Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Fairfax County, VA, and Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge in Prince William County, VA, 28066-28067 [E7-9605]

Download as PDF 28066 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 96 / Friday, May 18, 2007 / Notices business with HUD; federal and nonfederal governmental agencies; HUD personnel. EXEMPTIONS FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT: None. [FR Doc. 07–2456 Filed 5–17–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4210–67–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Fairfax County, VA, and Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge in Prince William County, VA Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan and environmental assessment; announcement of public scoping and request for comments. pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service, we, our) is gathering the information needed to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and associated environmental assessment (EA) for Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck and Featherstone National Wildlife Refuges (NWR), two of the three refuges in the Potomac River NWR Complex. We publish this notice in compliance with our policy of advising other agencies and the public of our intentions to conduct detailed planning on refuges and obtain suggestions and information about the scope of issues to consider in the planning process. DATES: To ensure our consideration of your written comments, you must submit them by June 18, 2007. We held public scoping meetings in March 2007 after announcing their locations, dates, and times at least 2 weeks in advance, in special mailings, notices in local newspaper, on our Web site, and through personal contacts. ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information on the planning process to Nancy McGarigal, Refuge Planner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA, 01035; 413–253–8562 (telephone); 413–253–8468 (fax); northeastplanning@fws.gov (electronic mail). If submitting an electronic mail, please put ‘‘Mason Neck NWR’’ or ‘‘Featherstone NWR’’ in the subject line. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: To obtain more information on the refuges, contact the Potomac River NWR Complex, 14344 Jefferson Davis Highway VerDate Aug<31>2005 17:06 May 17, 2007 Jkt 211001 Woodbridge, VA, 22191, at 703–490– 4979 (telephone); fw5rw_msnnwr@fws.gov (electronic mail); https://www.fws.gov/refuges/ profiles/index.cfm?id=51610 (Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck NWR Web site); https://www.fws.gov/Refuges/profiles/ index.cfm?id=51612 (Featherstone NWR Web site) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice initiates the comprehensive conservation planning process for Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck (Mason Neck) and Featherstone NWRs, headquartered in Woodbridge, Virginia. Background The CCP Process 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), requires us to develop a comprehensive conservation plan for each national wildlife refuge. The purpose of a CCP is to provide refuge managers with 15-year strategies for achieving refuge purposes and contributing to the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), in conformance with the sound principles of fish and wildlife management and conservation, legal mandates, and Service policies. In addition to providing broad management direction on conserving wildlife and habitat, the 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 establish each refuge for specific purposes, and use those purposes to develop and prioritize its management goals, objectives, and public uses. The planning process is one way for us and for the public to evaluate those goals and objectives for the best possible conservation of important wildlife habitat, while providing opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation compatible with those purposes and the mission of the NWRS. We request your input on all issues, concerns, ideas, improvements and suggestions for the future management of Mason Neck and Featherstone NWRs in Fairfax and Prince William Counties, Virginia, respectively. You may submit comments at any time during the planning process by writing to the refuge planner (see ADDRESSES, above). We will conduct the environmental review of this project in accordance with the requirements of the National PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations on NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508), other appropriate Federal laws and regulations, and our policies and procedures for complying with them. All of the comments we receive on either our environmental assessments or our environmental impact statements become part of their official public record. We will handle requests for those comments in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, NEPA (40 CFR 1506.6(f)), and other policies and procedures of the Department or the Service. When we receive such a request, we will provide comment letters with the names and addresses of the individuals who wrote them. However, to the extent permissible by law, we will not provide the telephone numbers of those individuals. Mason Neck and Featherstone NWRs Mason Neck and Featherstone NWRs are two of the three refuges in the Potomac River NWR Complex. The Occoquan Bay NWR is the third. We established that refuge in 1972, and completed its CCP in 1997. The refuge complex headquarters is located in Woodbridge, Prince William County, Virginia. The refuges provide natural habitat important for wildlife in a landscape otherwise dominated by urban development, 18 miles south of Washington, DC. The 2,277-acre Mason Neck NWR lies in Fairfax County, Virginia. Established in 1969, it was the first national wildlife refuge set aside specifically to protect the federally-listed bald eagle. Its other purposes are to protect natural resources, conserve fish and wildlife, and develop compatible fish- and wildlife-oriented recreation. The refuge habitats include oak-hickory forest, freshwater marsh, and 4.4 miles of shoreline along the Potomac River. Bald eagles shelter and nest in its mature forests and forage and hunt along its marshes, bays, and river. Seven bald eagle nests are located on or near the refuge, as well as an eagle roost and a wintering population of 50–60 birds. Other significant resources on the refuge include the largest freshwater marsh in northern Virginia and one of the State’s largest great blue heron rookeries, with more than 1,400 nests. More than 200 species of birds, 31 species of mammals, and 44 species of reptiles and amphibians use the refuge. It is also part of the Chesapeake Bay Estuary Complex, designated by the RAMSAR Convention as a ‘‘Wetland of International Importance.’’ E:\FR\FM\18MYN1.SGM 18MYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 96 / Friday, May 18, 2007 / Notices Each year, about 16,000 visitors hunt, observe or photograph wildlife, or enjoy wildlife interpretation at Mason Neck NWR. Its special events, refuge interpretive programs, three hiking trails, two of which are accessible to persons with disabilities, provide outstanding opportunities for visitors to experience nature. The 325-acre Featherstone NWR lies in Prince William County, Virginia, near the Town of Woodbridge. Established pursuant to 84 Stat. 1095 in 1970, the refuge protects the natural features of a contiguous wetland area. Its narrow strip of land, bordered on the east by the shore of the Potomac River and the mouth of Neabsco Creek and on the west by an active railroad right-of-way, provides habitat for migratory land birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, ospreys, and a bald eagle nest (historical). Featherstone NWR lacks legal public access; consequently, we close it to public use except under special use permit. It also lacks facilities or management activities that support public use. Dated: March 8, 2007. Richard O. Bennett, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, Massachusetts. [FR Doc. E7–9605 Filed 5–17–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–55–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [CO–03–840–1610–241A] Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Advisory Committee Meeting; Call for Nominations Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Call for Nominations for the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Advisory Committee, to fill ten positions. pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management is publishing this notice under section 9(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and BLM regulations found at 43 CFR Subpart 1784. The notice requests the public to submit nominations for membership on the Canyons of the Ancients Advisory Committee (Committee). The Committee is necessary to advise the Secretary and BLM on resource management issues associated with Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. DATES: Submit a completed nomination form and nomination letters to the address listed below no later than June 18, 2007. VerDate Aug<31>2005 17:06 May 17, 2007 Jkt 211001 Send nominations to: Manager, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Bureau of Land Management, 27501 Highway 184, Delores, Colorado 81323. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Musclow, Planner, 970–882– 5632, LouAnn Jacobson, Manager, 970– 882–5600, or e-mail Heather_Musclow@blm.gov, or visit the monument Web site at https:// www.co.blm.gov/canm/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Any individual or organization may nominate one or more persons to serve on the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Advisory Committee. Individuals may nominate themselves for Committee membership. Individuals currently or previously on the Committee are eligible to reapply. You may obtain nomination forms from the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Manager, BLM (see CONTACT INFORMATION, above). To make a nomination, you must submit a completed nomination form, letters of reference from the represented interests or organizations, as well as any other information that speaks to the nominee’s qualifications, to the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Manager. You may make nominations for the following categories of interest: • One representative of the Montezuma County Commission (appointed from nominees submitted by the Montezuma County Commission); • Two person from any of the following tribes and pueblos representing Native American interests: The Ute Mountain Tribe, The UintahOuray Ute Tribe, The Southern Ute Tribe, The Navajo Nation, The Hopi Tribe, The Pueblo of Acoma, The Pueblo of Cochiti, The Pueblo of Isleta, The Pueblo of San Felipe, The Pueblo of Santa Ana, The Pueblo of Santo Domingo, The Pueblo of Jemez, The Pueblo of Laguna, The Pueblo of Sandia, The Pueblo of Zia, The Pueblo of Zuni, The Pueblo of Nambe, The Pueblo of San Juan, The Pueblo of Picuris, The Pueblo of Pojoaque, The Pueblo of San Ildefonso, The Pueblo of Santa Clara, The Pueblo of Taos, The Pueblo of Tesuque (appointed from nominees submitted by the BLM); • Two persons who are recognized cultural resource representatives, one of whom represents regional interests and one of whom is from the local area (appointed from nominees submitted by the BLM); • One person who is a grazing permittee on Federal lands in the CANM (appointed from nominees submitted by the BLM); ADDRESSES: PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 28067 • One person who represents fluid minerals development (appointed from nominees submitted by the BLM); • Three people representing any of the following: private landowners in or adjacent to the CANM, recognized national or regional environmental or resource conservation organizations, offroad vehicle use, commercial recreation, and/or representing statewide perspectives with no financial interest in the CANM (appointed from nominees submitted by the BLM). The specific category the nominee would like to represent should be identified in the letter of nomination and the nomination form. The Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Manager will collect the nominations forms and letters of reference and distribute them to the officials responsible for submitting nominations (Montezuma County Commission and the Bureau of Land Management). The BLM will then forward recommended nominations to the Secretary, who has responsibility for making the appointments. The purpose of the Committee is to advise the BLM concerning development and implementation of a management plan for public lands within Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. Each member will be a person who, as a result of training and experience, has knowledge or special expertise which qualifies him or her to provide advice from among the categories of interest listed above. Members will serve without monetary compensation, but will be reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses at current rates for Government employees. The membership term will be for two years. LouAnn Jacobson, Monument Manager, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. [FR Doc. E7–9587 Filed 5–17–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [MT–070–07–1990–EX] Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on a Plan of Operations for the Graymont Western U.S. proposed expansion of the Indian Creek Limestone Mine and To Initiate the Public Scoping Period, in Montana Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of intent. AGENCY: E:\FR\FM\18MYN1.SGM 18MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 96 (Friday, May 18, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28066-28067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9605]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Fairfax 
County, VA, and Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge in Prince William 
County, VA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan 
and environmental assessment; announcement of public scoping and 
request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service, we, our) is 
gathering the information needed to prepare a comprehensive 
conservation plan (CCP) and associated environmental assessment (EA) 
for Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck and Featherstone National Wildlife 
Refuges (NWR), two of the three refuges in the Potomac River NWR 
Complex. We publish this notice in compliance with our policy of 
advising other agencies and the public of our intentions to conduct 
detailed planning on refuges and obtain suggestions and information 
about the scope of issues to consider in the planning process.

DATES: To ensure our consideration of your written comments, you must 
submit them by June 18, 2007. We held public scoping meetings in March 
2007 after announcing their locations, dates, and times at least 2 
weeks in advance, in special mailings, notices in local newspaper, on 
our Web site, and through personal contacts.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information on the 
planning process to Nancy McGarigal, Refuge Planner, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA, 01035; 413-
253-8562 (telephone); 413-253-8468 (fax); northeastplanning@fws.gov 
(electronic mail). If submitting an electronic mail, please put ``Mason 
Neck NWR'' or ``Featherstone NWR'' in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: To obtain more information on the refuges, 
contact the Potomac River NWR Complex, 14344 Jefferson Davis Highway 
Woodbridge, VA, 22191, at 703-490-4979 (telephone); fw5rw_
msnnwr@fws.gov (electronic mail); https://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/
index.cfm?id=51610 (Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck NWR Web site); http:/
/www.fws.gov/Refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=51612 (Featherstone NWR Web 
site)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice initiates the comprehensive 
conservation planning process for Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck (Mason 
Neck) and Featherstone NWRs, headquartered in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Background

The CCP Process

    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), requires us to develop a comprehensive 
conservation plan for each national wildlife refuge. The purpose of a 
CCP is to provide refuge managers with 15-year strategies for achieving 
refuge purposes and contributing to the mission of the National 
Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), in conformance with the sound principles 
of fish and wildlife management and conservation, legal mandates, and 
Service policies. In addition to providing broad management direction 
on conserving wildlife and habitat, the 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 establish each refuge for specific purposes, and use those 
purposes to develop and prioritize its management goals, objectives, 
and public uses. The planning process is one way for us and for the 
public to evaluate those goals and objectives for the best possible 
conservation of important wildlife habitat, while providing 
opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation compatible with those 
purposes and the mission of the NWRS.
    We request your input on all issues, concerns, ideas, improvements 
and suggestions for the future management of Mason Neck and 
Featherstone NWRs in Fairfax and Prince William Counties, Virginia, 
respectively.
    You may submit comments at any time during the planning process by 
writing to the refuge planner (see ADDRESSES, above).
    We will conduct the environmental review of this project in 
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the Council 
on Environmental Quality Regulations on NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), 
other appropriate Federal laws and regulations, and our policies and 
procedures for complying with them. All of the comments we receive on 
either our environmental assessments or our environmental impact 
statements become part of their official public record. We will handle 
requests for those comments in accordance with the Freedom of 
Information Act, NEPA (40 CFR 1506.6(f)), and other policies and 
procedures of the Department or the Service. When we receive such a 
request, we will provide comment letters with the names and addresses 
of the individuals who wrote them. However, to the extent permissible 
by law, we will not provide the telephone numbers of those individuals.

Mason Neck and Featherstone NWRs

    Mason Neck and Featherstone NWRs are two of the three refuges in 
the Potomac River NWR Complex. The Occoquan Bay NWR is the third. We 
established that refuge in 1972, and completed its CCP in 1997. The 
refuge complex headquarters is located in Woodbridge, Prince William 
County, Virginia. The refuges provide natural habitat important for 
wildlife in a landscape otherwise dominated by urban development, 18 
miles south of Washington, DC.
    The 2,277-acre Mason Neck NWR lies in Fairfax County, Virginia. 
Established in 1969, it was the first national wildlife refuge set 
aside specifically to protect the federally-listed bald eagle. Its 
other purposes are to protect natural resources, conserve fish and 
wildlife, and develop compatible fish- and wildlife-oriented 
recreation. The refuge habitats include oak-hickory forest, freshwater 
marsh, and 4.4 miles of shoreline along the Potomac River. Bald eagles 
shelter and nest in its mature forests and forage and hunt along its 
marshes, bays, and river. Seven bald eagle nests are located on or near 
the refuge, as well as an eagle roost and a wintering population of 50-
60 birds.
    Other significant resources on the refuge include the largest 
freshwater marsh in northern Virginia and one of the State's largest 
great blue heron rookeries, with more than 1,400 nests. More than 200 
species of birds, 31 species of mammals, and 44 species of reptiles and 
amphibians use the refuge. It is also part of the Chesapeake Bay 
Estuary Complex, designated by the RAMSAR Convention as a ``Wetland of 
International Importance.''

[[Page 28067]]

    Each year, about 16,000 visitors hunt, observe or photograph 
wildlife, or enjoy wildlife interpretation at Mason Neck NWR. Its 
special events, refuge interpretive programs, three hiking trails, two 
of which are accessible to persons with disabilities, provide 
outstanding opportunities for visitors to experience nature.
    The 325-acre Featherstone NWR lies in Prince William County, 
Virginia, near the Town of Woodbridge. Established pursuant to 84 Stat. 
1095 in 1970, the refuge protects the natural features of a contiguous 
wetland area. Its narrow strip of land, bordered on the east by the 
shore of the Potomac River and the mouth of Neabsco Creek and on the 
west by an active railroad right-of-way, provides habitat for migratory 
land birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, ospreys, and a bald eagle nest 
(historical).
    Featherstone NWR lacks legal public access; consequently, we close 
it to public use except under special use permit. It also lacks 
facilities or management activities that support public use.

    Dated: March 8, 2007.
Richard O. Bennett,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, Massachusetts.
[FR Doc. E7-9605 Filed 5-17-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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