Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, 47063-47064 [E7-16542]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 22, 2007 / Notices
Prepared in conformance with the
National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, as amended
by the National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997, and the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, the plan describes how we intend
to manage the refuge over the next 15
years.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain copies of
this CCP on compact disk or in print by
writing to Rachel Carson NWR, 321 Port
Road, Wells, Maine 04090, telephone
207–646–9226. You may also access and
download a copy from the Web sites
https://library.fws.gov/ccps.htm or
https://rachelcarsonrefuge.fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ward Feurt, Refuge Manager, Rachel
Carson NWR, at 207–646–9226, or by
electronic mail at Ward_Feurt@fws.gov.
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 et seq.), requires CCPs for all
refuges to provide refuge managers with
15-year strategies for achieving refuge
purposes and furthering the mission of
the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Developing CCPs is done according to
the sound principles of fish and wildlife
science and laws, while adhering to
Service planning and related policies. In
addition to outlining broad management
direction on conserving refuge wildlife
and habitat, CCPs identify wildlifedependent recreational opportunities
available to the public, including
opportunities for hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation and photography,
and environmental education and
interpretation. We will review and
update this CCP at least once every 15
years.
Rachel Carson NWR spans over 5,293
acres, which comprises 10 divisions
between the towns of Kittery and Cape
Elizabeth in York and Cumberland
Counties, Maine. The refuge harbors
estuaries that provide nurseries for
many marine fish. Its tidal rivers
provide passage to upstream spawning
areas for anadromous fish. Its diverse
aquatic and upland habitats support
breeding, migrating, and wintering
birds, and provide essential habitat for
nationally threatened and endangered
species. The Service acquired most of
the refuge under authority of the
Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929
(16 U.S.C. 715–715r) for ‘‘use as an
inviolate sanctuary, or for any other
management purposes, for migratory
birds.’’
We distributed a draft CCP/
Environmental Assessment (EA) for
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:26 Aug 21, 2007
Jkt 211001
public review and comment for 30 days
between August 17 and September 18,
2006. Its distribution was announced in
the Federal Register on August 17, 2006
(71 FR 47511). That draft analyzed three
alternatives for managing the refuge. We
also held two public meetings on
August 29 and September 7, 2006, to
obtain public comments. We received
41 comments from local towns,
conservation and recreational
organizations, and local residents.
Appendix J of the final CCP includes a
summary of those comments and our
responses to them.
We selected Alternative B (the
Service-proposed action) from the draft
CCP/EA as the alternative for
implementation. Our final CCP fully
describes its details. Staff from Rachel
Carson NWR headquarters office in
Wells, Maine, will continue to
administer all divisions of the refuge.
Highlights of Alternative B, which will
be incorporated into the final CCP,
include:
(1) Acquire the remaining 3,833 acres
within the approved acquisition
boundary and expand the refuge by
5,558 acres beyond its current approved
boundary for future acquisitions;
(2) Build a new administrative
complex including office space,
maintenance facilities, and visitor
contact station;
(3) Combine the Moody, Lower Wells,
Upper Wells, and Mousam River
Divisions into one Wells Bay Division;
(4) Increase public use opportunities,
e.g., provide expanded hunting and
fishing opportunities in new land
acquisitions;
(5) Improve the availability and
quality of interpretive signs and kiosks,
nature trails, and parking areas;
(6) Incorporate a pilot recreation fee
program to support public use activities;
(7) Enhance outreach and
partnerships with local communities,
expand the role and membership of our
Friends Group, and strengthen our
relationships with neighbors and
elected officials; and
(8) Develop Rachel Carson NWR as an
outstanding center for research and
demonstration emphasizing land
management techniques for restoring
and sustaining healthy estuarine
ecosystems in concert with the Service’s
Land Management Research and
Demonstration program.
Dated: July 25, 2007.
Thomas J. Healy,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Hadley, Massachusetts.
[FR Doc. E7–16614 Filed 8–21–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
PO 00000
Frm 00112
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
47063
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Vieques National Wildlife Refuge
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan
and Environmental Impact Statement.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service
announces that a Final Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement for Vieques National
Wildlife Refuge in Puerto Rico is
available for distribution. The plan was
prepared pursuant to the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement
Act of 1997, and in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, and describes how the refuge will
be managed for the next 15 years. The
compatibility determinations for
wildlife observation, wildlife
photography, and environmental
education and interpretation; bicycling,
horseback riding, hiking, jogging, and
moped/motorcycle riding; and kayaking
and canoeing are also available in the
plan.
A Record of Decision may be
signed on or after September 21, 2007.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the plan and
environmental impact statement is
available on compact diskette or hard
copy by writing: Oscar Diaz, Refuge
Manager, Vieques National Wildlife
Refuge, P.O. Box 1527, Vieques, Puerto
Rico 00765. The plan and
environmental impact statement may
also be accessed and downloaded from
the Service’s Web site address: https://
www.fws.gov/southeast/planning/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gisella Burgos, Telephone: 787/741–
2138.
DATES:
The
availability of the Draft Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement for Vieques National
Wildlife Refuge for a 60-day public
review and comment period was
announced in the Federal Register on
February 28, 2007 (72 FR 9018). The
plan and environmental impact
statement identified and evaluated three
alternatives for managing the refuge
over the next 15 years.
Alternative A, the ‘‘No Action’’
alternative, would have continued
current management.
Alternative B would have focused on
wildlife and habitat management but
would have maintained the existing
visitor programs and public uses.
Habitat management and monitoring
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\22AUN1.SGM
22AUN1
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
47064
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 162 / Wednesday, August 22, 2007 / Notices
would have been expanded and
agreements with research,
governmental, and non-governmental
organizations would have been
developed to provide information
needed for the management of forests,
grasslands, coastal wetlands, beaches,
and listed species and their habitats. In
partnership with others, programs
would have been developed for
management of nesting sea turtle
populations on Vieques beaches.
Alternative C, the preferred
alternative, will direct the refuge toward
a realistic and achievable level of both
habitat management and public use and
will provide a management program
that will address the needs of the
resources and, where appropriate and
compatible with the refuge purposes,
the needs of the community. This
alternative will provide for increases in
management efforts to restore habitats
without diminishing the wildlife values
associated with the current conditions.
There is also a focus on management
activities to benefit threatened and
endangered species. This includes the
possible reintroduction of species
extirpated from Vieques and expansion
of populations of species already found
on the refuge. Some priority public uses,
as identified in the National Wildlife
Refuge System Improvement Act of
1997, will be expanded and other uses
that are determined to be compatible
with the refuge mission may be
permitted. Historic and archaeological
resources will be stabilized and, where
possible, interpretation of their
significance and role in the evolution of
Vieques Refuge will be provided.
Vieques National Wildlife Refuge,
consisting of approximately 17,771
acres (3,100 acres on western Vieques
and 14,671 acres on eastern Vieques),
was created from former Navy managed
lands by congressional actions in 2001
and 2003. The transferred lands are to
be managed in accordance with the
National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, as amended
by the National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997. The refuge
lands were historically used for
agricultural purposes and more recently
for military training activities. As a
result, the wildlife habitats and
communities are significantly altered
and non-native invasive species are
common along with remnants of native
habitats. As a result of the military
training, portions of the refuge contain
unexploded ordnance and other
contaminants. These areas have been
classified as a ‘‘superfund site’’ under
the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act (CERCLA). Cleanup of these
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:26 Aug 21, 2007
Jkt 211001
portions of the refuge is being
conducted by the Navy in accordance
with CERCLA. In addition, a Federal
Facilities Agreement between the Navy,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Fish and Wildlife Service, and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will help
to guide the cleanup process.
Although the short-term use and
management of areas contaminated with
unexploded ordnance would be
restricted, the alternatives presented
were developed with the assumption
that these lands would be cleaned of
any contaminants that would pose a
threat to either the wildlife or visitors to
the refuge.
Authority: This notice is published under
the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge
System Improvement Act of 1997, Public
Law 105–57.
Dated: June 14, 2007.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E7–16542 Filed 8–21–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Draft Recovery Plan for the Ivory-billed
Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis)
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability
for review and comment.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (‘‘we’’) announce the
availability of the Draft Recovery Plan
for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
(Campephilus principalis). This draft
recovery plan includes specific criteria
and measures that should be taken in
order to effectively recover the species
to the point where delisting is
warranted under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
We solicit review and comment from
local, State, and Federal agencies and
the public on this draft recovery plan.
DATES: Comments on the draft recovery
plan must be received on or before
October 22, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery
plan are available by request from the
Lafayette Field Office of the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, 646 Cajundome
Boulevard, Suite 400, Lafayette,
Louisiana 70506, or by visiting our
recovery plan Web site at https://
endangered.fws.gov/recovery/
index.html#plans. If you wish to
comment, you may submit your
comments by one of the following
methods:
PO 00000
Frm 00113
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
1. You may mail or hand-deliver
written comments and materials to the
Field Supervisor, at the above address
or;
2. You may fax your comments to
337–291–3139.
Comments and materials received are
available for public inspection on
request, by appointment, during normal
business hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Deborah Fuller, at the above address, or
telephone 337–291–3100.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Restoring
listed animals and plants to the point
where they are again secure, selfsustaining components of their
ecosystems is a primary goal of our
threatened and endangered species
program. To help guide the recovery
effort, we prepare recovery plans for
listed species native to the United
States, pursuant to section 4(f) of the
Act, unless such a plan would not
promote the conservation of a particular
species. Recovery plans describe actions
that may be necessary for conservation
of the species, establish criteria for
reclassification from endangered to
threatened status or removal from the
list of threatened and endangered
species, and estimate the time and cost
for implementing the needed recovery
measures.
The Ivory-billed woodpecker is
extremely rare and was, until recently,
commonly accepted as extirpated from
its known range in the United States.
The species appeared to be widely
distributed throughout the southeast
prior to European settlement. The Ivorybilled woodpecker’s disappearance is
closely linked with logging and clearing
of the contiguous forest habitats which
once covered much of the southeastern
United States. Additionally, as habitats
became fragmented and the species
increasingly rare, collecting and direct
mortality may have extirpated the bird
in certain areas.
Despite having been listed since 1967,
no recovery plan was prepared, in large
part due to the lack of any clear,
undisputed evidence (since 1944) of the
species’ continued existence. Evidence
supporting the presence of at least one
bird in the Bayou de View area of Cache
River National Wildlife Refuge in 2004,
as well as additional information, has
generated the need to complete a
recovery plan. Given the limited
information on the current number of
individuals throughout the species’
range and the limited knowledge on
biology, habitat requirements, and
genetic information, we recognize the
need to generate scientific information
to better address the threats and limiting
E:\FR\FM\22AUN1.SGM
22AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47063-47064]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16542]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Vieques National Wildlife Refuge
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the Final Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Impact Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces that a Final
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for
Vieques National Wildlife Refuge in Puerto Rico is available for
distribution. The plan was prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife
Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and describes how the refuge
will be managed for the next 15 years. The compatibility determinations
for wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and environmental
education and interpretation; bicycling, horseback riding, hiking,
jogging, and moped/motorcycle riding; and kayaking and canoeing are
also available in the plan.
DATES: A Record of Decision may be signed on or after September 21,
2007.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the plan and environmental impact statement is
available on compact diskette or hard copy by writing: Oscar Diaz,
Refuge Manager, Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 1527,
Vieques, Puerto Rico 00765. The plan and environmental impact statement
may also be accessed and downloaded from the Service's Web site
address: https://www.fws.gov/southeast/planning/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gisella Burgos, Telephone: 787/741-
2138.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The availability of the Draft Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Vieques
National Wildlife Refuge for a 60-day public review and comment period
was announced in the Federal Register on February 28, 2007 (72 FR
9018). The plan and environmental impact statement identified and
evaluated three alternatives for managing the refuge over the next 15
years.
Alternative A, the ``No Action'' alternative, would have continued
current management.
Alternative B would have focused on wildlife and habitat management
but would have maintained the existing visitor programs and public
uses. Habitat management and monitoring
[[Page 47064]]
would have been expanded and agreements with research, governmental,
and non-governmental organizations would have been developed to provide
information needed for the management of forests, grasslands, coastal
wetlands, beaches, and listed species and their habitats. In
partnership with others, programs would have been developed for
management of nesting sea turtle populations on Vieques beaches.
Alternative C, the preferred alternative, will direct the refuge
toward a realistic and achievable level of both habitat management and
public use and will provide a management program that will address the
needs of the resources and, where appropriate and compatible with the
refuge purposes, the needs of the community. This alternative will
provide for increases in management efforts to restore habitats without
diminishing the wildlife values associated with the current conditions.
There is also a focus on management activities to benefit threatened
and endangered species. This includes the possible reintroduction of
species extirpated from Vieques and expansion of populations of species
already found on the refuge. Some priority public uses, as identified
in the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, will be
expanded and other uses that are determined to be compatible with the
refuge mission may be permitted. Historic and archaeological resources
will be stabilized and, where possible, interpretation of their
significance and role in the evolution of Vieques Refuge will be
provided.
Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, consisting of approximately
17,771 acres (3,100 acres on western Vieques and 14,671 acres on
eastern Vieques), was created from former Navy managed lands by
congressional actions in 2001 and 2003. The transferred lands are to be
managed in accordance with the National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge
System Improvement Act of 1997. The refuge lands were historically used
for agricultural purposes and more recently for military training
activities. As a result, the wildlife habitats and communities are
significantly altered and non-native invasive species are common along
with remnants of native habitats. As a result of the military training,
portions of the refuge contain unexploded ordnance and other
contaminants. These areas have been classified as a ``superfund site''
under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA). Cleanup of these portions of the refuge is
being conducted by the Navy in accordance with CERCLA. In addition, a
Federal Facilities Agreement between the Navy, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico will help to guide the cleanup process.
Although the short-term use and management of areas contaminated
with unexploded ordnance would be restricted, the alternatives
presented were developed with the assumption that these lands would be
cleaned of any contaminants that would pose a threat to either the
wildlife or visitors to the refuge.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: June 14, 2007.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E7-16542 Filed 8-21-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
