Hiawatha National Forest Resource Advisory Committee

AGENCY:

Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION:

Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY:

The Hiawatha National Forest Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will hold a public meeting according to the details shown below. The Committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The purpose of the Committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with Title II of the Act as well as to make recommendations on recreation fee proposals for sites on the Hiawatha National Forest within Chippewa County, consistent with the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.

DATES:

An in-person meeting will be held on September 25, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m., eastern daylight time (EDT).

Written and Oral Comments: Anyone wishing to provide in-person comments must pre-register by 11:59 p.m. EDT on September 15, 2023. Written public comments will be accepted by 11:59 p.m. EDT on September 15, 2023. Comments submitted after this date will be provided to the Forest Service, but the Committee may not have adequate time to consider those comments prior to the meeting.

All RAC meetings are subject to cancellation. For status of the meeting prior to attendance, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT .

ADDRESSES:

This meeting will be held in person at the St. Ignace District Ranger Office, located at W1900 US–2, St. Ignace, MI 49781. RAC information and meeting details can be found by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT .

Written Comments: Written comments must be sent by email to rita.mills@usda.gov or via mail ( i.e., postmarked) to Rita Mills, Hiawatha National Forest, 820 Rains Drive, Gladstone, MI 49837. The Forest Service strongly prefers comments be submitted electronically.

Oral Comments: Persons or organizations wishing to make oral comments must pre-register by 11:59 p.m. EDT, September 20, 2023, and speakers can only register for one speaking slot. Oral comments must be sent by email to rita.mills@usda.gov or via mail ( i.e., postmarked) to Rita Mills, Hiawatha National Forest, 820 Rains Drive, Gladstone, MI 49837.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Shannon Rische, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), by phone at 906–428–5839 or email at shannon.rische@usda.gov or Rita Mills, RAC Coordinator, at 906–241–0258 or email at rita.mills@usda.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The purpose of the meeting is to:

1. Make funding recommendations;

2. Plan outreach efforts for additional chairs;

3. Plan field trip;

4. Introduce new Forest Supervisor and District Ranger; and

5. Schedule the next meeting.

The agenda will include time for individuals to make oral statements of three minutes or less. Individuals wishing to make an oral statement should make a request in writing at least three days prior to the meeting date to be scheduled on the agenda. Written comments may be submitted to the Forest Service up to 14 days after the meeting date listed under DATES .

Please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT , by or before the deadline, for all questions related to the meeting. All comments, including names and addresses when provided, are placed in the record and are available for public inspection and copying. The public may inspect comments received upon request.

Meeting Accommodations: The meeting location is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the USDA provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities where appropriate. If you are a person requiring reasonable accommodation, please make requests in advance for sign language interpretation, assistive listening devices, or other reasonable accommodation to the person listed under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section or contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TTY) or USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Equal opportunity practices in accordance with USDA's policies will be followed in all appointments to the Committee. To ensure that the recommendations of the Committee have taken in account the needs of the diverse groups served by USDA, membership shall include to the extent possible, individuals with demonstrated ability to represent minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.