Notice of Availability of the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment for Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, 35717-35718 [E7-12628]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 125 / Friday, June 29, 2007 / Notices
Estimation of the total numbers of
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collection including number of
respondents, frequency of response, and
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approximately 425,000 annual
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on occasion; and the estimated time
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Status of the proposed information
collection: This is an extension of a
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of 1995, 44 U.S.C., Chapter 35, as amended.
Dated: June 22, 2007.
Frank L. Davis,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Housing—Deputy Federal Housing
Commissioner.
[FR Doc. E7–12582 Filed 6–28–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR–5125–N–26]
Federal Property Suitable as Facilities
To Assist the Homeless
Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Community Planning and
Development, HUD.
ACTION: Notice.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This Notice identifies
unutilized, underutilized, excess, and
surplus Federal property reviewed by
HUD for suitability for possible use to
assist the homeless.
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 29, 2007.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kathy Ezzell, Department of Housing
and Urban Development, Room 7262,
451 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,
DC 20410; telephone (202) 708–1234;
TTY number for the hearing- and
speech-impaired (202) 708–2565, (these
telephone numbers are not toll-free), or
call the toll-free Title V information line
at 1–800–927–7588.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the December 12, 1988
court order in National Coalition for the
Homeless v. Veterans Administration,
No. 88–2503–OG (D.D.C.), HUD
publishes a Notice, on a weekly basis,
identifying unutilized, underutilized,
excess and surplus Federal buildings
and real property that HUD has
reviewed for suitability for use to assist
the homeless. Today’s Notice is for the
purpose of announcing that no
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:20 Jun 28, 2007
Jkt 211001
additional properties have been
determined suitable or unsuitable this
week.
Dated: June 21, 2007.
Mark R. Johnston,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs.
[FR Doc. E7–12373 Filed 6–28–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and
Environmental Assessment for Sabine
National Wildlife Refuge
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service
announces that a Draft Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental
Assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Sabine
National Wildlife Refuge is available for
distribution. This Draft CCP/EA also
covers the East Cove Unit of Cameron
Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. 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 develop a comprehensive
conservation plan for each national
wildlife refuge. This Draft CCP, when
final, will describe how the Service
intends to manage Sabine National
Wildlife Refuge over the next 15 years.
DATES: Written comments must be
received at the postal address listed
below no later than July 30, 2007.
ADDRESSES: To provide written
comments or to obtain a copy of the
Draft CCP/EA, please write to:
Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, Sabine National
Wildlife Refuge, 1428 Highway 27, Bell
City, Louisiana 70630; or telephone:
337–598–2216. The Draft CCP/EA may
also be accessed and downloaded from
the Service’s Internet Site: https://
southeast.fws.gov/planning/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Availability of Comments:
Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment, including your
personal identifying information, may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
35717
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Background: Sabine National Wildlife
Refuge was established by Executive
Order 7764, dated December 6, 1937,
stating the official purpose of the refuge
was, ‘‘* * * as a refuge and breeding
ground for migratory birds and other
wildlife.’’ A secondary purpose of the
refuge is ‘‘* * * for use as an inviolate
sanctuary, or for any other management
purpose, for migratory birds’’ [16 U.S.C.
715d (Migratory Bird Conservation
Act)].
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge is
one of four refuges that comprise the
Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife
Refuge Complex. It is located eight
miles south of Hackberry on State
Highway 27 in Cameron Parish,
Louisiana. The refuge currently
occupies the marshes between Calcasieu
and Sabine Lakes and consists of
125,790 acres of open water and marsh
grassland. The East Cove Unit,
originally established as part of Sabine
National Wildlife Refuge, was
administratively transferred to Cameron
Prairie National Wildlife Refuge in
1992. The East Cove Unit, also in
Cameron Parish, consists of 14,927 acres
of brackish to intermediate marsh,
bordered on the west by Calcasieu Lake,
and on the north, east, and south by
privately owned marshes. The East Cove
Unit is also part of the Cameron Creole
Watershed Project, a cooperative effort
among local, State, and Federal agencies
and the private sector to restore 64,000
acres of marsh in Cameron Parish. The
Service manages the Cameron Creole
Watershed Project under cooperative
agreement among sponsors. The overall
focus area to be evaluated in this Draft
CCP/EA totals 140,717 acres.
Significant issues addressed in the
Draft CCP/EA include: Recovery from
damages incurred by Hurricane Rita;
management of migratory birds, with
special emphasis on waterfowl
(especially northern pintails and
mottled ducks); management and
restoration of unique coastal wetland
habitats; management of oil and gas
activities; access management for public
use activities, including recreational
freshwater sportfishing and hunting;
and protection of cultural resources.
Also addressed in the Draft CCP/EA
are compatibility determinations for the
following uses: (1) Recreational
freshwater sportfishing; (2) recreational
sportfishing tournaments; (3)
recreational hunting; (4) environmental
education and interpretation; (5)
wildlife observation and photography;
(6) research and monitoring; (7)
commercial alligator harvest; (8)
commercial video and photography; (9)
E:\FR\FM\29JNN1.SGM
29JNN1
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
35718
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 125 / Friday, June 29, 2007 / Notices
commercially guided wildlife viewing,
photography, environmental education,
and interpretation; and (10) beneficial
use of dredge material.
Alternatives: The Service developed
three alternatives for management of the
refuge (alternatives A, B, and C), with
Alternative B as the proposed
alternative. We believe this alternative
will be the most effective one to
contribute to the purpose for which the
refuge was established and to the
mission of the National Wildlife Refuge
System.
Alternative A, also called the ‘‘No
Action’’ alternative, is the baseline or
status quo of refuge programs and is
usually a continuation of current
planning unit objectives and
management strategies, with no changes
or changes that would have occurred
without the CCP. Sabine Refuge, which
was severely affected by Hurricane Rita
in September 2005, is currently closed
to most activities other than essential
operations, and hurricane clean-up and
restoration activities.
Non-essential programs, such as
public use, would cease. Research
monitoring activities and the fire
program, including both prescribed fire
as well as extinguishing wildfires,
would continue. Hazardous debris
removal and Coastal Wetlands Planning,
Protection and Restoration Act projects
would continue. Oil and gas operations
would continue. Law enforcement
operations would increase to ensure that
the more than 300,000 annual visitors
who normally use the refuge comply
with the closure. Sabine Refuge staff
would function at an office located offsite. Cultural resources would continue
to be protected. As hurricane recovery is
accomplished, the refuge would
essentially be managed as it was prior
to the devastation from the historic
storm. The East Cove Unit would
continue to be managed under an interagency management agreement.
Alternative B, our proposed
alternative, would continue to keep the
refuge operational with minimal public
use programs functional but at a
reduced cost (near-term). It would
increase marsh restoration, enhance fish
and wildlife management, and expand
public use (long-term).
Over the near-term, programs would
continue throughout the refuge
commensurate with the levels of
hazardous material clean-up and
restoration. Over time, public use areas
would be re-opened as repairs to
infrastructure and restoration of habitat
occur. Fire and research programs
would remain active. Existing oil and
gas operations would continue at the
normal level, but new operations would
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:20 Jun 28, 2007
Jkt 211001
be closely assessed under Service
regulations and Federal laws. Staff
assigned to the refuge would function
out of a hurricane-resistant building to
be located at the original headquarters
site.
Over the long-term, under Alternative
B, Sabine Refuge would increase marsh
restoration and enhance wildlife
management, stepping up these efforts
from current levels. Like Alternative A,
Alternative B would maintain salinity
monitoring throughout the refuge at
established discrete salinity stations.
Improving water quality would be a
major thrust for the refuge. The refuge
would provide additional opportunities
for friends, volunteers, partners, and
interns to assist the refuge.
Management of the East Cove Unit
under Alternative B would be identical
to Alternative A. Gates at the water
control structures would be operated to
restore preferred vegetated plant
communities associated with
intermediate or possibly slightly
brackish environments. Staff would
evaluate the use of terraces to improve
vegetation of open-water areas. During
the life of the CCP, an assessment would
be conducted to determine the need for
sanctuary in the East Cove Unit, which
would minimize detrimental waterfowl
disturbances. The invasion of exotic
plant species, with special emphasis on
giant salvinia, would be monitored.
Public fishing access to the East Cove
Unit would be improved.
Alternative C would hold the refuge
in custodial form. Major restoration and
recovery efforts from devastation caused
by Hurricane Rita would be curtailed.
The fire and research programs would
remain active throughout the refuge. Oil
and gas operations would continue at
the current level. No active habitat
management would occur. Instead,
refuge and complex staff would serve as
good caretakers or custodians of the
refuge, observing and monitoring the
natural forces and ecological succession
that would shape its habitats and
effectively determine their suitability for
wildlife. The Service would conduct no
prescribed fire and would limit fire
management to hazardous fuel
reduction and suppression of wildfires.
There would be no need to replace and
upgrade equipment and facilities, such
as pumps, tractors, and water control
structures. This alternative would result
in very little effective high-quality
waterfowl sanctuary. That is, high
ground would succeed to a mix of
Chinese tallow, willow, and hackberry,
while lower ground reverted to dense
stands of maidencane. There would be
few open areas.
PO 00000
Frm 00035
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
With regard to public use, each of the
six priority public uses would be
strongly encouraged but facilities would
be limited. Management of cultural
resources and the East Cove Unit under
Alternative C would be identical to
Alternatives A and B.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy
McClendon, Natural Resource Planner,
Telephone: 870/347–2074, Extension
43; Fax: 870/347–2908; or electronically
at: Judy_McClendon@fws.gov.
Authority: This notice is published under
the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge
System Improvement Act of 1997, Public
Law 105–57.
Dated: April 30, 2007.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E7–12628 Filed 6–28–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WO–220–07–1020–JA–VEIS]
Notice of Availability of Final
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement and Environmental Report
for Vegetation Treatments on Public
Lands Administered by the Bureau of
Land Management in the Western
United States, Including Alaska
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) hereby gives notice
that the Final Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement and
Final Environmental Report on
vegetation treatments involving the use
of chemical herbicides and other
methods on the public lands
administered by 11 BLM State offices in
17 western States, including Alaska, is
available for public review and
comment. The BLM is the lead Federal
agency for the preparation of this Final
Programmatic EIS in compliance with
the requirements of NEPA. If it is
approved, the BLM would:
1. Approve the use of four new
herbicide formulations on public lands.
2. Decide which of 20 currently
approved herbicides will continue to be
used on public lands.
3. Decide on a protocol to follow that
adds new EPA-registered chemical
formulations to the BLM list of
approved herbicides.
4. Identify which best management
practices should be used with all
E:\FR\FM\29JNN1.SGM
29JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 125 (Friday, June 29, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35717-35718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12628]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Availability of the Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment for Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces that a Draft
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment (Draft
CCP/EA) for Sabine National Wildlife Refuge is available for
distribution. This Draft CCP/EA also covers the East Cove Unit of
Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. 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 develop
a comprehensive conservation plan for each national wildlife refuge.
This Draft CCP, when final, will describe how the Service intends to
manage Sabine National Wildlife Refuge over the next 15 years.
DATES: Written comments must be received at the postal address listed
below no later than July 30, 2007.
ADDRESSES: To provide written comments or to obtain a copy of the Draft
CCP/EA, please write to: Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge
Complex, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, 1428 Highway 27, Bell City,
Louisiana 70630; or telephone: 337-598-2216. The Draft CCP/EA may also
be accessed and downloaded from the Service's Internet Site: https://
southeast.fws.gov/planning/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Availability of Comments: Before including your address,
phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment,
including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly
available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Background: Sabine National Wildlife Refuge was established by
Executive Order 7764, dated December 6, 1937, stating the official
purpose of the refuge was, ``* * * as a refuge and breeding ground for
migratory birds and other wildlife.'' A secondary purpose of the refuge
is ``* * * for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other
management purpose, for migratory birds'' [16 U.S.C. 715d (Migratory
Bird Conservation Act)].
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge is one of four refuges that
comprise the Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It
is located eight miles south of Hackberry on State Highway 27 in
Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The refuge currently occupies the marshes
between Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes and consists of 125,790 acres of
open water and marsh grassland. The East Cove Unit, originally
established as part of Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, was
administratively transferred to Cameron Prairie National Wildlife
Refuge in 1992. The East Cove Unit, also in Cameron Parish, consists of
14,927 acres of brackish to intermediate marsh, bordered on the west by
Calcasieu Lake, and on the north, east, and south by privately owned
marshes. The East Cove Unit is also part of the Cameron Creole
Watershed Project, a cooperative effort among local, State, and Federal
agencies and the private sector to restore 64,000 acres of marsh in
Cameron Parish. The Service manages the Cameron Creole Watershed
Project under cooperative agreement among sponsors. The overall focus
area to be evaluated in this Draft CCP/EA totals 140,717 acres.
Significant issues addressed in the Draft CCP/EA include: Recovery
from damages incurred by Hurricane Rita; management of migratory birds,
with special emphasis on waterfowl (especially northern pintails and
mottled ducks); management and restoration of unique coastal wetland
habitats; management of oil and gas activities; access management for
public use activities, including recreational freshwater sportfishing
and hunting; and protection of cultural resources.
Also addressed in the Draft CCP/EA are compatibility determinations
for the following uses: (1) Recreational freshwater sportfishing; (2)
recreational sportfishing tournaments; (3) recreational hunting; (4)
environmental education and interpretation; (5) wildlife observation
and photography; (6) research and monitoring; (7) commercial alligator
harvest; (8) commercial video and photography; (9)
[[Page 35718]]
commercially guided wildlife viewing, photography, environmental
education, and interpretation; and (10) beneficial use of dredge
material.
Alternatives: The Service developed three alternatives for
management of the refuge (alternatives A, B, and C), with Alternative B
as the proposed alternative. We believe this alternative will be the
most effective one to contribute to the purpose for which the refuge
was established and to the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge
System.
Alternative A, also called the ``No Action'' alternative, is the
baseline or status quo of refuge programs and is usually a continuation
of current planning unit objectives and management strategies, with no
changes or changes that would have occurred without the CCP. Sabine
Refuge, which was severely affected by Hurricane Rita in September
2005, is currently closed to most activities other than essential
operations, and hurricane clean-up and restoration activities.
Non-essential programs, such as public use, would cease. Research
monitoring activities and the fire program, including both prescribed
fire as well as extinguishing wildfires, would continue. Hazardous
debris removal and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and
Restoration Act projects would continue. Oil and gas operations would
continue. Law enforcement operations would increase to ensure that the
more than 300,000 annual visitors who normally use the refuge comply
with the closure. Sabine Refuge staff would function at an office
located off-site. Cultural resources would continue to be protected. As
hurricane recovery is accomplished, the refuge would essentially be
managed as it was prior to the devastation from the historic storm. The
East Cove Unit would continue to be managed under an inter-agency
management agreement.
Alternative B, our proposed alternative, would continue to keep the
refuge operational with minimal public use programs functional but at a
reduced cost (near-term). It would increase marsh restoration, enhance
fish and wildlife management, and expand public use (long-term).
Over the near-term, programs would continue throughout the refuge
commensurate with the levels of hazardous material clean-up and
restoration. Over time, public use areas would be re-opened as repairs
to infrastructure and restoration of habitat occur. Fire and research
programs would remain active. Existing oil and gas operations would
continue at the normal level, but new operations would be closely
assessed under Service regulations and Federal laws. Staff assigned to
the refuge would function out of a hurricane-resistant building to be
located at the original headquarters site.
Over the long-term, under Alternative B, Sabine Refuge would
increase marsh restoration and enhance wildlife management, stepping up
these efforts from current levels. Like Alternative A, Alternative B
would maintain salinity monitoring throughout the refuge at established
discrete salinity stations. Improving water quality would be a major
thrust for the refuge. The refuge would provide additional
opportunities for friends, volunteers, partners, and interns to assist
the refuge.
Management of the East Cove Unit under Alternative B would be
identical to Alternative A. Gates at the water control structures would
be operated to restore preferred vegetated plant communities associated
with intermediate or possibly slightly brackish environments. Staff
would evaluate the use of terraces to improve vegetation of open-water
areas. During the life of the CCP, an assessment would be conducted to
determine the need for sanctuary in the East Cove Unit, which would
minimize detrimental waterfowl disturbances. The invasion of exotic
plant species, with special emphasis on giant salvinia, would be
monitored. Public fishing access to the East Cove Unit would be
improved.
Alternative C would hold the refuge in custodial form. Major
restoration and recovery efforts from devastation caused by Hurricane
Rita would be curtailed. The fire and research programs would remain
active throughout the refuge. Oil and gas operations would continue at
the current level. No active habitat management would occur. Instead,
refuge and complex staff would serve as good caretakers or custodians
of the refuge, observing and monitoring the natural forces and
ecological succession that would shape its habitats and effectively
determine their suitability for wildlife. The Service would conduct no
prescribed fire and would limit fire management to hazardous fuel
reduction and suppression of wildfires. There would be no need to
replace and upgrade equipment and facilities, such as pumps, tractors,
and water control structures. This alternative would result in very
little effective high-quality waterfowl sanctuary. That is, high ground
would succeed to a mix of Chinese tallow, willow, and hackberry, while
lower ground reverted to dense stands of maidencane. There would be few
open areas.
With regard to public use, each of the six priority public uses
would be strongly encouraged but facilities would be limited.
Management of cultural resources and the East Cove Unit under
Alternative C would be identical to Alternatives A and B.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy McClendon, Natural Resource
Planner, Telephone: 870/347-2074, Extension 43; Fax: 870/347-2908; or
electronically at: Judy--McClendon@fws.gov.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: April 30, 2007.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E7-12628 Filed 6-28-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
