Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, LA; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment, 30190-30192 [2011-12698]
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30190
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 100 / Tuesday, May 24, 2011 / Notices
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: May 18, 2011.
Craig Hoover,
Chief, Branch of Operations, Division of
Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2011–12756 Filed 5–23–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R4–R–2011–N054; 40136–1265–0000–
S3]
Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge,
LA; Draft Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental
Assessment
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
We, the Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service), announce the
availability of a draft comprehensive
conservation plan and environmental
assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for
Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge
(NWR) in St. Martin and Iberville
Parishes, Louisiana, for public review
and comment. In this Draft CCP/EA, we
describe the alternative we propose to
use to manage this refuge for the 15
years following approval of the final
CCP.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we
must receive your written comments by
June 23, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of
the Draft CCP/EA by contacting Ms.
Tina Chouinard, via U.S. mail at Fish
and Wildlife Service, 3006 Dinkins
Lane, Paris, TN 38242, or via e-mail at
tina_chouinard@fws.gov. Alternatively,
you may download the document from
our Internet Site at https://
southeast.fws.gov/planning under ‘‘Draft
Documents.’’ Comments on the Draft
CCP/EA may be submitted to the above
postal address or e-mail address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Tina Chouinard, at 731/432–0981
(telephone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
jlentini on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP
process for Atchafalaya NWR. We
started the process through a Federal
Register notice on January 9, 2009 (74
FR 915). For more about the refuge and
our CCP process, please see that notice.
Atchafalaya NWR is one of eight
refuges managed as part of the Southeast
Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge
Complex (Complex). Atchafalaya NWR
is in the lower Atchafalaya Basin
Floodway System in Louisiana.
Atchafalaya NWR is bounded on the
north by U.S. Highway 190, on the
south by Interstate 10, on the west by
the Atchafalaya River, and on the east
by the East Atchafalaya Basin Protection
Levee.
Atchafalaya NWR was established in
1986, when 15,255 acres were
purchased from the Iberville Land
Company. The Louisiana Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
have also purchased fee title lands
adjacent to and within the Atchafalaya
NWR, bringing the total to
approximately 44,000 acres. The USACE
has authority to purchase additional
lands within the Atchafalaya Basin
Floodway System.
Approximately 12 percent of the
refuge is inundated open water, with
isolated cypress trees and willow
stands. Bottomland hardwood forest is
the primary habitat.
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, wildlife
photography, and environmental
education and interpretation. We will
review and update the CCP at least
every 15 years in accordance with the
Administration Act.
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Fmt 4703
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Significant issues addressed in this
Draft CCP/EA include: (1) Forest
management; (2) biological inventorying
and monitoring; (3) land protection; (4)
oil and gas operations; (5) enhancing
wildlife-dependent public use; and (6)
increasing permanent staff.
CCP Alternatives, Including Our
Proposed Alternative
We developed three alternatives for
managing the refuge and chose
Alternative B as the proposed
alternative. A full description of each
alternative is in the Draft CCP/EA. We
summarize each alternative below.
Alternative A—Current Management
(No Action)
This alternative is required by the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) and is the ‘‘no-action’’ or ‘‘status
quo’’ alternative, in which we would not
initiate major management changes.
This alternative also provides a baseline
to compare the current habitat, wildlife,
and public use management to the two
action alternatives.
Alternative A continues current
management strategies, with little or no
change in budgeting or funding. We
would continue to focus on maintaining
the biological integrity of the refuge’s
habitats. Under this alternative, we
would protect and maintain all refuge
lands, primarily focusing on the needs
of threatened and endangered species,
with additional emphasis on the needs
of migratory birds and resident wildlife.
Conservation of federally listed
threatened and endangered species
would be continued through current
habitat management and monitoring
programs, to be accomplished primarily
through established partnership and
research projects.
Current management of migratory
birds would continue to provide
suitable habitat for waterfowl,
contributing to the objective of the
North American Waterfowl Management
Plan. The current levels of surveying,
monitoring, and managing of migratory
and resident birds would continue. We
would also continue to provide for their
basic needs of feeding, resting, and
breeding.
Mostly opportunistic monitoring and
management of resident wildlife would
occur under this alternative. Only
current refuge wildlife management
programs would continue to be
maintained, and since little baseline
biological information would be
gathered on non-managed species or
groups of species, new management
activities would be unlikely.
The Complex would continue habitat
management of existing greentree
E:\FR\FM\24MYN1.SGM
24MYN1
jlentini on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 100 / Tuesday, May 24, 2011 / Notices
reservoirs, wetlands, open waters,
forested habitats, scrub/shrub habitats,
grasslands, and open lands. All
impoundments, levees, moist-soil units,
and water control structures would
continue to be maintained to provide
critical habitat for threatened and
endangered species, waterfowl, and
wetland-dependent birds. Current water
quality information would be addressed
on an as-needed basis and would
continue to be limited. All other habitat
management programs would remain
unchanged.
Control of invasive and exotic plant
species would continue on an
opportunistic basis as resources permit.
This limited control would be
performed by chemical and/or
mechanical means. Additionally, efforts
to control/remove invasive, exotic, or
nuisance wildlife would continue.
These species tend to procreate rapidly
and can be especially destructive to
habitats. Control would continue to be
implemented by the take of these
animals as part of the hunting program
and on an opportunistic basis by staff.
We would maintain the current levels
of wildlife-dependent recreation
activities (i.e., hunting, fishing, wildlife
observation, wildlife photography, and
environmental education and
interpretation) and facilities.
Hunting opportunities on refuge lands
are managed by LDWF as part of the
Sherburne Wildlife Management Area
(WMA) and would continue. Due to the
complex boundaries and multiownership, all hunting and fishing
regulations are set by LDWF as part of
a cooperative management agreement
and fall under the rules and regulations
of Sherburne WMA. This offers less
confusion to the visiting public and also
makes it easier to enforce laws.
The refuge is open year round for
sport fishing in accordance with State
fishing regulations. Fishermen frequent
Big Alabama Bayou and some of the
smaller waters of the Complex.
Recreational crawfishing is allowed on
the refuge. The Complex maintains four
boat launching facilities, with parking
areas that provide bayou access. There
is also a designated pier for fishing.
Law enforcement would continue at
the current level, with emphasis on
resource protection and public safety.
We would continue to share five staff
members: Refuge manager, forester,
biologist, park ranger (public use
specialist), and law enforcement officer.
Alternative B—Optimize Biological and
Visitor Services (Proposed Alternative)
We selected Alternative B as the
proposed alternative, because we
believe it best signifies the vision, goals,
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16:47 May 23, 2011
Jkt 223001
and purposes of the refuge.
Additionally, this alternative was
developed based on public input and
the best professional judgment of the
planning team. Under Alternative B, our
emphasis would be on restoring and
improving refuge resources needed for
wildlife and habitat management and
providing enhanced appropriate and
compatible wildlife-dependent public
use opportunities, while addressing key
issues and refuge mandates.
This alternative would focus on
augmenting wildlife and habitat
management to identify, conserve, and
restore populations of native fish and
wildlife species, with an emphasis on
migratory birds and threatened and
endangered species. This objective
would partially be accomplished by
increased monitoring of waterfowl,
other migratory and resident birds, and
endemic species, in order to assess and
adapt management strategies and
actions. Additionally, information gaps
would be addressed by the initiation of
baseline surveying, periodic monitoring,
and, ultimately, the addition of adaptive
habitat management.
Habitat management programs for
impoundments, greentree reservoirs,
wetlands, open waters, forested habitats,
scrub/shrub habitats, grasslands, and
open lands would be reevaluated, and
step-down management plans would be
developed to meet the foraging, nesting,
and breeding requirements of priority
species. Additionally, monitoring and
adaptive habitat management would be
implemented to potentially counteract
the impacts associated with long-term
climate change and sea-level rise.
The control of invasive, exotic, and/
or nuisance wildlife and plant species
would be more aggressively managed by
implementing a management plan,
completing a baseline inventory,
supporting research, and controlling
with strategic mechanical and chemical
means.
Alternative B enhances visitor service
opportunities by: (1) Improving the
quality of fishing opportunities; (2)
implementing an environmental
education program component that
utilizes volunteers and local schools as
partners; (3) enhancing wildlife viewing
and photography opportunities by
implementing blinds, a swamp trail
boardwalk, and additional observational
areas; (4) developing and implementing
a visitor services management plan,
working with partners to develop a
Complex visitor center, including a law
enforcement office and maintenance
facility with an attached visitors’
contact station; and (5) enhancing
personal interpretive and outreach
opportunities. Volunteer programs and
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30191
friends groups also would be expanded
to enhance all aspects of management
and to increase resource availability.
In addition to the enforcement of all
Federal and State laws applicable to the
refuge to protect archaeological and
historical sites, we would identify and
develop a plan to protect all known
sites. The development of an onsite
office for law enforcement officers
would not only better provide security
for these resources, but would also
ensure visitor safety and public
compliance with refuge regulations.
Land acquisitions within the
approved acquisition boundary would
be based on the importance of the
habitat for wildlife, management, and
access. Administrative plans would
stress the need for increased
maintenance of existing infrastructure
and construction of new facilities.
Funding for new construction projects
would be balanced between habitat
management and public-use needs.
Additional staff would include: Visitor
services specialist, assistant manager,
biological technician, forestry
technician, maintenance worker, and
law enforcement officer. The increased
budget and staff levels would better
enable us to meet the obligations of
wildlife stewardship, habitat
management, and public use.
Alternative C—Maximize Public Use
Active management of refuge
resources would be employed under
this alternative to optimize public use
opportunities. Staff and resources
would be dedicated to increasing the
public-use activities of hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation, wildlife
photography, and environmental
education and interpretation. All
purposes of the refuge and mandated
monitoring of Federal trust species and
archaeological resources would
continue, but other wildlife
management would be dependent on
public interests.
We would prioritize habitat
management of species of public
interest. Wetlands, the greentree
reservoirs, and moist-soil units would
be maintained to facilitate public use
opportunities, such as fishing and
canoeing. Forest habitat in high public
use areas would be managed, while all
other areas would have little
management intervention. Forest
opening demonstration sites would be
implemented to serve as educational
opportunities for public and private
land managers. The control of invasive
and exotic plant species would be more
aggressively managed in public use
areas.
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24MYN1
30192
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 100 / Tuesday, May 24, 2011 / Notices
Increased wildlife observation,
wildlife photography, and interpretation
opportunities would result from the
construction of an on-site Complex
visitor center, boardwalk, canoe and
birding tours, kiosks, and trail signs.
Additionally, waterfowl and wildlife
monitoring would be conducted
periodically to identify areas of high use
for the visiting public to observe.
Environmental education would be
expanded by addressing a wide range of
local environmental concerns and
would be offered to a broader range of
student groups and schools through
teacher workshops. A new on-site
environmental education facility would
be developed to better facilitate the new
programs and workshops. New
information brochures, tear sheets, and
website postings would be published to
increase public outreach and to promote
public use and recreational
opportunities.
Land acquisitions within the
approved acquisition boundary would
be based on the importance of the
habitat for public use. Administration
plans would stress the need for
increased maintenance of existing
infrastructure and construction of new
facilities that would benefit public use
activities. Additional funding would be
needed to maintain the maximum
number of trails and roads for access
and to provide full-time staff and new
facilities to support expanded public
use activities.
Next Step
After the comment period ends, we
will analyze the comments and address
them.
jlentini on DSK4TPTVN1PROD 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.
Authority
This notice is published under the
authority of the National Wildlife
Refuge System Improvement Act of
1997, Public Law 105–57.
Dated: April 6, 2011.
Mark J. Musaus,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2011–12698 Filed 5–23–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
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16:47 May 23, 2011
Jkt 223001
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R9–EA–2011–N098]
Wildlife and Hunting Heritage
Conservation Council
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce a public
meeting of the Wildlife and Hunting
Heritage Conservation Council
(Council).
SUMMARY:
Meeting: Wednesday June 15,
2011 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and
Thursday, June 16, 2011, from 8 a.m. to
4 p.m. (Eastern daylight time). Meeting
Participation: The meeting is open to
the public who have pre-registered (see
‘‘Public Input’’). However, if you wish to
make an oral presentation, you must
notify Joshua Winchell (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) by close of
business on June 6, 2011. Presentations
are limited to 2 minutes per speaker.
The meeting will accommodate no more
than a total of 30 minutes for all public
speakers. Written comments must be
received by June 3, so that the
information may be made available to
the Council for their consideration prior
to this meeting.
ADDRESSES: On June 15th, the meeting
will be held in the Secretary’s
Conference Room at the Department of
the Interior, Room 5160, 1849 C Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20240. On June
16th the meeting will be held in Room
104A of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Jamie L. Whitten Building,
located at 12th St. and Jefferson Drive,
SW., Washington, DC 20250.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joshua Winchell, Council Coordinator,
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Mailstop
3103–AEA, Arlington, VA 22203;
telephone (703) 358–2639; fax (703)
358–2548; or e-mail joshua_winchell@
fws.gov.
DATES:
In
accordance with the requirements of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5
U.S.C. App., we announce that Wildlife
and Hunting Heritage Conservation
Council will hold a meeting.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Formed in February 2010, the Council
provides advice about wildlife and
habitat conservation endeavors that:
(a) Benefit recreational hunting;
(b) Benefit wildlife resources; and
(c) Encourage partnership among the
public, the sporting conservation
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Sfmt 4703
community, the shooting and hunting
sports industry, wildlife conservation
organizations, the States, Native
American tribes, and the Federal
Government.
The Council advises the Secretary of
the Interior and the Secretary of
Agriculture, reporting through the
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), in consultation with the
Director, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM); Chief, Forest Service (USFS);
Chief, Natural Resources Service
(NRCS); and Administrator, Farm
Services Agency (FSA). The Council’s
duties are strictly advisory and consist
of, but are not limited to, providing
recommendations for:
(a) Implementing the Recreational
Hunting and Wildlife Resource
Conservation Plan—A Ten-Year Plan for
Implementation;
(b) Increasing public awareness of and
support for the Sport Wildlife Trust
Fund;
(c) Fostering wildlife and habitat
conservation and ethics in hunting and
shooting sports recreation;
(d) Stimulating sportsmen and
women’s participation in conservation
and management of wildlife and habitat
resources through outreach and
education;
(e) Fostering communication and
coordination among State, Tribal, and
Federal Government; industry; hunting
and shooting sportsmen and women;
wildlife and habitat conservation and
management organizations; and the
public;
(f) Providing appropriate access to
Federal lands for recreational shooting
and hunting;
(g) Providing recommendation to
improve implementation of Federal
conservation programs that benefit
wildlife, hunting and outdoor recreation
on private lands; and
(h) When requested by the agencies’
designated ex officio members or the
DFO in consultation with the Council
Chairman, performing a variety of
assessments or reviews of policies,
programs, and efforts through the
Council’s designated subcommittees or
workgroups.
Background information on the
Council is available at https://
www.fws.gov/whhcc.
Meeting Agenda
The Council will convene to consider:
(1) The Recreational Hunting and
Wildlife Resource Conservation Plan—A
Ten-Year Plan for Implementation;
(2) Conservation programs within the
Farm Bill;
(3) Programs of the Department of the
Interior and Department of Agriculture,
E:\FR\FM\24MYN1.SGM
24MYN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 24, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30190-30192]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-12698]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-R-2011-N054; 40136-1265-0000-S3]
Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, LA; Draft Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan and
environmental assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Atchafalaya National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in St. Martin and Iberville Parishes, Louisiana,
for public review and comment. In this Draft CCP/EA, we describe the
alternative we propose to use to manage this refuge for the 15 years
following approval of the final CCP.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
by June 23, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the Draft CCP/EA by contacting Ms.
Tina Chouinard, via U.S. mail at Fish and Wildlife Service, 3006
Dinkins Lane, Paris, TN 38242, or via e-mail at tina_chouinard@fws.gov. Alternatively, you may download the document from
our Internet Site at https://southeast.fws.gov/planning under ``Draft
Documents.'' Comments on the Draft CCP/EA may be submitted to the above
postal address or e-mail address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tina Chouinard, at 731/432-0981
(telephone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Atchafalaya NWR.
We started the process through a Federal Register notice on January 9,
2009 (74 FR 915). For more about the refuge and our CCP process, please
see that notice.
Atchafalaya NWR is one of eight refuges managed as part of the
Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Complex).
Atchafalaya NWR is in the lower Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System in
Louisiana. Atchafalaya NWR is bounded on the north by U.S. Highway 190,
on the south by Interstate 10, on the west by the Atchafalaya River,
and on the east by the East Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee.
Atchafalaya NWR was established in 1986, when 15,255 acres were
purchased from the Iberville Land Company. The Louisiana Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE) have also purchased fee title lands adjacent to and within the
Atchafalaya NWR, bringing the total to approximately 44,000 acres. The
USACE has authority to purchase additional lands within the Atchafalaya
Basin Floodway System.
Approximately 12 percent of the refuge is inundated open water,
with isolated cypress trees and willow stands. Bottomland hardwood
forest is the primary habitat.
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, wildlife photography, and
environmental education and interpretation. We will review and update
the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with the Administration
Act.
Significant issues addressed in this Draft CCP/EA include: (1)
Forest management; (2) biological inventorying and monitoring; (3) land
protection; (4) oil and gas operations; (5) enhancing wildlife-
dependent public use; and (6) increasing permanent staff.
CCP Alternatives, Including Our Proposed Alternative
We developed three alternatives for managing the refuge and chose
Alternative B as the proposed alternative. A full description of each
alternative is in the Draft CCP/EA. We summarize each alternative
below.
Alternative A--Current Management (No Action)
This alternative is required by the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) and is the ``no-action'' or ``status quo'' alternative, in
which we would not initiate major management changes. This alternative
also provides a baseline to compare the current habitat, wildlife, and
public use management to the two action alternatives.
Alternative A continues current management strategies, with little
or no change in budgeting or funding. We would continue to focus on
maintaining the biological integrity of the refuge's habitats. Under
this alternative, we would protect and maintain all refuge lands,
primarily focusing on the needs of threatened and endangered species,
with additional emphasis on the needs of migratory birds and resident
wildlife.
Conservation of federally listed threatened and endangered species
would be continued through current habitat management and monitoring
programs, to be accomplished primarily through established partnership
and research projects.
Current management of migratory birds would continue to provide
suitable habitat for waterfowl, contributing to the objective of the
North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The current levels of
surveying, monitoring, and managing of migratory and resident birds
would continue. We would also continue to provide for their basic needs
of feeding, resting, and breeding.
Mostly opportunistic monitoring and management of resident wildlife
would occur under this alternative. Only current refuge wildlife
management programs would continue to be maintained, and since little
baseline biological information would be gathered on non-managed
species or groups of species, new management activities would be
unlikely.
The Complex would continue habitat management of existing greentree
[[Page 30191]]
reservoirs, wetlands, open waters, forested habitats, scrub/shrub
habitats, grasslands, and open lands. All impoundments, levees, moist-
soil units, and water control structures would continue to be
maintained to provide critical habitat for threatened and endangered
species, waterfowl, and wetland-dependent birds. Current water quality
information would be addressed on an as-needed basis and would continue
to be limited. All other habitat management programs would remain
unchanged.
Control of invasive and exotic plant species would continue on an
opportunistic basis as resources permit. This limited control would be
performed by chemical and/or mechanical means. Additionally, efforts to
control/remove invasive, exotic, or nuisance wildlife would continue.
These species tend to procreate rapidly and can be especially
destructive to habitats. Control would continue to be implemented by
the take of these animals as part of the hunting program and on an
opportunistic basis by staff.
We would maintain the current levels of wildlife-dependent
recreation activities (i.e., hunting, fishing, wildlife observation,
wildlife photography, and environmental education and interpretation)
and facilities.
Hunting opportunities on refuge lands are managed by LDWF as part
of the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and would continue. Due
to the complex boundaries and multi-ownership, all hunting and fishing
regulations are set by LDWF as part of a cooperative management
agreement and fall under the rules and regulations of Sherburne WMA.
This offers less confusion to the visiting public and also makes it
easier to enforce laws.
The refuge is open year round for sport fishing in accordance with
State fishing regulations. Fishermen frequent Big Alabama Bayou and
some of the smaller waters of the Complex. Recreational crawfishing is
allowed on the refuge. The Complex maintains four boat launching
facilities, with parking areas that provide bayou access. There is also
a designated pier for fishing.
Law enforcement would continue at the current level, with emphasis
on resource protection and public safety. We would continue to share
five staff members: Refuge manager, forester, biologist, park ranger
(public use specialist), and law enforcement officer.
Alternative B--Optimize Biological and Visitor Services (Proposed
Alternative)
We selected Alternative B as the proposed alternative, because we
believe it best signifies the vision, goals, and purposes of the
refuge. Additionally, this alternative was developed based on public
input and the best professional judgment of the planning team. Under
Alternative B, our emphasis would be on restoring and improving refuge
resources needed for wildlife and habitat management and providing
enhanced appropriate and compatible wildlife-dependent public use
opportunities, while addressing key issues and refuge mandates.
This alternative would focus on augmenting wildlife and habitat
management to identify, conserve, and restore populations of native
fish and wildlife species, with an emphasis on migratory birds and
threatened and endangered species. This objective would partially be
accomplished by increased monitoring of waterfowl, other migratory and
resident birds, and endemic species, in order to assess and adapt
management strategies and actions. Additionally, information gaps would
be addressed by the initiation of baseline surveying, periodic
monitoring, and, ultimately, the addition of adaptive habitat
management.
Habitat management programs for impoundments, greentree reservoirs,
wetlands, open waters, forested habitats, scrub/shrub habitats,
grasslands, and open lands would be reevaluated, and step-down
management plans would be developed to meet the foraging, nesting, and
breeding requirements of priority species. Additionally, monitoring and
adaptive habitat management would be implemented to potentially
counteract the impacts associated with long-term climate change and
sea-level rise.
The control of invasive, exotic, and/or nuisance wildlife and plant
species would be more aggressively managed by implementing a management
plan, completing a baseline inventory, supporting research, and
controlling with strategic mechanical and chemical means.
Alternative B enhances visitor service opportunities by: (1)
Improving the quality of fishing opportunities; (2) implementing an
environmental education program component that utilizes volunteers and
local schools as partners; (3) enhancing wildlife viewing and
photography opportunities by implementing blinds, a swamp trail
boardwalk, and additional observational areas; (4) developing and
implementing a visitor services management plan, working with partners
to develop a Complex visitor center, including a law enforcement office
and maintenance facility with an attached visitors' contact station;
and (5) enhancing personal interpretive and outreach opportunities.
Volunteer programs and friends groups also would be expanded to enhance
all aspects of management and to increase resource availability.
In addition to the enforcement of all Federal and State laws
applicable to the refuge to protect archaeological and historical
sites, we would identify and develop a plan to protect all known sites.
The development of an onsite office for law enforcement officers would
not only better provide security for these resources, but would also
ensure visitor safety and public compliance with refuge regulations.
Land acquisitions within the approved acquisition boundary would be
based on the importance of the habitat for wildlife, management, and
access. Administrative plans would stress the need for increased
maintenance of existing infrastructure and construction of new
facilities. Funding for new construction projects would be balanced
between habitat management and public-use needs. Additional staff would
include: Visitor services specialist, assistant manager, biological
technician, forestry technician, maintenance worker, and law
enforcement officer. The increased budget and staff levels would better
enable us to meet the obligations of wildlife stewardship, habitat
management, and public use.
Alternative C--Maximize Public Use
Active management of refuge resources would be employed under this
alternative to optimize public use opportunities. Staff and resources
would be dedicated to increasing the public-use activities of hunting,
fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and environmental
education and interpretation. All purposes of the refuge and mandated
monitoring of Federal trust species and archaeological resources would
continue, but other wildlife management would be dependent on public
interests.
We would prioritize habitat management of species of public
interest. Wetlands, the greentree reservoirs, and moist-soil units
would be maintained to facilitate public use opportunities, such as
fishing and canoeing. Forest habitat in high public use areas would be
managed, while all other areas would have little management
intervention. Forest opening demonstration sites would be implemented
to serve as educational opportunities for public and private land
managers. The control of invasive and exotic plant species would be
more aggressively managed in public use areas.
[[Page 30192]]
Increased wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and
interpretation opportunities would result from the construction of an
on-site Complex visitor center, boardwalk, canoe and birding tours,
kiosks, and trail signs. Additionally, waterfowl and wildlife
monitoring would be conducted periodically to identify areas of high
use for the visiting public to observe. Environmental education would
be expanded by addressing a wide range of local environmental concerns
and would be offered to a broader range of student groups and schools
through teacher workshops. A new on-site environmental education
facility would be developed to better facilitate the new programs and
workshops. New information brochures, tear sheets, and website postings
would be published to increase public outreach and to promote public
use and recreational opportunities.
Land acquisitions within the approved acquisition boundary would be
based on the importance of the habitat for public use. Administration
plans would stress the need for increased maintenance of existing
infrastructure and construction of new facilities that would benefit
public use activities. Additional funding would be needed to maintain
the maximum number of trails and roads for access and to provide full-
time staff and new facilities to support expanded public use
activities.
Next Step
After the comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and
address them.
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.
Authority
This notice is published under the authority of the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law 105-57.
Dated: April 6, 2011.
Mark J. Musaus,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-12698 Filed 5-23-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P