Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Salem County, NJ; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No Significant Impact for Environmental Assessment, 54247-54248 [2011-22038]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 169 / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / Notices
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as amended. U.S. Code Title 12 1701z;
Research and Demonstrations.
Dated: August 25, 2011.
Kevin Neary,
Deputy Assistant, Secretary for the Office of
Research, Evaluation and Monitoring.
[FR Doc. 2011–22321 Filed 8–30–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R5–R–2010–N266; BAC–4311–K9–S3]
Supawna Meadows National Wildlife
Refuge, Salem County, NJ; Final
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and
Finding of No Significant Impact for
Environmental Assessment
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of our final comprehensive
conservation plan (CCP) and finding of
no significant impact (FONSI) for the
environmental assessment (EA) for
Supawna Meadows National Wildlife
Refuge (NWR), Salem County, New
Jersey. In this final CCP, we describe
how we will manage this refuge for the
next 15 years.
ADDRESSES: You may view or obtain
copies of the final CCP (including the
FONSI) and the draft CCP/EA by any of
the following methods. They are
available in hard copy, CD–ROM, or as
a download from our Web site.
Agency Web Site: Download a copy of
the documents at https://www.fws.gov/
northeast/planning/SupawnaMeadows/
ccphome.html.
E-mail: northeastplanning@fws.gov.
Include ‘‘Supawna Meadows NWR Final
CCP’’ in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Brian Braudis, Refuge Manager,
c/o Cape May NWR, 24 Kimbles Beach
Road, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210.
In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call
609–463–0994 to make an appointment
during regular business hours at 24
Kimbles Beach Road, Cape May Court
House, NJ 08210.
Local Library: See ‘‘Public
Availability of Documents’’ under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
jlentini on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:51 Aug 30, 2011
Jkt 223001
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brian Braudis, Refuge Manager, 609–
463–0994 (phone);
capemaynwr@fws.gov (e-mail).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we finalize the CCP
process for Supawna Meadows NWR.
We started this process through a notice
in the Federal Register (72 FR 54280;
September 24, 2007). We released the
draft CCP and the EA to the public,
announcing and requesting comments
in a notice of availability in the Federal
Register (75 FR 59287; September 27,
2010).
Supawna Meadows NWR currently
includes 3,016 acres of marsh,
grassland, shrubland, and forest
habitats. The approved acquisition
boundary encompasses 4,527 acres
along the Upper Delaware Bay in Salem
County. Supawna Meadows NWR was
established to benefit migratory birds,
breeding birds, and wild animals,
protect natural resources, and provide
opportunities for suitable wildlifeoriented recreation.
Refuge visitors engage in wildlife
observation and photography, hunting,
and fishing. Portions of the refuge are
open to deer hunting, waterfowl
hunting, and fishing and crabbing per
State regulations. Finns Point Rear
Range Light, listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, draws a
number of visitors as well.
We announce our decision and the
availability of the FONSI for the final
CCP for Supawna Meadows NWR in
accordance with National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40
CFR 1506.6(b)) requirements. We
completed a thorough analysis of
impacts on the human environment,
which we included in the EA that
accompanied the draft CCP.
The CCP will guide us in managing
and administering Supawna Meadows
NWR for the next 15 years. Alternative
B, as we described in the draft CCP/EA
as the Service-preferred alternative,
with five modifications made in
response to public comments, is the
foundation for this final CCP.
Background
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
PO 00000
Frm 00058
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
54247
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,
and environmental education and
interpretation. We will review and
update the CCP at least every 15 years
in accordance with the Administration
Act.
CCP Alternatives, Including Selected
Alternative
To address several issues and develop
a plan based on the purposes for
establishing the refuge, and the vision
and goals we identified, three
alternatives were evaluated in our draft
CCP/EA (75 FR 59287). The alternatives
share some actions in common, such as
acquiring land within the current refuge
acquisition boundary, protecting
cultural resources, distributing refuge
revenue sharing payments, and
monitoring water quality. There are also
some actions shared by alternatives A
and B only. These include assessing
public use opportunities on newly
acquired lands, monitoring and abating
wildlife diseases, and supporting
biological and ecological research
investigations. Other actions distinguish
the alternatives. The draft CCP/EA
describes the alternatives in detail, and
relates them to the issues and concerns.
Alternative A, ‘‘Current
Management,’’ is the ‘‘No Action’’
alternative required by NEPA. It
describes our existing management
priorities and activities. It would
maintain our present levels of refuge
staffing and the biological and visitor
programs now in place. We would
continue to focus efforts on providing
native tidal marsh habitat for Federal
trust resources, in particular, for
migrating and nesting wading birds,
wintering habitats for marshbirds,
waterfowl, shorebirds, and other
wildlife. We would continue to actively
manage tidal marsh and grassland
habitats, and would maintain dikes and
water levels on impoundments that
have water control structures.
Alternative B, the ‘‘Service-preferred
Alternative,’’ emphasizes management
of specific refuge habitats to support
Federal trust resources and species of
conservation concern in the area, as
well as providing additional visitor
opportunities on the refuge. The priority
would be to protect and restore the
refuge’s native tidal marsh habitat to
E:\FR\FM\31AUN1.SGM
31AUN1
54248
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 169 / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / Notices
benefit Pea Patch Island colonialbreeding wading birds, as well as
secretive marshbirds, migratory
waterfowl, shorebirds, and other birds
of conservation concern. A secondary
consideration would be to manage a
diversity of other refuge wetland and
upland habitats to benefit breeding and
migrating songbirds, waterfowl, and
raptors, as well as amphibians, reptiles,
and mammals of conservation concern.
Our Visitor Services program would be
enhanced to provide more opportunities
for wildlife observation, photography,
hunting, fishing, environmental
education, and interpretation.
Alternative C, ‘‘Cease Management
and Close Refuge to Public Uses,’’
would close Supawna Meadows NWR to
all public uses and cease all habitat
management activities. There would be
no funding allocated for any projects at
the refuge. This alternative would only
partially achieve the refuge purposes,
vision, and goals, and respond to public
issues. Cape May NWR staff would
conduct semiannual site inspections
requiring about 40 staff hours per year.
We would continue to meet our trust
obligations under the Federal
Endangered Species Act, which requires
us to take measures to benefit the
recovery of any federally listed species
that might be found on the refuge in the
future. We would also continue to
comply with the National Historic
Preservation Act by maintaining Finns
Point Rear Range Light.
jlentini on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Comments
We solicited comments on the draft
CCP and the EA for Supawna Meadows
NWR from September 27 to October 27,
2010 (75 FR 59287). We evaluated all
substantive comments received during
the public comment period, and
included a summary of comments and
our responses as appendix H of the final
CCP.
Selected Alternative
We have selected alternative B for
implementation, with the following
modifications:
• We clarified the rationale for
adopting the State’s deer hunting safety
zones.
• We added a paragraph stating we
may evaluate black bear hunting on the
refuge if the State opens the area to
hunting and if there is enough interest.
• We inserted a paragraph stating that
although we are not proposing to open
the refuge to turkey hunting at this time,
we are willing to discuss opening the
refuge to a spring turkey season with
assistance from the State.
• We added a Finding of
Appropriateness for the release of the
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:51 Aug 30, 2011
Jkt 223001
Rhinoncomimus latipes weevil by the
New Jersey Department of Agriculture
for the biological control of mile-aminute weed (Polygonum perfoliatum).
• We updated the White-tailed Deer
Hunt Compatibility Determination to
include the State’s deer hunting safety
zones.
In summary, we believe modified
alternative B combines the actions that
would most effectively achieve refuge
purposes, vision, and goals, and
respond to public issues. The basis of
our decision is detailed in Appendix I
of the final CCP.
Public Availability of Documents
In addition to the methods in
ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain
documents at the following locations:
• Our Web site: https://www.fws.gov/
northeast/planning/SupawnaMeadows/
ccphome.html.
• Public Library: Pennsville Library,
located at 14 North Broadway,
Pennsville, NJ 08070, during regular
library hours.
Dated: July 27, 2011.
Wendi Weber,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, MA
01035.
[FR Doc. 2011–22038 Filed 8–30–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Renewal of Agency Information
Collection for Verification of Indian
Preference for Employment With BIA
and IHS; Request for Comments
Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of submission to the
Office of Management and Budget.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is
submitting to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) a request for renewal
of the information collection for
Verification of Indian Preference for
Employment. The information
collection is currently authorized by
OMB Control Number 1076–0160,
which expires August 31, 2011.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before
September 30, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the information collection to the
Desk Officer for the Department of the
Interior at the Office of Management and
Budget, by facsimile to (202) 395–5806
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00059
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
or you may send an e-mail to:
OIRA_DOCKET@ omb.eop.gov. Please
send a copy of your comments to Matt
Crain, Acting Deputy Director—Office of
Indian Services, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, 1849 C Street, NW., MS 4513,
Washington, DC 20240; e-mail:
matt.crain@bia.gov.
De
Springer (402) 878–2502. To see a copy
of the entire collection submitted to
OMB, go to https://www.reginfo.gov
(select Information Collection Review,
Currently Under Review).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
I. Abstract
The BIA is seeking renewal of the
approval for the information collection
conducted under the 25 U.S.C. 43, 36
Stat. 472, inter alia, and implementing
regulations, at 25 CFR part 5, regarding
verification of Indian preference for
employment. The purpose of Indian
preference is to encourage qualified
Indian persons to seek employment
with the BIA and Indian Health Service
(IHS) by offering preferential treatment
to qualified candidates of Indian
heritage. BIA collects the information to
ensure compliance with Indian
preference hiring requirements. The
information collection relates only to
individuals applying for employment
with the BIA and the IHS. The tribe’s
involvement is limited to verifying
membership information submitted by
the applicant. The collection of
information allows certain persons who
are of Indian descent to receive
preference when appointments are
made to vacancies in positions with the
BIA and IHS as well as in any unit that
has been transferred intact from the BIA
to a Bureau or office within the
Department of the Interior or the
Department of Health and Human
Services and that continues to perform
functions formerly performed as part of
the BIA and IHS. You are eligible for
preference if (a) You are a member of a
federally recognized Indian tribe; (b)
you are a descendant of a member and
you were residing within the present
boundaries of any Indian reservation on
June 1, 1934; (c) you are an Alaska
native; or (d) you possess one-half
degree Indian blood derived from tribes
that are indigenous to the United States.
II. Request for Comments
BIA requests that you send your
comments on this collection to the
location listed in the ADDRESSES section.
Your comments should address: (a) The
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for the proper performance of the
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E:\FR\FM\31AUN1.SGM
31AUN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 169 (Wednesday, August 31, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54247-54248]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-22038]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-R-2010-N266; BAC-4311-K9-S3]
Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Salem County, NJ; Final
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No Significant Impact
for Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of our final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental
assessment (EA) for Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR),
Salem County, New Jersey. In this final CCP, we describe how we will
manage this refuge for the next 15 years.
ADDRESSES: You may view or obtain copies of the final CCP (including
the FONSI) and the draft CCP/EA by any of the following methods. They
are available in hard copy, CD-ROM, or as a download from our Web site.
Agency Web Site: Download a copy of the documents at https://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/SupawnaMeadows/ccphome.html.
E-mail: northeastplanning@fws.gov. Include ``Supawna Meadows NWR
Final CCP'' in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Brian Braudis, Refuge Manager, c/o Cape May NWR, 24 Kimbles
Beach Road, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210.
In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call 609-463-0994 to make an
appointment during regular business hours at 24 Kimbles Beach Road,
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210.
Local Library: See ``Public Availability of Documents'' under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Braudis, Refuge Manager, 609-
463-0994 (phone); capemaynwr@fws.gov (e-mail).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we finalize the CCP process for Supawna Meadows
NWR. We started this process through a notice in the Federal Register
(72 FR 54280; September 24, 2007). We released the draft CCP and the EA
to the public, announcing and requesting comments in a notice of
availability in the Federal Register (75 FR 59287; September 27, 2010).
Supawna Meadows NWR currently includes 3,016 acres of marsh,
grassland, shrubland, and forest habitats. The approved acquisition
boundary encompasses 4,527 acres along the Upper Delaware Bay in Salem
County. Supawna Meadows NWR was established to benefit migratory birds,
breeding birds, and wild animals, protect natural resources, and
provide opportunities for suitable wildlife-oriented recreation.
Refuge visitors engage in wildlife observation and photography,
hunting, and fishing. Portions of the refuge are open to deer hunting,
waterfowl hunting, and fishing and crabbing per State regulations.
Finns Point Rear Range Light, listed on the National Register of
Historic Places, draws a number of visitors as well.
We announce our decision and the availability of the FONSI for the
final CCP for Supawna Meadows NWR in accordance with National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 CFR 1506.6(b)) requirements. We
completed a thorough analysis of impacts on the human environment,
which we included in the EA that accompanied the draft CCP.
The CCP will guide us in managing and administering Supawna Meadows
NWR for the next 15 years. Alternative B, as we described in the draft
CCP/EA as the Service-preferred alternative, with five modifications
made in response to public comments, is the foundation for this final
CCP.
Background
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.
CCP Alternatives, Including Selected Alternative
To address several issues and develop a plan based on the purposes
for establishing the refuge, and the vision and goals we identified,
three alternatives were evaluated in our draft CCP/EA (75 FR 59287).
The alternatives share some actions in common, such as acquiring land
within the current refuge acquisition boundary, protecting cultural
resources, distributing refuge revenue sharing payments, and monitoring
water quality. There are also some actions shared by alternatives A and
B only. These include assessing public use opportunities on newly
acquired lands, monitoring and abating wildlife diseases, and
supporting biological and ecological research investigations. Other
actions distinguish the alternatives. The draft CCP/EA describes the
alternatives in detail, and relates them to the issues and concerns.
Alternative A, ``Current Management,'' is the ``No Action''
alternative required by NEPA. It describes our existing management
priorities and activities. It would maintain our present levels of
refuge staffing and the biological and visitor programs now in place.
We would continue to focus efforts on providing native tidal marsh
habitat for Federal trust resources, in particular, for migrating and
nesting wading birds, wintering habitats for marshbirds, waterfowl,
shorebirds, and other wildlife. We would continue to actively manage
tidal marsh and grassland habitats, and would maintain dikes and water
levels on impoundments that have water control structures.
Alternative B, the ``Service-preferred Alternative,'' emphasizes
management of specific refuge habitats to support Federal trust
resources and species of conservation concern in the area, as well as
providing additional visitor opportunities on the refuge. The priority
would be to protect and restore the refuge's native tidal marsh habitat
to
[[Page 54248]]
benefit Pea Patch Island colonial-breeding wading birds, as well as
secretive marshbirds, migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and other birds
of conservation concern. A secondary consideration would be to manage a
diversity of other refuge wetland and upland habitats to benefit
breeding and migrating songbirds, waterfowl, and raptors, as well as
amphibians, reptiles, and mammals of conservation concern. Our Visitor
Services program would be enhanced to provide more opportunities for
wildlife observation, photography, hunting, fishing, environmental
education, and interpretation.
Alternative C, ``Cease Management and Close Refuge to Public
Uses,'' would close Supawna Meadows NWR to all public uses and cease
all habitat management activities. There would be no funding allocated
for any projects at the refuge. This alternative would only partially
achieve the refuge purposes, vision, and goals, and respond to public
issues. Cape May NWR staff would conduct semiannual site inspections
requiring about 40 staff hours per year. We would continue to meet our
trust obligations under the Federal Endangered Species Act, which
requires us to take measures to benefit the recovery of any federally
listed species that might be found on the refuge in the future. We
would also continue to comply with the National Historic Preservation
Act by maintaining Finns Point Rear Range Light.
Comments
We solicited comments on the draft CCP and the EA for Supawna
Meadows NWR from September 27 to October 27, 2010 (75 FR 59287). We
evaluated all substantive comments received during the public comment
period, and included a summary of comments and our responses as
appendix H of the final CCP.
Selected Alternative
We have selected alternative B for implementation, with the
following modifications:
We clarified the rationale for adopting the State's deer
hunting safety zones.
We added a paragraph stating we may evaluate black bear
hunting on the refuge if the State opens the area to hunting and if
there is enough interest.
We inserted a paragraph stating that although we are not
proposing to open the refuge to turkey hunting at this time, we are
willing to discuss opening the refuge to a spring turkey season with
assistance from the State.
We added a Finding of Appropriateness for the release of
the Rhinoncomimus latipes weevil by the New Jersey Department of
Agriculture for the biological control of mile-a-minute weed (Polygonum
perfoliatum).
We updated the White-tailed Deer Hunt Compatibility
Determination to include the State's deer hunting safety zones.
In summary, we believe modified alternative B combines the actions
that would most effectively achieve refuge purposes, vision, and goals,
and respond to public issues. The basis of our decision is detailed in
Appendix I of the final CCP.
Public Availability of Documents
In addition to the methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain
documents at the following locations:
Our Web site: https://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/SupawnaMeadows/ccphome.html.
Public Library: Pennsville Library, located at 14 North
Broadway, Pennsville, NJ 08070, during regular library hours.
Dated: July 27, 2011.
Wendi Weber,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Hadley, MA 01035.
[FR Doc. 2011-22038 Filed 8-30-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P