    Alternative C--Pest Management with No Pesticides. Pests would be 
managed using only the non-pesticide biological, prescribed fire, 
cultural, and other methods listed under Alternative A.
    Alternative D--No Action: Continuation of Current Management 
Approach. The current management system allows for use of all non-
pesticide pest control practices at the seed orchard, as well as the 
use of pesticides on a specific case-by-case basis. All non-pesticide 
biological, prescribed fire, cultural, and other methods would be used 
in accordance with current procedures. When a specific need is 
identified for a biological or chemical pesticide, the action would be 
reviewed to determine whether it is encompassed by an existing 
environmental assessment (EA) or EIS.
    Agency Preferred Alternative: BLM's preferred alternative is 
Alternative B.
    Public participation has occurred throughout the NEPA process. Two 
Notices of Intent were filed in the Federal Register (FR) on March 26, 
1999 (64 FR 14747) and March 29, 2001 (66 FR 17192). An open house, 
mailouts, and a site visit were conducted during scoping to solicit 
comments and ideas. A written comment period of 60 days was provided 
for review of the Draft EIS, during which two public meetings were 
conducted at the Sprague Seed Orchard on July 14, 2003 from 1 to 3 p.m. 
and 5 to 7 p.m., and at the Provolt Seed Orchard on July 15, 2003 from 
1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. A new appendix in the Final EIS provides a 
complete set of public comments received on the Draft EIS, along with 
BLM's response to each comment.
    Following the 30-day availability period that begins with 
publication of EPA's Federal Register Notice of Availability, BLM will 
issue a Record of Decision announcing selection of the alternative to 
be implemented. This forest management decision may be protested under 
43 CFR 5003--Administrative Remedies. In accordance with 43 CFR 5003.2, 
the decision for this project will not be subject to protest until the 
publication of a notice of decision in a newspaper of general 
circulation, a minimum of 30 days after the Notice of Availability of 
this Final EIS. Protests of the decision must be filed with this office 
within 15 days of the publication of a notice of decision in the 
newspaper. If no protest is received by the close of business (4:30 
p.m. Pacific Standard Time) on the 15th day, the decision will become 
final. If a timely protest is received, the decision will be 
reconsidered in light of the protest and other pertinent information 
available in accordance with 43 CFR 5003.3.

Timothy B. Reuwsaat,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 05-14416 Filed 7-21-05; 8:45 am]
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