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<br />64096
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<br />Federal Register/Vol. 69, No. 212/Wednesday, November 3, 2004/Notices
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<br />from Oct I-March 31 and seasonally
<br />closed from Aprill-Sept 30 each year.
<br />Future changes to these closure dates
<br />may be necessary as ongoing bat
<br />migration research at Crystal Cave is
<br />accomplished. Any changes to access
<br />dates will be given via subsequent
<br />Federal Register notice.
<br />FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
<br />information regarding public access to
<br />Crystal Cave, contact the BLM's Salt
<br />Lake Field Office at (801) 977-4300.
<br />SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
<br />seasonal closure to public access of
<br />Crystal Cave will serve to protect both
<br />a maternity colony of Townsend's Big-
<br />eared Bats and unique geologic cave
<br />formations, and to ensure visitor safety
<br />and compliance through the installation
<br />of a bat-friendly locking gate. The BLM
<br />decision is to manage access to Crystal
<br />Cave by constructing a bat-friendly gate
<br />and implementing a Cave Management
<br />Plan coupled with a visitor use permit
<br />system.
<br />With increasing visitation, additional
<br />measures are needed to effectively
<br />protect the cave. Formations are being
<br />illegally removed and critical bat habitat
<br />is being disturbed. A permit system will
<br />provide an opportunity to educate the
<br />public on the importance of protecting
<br />critical cave resources.
<br />Installation of a gate will provide the
<br />maximum security for Crystal Cave
<br />resources while minimizing the negative
<br />effects on the cave's ecology. The gate
<br />will be constructed as a joint effort
<br />between the Salt Lake BLM Field Office,
<br />Timpanogos Cave National Monument,
<br />Salt Lake NSS Grotto, the Timpanogos
<br />NSS Grotto, and other interested
<br />individuals.
<br />The Crystal Cave Management Plan
<br />will set forth direction for long-range
<br />management planning and oversight of
<br />this important resource and identify
<br />specific management actions for
<br />recreation use at Crystal Cave. The
<br />management plan will emphasize
<br />recreational use while providing for
<br />natural resource conservation and
<br />enhancement.
<br />The authority for establishing this
<br />restriction is found at 43 CFR 8364.1(a).
<br />This restriction does not apply to:
<br />(1) Any Federal, State or local
<br />government officer or member of an
<br />organized rescue or fire fighting force
<br />while in the performance of an official
<br />duty.
<br />(2) Any Bureau of Land Management
<br />employee, agent, contractor, or
<br />cooperator while in the performance of
<br />an official duty.
<br />(3) Any Federal, State, local, or
<br />contract law enforcement officer, while
<br />in the performance of their official
<br />
<br />duties, or while enforcing this closure
<br />notice.
<br />Violation of this closure is punishable
<br />by a fine not to exceed $100,000 and/
<br />or imprisonment not to exceed 12
<br />months as provided in 43 CFR 8360-0.7
<br />as further defined in 18 U.S.C. 3571.
<br />
<br />Dated: September 20, 2004.
<br />Glenn A. Carpenter,
<br />Field Office Manager.
<br />[FR Doc. 04-24662 Filed 11-1-04; 1:52 pm]
<br />BILLING CODE 431Cl-DQ-P
<br />
<br />DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
<br />
<br />Bureau of Reclamation
<br />
<br />Review of Existing Coordinated Long-
<br />Range Operating Criteria for Colorado
<br />River Reservoirs (Operating Criteria)
<br />
<br />AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation
<br />(Reclamation), Interior.
<br />ACTION: Notice of proposed decision
<br />regarding the operating criteria and
<br />announcement of public consultation
<br />meeting.
<br />
<br />SUMMARY: The purpose of this action is
<br />to provide notice of a public
<br />consultation meeting. In addition, based
<br />on information submitted for review by
<br />the Department of the Interior,
<br />Reclamation is proposing that the
<br />Secretary of the Interior (Secretary)
<br />make a number of identified
<br />modifications to the text of the
<br />Operating Criteria developed pursuant
<br />to Section 602 of the Colorado River
<br />Basin Project Act of 1968. The bases for
<br />the proposed changes are: (1) Specific
<br />changes in Federal law applicable to the
<br />Operating Criteria, (2) language in the
<br />current text of the Operating Criteria
<br />that is outdated, and (3) specific
<br />modifications to Article N(b) of the
<br />Operating Criteria that reflect actual
<br />operating experience.
<br />DATES: To receive input on the proposed
<br />decision regarding specific limited
<br />changes to the Operating criteria,
<br />Reclamation will conduct a public
<br />consultation meeting in Henderson,
<br />Nevada. The meeting will be held at the
<br />following time and location:
<br />· November 19,2004-9 a.m. to 1
<br />p.m. at the Henderson Convention
<br />Center, 200 South Water Street,
<br />Henderson, Nevada.
<br />All comments relevant to the
<br />proposed decision should be received
<br />no later than December 6, 2004.
<br />ADDRESSES: Interested parties should
<br />send comments or questions to:
<br />Regional Director, Attention: BCOO-
<br />4600, Bureau of Reclamation, Lower
<br />Colorado Region, P.G. Box 61470,
<br />Boulder City, Nevada 89006-1470.
<br />
<br />FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
<br />Jayne Harkins, Bureau of Reclamation,
<br />Lower Colorado Region, P.O. Box 61470,
<br />Boulder City, Nevada 89006-1470;
<br />telephone (702) 293-8411; faxogram
<br />(702) 293-8614; e-mail:
<br />jharkins@lc.usbr.gov; or Tom Ryan,
<br />Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado
<br />Region, 125 South State Street, Room
<br />6107, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1147;
<br />telephone (801) 524-3732; faxogram
<br />(801) 524-5499; e-mail:
<br />tryan@uc.usbr.gov.
<br />
<br />SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
<br />public review process began with a
<br />Federal Register Notice published on
<br />January 15, 2002, announcing the sixth
<br />review of the Operating Criteria and
<br />inviting comments regarding whether
<br />the Operating Criteria should be
<br />modified, and if so, how they should be
<br />modified. The January 15, 2002, Notice
<br />provided for a comment period that
<br />ended on March 18, 2002. On March 6,
<br />2002, a second Notice was published in
<br />the Federal Register extending the
<br />comment period to March 29, 2002, and
<br />inviting public feedback on whether or
<br />not Reclamation should conduct a
<br />public meeting to solicit comments as
<br />part of the sixth review of the Operating
<br />Criteria. A letter was then sent to all
<br />interested parties, tribes, and
<br />stakeholders on March 7, 2002, that
<br />included copies of both Federal
<br />Register Notices and the Operating
<br />Criteria.
<br />On June 27, 2002, a Fact Sheet
<br />providing information on the Operating
<br />Criteria, scope of the review process,
<br />public participation, timeline for the
<br />review process, and contact information
<br />was sent to all interested parties and
<br />stakeholders. In addition to the Fact
<br />Sheet, Reclamation set up a Web site
<br />(http://www. usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/
<br />lroc) for the sixth review of the
<br />Operating Criteria that contained further
<br />information on the review, copies of all
<br />comment letters received, and links to
<br />technical documents Reclamation felt
<br />would be useful during the review
<br />process.
<br />Detailed written comments were
<br />received from 16 interested parties
<br />providing Reclamation with numerous
<br />issues, comments, and concerns
<br />regarding possible changes to the
<br />Operating Criteria. The comment letters
<br />were posted on the Operating Criteria Web site in May 2002 and have been
<br />reviewed by Reclamation for
<br />identification and analysis of the issues.
<br />As required by Federal law, formal
<br />consultation with the representatives of
<br />the seven Basin States, and with
<br />members of the general public, was
<br />conducted during this review of the
<br />
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