Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, Coos County, NH, and Oxford County, ME, 73661-73662 [E8-28649]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 3, 2008 / Notices
the proposed information collection to
the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget. Comments should be addressed
to Desk Officer for the Department of
Homeland Security, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, and sent via
electronic mail to
oira.submission@omb.eop.gov or faxed
to (202) 395–6974. Comments must be
submitted on or before January 2, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
should be made to Acting Director,
Records Management Division, 500 C
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20472,
Mail Drop Room 301, facsimile number
(202) 646–3347, or e-mail address
FEMA-Information-Collections@dhs.gov.
Mail: P.O. Box 240, Errol, NH 03579–
0240.
In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call
603–482–3415, ext. 20, to make an
appointment during regular business
hours at Route 16 North, Errol, NH.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
answers to questions about the refuge,
contact Paul Casey, Refuge Manager,
603–482–3415, ext. 20, e-mail:
paul_casey@fws.gov or, for questions
about the planning process, contact
Nancy McGarigal, Natural Resource
Planner, 413–253–8562, e-mail:
northeastplanning@fws.gov. Please
remember to put ‘‘Lake Umbagog NWR
Final CCP/EIS’’ in the subject line of
your message.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Lawann Johnson,
Acting Director, Records Management
Division, Office of Management, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, Department
of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. E8–28688 Filed 12–2–08; 8:45 am]
Our publishing this notice of
availability facilitates the CCP process
for Lake Umbagog NWR that we started
by publishing a notice of intent in the
Federal Register (67 FR 136; July 16,
2002). For more about the process, see
that notice. We released the draft CCP/
EIS to the public and requested your
comments in a notice of availability in
the Federal Register (72 FR 129; July 6,
2007).
We are announcing the availability of
the final CCP/EIS for Lake Umbagog
NWR, and our preferred actions for
managing it, in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) (40 CFR 1506.6(b)). The
document contains a thorough analysis
of impacts on the human environment.
Our next planning step will be to
complete a Record of Decision no
sooner than 30 days after publication of
this notice (40 CFR 1506.10(b)(2)).
The CCP will guide us in managing
and administering the refuge for the
next 15 years. We propose that
alternative B, the Service-preferred
alternative, serve as the foundation for
the final, stand-alone CCP. We highlight
the modifications we made to
alternative B between the draft and final
CCP/EIS in ‘‘Comments,’’ below.
Our first purchase of land for the
refuge established it in 1992. Its
purposes are to provide long-term
protection for unique wetlands, federaland state-listed threatened or
endangered species, migratory birds of
conservation concern, and regionally
significant concentrations of wildlife.
This 21,650-acre refuge lies in Coos
County, New Hampshire, and Oxford
County, Maine. It contains widely
diverse types of upland and wetland
habitats around the 8,500-acre Umbagog
Lake. Since establishing the refuge, we
have focused primarily on conserving
BILLING CODE 9110–21–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R5–R–2008–N0204; 50133–1265–
LKUP; S3]
Lake Umbagog National Wildlife
Refuge, Coos County, NH, and Oxford
County, ME
AGENCY:
Fish and Wildlife Service,
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability: Final
comprehensive conservation plan and
environmental impact statement.
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability for review of our final
comprehensive conservation plan (CCP)
and environmental impact statement
(EIS) for Lake Umbagog National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR). This document
describes how we propose to manage
the refuge for the next 15 years.
DATES: We will sign a record of decision
no sooner than 30 days after the
publication of this notice.
ADDRESSES: You may view or obtain
copies of the final CCP/EIS by any of the
following methods. You may request a
print copy or CD–ROM.
Agency Web Site: Download a copy of
the document(s) at https://
library.fws.gov/ccps.htm.
E-mail: northeastplanning@fws.gov.
Include ‘‘Lake Umbagog Final CCP/EIS’’
in the subject line of your message.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
13:59 Dec 02, 2008
Jkt 217001
Introduction
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
73661
land within its approved boundary,
monitoring the occupancy and
productivity of its common loon, bald
eagle, and osprey nesting sites and
protecting them from human
disturbance, conducting baseline
biological inventories, and providing
public opportunities for wildlifedependent recreation.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C.
668dd–668ee; Improvement Act), which
amends the National Wildlife Refuge
System Administration Act of 1966,
requires us to develop a CCP for each
national wildlife refuge. The purpose for
developing CCPs is to provide refuge
managers with 15-year plans for
achieving refuge purposes, contributing
toward the mission of the National
Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), and
conforming to sound principles of fish
and wildlife management, conservation,
legal mandates, and our policies. In
addition to outlining broad management
direction on conserving wildlife and
their habitats, CCPs identify wildlifedependent recreational opportunities
available to the public: Hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation and photography,
and environmental education and
interpretation. We will review and
update the CCP at least once every 15
years, also in accordance with the
Improvement Act.
CCP Alternatives
Our draft CCP/EIS (72 FR 129) and
this final CCP/EIS fully analyze three
alternatives for the future management
of the refuge. During the planning
process, we identified and addressed 18
major issues generated by several
sources: the public, state or federal
agencies, other Service programs, and
our planning team. Both the draft and
final plans identify alternative B as the
Service-preferred alternative.
Comments
We solicited comments on the draft
CCP/EIS for Lake Umbagog refuge for a
45-day period starting on July 6, 2007
(72 FR 129). In response to requests for
additional time, we extended that
comment period another 32 days, until
September 21, 2007. We held five public
hearings and two information sessions
during that time, and received 14,269
responses, both oral and written. We
evaluated all of the written and
electronic correspondence and oral
testimony we received, and responded
to them in final CCP/EIS appendix O,
‘‘Summary of, and the Service’s
E:\FR\FM\03DEN1.SGM
03DEN1
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
73662
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 3, 2008 / Notices
Response to, Public Comments Received
on the Draft Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement (Draft CCP/EIS) for
Lake Umbagog National Wildlife
Refuge.’’ We present here some of the
changes we made in our final CCP/EIS,
which are also discussed in appendix O.
1. In response to concerns about local
economic impacts, our expansion
proposal replaces some fee acquisition
with easement acquisition in Maine,
and reduces the total number of acres.
We now propose to acquire from willing
sellers 47,807 acres (formerly, 49,718
acres), and change the acquisition ratio
to 56 percent in fee and 44 percent in
easement. Appendix A, ‘‘Land
Protection Plan,’’ shows our revised
proposal.
2. Two new maps clarify our proposal
on the roads and trails we would open
for public use on both current refuge
lands and refuge expansion lands.
Chapter 2, ‘‘Alternatives Considered,
Including the Service-preferred
Alternative,’’ clarifies them in maps 2.8
and 2.9. Item 6, below, describes them.
3. We propose to postpone our
decision on whether to manage
furbearer species, and whether that
management could include trapping.
We will conduct further analysis and
prepare a more detailed Furbearer
Management Plan. That change, which
we propose in both alternatives B and
C, is included in chapter 2, in the
section ‘‘Actions Common to
Alternatives B and C Only.’’ Before
trapping would be permitted under a
Furbearer Management Plan, we will
analyze the appropriateness of this use
and issue a compatibility determination,
if warranted, analyzing whether this use
is compatible with the mission of the
NWRS and refuge purposes, and under
what conditions.
4. We propose to postpone our
decision on whether to expand our
current hunt program to incorporate
bobcat hunting in Maine and turkey
hunting in Maine and New Hampshire.
That action would have made our hunt
program consistent with the states’ hunt
programs. However, we have
determined the need to conduct further
analysis, in conjunction with a revised
Hunt Plan and environmental
assessment, and include additional
public comment. We propose that
change in both alternatives B and C in
the same section of chapter 2. If our
hunt program is expanded in the future,
we will issue a new compatibility
determination with any changes to the
current program.
5. The same section of chapter 2 also
clarifies our hunting and fishing
programs. The public comments we
VerDate Aug<31>2005
13:59 Dec 02, 2008
Jkt 217001
received revealed the misunderstanding
that our implementing alternatives B
and C would result in new restrictions
in our programs. That is not the case.
We now provide a better explanation,
and point out that we intend to
implement the same programs on any
newly acquired lands.
6. We revise alternative B to allow
certain public uses in designated areas
that we originally planned not to allow.
Those include dog sledding, horseback
riding, bicycling, and collecting certain
berries, fiddleheads, mushrooms, and
shed antlers for personal use.
7. We modify our proposal in
alternatives B and C regarding boat
access, by eliminating our original
proposals for a boat launch at Sturtevant
Pond and major improvements at B
Pond. We are scaling back our proposal
at B Pond to include a small parking
area near the road, away from the shore.
We also propose keeping the boat
launch at the current refuge
headquarters on Route 16 North open to
public access, instead of closing it.
Public Availability of Documents
In addition to the methods in
above, you can view or
obtain the documents at the following
locations.
• Our Web site, https://library.fws.gov/
ccps.htm.
• The Errol Town Library, during
regular hours.
ADDRESSES,
Dated: September 24, 2008.
Wendi Weber,
Acting Regional Director, Region 5, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Hadley, MA 01035.
[FR Doc. E8–28649 Filed 12–2–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Availability for the Record of
Decision on the Final General
Management Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement, Pipestone National
Monument, MN
National Park Service,
Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability for the
Record of Decision on the Final General
Management Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement, Pipestone National
Monument, Minnesota.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(C)), the
National Park Service (NPS) announces
the availability of the Record of
Decision (ROD) for the Final General
PO 00000
Frm 00025
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Management Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement (GMP/EIS), Pipestone
National Monument (national
monument), Minnesota. On September
30, the Midwest Regional Director
approved the ROD for the project. As
soon as practicable, the NPS will begin
to implement the preferred alternative
contained in the final EIS.
The NPS will implement the preferred
alternative as described in the Final
GMP/EIS issued on March 28, 2008.
Alternative 1, the preferred alternative,
will reduce the development in the
heart of the national monument,
preserving its setting, site history, and
spiritual significance as the source of
pipestone. The NPS will remove the
visitor center and parking, enabling
visitors to see the site much as it
appeared prior to 1937. The national
monument will acquire a parcel of
school district land to the northeast and
will seek a cooperative agreement with
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources to coordinate management of
the 100-acre Pipestone Wildlife
Management Area. American Indian
ceremonial use of the Three Maidens
area will be unchanged. The Hiawatha
Club will continue to use the Three
Maidens as a backdrop for its pageant
under permit restrictions, and the area
will be restored to prairie. Sun Dances
will continue, but modifications of use
might be made on the basis of impact
and the sustainability of resources.
Quarries will continue to be allocated
by permit.
The GMP/EIS evaluated this course of
action and two other action alternatives,
and a no action alternative. The full
range of foreseeable environmental
consequences were assessed and
appropriate mitigating measures were
identified.
The ROD includes a statement of the
decision made, synopses of other
alternatives considered, the basis for the
decision, a description of the
environmentally preferable alternative,
a finding on impairment of park
resources and values, a listing of
measures to minimize environmental
harm, and an overview of public
involvement in the decisionmaking
process.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Superintendent Glen Livermont, 36
Reservation Avenue, Pipestone,
Minnesota 56164–1269, or by calling
507–825–5464. Copies of the ROD are
available upon request from the above
address or may be viewed online at
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/pipe.
E:\FR\FM\03DEN1.SGM
03DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 3, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73661-73662]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-28649]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-R-2008-N0204; 50133-1265-LKUP; S3]
Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, Coos County, NH, and
Oxford County, ME
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability: Final comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability for review of our final comprehensive conservation plan
(CCP) and environmental impact statement (EIS) for Lake Umbagog
National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). This document describes how we propose
to manage the refuge for the next 15 years.
DATES: We will sign a record of decision no sooner than 30 days after
the publication of this notice.
ADDRESSES: You may view or obtain copies of the final CCP/EIS by any of
the following methods. You may request a print copy or CD-ROM.
Agency Web Site: Download a copy of the document(s) at https://
library.fws.gov/ccps.htm.
E-mail: northeastplanning@fws.gov. Include ``Lake Umbagog Final
CCP/EIS'' in the subject line of your message.
Mail: P.O. Box 240, Errol, NH 03579-0240.
In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call 603-482-3415, ext. 20, to make an
appointment during regular business hours at Route 16 North, Errol, NH.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For answers to questions about the
refuge, contact Paul Casey, Refuge Manager, 603-482-3415, ext. 20, e-
mail: paul_casey@fws.gov or, for questions about the planning process,
contact Nancy McGarigal, Natural Resource Planner, 413-253-8562, e-
mail: northeastplanning@fws.gov. Please remember to put ``Lake Umbagog
NWR Final CCP/EIS'' in the subject line of your message.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
Our publishing this notice of availability facilitates the CCP
process for Lake Umbagog NWR that we started by publishing a notice of
intent in the Federal Register (67 FR 136; July 16, 2002). For more
about the process, see that notice. We released the draft CCP/EIS to
the public and requested your comments in a notice of availability in
the Federal Register (72 FR 129; July 6, 2007).
We are announcing the availability of the final CCP/EIS for Lake
Umbagog NWR, and our preferred actions for managing it, in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 CFR 1506.6(b)).
The document contains a thorough analysis of impacts on the human
environment. Our next planning step will be to complete a Record of
Decision no sooner than 30 days after publication of this notice (40
CFR 1506.10(b)(2)).
The CCP will guide us in managing and administering the refuge for
the next 15 years. We propose that alternative B, the Service-preferred
alternative, serve as the foundation for the final, stand-alone CCP. We
highlight the modifications we made to alternative B between the draft
and final CCP/EIS in ``Comments,'' below.
Our first purchase of land for the refuge established it in 1992.
Its purposes are to provide long-term protection for unique wetlands,
federal- and state-listed threatened or endangered species, migratory
birds of conservation concern, and regionally significant
concentrations of wildlife.
This 21,650-acre refuge lies in Coos County, New Hampshire, and
Oxford County, Maine. It contains widely diverse types of upland and
wetland habitats around the 8,500-acre Umbagog Lake. Since establishing
the refuge, we have focused primarily on conserving land within its
approved boundary, monitoring the occupancy and productivity of its
common loon, bald eagle, and osprey nesting sites and protecting them
from human disturbance, conducting baseline biological inventories, and
providing public opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (16
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee; Improvement Act), which amends the National
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, requires us to
develop a CCP for each national wildlife refuge. The purpose for
developing CCPs is to provide refuge managers with 15-year plans for
achieving refuge purposes, contributing toward the mission of the
National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), and conforming to sound
principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal
mandates, and our policies. In addition to outlining broad management
direction on conserving wildlife and their habitats, CCPs identify
wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities available to the public:
Hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and
environmental education and interpretation. We will review and update
the CCP at least once every 15 years, also in accordance with the
Improvement Act.
CCP Alternatives
Our draft CCP/EIS (72 FR 129) and this final CCP/EIS fully analyze
three alternatives for the future management of the refuge. During the
planning process, we identified and addressed 18 major issues generated
by several sources: the public, state or federal agencies, other
Service programs, and our planning team. Both the draft and final plans
identify alternative B as the Service-preferred alternative.
Comments
We solicited comments on the draft CCP/EIS for Lake Umbagog refuge
for a 45-day period starting on July 6, 2007 (72 FR 129). In response
to requests for additional time, we extended that comment period
another 32 days, until September 21, 2007. We held five public hearings
and two information sessions during that time, and received 14,269
responses, both oral and written. We evaluated all of the written and
electronic correspondence and oral testimony we received, and responded
to them in final CCP/EIS appendix O, ``Summary of, and the Service's
[[Page 73662]]
Response to, Public Comments Received on the Draft Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (Draft CCP/EIS)
for Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge.'' We present here some of
the changes we made in our final CCP/EIS, which are also discussed in
appendix O.
1. In response to concerns about local economic impacts, our
expansion proposal replaces some fee acquisition with easement
acquisition in Maine, and reduces the total number of acres. We now
propose to acquire from willing sellers 47,807 acres (formerly, 49,718
acres), and change the acquisition ratio to 56 percent in fee and 44
percent in easement. Appendix A, ``Land Protection Plan,'' shows our
revised proposal.
2. Two new maps clarify our proposal on the roads and trails we
would open for public use on both current refuge lands and refuge
expansion lands. Chapter 2, ``Alternatives Considered, Including the
Service-preferred Alternative,'' clarifies them in maps 2.8 and 2.9.
Item 6, below, describes them.
3. We propose to postpone our decision on whether to manage
furbearer species, and whether that management could include trapping.
We will conduct further analysis and prepare a more detailed Furbearer
Management Plan. That change, which we propose in both alternatives B
and C, is included in chapter 2, in the section ``Actions Common to
Alternatives B and C Only.'' Before trapping would be permitted under a
Furbearer Management Plan, we will analyze the appropriateness of this
use and issue a compatibility determination, if warranted, analyzing
whether this use is compatible with the mission of the NWRS and refuge
purposes, and under what conditions.
4. We propose to postpone our decision on whether to expand our
current hunt program to incorporate bobcat hunting in Maine and turkey
hunting in Maine and New Hampshire. That action would have made our
hunt program consistent with the states' hunt programs. However, we
have determined the need to conduct further analysis, in conjunction
with a revised Hunt Plan and environmental assessment, and include
additional public comment. We propose that change in both alternatives
B and C in the same section of chapter 2. If our hunt program is
expanded in the future, we will issue a new compatibility determination
with any changes to the current program.
5. The same section of chapter 2 also clarifies our hunting and
fishing programs. The public comments we received revealed the
misunderstanding that our implementing alternatives B and C would
result in new restrictions in our programs. That is not the case. We
now provide a better explanation, and point out that we intend to
implement the same programs on any newly acquired lands.
6. We revise alternative B to allow certain public uses in
designated areas that we originally planned not to allow. Those include
dog sledding, horseback riding, bicycling, and collecting certain
berries, fiddleheads, mushrooms, and shed antlers for personal use.
7. We modify our proposal in alternatives B and C regarding boat
access, by eliminating our original proposals for a boat launch at
Sturtevant Pond and major improvements at B Pond. We are scaling back
our proposal at B Pond to include a small parking area near the road,
away from the shore. We also propose keeping the boat launch at the
current refuge headquarters on Route 16 North open to public access,
instead of closing it.
Public Availability of Documents
In addition to the methods in ADDRESSES, above, you can view or
obtain the documents at the following locations.
Our Web site, https://library.fws.gov/ccps.htm.
The Errol Town Library, during regular hours.
Dated: September 24, 2008.
Wendi Weber,
Acting Regional Director, Region 5, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Hadley, MA 01035.
[FR Doc. E8-28649 Filed 12-2-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P