Notice of Availability of Revised Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the Alaska Peninsula and Becharof National Wildlife Refuges, 59365-59366 [05-20380]

Agencies

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 12, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59365-59366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-20380]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability of Revised Comprehensive Conservation Plan 
for the Alaska Peninsula and Becharof National Wildlife Refuges

AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces that a Revised 
Comprehensive Conservation Plan (Conservation Plan) and Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Alaska Peninsula and Becharof National 
Wildlife Refuge is available for review and comment. This Conservation 
Plan was prepared pursuant to the Alaska National Interest Lands 
Conservation Act, the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration 
Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System 
Improvement Act of 1997, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969. It describes how the Service intends to manage these refuges over 
the next 15 years.

DATES: Please submit comments on the Conservation Plan and 
Environmental Impact Statement on or before 30 days from the date of 
publication of this Notice.

ADDRESSES: The Conservation Plan is available on compact diskette or 
over the Internet. You may obtain a copy of the CD by writing: Peter 
Wikoff, Planing Team Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East 
Tudor Road, MS 231, Anchorage, AK 99503. You may access or download the 
Conservation Plan at https://www.r7.fws.gov/nwr/planning/plans.htm. 
Comments may be sent to the above address or to fw7_apb_
planing@fws.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Wikoff, (907) 786-3837.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Alaska National Interest Lands 
Conservation Act (ANILCA) requires a conservation plan for all refuges 
in Alaska. We developed this Conservation Plan consistent with Sec.  
304(g) of ANILCA and the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration 
Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System 
Improvement Act of 1997. The purpose in developing conservation plans 
is to provide refuge managers with a 15-year strategy for achieving 
refuge purposes and contributing toward the mission of the National 
Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and 
wildlife science, conservation, legal mandates, and Service policies. 
In addition to outlining broad management direction on conserving 
wildlife and their habitats, conservation plans identify wildlife-
dependent recreational opportunities available to the public, including 
opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and 
photography, and environmental education and interpretation. We review 
and update these plans in accordance with planning direction in Sec.  
304(g) of ANILCA, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
U.S.C. 4321-4370d), and Service planning policy.
    Background: The Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact 
Statement is a revision of plans which were adopted in 1985 and 1987. 
It combines plans for the Becharof NWR and portions of the Alaska 
Peninsula and Alaska Maritime NWRs, which are managed jointly as the 
Alaska Peninsula and Becharof National Wildlife Refuges. This plan 
provides broad general direction for managing the Refugees for the next 
15 years and contains the vision, goals, and objectives of the Refuges. 
Except for alternative ways of addressing the issues, this plan 
substantially follows the direction of the original plans. Traditional 
means of access and uses of the Refuges would be maintained under all 
alternatives.
    The Alaska Peninsula and Becharof National Wildlife Refuges are 
comprised of the Becharof NWR, the Ugashik and Chignik Units of the 
Alaska Peninsula NWR, and the Seal Cape Unit of the Alaska Maritime 
NWR. The Refuges encompass approximately 4,240,000 acres along the 
Pacific side of the Alaska Peninsula starting about 10 miles south of 
the Refuge headquarters in King Salmon and extending for approximately 
250 miles.
    The Alaska Peninsula is a land of towering mountains, active 
volcanoes, broad valleys, fjords, tundra, and glacially formed lakes. 
From the coastal lowlands on the Bristol Bay side of the Refuges the 
land rises to steep glaciated mountains and volcanoes, then plunges to 
cliffs and sandy beaches on the Pacific side. The Bristol Bay side of 
the Refuges consists primarily of rolling moist to wet tundra, lakes, 
and wetlands. The snow-covered, heavily glaciated Aleutian Mountain 
Range bisects the Refuges with volcanic peaks rising to more than 8,200 
feet. The Pacific coastline is rugged, with sea cliffs rising hundreds 
of feet from the water. Numerous streams and several large rivers 
originate within the Refuges.
    The Becharof National Wildlife Refuge contains the 300,000-acre 
Becharof Lake, the second largest lake in Alaska, and the 503,000-acre 
Becharof Wilderness Area. Mt. Peulik, a 4,800-foot volcano with lava 
flows reaching to Becharof Lake is a prominent landmark.
    The Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge contains the 
culturally and economically important Ugashik Lakes. The area around 
Mother Goose Lake provides important habitat for moose and a number of 
bird species. Volcanoes have been active in the recent past. Mt. 
Veniaminof, a stratovolcano

[[Page 59366]]

with a base 30 miles in diameter and a summit crater 20 miles in 
circumference, last erupted in 2004. Mt. Veniaminof has the most 
extensive crater glacier in the United States and is the only known 
glacier on the continent with an active volcanic vent in its center. 
The 800,000-acre Mt. Veniaminof National Natural Landmark recognizes 
the unique qualities of this area.
    The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge includes Federally-
owned islands, sea stacks, columns, islets, and rocks off the coast of 
Alaska. Seal Cape, a 9,900-acre headland, is the only part of the 
Alaska Maritime Refuge included in this Conservation Plan. Narrow bays 
cut Seal Cape into two main arms which rise to peaks of more than 2,000 
feet.
    More than 2,000 people live in 12 communities located near the 
Refuges. The region is characterized by a mixed cash-subsistence 
economy. The cash economy is dominated by commercial fishing, tourism, 
and government employment. The Refuges sustain nearly 1,500 local jobs 
and contribute $70 million in income annually to the local economy, 
nearly all through supporting the commercial fishery by providing 
salmon spawning and rearing habitat.
    Issues raised during scoping and addressed in this Revised 
Conservation Plan are: (1) Access to remote and sensitive areas; (2) 
conflicts between Refuge user groups.
    This Revised Conservation Plan identifies and evaluates four 
alternatives for managing the Refuges for the next 15 years. These 
alternatives follow the same general management direction but provide 
different ways of addressing the issues.
    Alternative 1: No Action: Management of the Refuge would continue 
to follow the current course of action as identified and described in 
the existing plans and Records of Decision for these refuges. The 
ranges and intensities of management activities would be maintained. 
Private and commercial uses of the Refuges would be unchanged. Refuge 
management would continue to reflect existing laws, executive orders, 
regulations, and policies governing Service administration and 
operation of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Helicopter access/
landing for recreational purposes, outside of designated Wilderness, 
would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
    Alternative 2: There would be no change in the way lands are 
managed or in how the public can access the Refuges. Research and 
monitoring provide goals and objectives for increasing our knowledge of 
wildlife and habitat needs and relationships. Public use monitoring 
would facilitate wildlife dependent recreation, subsistence, and other 
traditional uses. Helicopter landings for recreational purposes would 
not be allowed in sensitive resource areas, at sensitive times, or 
where remoteness was a primary quality of the area. Landings could be 
considered in other areas. The Service would develop a process for 
identifying sensitive areas, in cooperation with the State of Alaska 
and other interested parties.
    Alternative 3: Research and monitoring provide goals and objectives 
for increasing our knowledge of wildlife and habitat needs and 
relationships. Public use monitoring would facilitate wildlife 
dependent recreation, subsistence, and other traditional uses. 
Helicopter access/landing for recreational access would not be allowed. 
The boundary of the Yantarni Bay Moderate Management Area would be 
adjusted to coincide with geographically identifiable features while 
including ORV trails and areas of moderate use.
    Alternative 3a: Preferred Alternative: Research and monitoring 
provide goals and objectives for increasing our knowledge of wildlife 
and habitat needs and relationships. Public use monitoring would 
facilitate wildlife dependent recreation, subsistence, and other 
traditional uses. Helicopter access/landing for recreational purposes, 
outside of designated Wilderness, would be evaluated on a case-by-case 
basis. The boundary of the Yantarni Bay Moderate Management Area would 
be adjusted to coincide with geographically identifiable features while 
including ORV trails and areas of moderate use.
    Comment Period: 30 days from date of publication of this notice.
    Availability of Documents: This Revised Conservation Plan may be 
obtained on compact diskette by writing to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, Attn: Peter Wikoff, 1011 East Tudor Road, MS 231, Anchorage, 
AK 99503; telephone (907) 786-3837; fax (907) 786-3965; e-mail peter_
wikoff@fws.gov. Copies of the Conservation Plan may be viewed at the 
Refuge Office in King Salmon, AK, local libraries, and the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service Regional Office, Anchorage, AK. The Conservation 
Plan is also available online at https://www.r7.fws.gov/planning/
plans.htm.
    Your Comments: Comments may be addressed to Peter Wikoff, U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Services, 1011 East Tudor Road, MS 231, Anchorage, AK 
99503 or fw7_apb_planning@fws.gov.

    Dated: July 21, 2005.
Rowan Gould,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 05-20380 Filed 10-11-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M