[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 3, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51180-51181]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-18519]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Lower Joseph Creek Restoration Project, Wallowa-Whitman National 
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan Amendment for Research Natural 
Area Establishment

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of objection filing period.

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SUMMARY: James Pe[ntilde]a, the Regional Forester for the Pacific 
Northwest Region, has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS) and draft Record of Decision (ROD) for the establishment of two 
Research Natural Areas (RNA) as part of the Lower Joseph Creek 
Restoration Project. The draft ROD authorizes establishment of both the 
Horse Pasture Ridge and Haystack Rock RNAs.
    The FEIS and draft ROD are available on the forest's Web site at 
http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=43379. A hardcopy of the 
document(s) and/or further information is available by contacting the 
person listed under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section below. 
The draft ROD is subject to objection under 36 CFR part 219, subpart B. 
A written notice of objection, including any attachments, must be 
submitted (regular mail, express delivery, messenger service, fax, 
email, or hand delivery) within 60 days of the publication date of the 
notice in the newspaper of record, the Oregonian. The newspaper notice 
is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection 
(36 CFR 219.56(b)(3)). An electronic scan of this notice was posted on 
the Web site noted above. Those wishing to object to the draft ROD 
should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any 
other source.
    Any objection must be submitted to Glen Casamassa, Associate Deputy 
Chief, who is the Objection Reviewing Officer, at one of the addresses 
listed in the ADDRESSES section below.
    The objection process provides an opportunity for members of the 
public who have participated in the planning process for the forest 
plan amendment to have any unresolved concerns reviewed by the Forest 
Service prior to a final decision by the Responsible

[[Page 51181]]

Official. Under 36 CFR 219.53(a), objections will be accepted only from 
those individuals or organizations who have previously submitted 
substantive formal comments related to this amendment of the Wallowa-
Whitman National Forest Plan during previous opportunities for public 
comment provided. Objections must be based on previously submitted 
substantive comments attributed to the objector, unless the objection 
concerns an issue that arose after the opportunities for public comment 
(36 CFR 219.53(a)). In addition, objections must meet the content 
requirements of 36 CFR 219.54(c), which can be found in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.
    All objections are open to public inspection and will be posted to 
the Forest Service Web site (http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=43379). A notice of objections received will be published in 
the newspaper of record, the Oregonian, within 10 days after the close 
of the objection filing period.

DATES: The objection filing period began upon publication of the notice 
in the newspaper of record (publication occurred on July 15, 2016 in 
the Oregonian) and ends 60 days thereafter.

ADDRESSES: Objections must be submitted to one of the addresses below:
    1. Postal Delivery: USDA Forest Service Attn: Objection Reviewing 
Officer, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., EMC-LEAP, Mailstop 1104, 
Washington, DC 20250.
    2. Express, Messenger, or Hand Delivery: USDA Forest Service, Attn: 
Objection Reviewing Officer, 210 14th St. SW., EMC-LEAP, Mailstop 1104, 
Washington, DC 20250. The main phone line for carrier deliveries is 
202-719-8488.
    3. Electronically Filed: Email; [email protected]; Please 
put Objection and Lower Joseph Creek Restoration Project, establishment 
of Haystack Rock and Horse Pasture Ridge Research Natural Areas in the 
subject line. Fax: (202) 649-1172

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Darcy Weseman, Plan Amendment Project 
Manager, 72510 Coyote Rd. Pendleton, OR 97801, (541) 278-3755, or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The office business hours for those 
submitting hand-delivered objections are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
(Eastern Standard Time), Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. Electronic objections must be submitted in a commonly used 
format such as an email message, plain text (.txt), rich text format 
(.rtf), or Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx). For electronically mailed 
objections, the sender should normally receive an automated electronic 
acknowledgment from the agency as confirmation of receipt. If the 
sender does not receive an automated acknowledgment of the receipt of 
the objection, it is the sender's responsibility to ensure timely 
receipt by other means. The regulations prohibit extending the length 
of the objection filing period.
    Any objection must include the following (30 CFR 219.54(c)):
    1. The objector's name and address, telephone number or email 
address if available. Include the identification of the lead objector, 
when multiple names are listed on an objection.
    2. Signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a 
scanned signature is allowed for electronic mail);
    3. The title of the plan amendment, and the name and title of the 
Responsible Official;
    4. A description of the issues and/or parts of the plan amendment 
to which the objection applies;
    5. A brief statement explaining the objection and suggesting how 
the draft plan amendment decision may be improved. If the objector 
believes the plan amendment is inconsistent with law, regulation, or 
policy, the reasons should be included;
    6. A statement that shows the link between the objector's prior 
substantive formal comments and the content of the objection, unless 
the objection concerns an issue that arose after the opportunities for 
formal comment.
    Attach documents referenced in the objection except as noted at 36 
CFR 219.54(b). The objector is responsible for ensuring the timely 
filing of written objections. Timeliness will be determined as 
indicated in 36 CFR 219.56(c).
    The Reviewing Officer will provide written acknowledgement of 
receipt of the objection, if requested by the objector.

    Dated: July 20, 2016.
James Pe[ntilde]a,
Regional Forester, Pacific Northwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2016-18519 Filed 8-2-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3411-15-M