[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 134 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45274-45275]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16586]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 134 / Wednesday, July 13, 2016 /
Notices
[[Page 45274]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to re-establish the Black Hills National
Forest Advisory Board.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), intends to re-
establish the Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board (Board). In
accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act
(FACA), the Board is being re-established to continue obtaining advice
and recommendations on a broad range of forest issues such as forest
plan revisions or amendments, forest health including fire management
and mountain pine beetle infestations, travel management, forest
monitoring and evaluation, recreation fees, and site-specific projects
having forest wide implications.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Jacobson, Committee Coordinator,
USDA, Black Hills National Forest, by telephone: 605-673-9216, by fax:
605-673-9208, or by email: [email protected]. Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8:00 a.m.
and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board is a non-scientific program
advisory board established by the Secretary of Agriculture in 2003 to
provide advice and counsel to the U.S. Forest Service, Black Hills
National Forest, in the wake of increasingly severe and intense wild
fires and mountain pine beetle epidemics.
The purpose of the Board is to provide advice and recommendations
on a broad range of forest issues such as forest plan revisions or
amendments, travel management, forest monitoring and evaluation, and
site-specific projects having forest-wide implications. The Board also
serves to meet the needs of the Recreation Enhancement Act of 2005 as a
Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (RRAC) for the Black Hills of
South Dakota. The Board provides timely advice and recommendations to
the regional forester through the forest supervisor regarding
programmatic forest issues and project-level issues that have forest-
wide implications for the Black Hills National Forest.
The Board meets approximately ten times a year, with one month
being a field trip, held in August and focusing on both current issues
and the educational value of seeing management strategies and outcomes
on the ground. This Board has been established as a truly credible
entity and a trusted voice on forest management issues and is doing
often astonishing work in helping to develop informed consent for
forest management.
For years, the demands made on the Black Hills National Forest have
resulted in conflicts among interest groups resulting in both forest-
wide and site-specific programs being delayed due to appeals and
litigation. The Board provides a forum to resolve these issues to allow
for the Black Hills National Forest to move forward in its management
activities. The Board is believed to be one of the few groups with
broad enough scope to address all of the issues and include all of the
jurisdictional boundaries.
Significant Contributions
The Board's most significant accomplishments include:
1. A 2004 report on the Black Hills Fuels Reduction Plan, a
priority following the major fires including the 86,000 acre Jasper
Fire in 2000;
2. A 2004 initial Off-Highway Vehicle Travel Management
Subcommittee report;
3. A report on their findings regarding the thesis, direction, and
assumptions of Phase II of our Forest Plan produced in 2005;
4. The Invasive Species Subcommittee Report in 2005 covering
recommendations to better stop invasive species from infiltrating the
Forest;
5. A final Travel Management Subcommittee Report in 2006 in which
the Board made 11 recommendations regarding characteristics of a
designated motor vehicle trail system, the basis for our initial work
to prepare our Motor Vehicle Use Map in 2010-2011;
6. The Board's annual work to attract funding through grants based
on the Collaborative Landscape Forest Restoration Program (CFLRP), a
program of the Secretary of Agriculture CFLR Program to encourage the
collaborative, science-based ecosystem restoration of priority forest
landscapes;
7. A letter to the Secretary and the Chief of the Forest Service to
work, restore and maintain open space for wildlife habitat and
recreation needs like snowmobile trails; and
8. The annual reports to the Secretary detailing the Board's
activities, issues, and accomplishments.
The Board is deemed to be among the most effective public
involvement strategies in the Forest Service and continues to lead by
example for Federal, State, and local government agencies working to
coordinate and cooperate in the Black Hills of South Dakota and
Wyoming.
Background
Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. II),
the Secretary of Agriculture intends to re-establish the Black Hills
National Forest Advisory Board. The Board provides advice and
recommendations on a broad range of forest planning issues and, in
accordance with the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (Public
Law 108-447 (REA)), more specifically will provide advice and
recommendations on Black Hills National Forest recreation fee issues
(serving as the RRAC for the Black Hills National Forest). The Board
membership consists of individuals representing commodity interests,
amenity interests, and State and local government.
The Board has been determined to be in the public interest in
connection with the duties and responsibilities of the Black Hills
National Forest. National forest management requires improved
coordination among the interests and governmental entities responsible
for land management decisions and the public that the agency serves.
[[Page 45275]]
Advisory Committee Organization
The Board consists of 16 members that are representative of the
following interests (this membership is similar to the membership
outlined by the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination
Act for Resource Advisory Committees (16 U.S.C. 500, et seq.)):
1. Economic development;
2. Developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle users, or
commercial recreation;
3. Energy and mineral development;
4. Commercial timber industry;
5. Permittee (grazing or other land use within the Black Hills
area);
6. Nationally recognized environmental organizations;
7. Regionally or locally recognized environmental organizations;
8. Dispersed recreation;
9. Archeology or history;
10. Nationally or regionally recognized sportsmen's groups, such as
anglers or hunters;
11. South Dakota State-elected offices;
12. Wyoming State-elected offices;
13. South Dakota or Wyoming county-or local-elected officials;
14. Tribal government elected or- appointed officials;
15. South Dakota State natural resource agency official; and
16. Wyoming State natural resource agency official.
The members of the Board will elect and determine the
responsibilities of the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson. In the
absence of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson will act in the
Chairperson's stead. The Forest Supervisor of the Black Hills National
Forest serves as the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) under sections
10(e) and (f) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. II).
Members will serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for
travel expenses while performing duties on behalf of the Board, subject
to approval by the DFO.
Equal opportunity practices are followed in all appointments to the
Board in accordance with USDA policies. To ensure that the
recommendations of the Board have been taken into account the needs of
diverse groups served by USDA, the membership shall include to the
extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated ability to represent
the needs of all racial and ethnic groups, women and men, and persons
with disabilities.
Dated: July 5, 2016.
Gregory L. Parham,
Assistant Secretary for Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016-16586 Filed 7-12-16; 8:45 am]
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