Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment, Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Kotzebue, AK, 65026-65028 [2010-26655]

Agencies

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 203 (Thursday, October 21, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65026-65028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-26655]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R7-2010-N191; 70133-1265-0000-S3]


Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental 
Assessment, Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Kotzebue, AK

AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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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 Selawik National Wildlife Refuge 
(Refuge) for public review and comment. In this document, we describe 
alternatives, including our preferred alternative, to manage the Refuge 
for the 15 years following approval of the final CCP.

DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by 
January 15, 2011. We will announce upcoming public meetings and other 
opportunities for public input in local news media.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or requests for copies of the draft 
CCP and the EA or more information by any of the following methods. You 
may request hard copies or a CD-ROM of the document.
    Agency Web Site: Download a copy of the document at https://alaska.fws.gov/nwr/planning/plans.htm.
    E-mail: selawik_planning@fws.gov; please include ``Selawik 
National Wildlife Refuge draft CCP and EA'' in the subject line of the 
message.
    Fax: Attn: Jeffrey Brooks, (907) 786-3965, or Lee Anne Ayres, (907) 
442-3124.
    U.S. Mail: Jeffrey Brooks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional 
Office, 1011 E. Tudor Road Mailstop 231, Anchorage, AK 99503.
    In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call (907) 786-3357 to make an 
appointment during regular business hours at the above address; or call 
(907) 442-3799 to make an appointment during regular business hours at 
the Selawik Refuge Headquarters in Kotzebue, AK.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Brooks, Planning Team Leader, 
at the above address, by phone at (907) 786-3839, or by e-mail at 
selawik_planning@fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Introduction

    With this notice, we continue the CCP process for the Selawik 
National Wildlife Refuge. We started this process through a notice of 
intent in the Federal Register (73 FR 57143; October 1, 2008).
    The Selawik National Wildlife Refuge was established by the Alaska 
National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) in 1980. Selawik 
Refuge straddles the Arctic Circle in northwestern Alaska, encompassing 
an area approximately the size of Connecticut. Refuge boundaries

[[Page 65027]]

encompass approximately 3.2 million acres of which approximately 2.5 
million acres are administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 
Section 302(7)(B) of ANILCA states the purposes for which the Selawik 
Refuge was established: (1) To conserve fish and wildlife populations 
and habitats in their natural diversity; (2) to fulfill international 
treaty obligations of the United States with respect to fish and 
wildlife and their habitats; (3) to provide the opportunity for 
continued subsistence use by local residents; and (4) to ensure water 
quality and necessary water quantity within the Refuge.
    The Selawik River, an important feature, meanders through the heart 
of the Refuge, creating a rich succession of habitats, including vast 
wetlands. The names of both the river and the Refuge originated from 
the Inupiaq word ``siilivik,'' which means ``place of sheefish.'' The 
sheefish, or inconnu, is a member of the whitefish family and provides 
an important, and highly desired, food resource for Native subsistence 
harvesters in this region of Alaska.
    Extensive tundra wetlands containing grass and sedge meadows 
dominate the Refuge landscape, while boreal spruce forests, alder, and 
willow thickets trace stream and river drainages. Multitudes of 
migratory waterfowl and shorebirds breed on 24,000 lakes and ponds 
within the Refuge. Neo-tropical songbirds nest in forests and willow 
thickets. Moose, wolves, lynx, bears, muskoxen, Arctic and red fox, 
beavers, and muskrats are year-round residents. The Western Arctic 
Caribou Herd migrates across Selawik Refuge. In mild winters, small 
bands of caribou remain on the Refuge to forage in the lichen-covered 
foothills. Many rivers, sloughs, and lakes support both freshwater and 
anadromous fisheries, and provide spawning grounds for northern pike, 
Arctic grayling, and various types of whitefish.
    Access to the Refuge is possible only by boat, float- or ski-
equipped airplane, snowmobile, or dogsled team. Snowmobile trails 
provide vital links among the Alaska Native villages of the region in 
winter and are usually passable to travelers through the end of April. 
Several of these villages are located within or near the Refuge 
boundary, including Buckland, Noorvik, Selawik, Kiana, Ambler, Kobuk, 
and Shungnak.

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, and the Alaska National 
Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (94 Stat. 2371; ANILCA) require 
us to develop a CCP for each 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. We will 
review and update the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with 
the Administration Act and ANILCA.

Public Outreach

    We started the CCP for Selawik Refuge in September 2008. At that 
time and throughout the planning process, we requested public comments 
and considered and incorporated them in numerous ways. We mailed a 
planning newsletter to approximately 3,200 individuals, agencies, and 
organizations. This newsletter announced that we were revising the CCP 
and seeking input from the public. The newsletter informed the public 
about issues that were identified by the planning team and Refuge 
staff. The newsletter contained a work sheet that provided an 
opportunity for people to identify issues that they thought should be 
addressed in the CCP. This newsletter and work sheet were also made 
available through the Internet. Over 70 written comments were received.
    To gather additional input from the public, members of the planning 
team held an open house meeting in Kotzebue, which was attended by 18 
community members. Visits were made to Buckland, Kiana, Noorvik, 
Selawik, and Shungnak where members of the planning team attended city 
and tribal council meetings to inform residents of the planning process 
and to hear them speak about the issues. Nearly 50 village elders and 
community leaders were interviewed during these visits.
    The planning team categorized the comments into four interrelated 
topics that were of value to the public: (1) Subsistence; (2) 
aesthetics, natural habitat, and wildness; (3) fish and wildlife; and 
(4) research and education. Based on this public outreach and the 
discussions of the planning team, we have formulated eight major 
planning issues which are addressed in the draft CCP and the EA: (1) 
Protection of fish, wildlife, habitats, and subsistence; (2) management 
of access to refuge lands for community residents and the visiting 
public; (3) maintaining hunting opportunities; (4) addressing local 
public use needs; (5) maintaining water quality and quantity; (6) 
maintaining the wild character of the Refuge and quality visitor 
experiences; (7) proactively addressing the uncertainties of climate 
change; and (8) providing more outreach and better communication for 
the public.
    We have considered and evaluated all of these issues and public 
concerns, with many incorporated into the various management 
alternatives, goals, and objectives addressed or described in the draft 
CCP and the EA.

CCP Alternatives We Are Considering

    The document describes and evaluates three alternatives for 
managing the Refuge for the 15 years following approval of the final 
CCP. These alternatives follow much of the same general management 
direction. Alternative A (the No-Action Alternative) is required under 
NEPA and describes continuation of current management activities. 
Alternative A serves as a baseline against which to compare the other 
alternatives. Under Alternative A, management of the Refuge would 
continue to follow direction described in the 1987 CCP and record of 
decision as modified by subsequent program-specific plans (e.g., 
fisheries, cultural resources, and fire management plans). Alternative 
A would continue to protect and maintain the existing wildlife values, 
natural diversity, and ecological integrity of the Refuge. Human 
disturbances to fish and wildlife habitats and populations would be 
minimal. Private and commercial uses of the Refuge would not change, 
and public uses employing existing access methods would continue to be 
allowed. Opportunities would be maintained to pursue traditional 
subsistence activities and recreational hunting, fishing, and other 
wildlife dependent activities. Opportunities would be maintained to 
pursue research activities.
    Alternative B (the Preferred Alternative) would generally continue 
to follow management direction described in the 1987 CCP and record of 
decision as modified by subsequent program-specific plans, but some of 
that management direction has been updated by changes in policy since 
the 1987 Selawik CCP was approved. Alternative B identifies these 
specific changes in management direction as well as new goals and 
objectives for Refuge management that would be adopted regardless of 
which alternative is selected. Alternative B proposes limiting access 
to some public lands,

[[Page 65028]]

which are intermingled with private lands, for commercial guides and 
transporters whose clients are big game hunting. Alternative B proposes 
that a formal partnership be created between the Refuge and local 
entities to jointly maintain a shared facility of one or more buildings 
with capacity for office, meeting, and storage space in a community 
within the refuge. Alternative B proposes a study of traditional access 
methods for subsistence purposes. Alternative B proposes that local 
public use and access needs be addressed by creating formal 
partnerships between the Refuge and various local entities.
    Alternative C would generally continue to follow management 
direction described in Alternative A as modified by subsequent program-
specific plans. Alternative C would also identify any specific changes 
or updates in management direction as well as adopt the new goals and 
objectives for Refuge management. Alternative C proposes that the 
Refuge manager could open or close some public lands, which are 
intermingled with private lands, to use by commercial guides and 
transporters whose clients are big game hunting. Alternative C proposes 
that the Refuge independently maintain a facility of one or more 
buildings with capacity for office, meeting, and storage space in a 
community within the refuge. Alternative C proposes the same study of 
traditional access methods for subsistence purposes. Alternative C 
would address local public use and access needs slightly different from 
Alternative B by proposing to expand or improve some opportunities for 
public use and access on Refuge lands.

Public Meetings

    We will involve the public through open houses, meetings, written 
comments, and personal interviews with community members. We will mail 
documents to our national and local Refuge mailing lists. Public 
meetings will be held in communities in the Refuge area, including 
Kotzebue, Noorvik, and Selawik. Dates, times, and locations of each 
meeting or open house will be announced in advance in local media.

Submitting Comments/Issues for Comment

    We particularly seek comments on the following issues:
     Management of use by commercial guides and transporters to 
maintain big game hunting opportunities while reducing social conflict 
in the region;
     How to best conduct a traditional access study of use for 
subsistence purposes on Refuge lands;
     Proactively addressing climate change; and
     Providing more outreach and better communication for the 
public.
    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 
environmental assessment;
     Present reasonable alternatives other than those presented 
in the draft CCP and the EA; and/or
     Provide new or additional information relevant to the 
assessment.

Next Steps

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

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: October 12, 2010.
Gary Edwards,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, 
Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2010-26655 Filed 10-20-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P