[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 188 (Friday, September 29, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67349-67350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21496]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM-OR-FRN-MO4500170483]


Notice of Withdrawal Extension Application and Opportunity for 
Public Comment for the Halliday Fen Research Natural Area, Washington

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of withdrawal extension.

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture, United States 
Forest Service (USFS), has filed an application with the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) requesting that the Secretary of the Interior extend 
Public Land Order (PLO) No. 7614 for an additional 20 years. PLO No. 
7614 withdrew 646.40 acres of National Forest System land from location 
and entry under the United States mining laws for 20 years, subject to 
valid existing rights, to protect the Halliday Fen Research Natural 
Area (RNA). This notice advises the public of a 90-day opportunity to 
comment on this application for a withdrawal extension and to request a 
public meeting.

DATES: Comments and requests for a public meeting must be received by 
December 28, 2023.

ADDRESSES: All comments and meeting requests should be sent to the BLM 
Oregon/Washington State Director, P.O. Box 2965, Portland, Oregon 
97208. The application and case file are available for public 
examination by interested persons by appointment at the BLM Public 
Room, 1220 SW 3rd Ave., 11th Floor, Portland, Oregon 97208 during 
regular business hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday 
except holidays. Please call 503-808-6001 to make an appointment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Luke Poff, Realty Specialist, BLM 
Oregon/Washington State Office, (503) 808-6249, by email at 
[email protected], or at the address noted earlier. The USFS can be reached 
at the Colville National Forest Supervisor's Office, 765 South Main 
St., Colville, Washington 99114, (509) 684-7000. Individuals in the 
United States who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing, or have a speech 
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PLO No. 7614 (69 FR 55448) withdrew 646.40 
acres of National Forest System land in the Colville National Forest 
from location and entry under the United States mining laws for 20 
years, subject to valid existing rights, to protect the RNA. The RNA 
preserves the unique characteristics, sensitive fauna, hydrology, and 
research values of the area, which includes a marl fen, western red 
cedar and western hemlock forests, and habitat for a variety of rare 
plant and animal species. The RNA is also within the Salmo Priest 
Grizzly Bear Management Unit, which is part of the Selkirk Grizzly Bear 
Recovery Zone in Pend Oreille County, Washington. This notice also 
revises the legal land description and acreage figure from the 646.40 
acres stated in PLO No. 7614 to 646.37 acres. Unless further extended, 
the withdrawal will expire on September 9, 2024.
    The legal land description and acreage figure written in PLO No. 
7614 is revised to reflect the BLM Cadastral Survey's Specification for 
Descriptions of Land. The revised land description does not change the 
footprint of the lands withdrawn, which is as follows:

Colville National Forest

Willamette Meridian

T. 40 N., R. 44 E.,
    Sec. 31, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NE\1/4\, SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, E\1/
2\SW\1/4\, and NW\1/4\SE\1/4\.

    Together with portions of the following lands as specifically 
identified and described

[[Page 67350]]

by metes and bounds in the ``Boundary Description for Halliday Fen 
Research Natural Area to be Withdrawn from Mineral Location'' dated 
April 19, 2002, in the official records of the BLM Oregon/Washington 
State Office and the Colville National Forest Office, Colville, 
Washington:

T. 39 N., R. 43 E.,
    Sec. 1, lot 1.
T. 40 N., R. 43 E.,
    Sec. 36, E\1/2\SE\1/4\.
T. 39 N., R. 44 E.,
    Sec. 6, lots 2 thru 5, and SE\1/4\NW\1/4\.
T. 40 N., R. 44 E.,
    Sec. 30, SE\1/4\SW\1/4\, NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, and S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 31, lots 1 thru 4, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, NE\1/4\NW\1/4\, NE\1/
4\SE\1/4\, and S\1/2\SE\1/4\;
    Sec. 32, W\1/2\NW\1/4\ and NW\1/4\SW\1/4\.

    The areas described aggregate 646.37 acres.

    The use of a right-of-way, interagency agreement, or cooperative 
agreement would not adequately preserve the unique resources located at 
this site. There are no suitable alternative sites since preserving the 
unique resource within the lands described in PLO No. 7614 is the 
reason for the application for withdrawal extension.
    Comments will be available for public review. Before including your 
address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying 
information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire 
comment--including your personally identifying information--may be made 
publicly available at any time. While you may ask the BLM in your 
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public 
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    An opportunity for a public meeting may be afforded in connection 
with the application for withdrawal extension. All interested persons 
who desire a public meeting for the purpose of being heard on the 
application for this withdrawal extension must submit a written request 
to the State Director, BLM Oregon/Washington State Office at the 
address in the ADDRESSES section, within 90 days from the date of 
publication of this notice. If the authorized officer determines that a 
public meeting will be held, a notice of the date, time, and place will 
be published in the Federal Register and local newspapers and posted on 
the BLM website at: www.blm.gov at least 30 days before the scheduled 
date of the meeting. This withdrawal extension application will be 
processed in accordance with the regulations set forth in 43 CFR 
2310.4.

(Authority: 43 U.S.C. 1714)

Dustin Webster-Wharton,
Branch Chief of Land, Mineral, and Energy Development, Bureau of Land 
Management, Oregon/Washington.
[FR Doc. 2023-21496 Filed 9-28-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P