2011-7421. Notice of Public Meeting, Steens Mountain Advisory Council

AGENCY:

Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of public meetings.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Steens Mountain Advisory Council will meet as indicated below:

DATES:

The Steens Mountain Advisory Council will meet at the Harney County Community Center, 484 N. Broadway, Burns, Oregon, 97720 on April 4 and 5, 2011. A meeting in Bend, Oregon, at the Phoenix Inn and Suites, 300 NW. Franklin Ave, will be held November 17 and 18, 2011; and a meeting June 9 and 10, 2011 and September 22 and 23, 2011, will be held at the Frenchglen School, Frenchglen, Oregon. All meeting sessions will begin at 8 a.m. local time, and will end at approximately 4:30 p.m., local time.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Christi West, Staff Assistant, BLM Burns District Office, 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon, 97738, [phone] or e-mail [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Steens Mountain Advisory Council was appointed by the Secretary of the Interior on August 14, 2001, pursuant to the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-399) and most recently re-chartered in December 2009. The Steens Mountain Advisory Council's purpose is to provide representative counsel and advice to the Bureau of Land Management regarding new and unique approaches to management of the land within the bounds of the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area; cooperative programs and incentives for landscape management that meet human needs, maintenance and improvement of the ecological and economic integrity of the area; and preparation and implementation of a management plan for the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area.

Topics to be discussed by the Steens Mountain Advisory Council at these meetings include the Steens Mountain Comprehensive Recreation Plan; North Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project implementation; Science Strategy; South Steens Water Development Project Environmental Assessment; easements and acquisitions; In-holder Access Environmental Assessment; and categories of interest such as wildlife, special designated areas, partnerships/programs, cultural resources, education/interpretation, volunteer-based information, adaptive management and socioeconomics; and other matters that may reasonably come before the Steens Mountain Advisory Council.

All meetings are open to the public in their entirety. Information to be distributed to the Steens Mountain Advisory Council is requested prior to the start of each Steens Mountain Advisory Council meeting. Public comment is generally scheduled for 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., local time, both days of each meeting session. The amount of time scheduled for public presentations and meeting times may be extended when the authorized representative considers it necessary to accommodate all who seek to be heard regarding matters on the agenda.

Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act management regulations (41 CFR 102-3.15(b)), in exceptional circumstances an agency may give less than 15-day notice of committee meeting notices published in the Federal Register. In this case, this notice is being published less than 15 days prior to the meeting due to the urgent need to meet legal requirements for completion of the Steens Mountain Travel Management Plan/Environmental Assessment.

Kenny McDaniel,

Burns District Manager.