[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 92 (Friday, May 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 27714]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4441]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Bonneville Power Administration


South Fork Flathead Watershed Westslope Cutthroat Trout 
Conservation Program

AGENCY: Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Department of Energy 
(DOE).

ACTION: Notice of availability of record of decision (ROD).

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the ROD for the 
South Fork Flathead Watershed Westslope Cutthroat Trout Conservation 
Program, based on the South Fork Flathead Watershed Westslope Cutthroat 
Trout Conservation Program Final Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/
EIS-0353, July 2005). BPA is taking this action to preserve the genetic 
purity of the westslope cutthroat trout populations in the South Fork 
of the Flathead River drainage in Flathead County, Montana. BPA will 
fund Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) pursuant to its authority 
under the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation 
Act to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish affected by the Federal 
Columbia River Power System in the Columbia River Basin. BPA is the 
lead agency; the U.S. Forest Service, Flathead National Forest (USFS) 
is a federal cooperating agency since it has jurisdiction and 
responsibility for the use and management of National Forest Lands, 
including the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Jewell Basin Hiking area 
on the Flathead National Forest. The USFS will issue a separate ROD for 
its actions. MFWP is a cooperating agency and has jurisdiction and 
responsibility to manage all fish and wildlife resources on state, 
federal, and private lands in Montana. MFWP will issue a separate ROD 
on this project.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD and EIS may be obtained by calling BPA's 
toll-free document request line, 1-800-622-4520, The ROD and EIS 
Summary are also available on our Web site, http://www.efw.bpa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colleen Spiering, Environmental 
Project Manager, Bonneville Power Administration--KEC-4, P.O. Box 3621, 
Portland, Oregon 97208-3621; toll-free telephone number 1-800-282-3713; 
fax number 503-230-5699; or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MFWP will apply pesticides to remove hybrid 
trout from lakes and designated portions of their outflow streams and 
then restock the lakes and streams with genetically pure westslope 
cutthroat trout. MFWP will use a combination of motorized/mechanized 
(i.e., aircraft, motor boats) and non-motorized/nonmechanized (i.e., 
livestock, hiking) means to access all project sites. Before restocking 
MFWP will instill sentinel fish cages in each lake to determine if the 
water conditions are appropriate. MFWP will monitor the restocked lakes 
for several years to determine population viability and associated 
characteristics, and determine program success such as presence and 
degree of natural reproduction, genetic purity, angling quality and 
growth rates. In issuing this ROB, BPA is also committing to all 
mitigation in the Mitigation Action Plan for the project.

    Issued in Portland, Oregon, on May 1, 2006.
Stephen J. Wright,
Administration and Chief Executive Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-4441 Filed 5-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-M