(a) Pursuant to 7 CFR 2.60, the Chief, and each Regional Forester, to whom the Chief has delegated authority, may issue regulations prohibiting acts or omissions within all or any part of the area over which he has jurisdiction, for one or more of the following purposes:

(1) Fire prevention or control.

(2) Disease prevention or control.

(3) Protection of property, roads, or trails.

(4) Protection of threatened, endangered, rare, unique, or vanishing species of plants, animals, birds or fish, or special biological communities.

(5) Protection of objects or places of historical, archaeological, geological or paleontological interest.

(6) Protection of scientific experiments or investigations.

(7) Public safety.

(8) Protection of health.

(9) Establishing reasonable rules of public conduct.

(b) Regulations issued under this subpart shall not be contrary to or duplicate any prohibition which is established under existing regulations.

(c) In issuing any regulations under paragraph (a) of this section, the issuing officer shall follow 5 U.S.C. 553.

(d) In a situation when the issuing officer determines that a notice of proposed rule making and public participation thereon is impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest, he shall issue, with the concurrence of the Chief, an interim regulation containing an expiration date.

(e) No interim regulation issued under paragraph (d) of this section will be effective for more than 90 days unless readopted as a permanent rule after a notice of proposed rule making under 5 U.S.C. 553 (b) and (c).

(a) Definitions. In this section: (1) Middle Fork of the Feather River means the river and land area in or adjacent to Plumas National Forest described as the River Area in the notice at 35 FR 4219 or any amendment to that notice.

(2) Motorized equipment means any equipment having or using an engine or motor, except small battery-powered handheld devices such as cameras, shavers, flashlights, and Geiger counters.

(3) Wild river zone means the area described as the Bald Rock Canyon Wild River Zone or as the Upper Canyon Wild River Zone in the notice at 35 FR 4219 or any amendment to that notice.

(b) Prohibitions. (1) Possessing or using motorized equipment in the wild river zone of the Middle Fork of the Feather River, except on the Stag Point Trail or the Cleghorn Bar Trail, is prohibited.

(2) Paragraph (b)(1) of this section does not apply to any equipment authorized by a permit from the Forest Supervisor, Plumas National Forest, containing such terms and conditions as he considers necessary for the protection or preservation of the wild river zone or the health, safety or welfare of its users. Violation of any term or condition of such a permit is prohibited.

[42 FR 31789, June 23, 1977]

(a) Using or occupying any area of National Forest System land abutting the Chattooga River for the purpose of entering or going upon the River in, on, or upon any floatable object or craft of every kind or description, unless authorized through a self-registration floating permit or through a special use permit. (The Chattooga River is located in the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina, the Sumter National Forest in South Carolina, and the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia.)

(b) Using or occupying within the scope of any commercial operation or business any area of National Forest System land abutting the Chattooga River for the purpose of entering or going upon the River in, on, or upon any floatable object or craft of every kind or description, unless authorized under a special use permit.

(c) Violating or failing to comply with any of the terms or conditions of any self-registration floating permit or special use permit authorizing the occupancy and use specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this section is prohibited.

(d) Entering, going, riding, or floating upon any portion or segment of the Chattooga River within National Forest System land in, on, or upon any floatable object or craft of every kind or description, unless authorized through a self-registration floating permit or through a special use permit.

(e) Entering, going, riding, or floating within the scope of any commercial operation or business upon any portion or segment of the Chattooga River within National Forest System land in, on, or upon any floatable object or craft of every kind or description, unless authorized under a special use permit.

(f) Violating or failing to comply with any of the terms or conditions of any self-registration floating permit or special use permit authorizing the occupancy and use specified in paragraph (d) or (e) of this section is prohibited.

[88 FR 76676, Nov. 7, 2023]

(a) Using or occupying any area of the Manistee National Forest abutting the Pine River between a point commencing 1 mile downstream from Lincoln Bridge to a point one-half mile upstream from Stronach Dam, for the purpose of entering, leaving, or going upon the river, in, on, or upon any floatable object of any kind or description during specific dates set forth annually and posted in such locations and manner as to reasonably bring the closure and dates to the attention of the public, is prohibited unless otherwise authorized by permit.

(b) [Reserved]

[43 FR 42749, Sept. 21, 1978]