[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 218 (Monday, November 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66162-66163]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19060]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
U.S. Forest Service Open Space Conservation Strategy and
Implementation Plan
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Request for public input.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service is inviting all interested members of the
public to provide input into the development of the USDA Forest Service
Open Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation Plan, which will
help shape the agency's strategic role in a national effort to conserve
open space. The Forest Service is interested in addressing the effects
of the loss of open space on private forests; on the National Forests
and Grasslands and surrounding landscape; and on forests in cities,
suburbs, and towns. Input for the Strategy and Implementation Plan
should focus on programs, research, partnerships, and/or policy
recommendations that could be developed to conserve open space. See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for more background on the loss of
open space and the Strategy and Implementation Plan.
DATES: The Forest Service will review public input received no later
than December 13, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Claire Harper, USDA Forest Service,
Cooperative Forestry, Mail Stop Code 1123, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20250-1123; via electronic mail to
openspace@fs.fed.us; or via facsimile to (202) 205-1271. The agency
cannot confirm receipt of comments. All comments, including names and
addresses when provided, are placed in the record and are available for
public inspection. The public may inspect comments during regular
business hours at the office of the Cooperative Forestry Staff, 4th
Floor SE., Yates Building, 201 14th Street, SW., Washington, DC.
Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to (202) 205-1389 to facilitate
entry into the building.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information about the Open
Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation Plan and the loss of
open space, contact Claire Harper, USDA Forest Service, Cooperative
Forestry, by telephone at (202) 205-1389 or by electronic mail at
openspace@fs.fed.us. For a summary of the Forest Service's current
research, programs, and resources available to facilitate open space
conservation, please review the Forest Service's publication entitled
``Cooperating Across Boundaries: Partnerships to Conserve Open Space in
Rural America.'' Electronic copies of this publication are available at
http://www.fs.fed.us/projects/four-threats/documents/
cooperatingacrossboundaries.pdf, and hardcopies are available by
contacting Claire Harper at openspace@fs.fed.us.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In 2003, Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth identified the loss of
open space as one of four great threats facing our nation's forests and
grasslands. Loss of open space is an issue that affects the
sustainability of both the National Forests and Grasslands and private
forests. Open space--including public and private land, wilderness and
working land--provides a multitude of public benefits and ecosystem
services we all need and enjoy. Three interrelated trends of
conversion, fragmentation, and parcelization are jeopardizing the long
term health and function of forests, limiting management options, and
reducing opportunities for public enjoyment and use. To address the
loss of open space threat, the Forest Service is building a national
strategy to identify how the agency plans to focus its efforts on the
issue. This strategy will provide actions and policy recommendations to
conserve open space, with an emphasis on partnerships and collaborative
approaches.
II. Open Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation Plan
The Forest Service recognizes that it is not the only contributor
to open space conservation; it is only one among many. The Forest
Service also acknowledges that the agency's role in open space
conservation is not to regulate development or land use, but is to
provide expertise, resources, information, and programs. To help
prioritize and focus the agency's efforts, the Forest Service plans to
develop and refine an Open Space Conservation Strategy and
Implementation Plan to address the loss of open space.
Input for the Strategy and Implementation Plan should focus on
programs, research, partnerships and/or policy recommendations that
could be
[[Page 66163]]
developed to conserve open space. Specifically, input regarding the
following three questions is most useful:
1. How can the Forest Service protect land from conversion to other
uses;
2. How can the Forest Service assist private landowners and
communities in maintaining and managing their land as sustainable
forests and grasslands; and
3. How can the Forest Service mitigate the impacts of existing and
new developments.
By receiving input from people with diverse interests and
perspectives, the agency hopes to attain an array of viewpoints and
ideas regarding the Open Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation
Plan. Feedback from a range of interested individuals will assist the
agency in developing a well-informed, focused, and effective strategy
to address the loss of open space threat.
Dated: November 2, 2006.
Dale N. Bosworth,
Chief, Forest Service.
[FR Doc. E6-19060 Filed 11-9-06; 8:45 am]
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