Formulation of the Prerevision Review Process for the Cibola National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan Revision

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 43 (Monday, March 4, 1996)]

[Notices]

[Page 8235]

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[FR Doc No: 96-4937]

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Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 43 / Monday, March 4, 1996 /

Notices

[[Page 8235]]

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Formulation of the Prerevision Review Process for the Cibola

National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan Revision

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

SUMMARY: The Cibola National Forest requests comments on draft

Prerevision review topics that have been developed through the

monitoring of the current Forest Plan and interdisciplinary team

review. This is an invitation to the public and representatives of

government entities to express their ideas and suggestions on what

needs to be changed in the current Forest Plan. Upon completion of the

prerevision review, the Regional Forester shall initiate the forest

plan revision process by publishing a Notice of intent to revise the

forest plan and to prepare the draft environmental impact statement.

DATES: This notice is effective March 6, 1996. Comments must be

submitted in writing on or before April 15, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Direct comments to: Jeanine A. Derby, Forest Supervisor,

Cibola National Forest, 2113 Osuna Road NE, Suite A, Albuquerque, New

Mexico, 87110.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barney Lyons, Forest Planner, Cibola National Forest at 505-761-4650.

Background

The Land and Resource Management Plan defines the long-term

direction for managing the Cibola National Forest and the Kiowa, Rita

Blanca, Black Kettle, and McClellan Creek National Grasslands. The

Forest Plan will take an ecological approach to achieve multiple-use

management of the National Forest and National Grasslands. It means

that we must blend the needs of people and environmental values in such

a way that the National Forest and Grasslands represent diverse,

healthy, productive, and sustainable ecosystems. The present Cibola

National Forest Plan was approved in 1985 and has been amended six

times. Revision of a forest plan should occur about every 10 years, but

no later than 15 years from the date of approval of the original plan

or the latest plan revision.

A prerevision review of the forest plan has been conducted to

identified changed conditions and/or new information which appears to

indicate a need to change direction in the current plan. The Cibola

National Forest developed criteria to separate between Revision Topics,

Implementation Topics, Legislative Topics, Topics for other Government

Entities, and Research Topics. Other information required by the

National Forest Management Act will also be evaluated with the topics

that indicate a need for change, such as roadless areas and wild and

scenic rivers. This review was a combination of interdisciplinary team

efforts and Forest plan monitoring. We are seeking comments on these

topics as well as any other topics that might surface.

The revision topics that surfaced during the prerevision review

are: balancing land capability with resource demand; watershed

condition assessment and water uses, rights, quality and availability

assessment; biological diversity; Native American collaboration; Land

Grant Community collaboration; land uses; oil and gas leasing;

population growth and social demographics; rural community economics;

Scenery Management System; urban interface; wilderness management;

recreation management; fire management; response to legal mandates;

access management; and Range Management.

Implementation Topics were topics that needed additional emphasis

but the present plan provide adequate direction for implementation.

These topics are: infrastructure; balanced heritage resource

management; land line location; limiting factors for wildlife;

monitoring; resource inventories; small products as a vegetation

management tool; planning coordination with local governments;

Recreation Opportunity Spectrum, roadless areas and other special

areas; public information and education; Research Natural Areas; budget

constraints and workforce reductions; and law enforcement.

Several topics will be referred to other agencies for their

consideration and input. These are:

Clean Air Act implementation; State wildlife departments

regulations and hunting seasons; State forestry's responsibility for

forestry practices on state and private lands; State's water quality

management under the Clean Water Act; and the Department of Energy/

Department of Defense responsibilities on land withdrawals.

Some of the research topics include:

Social impact on ecosystems; bats and their habitat; recreation

uses and acceptable limits; grassland ecosystems and disturbances;

pinyon-juniper treatment thresholds; medicinal plants and other forest

products; bio-solid effects and applications; stream channel/wet meadow

restoration, and health effects of smoke from prescribed burning.

No legislative topics have surfaced to date.

A copy of the draft Prerevision Review Topics is available at the

Cibola National Forest Supervisor's Office, 2113 Osuna Road NE, Suite

A, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110, 505-761-4650.

Dated: February 26, 1996.

Kenneth D. Knarr,

Acting Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 96-4937 Filed 3-1-96; 8:45 am]

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