Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Sequim, WA, 45444-45445 [E7-15882]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 156 / Tuesday, August 14, 2007 / Notices
and strategies for achieving refuge
purposes. We prepared the CCP and
FONSI for the Washington Islands
Refuges pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321–4370d), as
amended, and its implementing
regulations, the Refuge Administration
Act, and Service policies.
The Washington Islands Refuges are
located in Clallam, Jefferson, and Grays
Harbor Counties, Washington. Planning
for the Refuges was conducted together
because many of the same physical
characteristics, management issues, and
conservation opportunities occur on, or
are relevant to the management of each
of the Refuges.
During the CCP planning process for
the Refuges many elements were
considered, including wildlife
management and habitat protection, offrefuge wildlife-dependent recreational
and educational opportunities, and
coordination with tribal, State, and
Federal agencies and other interested
groups. The Draft CCP and associated
Environmental Assessment identified
and evaluated two alternatives for
managing the Refuges. The Draft CCP
was available for a 30-day public review
and comment period, which occurred
May 31 through June 30, 2005 (May 31,
2005, 70 FR 30967). The Service
received 24 comment letters on the Draft
CCP, which were incorporated into, or
otherwise responded to in the final CCP.
No substantive changes where required
to address public comments.
By implementing the CCP, the Service
will minimize disturbance to wildlife,
reduce contaminants, enhance oil spill
response preparedness, initiate and
participate in cooperative monitoring
and research, and enhance the Refuges’
public education program.
Wildlife disturbances will be
minimized by enforcing access
restrictions to Refuge islands, educating
boaters and pilots about wildlife
disturbances, promoting a voluntary
200-yard boat-free zone, pursuing
tideland leases with the State, and
enforcing wildlife disturbance
regulations. Working with partners to
reduce impacts from oil spills and
remove derelict fishing gear and other
wildlife hazards is a high priority for the
Refuges. Long-term wildlife monitoring
efforts will continue, and Refuge staff
will assist with developing a monitoring
manual for seabirds. The Service will
develop partnerships to pursue joint
research projects and develop and staff
an off-refuge interpretive center. The
proposal in the CCP for eradication of
European rabbits on Destruction Island
will be addressed in a separate planning
effort with full public involvement.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:35 Aug 13, 2007
Jkt 211001
Dated: June 14, 2007.
Renne R. Lohoefener,
Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. E7–15883 Filed 8–13–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington Maritime National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, Sequim, WA
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a
comprehensive conservation plan and
environmental assessment.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service) intend to
prepare a Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment
(CCP/EA) for the Protection Island and
San Juan Islands National Wildlife
Refuges (Refuges). The Refuges are
located in Island, Jefferson, San Juan,
Skagit, and Whatcom Counties,
Washington. The San Juan Islands
Refuge includes the San Juan Islands
Wilderness Area. We are furnishing this
notice to advise other agencies and the
public of our intentions, and to obtain
public comments, suggestions, and
information on the scope of issues to be
considered during the CCP and National
Environmental Policy Act planning
process.
Written comments on the scope
of the CCP received by October 15,
2007, will be considered during
development of the Draft CCP/EA.
ADDRESSES: Address comments,
questions, and requests for information
to: Kevin Ryan, Project Leader,
Washington Maritime National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, 33 South Barr Road,
Port Angeles, WA 98362. Comments
may be faxed to the Refuge at (360) 452–
5086, or e-mailed to
FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov.
Include Protection Island and San Juan
Islands Refuges CCP in the subject line
of your message. Additional information
about the CCP planning process is
available on the Internet at: https://
www.fws.gov/pacific/planning.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kevin Ryan, Project Leader, Washington
Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
Complex, phone (360) 457–8451.
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), requires all lands within
DATES:
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the National Wildlife Refuge System to
be managed in accordance with an
approved CCP. A CCP guides refuge
management decisions, and identifies
long-range goals, objectives, and
strategies for achieving the purposes for
which the refuge was established.
During the CCP planning process many
elements will be considered, including
wildlife and habitat protection and
management, public use opportunities,
and cultural resource protection. Public
input during the planning process is
essential. The CCP for the Protection
Island and San Juan Islands Refuges will
describe desired conditions for the
Refuges and the long-term goals,
objectives, and strategies for achieving
those conditions. As part of the
planning process, the Service will
prepare an environmental assessment in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et
seq.)
Background
The Protection Island National
Wildlife Refuge Act was enacted in 1982
(Pub L. 97–333), authorizing creation of
the 316-acre Refuge located near the
mouth of Discovery Bay on the
southeast side of the Strait of Juan de
Fuca. The purposes of the Protection
Island Refuge are to provide habitat for
a broad diversity of bird species, with
particular emphasis on protecting the
nesting habitat of the bald eagle, tufted
puffin, rhinoceros auklet, pigeon
guillemot, and pelagic cormorant;
protecting harbor seals’ hauling-out
areas; and providing for scientific
research and wildlife-oriented public
education and interpretation. Refuge
habitats include grass and shrublands, a
small woodland area, shoreline, spits,
and sandy bluffs. Most of the breeding
seabird population of Puget Sound and
the Strait of Juan de Fuca nests on
Protection Island. The island is a major
resting and breeding site for harbor
seals, and also supports a small number
of breeding elephant seals. Additional
information concerning Protection
Island NWR is available at: https://
www.fws.gov/pacific/refuges/field/
wa_protectionis.htm.
Located in the northwest corner of
Washington State between southern
Canada and the United States mainland,
the San Juan Islands Refuge has a long
establishment history. Executive Order
1959 established the Smith Island
Reservation in 1914, as a preserve,
breeding ground, and winter sanctuary
for native birds. Subsequent executive
orders and public land orders through
1983 culminated in the current
configuration of the Refuge, which totals
E:\FR\FM\14AUN1.SGM
14AUN1
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 156 / Tuesday, August 14, 2007 / Notices
approximately 454 acres of islands,
rocks, and reefs. Habitats include
remnant prairies, cliff faces, shorelines,
and old growth forest. San Juan Islands
Refuge provides important breeding,
resting, and foraging habitat for
sensitive marine bird and mammal
species. The islands of this refuge are
part of the San Juan Islands Wilderness,
except for Smith, Minor, and Turn
Island, and a 5-acre parcel on Matia
Island. The provisions of the Wilderness
Act apply to all refuge lands that are
designated wilderness. Additional
information concerning San Juan
Islands Refuge is available at: https://
www.fws.gov/pacific/refuges/field/
wa_sanjuanis.htm.
Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and
Opportunities
The following broad categories of
preliminary issues have been identified
by the Service for consideration in the
planning process: Threats to Refuge
resources; Refuge buffers; habitat
restoration; wilderness management on
San Juan Islands Refuge; research
opportunities; visitor services; and
refuge administration. Additional issues
may be identified during public
scoping. The CCP will focus on ways of
minimizing threats to the Refuges’
resources and visitor services programs
will be evaluated based on current
Service policies. A revised wilderness
stewardship plan for the San Juan
Islands Wilderness will be included in
the CCP as well.
Public Availability of Comments
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
All comments received from
individuals become part of the official
public record. Requests for such
comments will be handled in
accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act, NEPA, and Service and
Department of the Interior policies and
procedures.
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 we will be able to do
so.
Dated: July 17, 2007.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland,
Oregon.
[FR Doc. E7–15882 Filed 8–13–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:35 Aug 13, 2007
Jkt 211001
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Proposed Safe Harbor Agreement for
the Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle
and the Giant Garter Snake for
Landowners Restoring, Enhancing or
Managing Native Riparian and Wetland
Habitats in Yolo County, CA
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; receipt of
application.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice advises the public
that the National Audubon Society, Inc.,
doing business in California as
Audubon California (Applicant) has
applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) for an enhancement of
survival permit pursuant to Section
10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The
permit application includes a proposed
Safe Harbor Agreement (Agreement)
between the Applicant and the Service
for the threatened valley elderberry
longhorn beetle (VELB) (Desmocerus
californicus dimorphus) and/or the
giant garter snake (GGS) (Thamnopsis
gigas). The Agreement and permit
application are available for public
comment.
Written comments should be
received on or before September 13,
2007.
DATES:
Comments should be
addressed to Shannon Holbrook, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento
Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage
Way, W–2605, Sacramento, California
95825. Written comments may be sent
by facsimile to (916) 414–6712.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Shannon Holbrook, Sacramento Fish
and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES);
telephone: (916) 414–6600.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
Availability of Documents
You may obtain copies of the
documents for review by contacting the
individual named above. You may also
make an appointment to view the
documents at the above address during
normal business hours.
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
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
45445
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Background
Under a Safe Harbor Agreement,
participating landowners voluntarily
undertake management activities on
their property to enhance, restore, or
maintain habitat benefiting species
listed under the Act. Safe Harbor
Agreements, and the subsequent
enhancement of survival permits that
are issued pursuant to Section
10(a)(1)(A) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), encourage private and other nonFederal property owners to implement
conservation efforts for listed species by
assuring property owners that they will
not be subjected to increased land use
restrictions as a result of efforts to
attract or increase the numbers or
distribution of a listed species on their
property. Application requirements and
issuance criteria for enhancement of
survival permits through Safe Harbor
Agreements are found in 50 CFR
17.22(c).
We have worked with the Applicant
to develop this proposed Programmatic
Agreement for the conservation of the
VELB and the GGS in Yolo County,
California. The properties subject to this
Agreement consist of approximately
200,000 acres of non-Federal properties
within the boundaries of Yolo County,
on which habitat for the VELG and/or
GGS will be restored, enhanced, and
managed pursuant to a written
agreement between Audubon California
and a property owner.
This Agreement provides for the
creation of a Program in which private
landowners (Program Participants) enter
into written cooperative agreements
with the Applicant pursuant to the
terms of the Agreement, to restore,
enhance, and maintain riparian and
wetland habitat in ways beneficial to the
VELB and/or GGS. Such cooperative
agreements will be for a term of at least
10 years. The proposed duration of the
Agreement is 30 years, and the proposed
term of the enhancement of survival
permit is 30 years. The Agreement fully
describes the proposed management
activities to be undertaken by Program
Participants and the conservation
benefits expected to be gained for the
VELB and GGS.
Upon approval of this Agreement, and
consistent with the Service’s Safe
Harbor Policy published in the Federal
Register on June 17, 1999 (64 FR 32717),
the Service would issue a permit to
Audubon California authorizing take of
VELG and GGS by Program Participants
incidental to the implementation of the
E:\FR\FM\14AUN1.SGM
14AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 156 (Tuesday, August 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45444-45445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-15882]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Sequim, WA
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental assessment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intend to
prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment
(CCP/EA) for the Protection Island and San Juan Islands National
Wildlife Refuges (Refuges). The Refuges are located in Island,
Jefferson, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties, Washington. The San
Juan Islands Refuge includes the San Juan Islands Wilderness Area. We
are furnishing this notice to advise other agencies and the public of
our intentions, and to obtain public comments, suggestions, and
information on the scope of issues to be considered during the CCP and
National Environmental Policy Act planning process.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of the CCP received by October 15,
2007, will be considered during development of the Draft CCP/EA.
ADDRESSES: Address comments, questions, and requests for information
to: Kevin Ryan, Project Leader, Washington Maritime National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, 33 South Barr Road, Port Angeles, WA 98362. Comments
may be faxed to the Refuge at (360) 452-5086, or e-mailed to
FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov. Include Protection Island and San Juan
Islands Refuges CCP in the subject line of your message. Additional
information about the CCP planning process is available on the Internet
at: https://www.fws.gov/pacific/planning.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Ryan, Project Leader, Washington
Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex, phone (360) 457-8451.
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), requires all
lands within the National Wildlife Refuge System to be managed in
accordance with an approved CCP. A CCP guides refuge management
decisions, and identifies long-range goals, objectives, and strategies
for achieving the purposes for which the refuge was established. During
the CCP planning process many elements will be considered, including
wildlife and habitat protection and management, public use
opportunities, and cultural resource protection. Public input during
the planning process is essential. The CCP for the Protection Island
and San Juan Islands Refuges will describe desired conditions for the
Refuges and the long-term goals, objectives, and strategies for
achieving those conditions. As part of the planning process, the
Service will prepare an environmental assessment in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C.
4371 et seq.)
Background
The Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge Act was enacted in
1982 (Pub L. 97-333), authorizing creation of the 316-acre Refuge
located near the mouth of Discovery Bay on the southeast side of the
Strait of Juan de Fuca. The purposes of the Protection Island Refuge
are to provide habitat for a broad diversity of bird species, with
particular emphasis on protecting the nesting habitat of the bald
eagle, tufted puffin, rhinoceros auklet, pigeon guillemot, and pelagic
cormorant; protecting harbor seals' hauling-out areas; and providing
for scientific research and wildlife-oriented public education and
interpretation. Refuge habitats include grass and shrublands, a small
woodland area, shoreline, spits, and sandy bluffs. Most of the breeding
seabird population of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca nests
on Protection Island. The island is a major resting and breeding site
for harbor seals, and also supports a small number of breeding elephant
seals. Additional information concerning Protection Island NWR is
available at: https://www.fws.gov/pacific/refuges/field/wa_
protectionis.htm.
Located in the northwest corner of Washington State between
southern Canada and the United States mainland, the San Juan Islands
Refuge has a long establishment history. Executive Order 1959
established the Smith Island Reservation in 1914, as a preserve,
breeding ground, and winter sanctuary for native birds. Subsequent
executive orders and public land orders through 1983 culminated in the
current configuration of the Refuge, which totals
[[Page 45445]]
approximately 454 acres of islands, rocks, and reefs. Habitats include
remnant prairies, cliff faces, shorelines, and old growth forest. San
Juan Islands Refuge provides important breeding, resting, and foraging
habitat for sensitive marine bird and mammal species. The islands of
this refuge are part of the San Juan Islands Wilderness, except for
Smith, Minor, and Turn Island, and a 5-acre parcel on Matia Island. The
provisions of the Wilderness Act apply to all refuge lands that are
designated wilderness. Additional information concerning San Juan
Islands Refuge is available at: https://www.fws.gov/pacific/refuges/
field/wa_sanjuanis.htm.
Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and Opportunities
The following broad categories of preliminary issues have been
identified by the Service for consideration in the planning process:
Threats to Refuge resources; Refuge buffers; habitat restoration;
wilderness management on San Juan Islands Refuge; research
opportunities; visitor services; and refuge administration. Additional
issues may be identified during public scoping. The CCP will focus on
ways of minimizing threats to the Refuges' resources and visitor
services programs will be evaluated based on current Service policies.
A revised wilderness stewardship plan for the San Juan Islands
Wilderness will be included in the CCP as well.
Public Availability of Comments
All comments received from individuals become part of the official
public record. Requests for such comments will be handled in accordance
with the Freedom of Information Act, NEPA, and Service and Department
of the Interior policies and procedures.
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 we will be able to
do so.
Dated: July 17, 2007.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. E7-15882 Filed 8-13-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
