[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 146 (Tuesday, July 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61058-61059]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14903]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Gila National Forest; Revision of the Land Management Plan for 
the Gila National Forest

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice of opportunity to object to the revised Land Management 
Plan and the Regional Forester's list of species of conservation 
concern for the Gila National Forest.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is 
revising the Gila National Forest's Land Management Plan (Plan). The 
Forest Service has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS) for its revised Plan and a draft Record of Decision (ROD). This 
notice is to inform the public that the Gila National Forest is 
initiating a 60-day period where individuals or entities with specific 
concerns about the Gila National Forest's revised Plan and the 
associated FEIS may file objections for Forest Service review prior to 
the approval of the revised Plan. This is also an opportunity to object 
to the Regional Forester's list of species of conservation concern for 
the Gila National Forest.

DATES: The Gila National Forest's revised Plan, FEIS, draft ROD, 
species of conservation concern list, and other supporting information 
will be available for review at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/gila/?project=51887. The publication date of the legal notice in the Gila 
National Forest's newspaper of record, Silver City Daily Press, 
initiates the 60-day objection period and is the exclusive means for 
calculating the time to file an objection (36 CFR 219.52(c)(5)). An 
electronic scan of the legal notice with the publication date will be 
posted at the link above.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Gila National Forest's revised Plan, FEIS, 
draft ROD, and Regional Forester's list of species of conservation 
concern for the Gila

[[Page 61059]]

National Forest can be obtained online at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/gila/?project=51887, or at the following office: Gila National 
Forest Supervisor's Office, 3005 E Camino del Bosque, Silver City, NM 
88061, Phone: (575) 388-8201.
    Objections must be submitted to the Objection Reviewing Officer by 
one of the following methods:
     Electronic submissions via the project web page at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=51887 are preferred. 
Electronic submissions (including all attachments) must be submitted in 
a format (word (.doc or .docx), rich text format (.rtf), text (.txt), 
portable document format (.pdf), and/or hypertext markup language 
(.html)) that is readable and searchable with optical character 
recognition software.
     Via regular mail, carrier, or hand delivery to the 
following address: USDA-Forest Service Southwest Region, ATTN: 
Objection Reviewing Officer, 333 Broadway Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 
87102. The office hours for submitting a hand-delivered objection are 
from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding Federal 
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenny Rasmussen, Natural Resource 
Planner, at (575) 388-8483 or [email protected].
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339, 
24 hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The decision to approve the revised Plan for 
the Gila National Forest and the Regional Forester's list of species of 
conservation concern for the Gila National Forest will be subject to 
the objection process identified in 36 CFR part 219 subpart B (219.50 
to 219.62). Per 36 CFR 219.53 only individuals and entities who have 
submitted substantive formal comments related to a plan revision during 
the opportunities for public comment that are attributable to the 
objector may file an objection, unless the objection concerns an issue 
that arose after the opportunities for formal comment.

How To File an Objection

    Objectors must be submitted to the Reviewing Officer at the address 
shown in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. Please be explicit as to 
whether the objection is to the ``Gila National Forest Plan Revision'' 
or the `Regional Forester's list of Species of Conservation Concern for 
the Gila National Forest''. An objection must include the following (36 
CFR 219.54(c)):
    (1) The objector's name and address along with a telephone number 
or email address if available. In cases where no identifiable name is 
attached to an objection, the Forest Service will attempt to verify the 
identity of the objector to confirm objection eligibility;
    (2) Signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a 
scanned signature for electronic mail may be filed with the objection);
    (3) Identification of the lead objector when multiple names are 
listed on an objection. The Forest Service will communicate to all 
parties to an objection through the lead objector. Verification of the 
identity of the lead objector must also be provided if requested;
    (4) The name of the plan, plan amendment, or plan revision being 
objected to, and the name and title of the responsible official;
    (5) A statement of the issues and/or parts of the plan, plan 
amendment, or plan revision to which the objection applies;
    (6) A concise statement explaining the objection and suggesting how 
the draft plan decision may be improved. If the objector believes that 
the plan, plan amendment, or plan revision is inconsistent with law, 
regulation, or policy, an explanation should be included;
    (7) A statement that demonstrates 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; and
    (8) All documents referenced in the objection (a bibliography is 
not sufficient), except the following need not be provided:
    a. All or any part of a Federal law or regulation,
    b. Forest Service Directive System documents and land management 
plans or other published Forest Service documents,
    c. Documents referenced by the Forest Service in the planning 
documentation related to the proposal subject to objection, and
    d. Formal comments previously provided to the Forest Service by the 
objector during the proposed plan, plan amendment, or plan revision 
comment period.
    It is the responsibility of the objector to ensure that the 
Reviewing Officer receives the objection in a timely manner. The 
regulations generally prohibit extending the length of the objection 
filing period (36 CFR 219.56(d)). However, when the time period expires 
on a Saturday, Sunday, or a Federal holiday, the time is extended to 
the end of the next Federal working day (11:59 p.m. for objections 
filed by electronic means such as email) (36 CFR 219.56).

Responsible Official

    The responsible official who will approve the Record of Decision 
and the revised Plan for the Gila National Forest is Forest Supervisor 
Camille Howes, Gila National Forest Supervisor's Office, 3005 E Camino 
del Bosque, Silver City, NM 88061, Phone: (575) 388-8201. The 
responsible official for the list of species of conservation concern is 
Michiko Martin, Regional Forester, USDA Forest Service Southwestern 
Region, 333 Broadway Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102.
    The Regional Forester is the reviewing officer for the revised Plan 
since the Forest Supervisor is the responsible official (36 CFR 
219.56(e)). Objection review of the Regional Forester's list of species 
of conservation concern will be subject to a separate objection process 
from the objection review of the Forest Plan. The Chief of the Forest 
Service is the reviewing officer for species of conservation concern 
identification since the Regional Forester is the responsible official 
(36 CFR 219.56(e)(2)).
    This authority may be delegated to an individual Deputy Chief or 
Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System, consistent with 
delegations of authority provided in the Forest Service Manual at 
sections 1235.4 and 1235.5.

Keith Lannom,
Associate Deputy Chief National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2024-14903 Filed 7-29-24; 8:45 am]
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