Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for the Sweetwater Marsh and South San Diego Bay Units of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, 47824-47825 [E6-13556]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 160 / Friday, August 18, 2006 / Notices
b. Planning, evaluation and conduct of
injury assessment and restoration activities;
c. Planning, evaluation and conduct of
long-term monitoring and research activities;
and
d. Coordination of a, b, and c.
Trustee Council intentions regarding
the importance of obtaining a diversity
of viewpoints is stated in the Public
Advisory Committee Background and
Guidelines: ‘‘The Trustee Council
intends that the Public Advisory
Committee be established as an
important component of the Council’s
public involvement process.’’ The
Council continues, stating their desire
that ‘‘* * * a wide spectrum of views
and interest are available for the Council
to consider as it evaluates, develops,
and implements restoration activities. It
is the Council’s intent that the diversity
of interests and views held by the Public
Advisory Committee members
contribute to wide ranging discussions
that will be of benefit to the Trustee
Council.’’
In order to ensure that a broad range
of public viewpoints continues to be
available to the Trustee Council, and in
keeping with the settlement agreement,
the continuation of the Public Advisory
Committee for another 2-year period is
recommended.
Dated: July 28, 2006.
Dirk Kempthorne,
Secretary of the Interior.
I hereby certify that the renewal of the
Charter of the Public Advisory
Committee, an advisory committee to
make recommendations to and advise
the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee
Council in Alaska, is necessary and in
the public interest in connection with
the performance of duties mandated by
the settlement of United States v. State
of Alaska, No. A91–081 CV, and is in
accordance with the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation
and Liability Act of 1980, as amended
and supplemented.
Dated: July 28, 2006.
Dirk Kempthorne,
Secretary of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 06–7011 Filed 8–17–06; 8:45 am]
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 4310–RG–M
18:35 Aug 17, 2006
Fish and Wildlife Service
Final Comprehensive Conservation
Plan/Environmental Impact Statement
for the Sweetwater Marsh and South
San Diego Bay Units of the San Diego
Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) announces that a Final
Comprehensive Conservation Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement (Final
CCP/EIS) for the Sweetwater Marsh and
South San Diego Bay Units of the San
Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge is
available for review. This Final CCP/EIS
has been prepared pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 and is designed to address the
Service’s obligation under the National
Wildlife Refuge System Administration
Act of 1966, as amended by the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement
Act of 1997. The Final CCP/EIS
describes the Service’s proposal for
managing these Refuge Units over the
next 15 years.
DATES: A Record of Decision may be
signed no sooner than 30 days after the
publication of this notice (40 CFR
1506.10(b)(2)).
A copy of the Final CCP/
EIS, including Appendix P (Responses
to Comments) is available on compact
disk or in hard copy by writing to:
Victoria Touchstone, Refuge Planner,
San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
Complex, 6010 Hidden Valley Road,
Carlsbad, CA 92011 or by e-mailing
Victoria_Touchstone@fws.gov. You may
also access or download copies of the
Final CCP/EIS and associated
Appendices at the following Web site
address: https://sandiegorefuges.fws.gov.
Hard copies of the Final CCP/EIS are
also available for viewing at the
following locations:
• San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
Complex, 6010 Hidden Valley Road,
Carlsbad, CA;
• Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center, 301
Caspian Way, Imperial Beach, CA;
• Chula Vista Public Library, Civic
Center Branch, 365 F Street, Chula
Vista, CA and South Chula Vista
Branch, 389 Orange Avenue, Chula
Vista, CA;
• Coronado Public Library, 640
Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA;
• Imperial Beach Library, 810
Imperial Beach Boulevard, Imperial
Beach, CA;
ADDRESSES:
Certification
VerDate Aug<31>2005
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
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• National City Library, 200 East 12th
Street, National City, CA; and
• City of San Diego, Central Library,
Government Publications, 820 E Street
and the Otay Mesa Branch Library, 3003
Coronado Avenue, San Diego, CA.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Victoria Touchstone, Refuge Planner, at
the above street and e-mail address, or
via telephone at (760) 431–9440
extension 349, or by fax at (760) 930–
0256.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, as amended
by the National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C.
668dd–668ee et seq.) requires the
Service to develop a Comprehensive
Conservation Plan (CCP) for each
National Wildlife Refuge. The purpose
for developing a CCP 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
(Refuge System), consistent with sound
principles of fish and wildlife science,
conservation, legal mandates, and
Service policies. In addition to outlining
broad management direction for
conserving wildlife and their habitats,
the CCPs identify wildlife-dependent
recreational opportunities available to
the public, including opportunities for
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation
and photography, and environmental
education and interpretation. The
National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, as amended
by the National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997, requires the
Service to review and update these
CCPs at least every 15 years. Revisions
to the CCP will be prepared in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321–4370d).
The San Diego Bay National Wildlife
Refuge is located approximately 10
miles north of the United States-Mexico
border in southwestern San Diego
County, California. Collectively, the two
Refuge Units encompass approximately
2,620 acres of land and water in and
around the south end of San Diego Bay.
The coastal wetlands protected within
this Refuge annually provide essential
foraging and resting habitat for tens of
thousands of migratory shorebirds and
wintering waterfowl traveling along the
Pacific Flyway.
The Sweetwater Marsh Unit was
established as a National Wildlife
Refuge in 1988. Encompassing
approximately 316 acres, this Refuge
was established to protect federally
listed endangered and threatened
E:\FR\FM\18AUN1.SGM
18AUN1
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 160 / Friday, August 18, 2006 / Notices
species. The coastal salt marsh and
upland areas within the Sweetwater
Marsh Unit support 6 federally listed
species, including 3 listed birds that
nest within the Unit, 1 State-listed
endangered species, and 26 species of
birds identified by the Service as Birds
of Conservation Concern.
The South San Diego Bay Unit was
established in 1999 as a unit of the San
Diego National Wildlife Refuge for the
purpose of protecting, managing, and
restoring habitats for federally listed
endangered and threatened species and
migratory birds. The Service currently
manages approximately 2,300 acres of
the 3,940 acres included within the
Unit’s approved acquisition boundary.
The majority of this management area is
leased to the Service by the California
State Lands Commission. Included
within this Unit is the largest remaining
expanse of intertidal mudflats in San
Diego Bay. This and other habitats
within the Unit support 5 federally
listed endangered and threatened
species, 1 State-listed endangered
species, and 19 species of birds
identified by the Service as Birds of
Conservation Concern. Open water is
the dominant habitat, followed by
intertidal mudflats, disturbed uplands,
salt marsh, and freshwater wetlands.
The Unit includes an active commercial
solar salt operation that is managed
under a Special Use Permit. The salt
pond levees provide important nesting
habitat for a variety of colonial nesting
seabirds, and the brine invertebrates
present in some ponds provide foraging
habitat for various migratory birds,
including phalaropes and eared grebes.
The proposed action is to adopt and
implement a CCP that best achieves the
purposes for which the Refuge was
established, furthers its vision and
goals, contributes to the mission of the
National Wildlife Refuge System,
addresses significant issues and
applicable mandates, and is consistent
with the principles of sound fish and
wildlife management. Implementing the
CCP will enable the Refuge to fulfill its
role in the conservation and
management of fish and wildlife
resources within the Pacific Flyway,
including the conservation of important
coastal wetlands, and to provide refuge
visitors with opportunities to enjoy the
Refuge’s resources through high-quality
opportunities for wildlife observation,
environmental education, and
environmental interpretation. A
Predator Management Plan, prepared
pursuant to the Service’s endangered
species management responsibilities, is
also included in the CCP/EIS as a stepdown plan. The predator management
plan, which benefits the Federally listed
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:35 Aug 17, 2006
Jkt 208001
endangered California least tern and
light-footed clapper rail and the
threatened western snowy plover, has
been developed as a comprehensive
wildlife damage control program that
addresses a range of management
actions from vegetation control and
nesting habitat enhancement to nonlethal and lethal control of both
mammalian and avian predators. Under
this plan, the most effective, selective,
and humane techniques available to
deter or remove individual predators or
species would be implemented.
This CCP will also satisfy a condition
of the Public Agency Lease between the
California State Lands Commission and
the Service, requiring management and
public access plans for the South San
Diego Bay Unit, as well as fulfill the
Service’s obligation described in a
Cooperative Agreement between the
Service and the Unified Port of San
Diego to prepare ‘‘a holistic habitat
restoration plan’’ for a 1,035-acre
portion of the existing salt ponds within
the South San Diego Bay Unit.
The Service analyzed various
alternatives for future management of
the Refuge, including three alternatives
for the Sweetwater Marsh Unit and four
alternatives for the South San Diego Bay
Unit. Sweetwater Marsh Unit,
Alternative C, and South San Diego Bay
Unit, Alternative D, have been
identified as the Service’s preferred
alternatives.
Alternative C for the Sweetwater
Marsh Unit would improve habitat
quality and restore intertidal and
upland habitats to support six Federally
listed species, along with the Refuge’s
other plant and animal resources. The
existing trail system on Gunpowder
Point would be redesigned and new
interpretive elements would be
provided to better complement the
existing environmental education
programs supported by the Refuge.
Alternative D for the South San Diego
Bay Unit would enhance nesting
opportunities in and around the salt
ponds for the California least tern,
western snowy plover, and various
other colonial seabirds; restore to native
coastal habitats up to 410 acres of
previous agricultural land in the Otay
River floodplain; restore 650 acres of
commercial solar salt ponds to tidal
influence to support intertidal mudflat
and coastal salt marsh habitats; and
manage the water and salinity levels in
an additional 275 acres of salt ponds.
Opportunities for wildlife observation,
photography, and environmental
interpretation would be expanded; a
pedestrian pathway would be
constructed along the southern end of
the Refuge to improve wildlife
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47825
observation opportunities for Refuge
visitors; and the other public uses (i.e.,
fishing, environmental education, and
boating) currently provided on the
Refuge would be maintained.
The following substantive changes
were made between the Draft and Final
CCP/EIS:
1. We revised Appendix D (CCP
Implementation) to clarify the phasing
plan for restoration of the salt ponds
under scenario 2 and to more clearly
describe the step-down planning
process for future restoration and
enhancement proposals on the South
San Diego Bay Unit.
2. We expanded the biological
resources information provided in
Chapter 3, Affected Environment, to
address comments received during
public review.
Public comments were requested,
considered, and incorporated
throughout the planning process. Public
outreach included public meetings and
workshops, planning update mailings,
and Federal Register notices. Three
previous notices were published in the
Federal Register concerning the
development of this CCP (65 FR 39172,
June 23, 2000; 67 FR 19583, April 22,
2002; 70 FR 42359, July 22, 2005).
During the public review and comment
period for the Draft CCP/EIS, which
occurred from July 22 to September 19,
2005, the Service received 38 written
comments and four verbal comments.
All substantive issues raised in these
comments have been addressed through
changes incorporated in the Final CCP/
EIS and/or through responses to the
comments, which are included in
Appendix P, Responses to Comments, of
the Final CCP/EIS.
Dated: August 11, 2006.
Ken McDermond,
Acting Manager, California/Nevada
Operations, Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. E6–13556 Filed 8–17–06; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[MT–030–1320–EL, NDM 95104]
Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale,
North Dakota
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of competitive coal lease
sale, lease application NDM 95104.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that
the United States Department of Interior
(DOI), Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), Montana State Office, will offer
E:\FR\FM\18AUN1.SGM
18AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 160 (Friday, August 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47824-47825]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-13556]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Impact
Statement for the Sweetwater Marsh and South San Diego Bay Units of the
San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces that a
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Impact Statement
(Final CCP/EIS) for the Sweetwater Marsh and South San Diego Bay Units
of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge is available for review.
This Final CCP/EIS has been prepared pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and is designed to address the
Service's obligation under the National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge
System Improvement Act of 1997. The Final CCP/EIS describes the
Service's proposal for managing these Refuge Units over the next 15
years.
DATES: A Record of Decision may be signed no sooner than 30 days after
the publication of this notice (40 CFR 1506.10(b)(2)).
ADDRESSES: A copy of the Final CCP/EIS, including Appendix P (Responses
to Comments) is available on compact disk or in hard copy by writing
to: Victoria Touchstone, Refuge Planner, San Diego National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, 6010 Hidden Valley Road, Carlsbad, CA 92011 or by e-
mailing Victoria--Touchstone@fws.gov. You may also access or download
copies of the Final CCP/EIS and associated Appendices at the following
Web site address: https://sandiegorefuges.fws.gov. Hard copies of the
Final CCP/EIS are also available for viewing at the following
locations:
San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 6010 Hidden
Valley Road, Carlsbad, CA;
Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center, 301 Caspian Way, Imperial
Beach, CA;
Chula Vista Public Library, Civic Center Branch, 365 F
Street, Chula Vista, CA and South Chula Vista Branch, 389 Orange
Avenue, Chula Vista, CA;
Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA;
Imperial Beach Library, 810 Imperial Beach Boulevard,
Imperial Beach, CA;
National City Library, 200 East 12th Street, National
City, CA; and
City of San Diego, Central Library, Government
Publications, 820 E Street and the Otay Mesa Branch Library, 3003
Coronado Avenue, San Diego, CA.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Victoria Touchstone, Refuge Planner, at
the above street and e-mail address, or via telephone at (760) 431-9440
extension 349, or by fax at (760) 930-0256.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge
System Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee et seq.) requires
the Service to develop a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for each
National Wildlife Refuge. The purpose for developing a CCP 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 (Refuge System), consistent with sound principles of fish
and wildlife science, conservation, legal mandates, and Service
policies. In addition to outlining broad management direction for
conserving wildlife and their habitats, the CCPs identify wildlife-
dependent recreational opportunities available to the public, including
opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and
photography, and environmental education and interpretation. The
National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended
by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997,
requires the Service to review and update these CCPs at least every 15
years. Revisions to the CCP will be prepared in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4370d).
The San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately
10 miles north of the United States-Mexico border in southwestern San
Diego County, California. Collectively, the two Refuge Units encompass
approximately 2,620 acres of land and water in and around the south end
of San Diego Bay. The coastal wetlands protected within this Refuge
annually provide essential foraging and resting habitat for tens of
thousands of migratory shorebirds and wintering waterfowl traveling
along the Pacific Flyway.
The Sweetwater Marsh Unit was established as a National Wildlife
Refuge in 1988. Encompassing approximately 316 acres, this Refuge was
established to protect federally listed endangered and threatened
[[Page 47825]]
species. The coastal salt marsh and upland areas within the Sweetwater
Marsh Unit support 6 federally listed species, including 3 listed birds
that nest within the Unit, 1 State-listed endangered species, and 26
species of birds identified by the Service as Birds of Conservation
Concern.
The South San Diego Bay Unit was established in 1999 as a unit of
the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge for the purpose of protecting,
managing, and restoring habitats for federally listed endangered and
threatened species and migratory birds. The Service currently manages
approximately 2,300 acres of the 3,940 acres included within the Unit's
approved acquisition boundary. The majority of this management area is
leased to the Service by the California State Lands Commission.
Included within this Unit is the largest remaining expanse of
intertidal mudflats in San Diego Bay. This and other habitats within
the Unit support 5 federally listed endangered and threatened species,
1 State-listed endangered species, and 19 species of birds identified
by the Service as Birds of Conservation Concern. Open water is the
dominant habitat, followed by intertidal mudflats, disturbed uplands,
salt marsh, and freshwater wetlands. The Unit includes an active
commercial solar salt operation that is managed under a Special Use
Permit. The salt pond levees provide important nesting habitat for a
variety of colonial nesting seabirds, and the brine invertebrates
present in some ponds provide foraging habitat for various migratory
birds, including phalaropes and eared grebes.
The proposed action is to adopt and implement a CCP that best
achieves the purposes for which the Refuge was established, furthers
its vision and goals, contributes to the mission of the National
Wildlife Refuge System, addresses significant issues and applicable
mandates, and is consistent with the principles of sound fish and
wildlife management. Implementing the CCP will enable the Refuge to
fulfill its role in the conservation and management of fish and
wildlife resources within the Pacific Flyway, including the
conservation of important coastal wetlands, and to provide refuge
visitors with opportunities to enjoy the Refuge's resources through
high-quality opportunities for wildlife observation, environmental
education, and environmental interpretation. A Predator Management
Plan, prepared pursuant to the Service's endangered species management
responsibilities, is also included in the CCP/EIS as a step-down plan.
The predator management plan, which benefits the Federally listed
endangered California least tern and light-footed clapper rail and the
threatened western snowy plover, has been developed as a comprehensive
wildlife damage control program that addresses a range of management
actions from vegetation control and nesting habitat enhancement to non-
lethal and lethal control of both mammalian and avian predators. Under
this plan, the most effective, selective, and humane techniques
available to deter or remove individual predators or species would be
implemented.
This CCP will also satisfy a condition of the Public Agency Lease
between the California State Lands Commission and the Service,
requiring management and public access plans for the South San Diego
Bay Unit, as well as fulfill the Service's obligation described in a
Cooperative Agreement between the Service and the Unified Port of San
Diego to prepare ``a holistic habitat restoration plan'' for a 1,035-
acre portion of the existing salt ponds within the South San Diego Bay
Unit.
The Service analyzed various alternatives for future management of
the Refuge, including three alternatives for the Sweetwater Marsh Unit
and four alternatives for the South San Diego Bay Unit. Sweetwater
Marsh Unit, Alternative C, and South San Diego Bay Unit, Alternative D,
have been identified as the Service's preferred alternatives.
Alternative C for the Sweetwater Marsh Unit would improve habitat
quality and restore intertidal and upland habitats to support six
Federally listed species, along with the Refuge's other plant and
animal resources. The existing trail system on Gunpowder Point would be
redesigned and new interpretive elements would be provided to better
complement the existing environmental education programs supported by
the Refuge.
Alternative D for the South San Diego Bay Unit would enhance
nesting opportunities in and around the salt ponds for the California
least tern, western snowy plover, and various other colonial seabirds;
restore to native coastal habitats up to 410 acres of previous
agricultural land in the Otay River floodplain; restore 650 acres of
commercial solar salt ponds to tidal influence to support intertidal
mudflat and coastal salt marsh habitats; and manage the water and
salinity levels in an additional 275 acres of salt ponds. Opportunities
for wildlife observation, photography, and environmental interpretation
would be expanded; a pedestrian pathway would be constructed along the
southern end of the Refuge to improve wildlife observation
opportunities for Refuge visitors; and the other public uses (i.e.,
fishing, environmental education, and boating) currently provided on
the Refuge would be maintained.
The following substantive changes were made between the Draft and
Final CCP/EIS:
1. We revised Appendix D (CCP Implementation) to clarify the
phasing plan for restoration of the salt ponds under scenario 2 and to
more clearly describe the step-down planning process for future
restoration and enhancement proposals on the South San Diego Bay Unit.
2. We expanded the biological resources information provided in
Chapter 3, Affected Environment, to address comments received during
public review.
Public comments were requested, considered, and incorporated
throughout the planning process. Public outreach included public
meetings and workshops, planning update mailings, and Federal Register
notices. Three previous notices were published in the Federal Register
concerning the development of this CCP (65 FR 39172, June 23, 2000; 67
FR 19583, April 22, 2002; 70 FR 42359, July 22, 2005). During the
public review and comment period for the Draft CCP/EIS, which occurred
from July 22 to September 19, 2005, the Service received 38 written
comments and four verbal comments. All substantive issues raised in
these comments have been addressed through changes incorporated in the
Final CCP/EIS and/or through responses to the comments, which are
included in Appendix P, Responses to Comments, of the Final CCP/EIS.
Dated: August 11, 2006.
Ken McDermond,
Acting Manager, California/Nevada Operations, Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. E6-13556 Filed 8-17-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
