Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron and Willacy Counties, TX, 66148-66150 [E9-29637]

Download as PDF mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES 66148 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 238 / Monday, December 14, 2009 / Notices special mailings, newspaper articles, and other media outlets will be used to announce opportunities for input throughout the planning process. We will conduct the environmental assessment in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1968, as amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); NEPA regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508); other appropriate Federal laws and regulations; and our policies and procedures for compliance with those laws and regulations. St. Johns NWR, in Brevard County, Florida, is managed as a unit of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Other refuges in the Complex include Merritt Island, Lake Wales Ridge, Pelican Island, Archie Carr, and Lake Woodruff. The refuge has two main management units: State Road 50 and Bee Line. The refuge was established in 1971 to provide protection for threatened and endangered species and native diversity. The primary purpose is to ‘‘conserve fish or wildlife which are listed as endangered species or threatened species * * * (or) plants * * *’’ (16 U.S.C. 1534, Endangered Species Act). A secondary purpose provides for native species diversity and applies to specific refuge tracts for the ‘‘conservation, management, and restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans’’ (16 U.S.C. 668dd(a)(2), National Wildlife Refuge Administration Act). St. Johns NWR was originally envisioned to provide habitat for threatened and endangered species, specifically for the conservation of the dusky seaside sparrow, first discovered in 1872. Historic flood control projects, including channelization and interbasin diversions, helped drain wetlands for development purposes throughout Florida. These actions significantly altered dusky seaside sparrow habitat throughout the State. In 1967, the dusky seaside sparrow was listed as endangered by the Department of the Interior and by 1979, surveys determined that it had declined to 20 individual males. The last known sighting of this species in the wild was 1980. Despite our efforts to protect and recover the species through regulations, land acquisition, and land management efforts specifically targeting the needs of the dusky seaside sparrow, the species never recovered and was declared extinct in December 1990. St. Johns NWR was named for and is part of the southern headwaters of the St. Johns River—a river system that runs south to north, eventually flowing into VerDate Nov<24>2008 17:54 Dec 11, 2009 Jkt 220001 the Atlantic Ocean in northeastern Florida. The refuge is connected through surface and groundwater to the 310-mile-long St. Johns River and plays an important role in the river’s health and integrity. Over time, the refuge’s hydrologic setting has been altered through various dredge and fill activities both on the refuge (prior to refuge establishment) and off (prior to and after refuge establishment), which today poses considerable management challenges. Off-refuge hydrologic inputs are conveyed from the residentially developed areas surrounding the refuge through channelization and may lead to an overall decrease in refuge water quality. In addition, off-site inputs may alter water quantity, timing, and flows, thus impacting wetland composition and value for the benefit of fish and wildlife. Flood protection provided by existing channels and levees continues to be a valued commodity and is continually in demand as lands surrounding the refuge are converted to residential and commercial settings. Today, the 6,194-acre St. Johns NWR is home to at least 20 Federal- and Statelisted species, including the federally listed wood stork, crested caracara, eastern indigo snake, and American alligator. It is managed to benefit a diversity of species and a wide array of wetland habitats, including spartina marsh, the predominant habitat type found on the refuge. Its wetland marshes provide valuable resources for marshland species, including black rail and other secretive marsh birds. Refuge marshlands are managed primarily through the application of prescribed fire to maintain mosaics of marsh habitat. Public Availability and Comments Before including your address, phone number, email address, and/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. Authority This notice is published under the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law 105–57. PO 00000 Frm 00065 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Dated: October 30, 2009. Mark J. Musaus, Acting Regional Director. [FR Doc. E9–29639 Filed 12–11–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–55–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R2–R–2009–N210; 20131–1265– 2CCP–S3] Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron and Willacy Counties, TX AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability: draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental assessment; request for comments. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and environmental assessment (EA) for the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge, NWR) for public review and comment. In these documents, we describe alternatives, including our preferred alternative, to manage this Refuge for the 15 years following approval of the final CCP. DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by February 12, 2010. We will announce upcoming public meetings in local news media. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or requests for copies or more information by any of the following methods. You may request hard copies or a CD–ROM of the documents. E-mail: mark_sprick@fws.gov. Include ‘‘Laguna Atascosa Draft CCP and EA’’ in the subject line of the e-mail. Fax: Attn: Mark Sprick, Natural Resource Planner, 505–248–6874. U.S. Mail: Mark Sprick, AICP, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Division of Planning, P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, NM 87103–1306. In-Person Drop-off: You may drop off comments during regular business hours (8:00 am to 4:30 pm) at 500 Gold Avenue, SW., 4th Floor, Room 4005, Albuquerque, NM 87102. Internet/Web site: https:// www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/Plan/ index.html. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sonny Perez, Wildlife Refuge Manager, Laguna Atascosa NWR, CCP–Project, 22817 Ocelot Road, Los Fresnos, TX 78566, or by phone at 956–748–3607, or E:\FR\FM\14DEN1.SGM 14DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 238 / Monday, December 14, 2009 / Notices fax at 956–748–3609; or Mark Sprick, AICP, Natural Resource Planner, by phone at 505–248–7411. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Introduction With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Laguna Atascosa NWR. We started this process through a notice in the Federal Register July 19, 2004 (69 FR 43010). Laguna Atascosa NWR is located in Cameron and Willacy Counties, Texas, and encompasses 97,007 acres of brush lands, coastal prairies, freshwater and brackish pothole wetlands, estuarine wetlands, lomas (clay ridges), wind tidal flats, and barrier island beaches and dunes. Management efforts focus on protecting, enhancing, and restoring Refuge habitats and water management for the benefit of important fish and wildlife resources. The Refuge is a premiere birdwatching destination with 415 recorded bird species, more than any other national wildlife refuge. A total of nine federally listed endangered or threatened species occur within the Refuge, including four species of sea turtles. The largest United States population of endangered ocelot cats is located on the Refuge, making it the center for ocelot conservation and recovery. Laguna Atascosa NWR was formally established by the Migratory Bird Commission on October 31, 1945, and the first tract forming the Refuge was acquired on March 29, 1946. The purposes of the Refuge are: ‘‘[F]or use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds’’ (Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 (16 U.S.C. 715d), as amended); ‘‘for wildlife conservation purposes if the real property has particular value in carrying out the national migratory bird management program’’ (Transfer of Certain Real Property for Wildlife Conservation Purposes Act of 1948 (16 U.S.C. 667b–667d), Public Law 80–537, as amended); ‘‘for the development, advancement, management, conservation and protection of fish and wildlife resources’’ (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742(a)(4), as amended); and ‘‘for the benefit of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in performing its activities and services. Such acceptance may be subject to the terms of any restrictive or affirmative covenant, or condition of servitude’’ (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742(b)(1), as amended). Background The CCP Process The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd–668ee) (Administration Act), as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, requires us to develop a CCP for each national wildlife refuge. The purpose for developing a CCP is to provide refuge managers with a 15-year plan for achieving refuge purposes and contributing toward the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with 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, including opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, 66149 and environmental education and interpretation. We will review and update the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with the Administration Act. Public Outreach To begin the CCP process, we opened a 60-day comment period on July 19, 2004 (69 FR 43010). We made draft documents and other relevant information available for public review at the Refuge headquarters. In February and June 2004, we held internal preplanning meetings at the Refuge to discuss concerns, issues, and opportunities for the future of the Refuge. We held four ‘‘open-house’’ public scoping meetings between February 28 and March 8, 2005, at Raymondville, Brownsville, Harlingen, and South Padre Island to solicit initial public input and involvement during the early stages of CCP development. We also invited the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to participate as a partner in the planning process. We have considered and evaluated all of these comments received, and have incorporated many of them into the various alternatives we addressed in the draft CCP and the EA. CCP Alternatives We Are Considering During the public scoping process with which we started work on this draft CCP, we, other governmental partners, Tribes, and the public raised several issues. Our draft CCP addresses them. A full description of each alternative is in the EA. To address these issues, we developed and evaluated the following alternatives, summarized below. B: Proposed action alternative C: Optimize public-use alternative Issue 1: Habitat Management Activities. Biological program and habitat management would continue under existing plans; any expansions would occur opportunistically. Limited to current public use under existing plans; Any expansions would occur opportunistically. Integrated biological and habitat management efforts with landscape level and ecosystem level plans; emphasis on protection and monitoring of Federal trust species and priority species and their habitats. Improvement of priority public uses, particularly hunting, fishing and wildlife observation, to meet demand when compatible with wildlife needs and Refuge purposes; expansion of research efforts and dynamic partnerships. Same as No-Action Alternative (Alternative A). Issue 2: Improvements to public use opportunities. mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES A: No-action alternative VerDate Nov<24>2008 17:54 Dec 11, 2009 Jkt 220001 PO 00000 Frm 00066 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\14DEN1.SGM Expand and emphasize all priority public uses, particularly hunting and fishing and access to all Refuge areas to the maximum extent when compatible, based on public comments. 14DEN1 66150 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 238 / Monday, December 14, 2009 / Notices A: No-action alternative Issue 3: Staffing, Facilities, and Infrastructure. B: Proposed action alternative C: Optimize public-use alternative Existing staffing (17 permanent positions) and facilities; any additional staff and facility expansions would occur opportunistically. Addition of 11 staff to existing base; addition of over 6 miles of hike/bike trails; one auto tour route; 2 separate parking areas; new visitor center at Laguna Atascosa Unit. Visitor contact and research station at Bahia Grande. Base funding and staffing would increase by 4 positions (Outdoor Recreation Planner and 3 Park Rangers); several additional miles of auto tour routes, 7 hike/bike trails and associated parking areas; visitor contact station; all primarily at Bahia Grande. • At the Laguna Atascosa NWR Headquarters Office, 22817 Ocelot Road, Los Fresnos, TX 78566, 18 miles east of Rio Hondo, on Farm-to-Market Road 106, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Public Availability of Documents In addition to any methods in you can view or obtain documents at the following locations: ADDRESSES, • On our Web site: https:// www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/Plan/ index.html. • At the following public libraries: Library Address City of Brownsville Public Library ............................................. Harlingen Public Library ........................................................... Laguna Vista Public Library ...................................................... Los Fresnos Public Library ....................................................... Port Isabel Public Library ......................................................... Willacy County/Reber Memorial Library ................................... Rio Hondo Public Library .......................................................... San Benito Public Library ......................................................... 2600 Central Blvd., Brownsville, TX 78520–8824 ................... 410 ’76 Drive, Harlingen, TX 78550 ........................................ 1300 Palm Blvd., Laguna Vista, TX 78578 ............................. 402 W. Ocean, Los Fresnos, TX 78566 .................................. 213 Yturria St., Port Isabel, TX 78578 .................................... 190 N. 4th. St., Raymondville, TX 78580 ................................ 121 N. Arroyo Blvd., Rio Hondo, TX 78583 ............................ 101 W. Rose St., San Benito, TX 78586 ................................. Submitting Comments/Issues for Comment We consider comments substantive if they: • Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of the information in the document; • Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of the EA; • Present reasonable alternatives other than those presented in the EA; and/or • Provide new or additional information relevant to the EA. Next Steps After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and address them in the form of a final CCP. mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES 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. VerDate Nov<24>2008 17:54 Dec 11, 2009 Jkt 220001 Dated: November 4, 2009. Brian A. Millsap, Acting Regional Director, Region 2. [FR Doc. E9–29637 Filed 12–11–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–55–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [WY–923–1310–FI; WYW150316] Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of Terminated Oil and Gas Lease, WYW150316, Wyoming AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of proposed reinstatement of terminated oil and gas lease Under the provisions of 30 U.S.C. 188(d) and (e), and 43 CFR 3108.2–3(a) and (b)(2), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement from G2 Petroleum LLC, Inc. for non-competitive oil and gas lease WYW150316 for land in Fremont County, Wyoming. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bureau of Land Management, Julie L. Weaver, Chief, Branch of Fluid Minerals Adjudication, at (307) 775–6176. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00067 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Phone number 956–548–1055 956–427–8841 956–943–7155 956–233–5330 956–943–2265 956–689–2930 956–748–3322 956–361–3860 The lessee has agreed to the amended lease terms for rentals and royalties at rates of $5 per acre, or fraction thereof, per year and 162⁄3 percent, respectively. The lessee has paid the required $500 administrative fee and $163 to reimburse the Department for the cost of this Federal Register notice. The lessee has met all the requirements for reinstatement of the lease as set out in Sections 31(d) and (e) of the Mineral Lands Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 188), and the BLM is proposing to reinstate lease WYW150316 effective May 1, 2009, under the original terms and conditions of the lease and the increased rental and royalty rates cited above. The BLM has not issued a valid lease affecting the lands. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Julie L. Weaver, Chief, Branch of Fluid Minerals Adjudication. [FR Doc. E9–29695 Filed 12–11–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–22–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [WY–923–1310–FI; WYW172439] Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of Terminated Oil and Gas Lease, WYW172439, Wyoming AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. E:\FR\FM\14DEN1.SGM 14DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 238 (Monday, December 14, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66148-66150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29637]


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

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-R-2009-N210; 20131-1265-2CCP-S3]


Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron and Willacy 
Counties, TX

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability: draft comprehensive conservation plan 
and environmental assessment; request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and 
environmental assessment (EA) for the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife 
Refuge (Refuge, NWR) for public review and comment. In these documents, 
we describe alternatives, including our preferred alternative, to 
manage this Refuge for the 15 years following approval of the final 
CCP.

DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by 
February 12, 2010. We will announce upcoming public meetings in local 
news media.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or requests for copies or more 
information by any of the following methods. You may request hard 
copies or a CD-ROM of the documents.
    E-mail: mark_sprick@fws.gov. Include ``Laguna Atascosa Draft CCP 
and EA'' in the subject line of the e-mail.
    Fax: Attn: Mark Sprick, Natural Resource Planner, 505-248-6874.
    U.S. Mail: Mark Sprick, AICP, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish & 
Wildlife Service, Division of Planning, P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, NM 
87103-1306.
    In-Person Drop-off: You may drop off comments during regular 
business hours (8:00 am to 4:30 pm) at 500 Gold Avenue, SW., 4th Floor, 
Room 4005, Albuquerque, NM 87102.
    Internet/Web site: https://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/Plan/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sonny Perez, Wildlife Refuge Manager, 
Laguna Atascosa NWR, CCP-Project, 22817 Ocelot Road, Los Fresnos, TX 
78566, or by phone at 956-748-3607, or

[[Page 66149]]

fax at 956-748-3609; or Mark Sprick, AICP, Natural Resource Planner, by 
phone at 505-248-7411.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Introduction

    With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Laguna Atascosa 
NWR. We started this process through a notice in the Federal Register 
July 19, 2004 (69 FR 43010).
    Laguna Atascosa NWR is located in Cameron and Willacy Counties, 
Texas, and encompasses 97,007 acres of brush lands, coastal prairies, 
freshwater and brackish pothole wetlands, estuarine wetlands, lomas 
(clay ridges), wind tidal flats, and barrier island beaches and dunes. 
Management efforts focus on protecting, enhancing, and restoring Refuge 
habitats and water management for the benefit of important fish and 
wildlife resources. The Refuge is a premiere birdwatching destination 
with 415 recorded bird species, more than any other national wildlife 
refuge. A total of nine federally listed endangered or threatened 
species occur within the Refuge, including four species of sea turtles. 
The largest United States population of endangered ocelot cats is 
located on the Refuge, making it the center for ocelot conservation and 
recovery.
    Laguna Atascosa NWR was formally established by the Migratory Bird 
Commission on October 31, 1945, and the first tract forming the Refuge 
was acquired on March 29, 1946. The purposes of the Refuge are: ``[F]or 
use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for 
migratory birds'' (Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 (16 U.S.C. 
715d), as amended); ``for wildlife conservation purposes if the real 
property has particular value in carrying out the national migratory 
bird management program'' (Transfer of Certain Real Property for 
Wildlife Conservation Purposes Act of 1948 (16 U.S.C. 667b-667d), 
Public Law 80-537, as amended); ``for the development, advancement, 
management, conservation and protection of fish and wildlife 
resources'' (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742(a)(4), as 
amended); and ``for the benefit of the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service, in performing its activities and services. Such acceptance may 
be subject to the terms of any restrictive or affirmative covenant, or 
condition of servitude'' (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 
742(b)(1), as amended).

Background

The CCP Process

    The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Administration Act), as amended by the National 
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, requires us to develop 
a CCP for each national wildlife refuge. The purpose for developing a 
CCP is to provide refuge managers with a 15-year plan for achieving 
refuge purposes and contributing toward the mission of the National 
Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with 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, including opportunities for 
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and 
environmental education and interpretation. We will review and update 
the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with the Administration 
Act.

Public Outreach

    To begin the CCP process, we opened a 60-day comment period on July 
19, 2004 (69 FR 43010). We made draft documents and other relevant 
information available for public review at the Refuge headquarters. In 
February and June 2004, we held internal preplanning meetings at the 
Refuge to discuss concerns, issues, and opportunities for the future of 
the Refuge. We held four ``open-house'' public scoping meetings between 
February 28 and March 8, 2005, at Raymondville, Brownsville, Harlingen, 
and South Padre Island to solicit initial public input and involvement 
during the early stages of CCP development. We also invited the Texas 
Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to participate as a partner in the 
planning process. We have considered and evaluated all of these 
comments received, and have incorporated many of them into the various 
alternatives we addressed in the draft CCP and the EA.

CCP Alternatives We Are Considering

    During the public scoping process with which we started work on 
this draft CCP, we, other governmental partners, Tribes, and the public 
raised several issues. Our draft CCP addresses them. A full description 
of each alternative is in the EA. To address these issues, we developed 
and evaluated the following alternatives, summarized below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         B: Proposed       C: Optimize
                      A: No-action         action          public-use
                      alternative        alternative       alternative
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue 1: Habitat   Biological         Integrated        Same as No-
 Management         program and        biological and    Action
 Activities.        habitat            habitat           Alternative
                    management would   management        (Alternative
                    continue under     efforts with      A).
                    existing plans;    landscape level
                    any expansions     and ecosystem
                    would occur        level plans;
                    opportunisticall   emphasis on
                    y.                 protection and
                                       monitoring of
                                       Federal trust
                                       species and
                                       priority
                                       species and
                                       their habitats.
Issue 2:           Limited to         Improvement of    Expand and
 Improvements to    current public     priority public   emphasize all
 public use         use under          uses,             priority public
 opportunities.     existing plans;    particularly      uses,
                    Any expansions     hunting,          particularly
                    would occur        fishing and       hunting and
                    opportunisticall   wildlife          fishing and
                    y.                 observation, to   access to all
                                       meet demand       Refuge areas to
                                       when compatible   the maximum
                                       with wildlife     extent when
                                       needs and         compatible,
                                       Refuge            based on public
                                       purposes;         comments.
                                       expansion of
                                       research
                                       efforts and
                                       dynamic
                                       partnerships.

[[Page 66150]]

 
Issue 3:           Existing staffing  Addition of 11    Base funding and
 Staffing,          (17 permanent      staff to          staffing would
 Facilities, and    positions) and     existing base;    increase by 4
 Infrastructure.    facilities; any    addition of       positions
                    additional staff   over 6 miles of   (Outdoor
                    and facility       hike/bike         Recreation
                    expansions would   trails; one       Planner and 3
                    occur              auto tour         Park Rangers);
                    opportunisticall   route; 2          several
                    y.                 separate          additional
                                       parking areas;    miles of auto
                                       new visitor       tour routes, 7
                                       center at         hike/bike
                                       Laguna Atascosa   trails and
                                       Unit. Visitor     associated
                                       contact and       parking areas;
                                       research          visitor contact
                                       station at        station; all
                                       Bahia Grande.     primarily at
                                                         Bahia Grande.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Public Availability of Documents

    In addition to any methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain 
documents at the following locations:
     At the Laguna Atascosa NWR Headquarters Office, 22817 
Ocelot Road, Los Fresnos, TX 78566, 18 miles east of Rio Hondo, on 
Farm-to-Market Road 106, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday.
     On our Web site: https://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/Plan/.
     At the following public libraries:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Library                     Address           Phone number
------------------------------------------------------------------------
City of Brownsville Public      2600 Central Blvd.,         956-548-1055
 Library.                        Brownsville, TX 78520-
                                 8824.
Harlingen Public Library......  410 '76 Drive,              956-427-8841
                                 Harlingen, TX 78550.
Laguna Vista Public Library...  1300 Palm Blvd.,            956-943-7155
                                 Laguna Vista, TX
                                 78578.
Los Fresnos Public Library....  402 W. Ocean, Los           956-233-5330
                                 Fresnos, TX 78566.
Port Isabel Public Library....  213 Yturria St., Port       956-943-2265
                                 Isabel, TX 78578.
Willacy County/Reber Memorial   190 N. 4th. St.,            956-689-2930
 Library.                        Raymondville, TX
                                 78580.
Rio Hondo Public Library......  121 N. Arroyo Blvd.,        956-748-3322
                                 Rio Hondo, TX 78583.
San Benito Public Library.....  101 W. Rose St., San        956-361-3860
                                 Benito, TX 78586.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Submitting Comments/Issues for Comment

    We consider comments substantive if they:
     Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of the 
information in the document;
     Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of the EA;
     Present reasonable alternatives other than those presented 
in the EA; and/or
     Provide new or additional information relevant to the EA.

Next Steps

    After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and 
address them in the form of a final CCP.

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.

    Dated: November 4, 2009.
Brian A. Millsap,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2.
[FR Doc. E9-29637 Filed 12-11-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
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