Establishment of Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area, Kansas, 9693-9694 [2012-3756]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 33 / Friday, February 17, 2012 / Notices
¯
pintail (koloa mapu), Northern shoveler
¯
(koloa moha), lesser scaup, Pacific
¯
golden-plover (kolea) and ruddy
turnstone (‘akekeke). A majority of the
refuge is closed to general public access;
however, trails, overlooks, and
educational programs provide the
public with opportunities to view some
of Hawai‘i’s endangered and migratory
wildlife.
Kakahai‘a NWR, located on the
southeastern coast of the island of
Moloka‘i, was established in 1976 to
protect and provide habitat for
endangered species. Habitats found on
this refuge include freshwater marsh,
grassland, dry forest, and coastal strand.
The refuge has the potential to provide
breeding, foraging, and resting areas for
endangered waterbirds, a variety of
migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and
other wetland birds. Some of the more
¯
common migrants are koloa mapu and
¯
kolea. Kakahai‘a NWR is closed to the
general public; however,
nongovernmental organizations
occasionally conduct wetland education
programs.
During the CCP planning process,
many elements were considered,
including wildlife management and
habitat protection, compatible wildlifedependent recreational opportunities,
on- and off-site environmental
educational opportunities, and
coordination with State and Federal
agencies and other interested groups.
The draft CCPs and EAs identified
and evaluated three alternatives for
managing each refuge. These were
available for a 30-day public review and
comment period, which included two
open house public meetings. The
Service incorporated or responded to
¯
the comments on the Kealia Pond NWR
draft CCP and Kakahai‘a NWR draft CCP
in the final CCPs.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Selected Alternative for Each Refuge
All actions in the selected alternative
for each refuge are subject to funding
and any other compliance requirements.
After considering the comments we
received, we have selected each refuge’s
Alternative C for implementation.
Implementing Alternative C for the
CCPs will encompass the following key
actions:
¯
Kealia Pond NWR
The Service will remove the most
aggressive invasive plants and control
pickleweed on the flats. Planned
projects include constructing a water
control structure, developing new wells
to deliver water to target areas, and
recontouring topography to maintain
water on the flats. We expect an
increased capability to dewater and
VerDate Mar<15>2010
19:08 Feb 16, 2012
Jkt 226001
flood the Main Pond will enhance our
dust, midge, and tilapia control efforts.
New vegetated blinds will provide
better wildlife viewing opportunities,
and public interpretation and
environmental education programs will
be expanded. Internships will be
provided for up to five students.
Wildlife monitoring on the proposed
Molokini Unit will include up to six
visits during the period running March
through November, and we will initiate
a native plant restoration plan.
Kakahai‘a NWR
If funded, we will restore the 15-acre
Old Pond and 5.5 acres of New Pond by
removing California bulrush and other
aggressive nonnative species, dredging
accumulated sediment, recontouring
topography, removing radial levees,
reconstructing perimeter levees,
replacing the water control structure,
and replacing the pump between the
two ponds. A well, pump, water
distribution line, and control outlet for
New Pond will be constructed, and
levees will be rebuilt. All monitoring
activities will resume as part of the
wetland restoration. A predator-proof
fence will be installed to protect
wetland habitat and species. The coastal
strand will be restored and protected
from further erosion to provide a
protective barrier to the refuge wetlands
and highway. A cultural resources
survey will be completed for the entire
refuge. Opportunities for visitors to
engage in compatible wildlifedependent recreation may expand with
new staffing. At a minimum, a kiosk
will be constructed along the refuge
entrance road and volunteer groups will
be developed to assist refuge staff with
restoration and maintenance activities.
Dated: November 9, 2011.
Robyn Thorson,
Regional Director, Pacific Region, Portland,
Oregon.
[FR Doc. 2012–3648 Filed 2–16–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R6–R–2011–N212; FF06R06000–
FXRS1265066CCP0S2–123]
Establishment of Flint Hills Legacy
Conservation Area, Kansas
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
This notice advises the public
that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service) has established the Flint Hills
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00074
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
9693
Legacy Conservation Area, the 555th
unit of the National Wildlife Refuge
System. The Service established the
Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area on
September 28, 2011, with the donation
of a conservation easement in
Chautauqua County, Kansas.
ADDRESSES: A map depicting the
approved Refuge boundary and other
information regarding the Refuge is
available on the Internet at https://
www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/
planning/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy Thornburg, Planning Team Leader,
USFWS, Division of Refuge Planning,
P.O. Box 25486, DFC, Denver, CO
80225.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Service established the Flint Hills
Legacy Conservation Area, which covers
all or part of 21 counties in eastern
Kansas. Today, less than 4 percent of
the once-vast tallgrass prairie remains,
most (80 percent) of which lies within
the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas and
northeastern Oklahoma. The Service
will work to conserve tallgrass prairie
and the wildlife resources in the
conservation area primarily through the
purchase of perpetual easements from
willing sellers in Kansas. These
conservation easements will protect
native grassland birds, as well as over
80 species of native fish, and native
mollusks that depend on the pristine
streams that are found in the Flint Hills
region.
The Service recognizes the
importance of protecting and fostering
traditional cultural values, including
ranching lifestyles and economies, in
concert with habitat conservation
interests. Ranching has historically
played a major role in preserving the
tallgrass ecoregion—and by extension,
conserving valuable fish and wildlife
habitat. Based on anticipated levels of
landowner participation, objectives for
the conservation area are to protect up
to 1.1 million acres of tallgrass prairie
habitat. The conservation area is a
landscape-scale effort to conserve
populations of native grassland birds,
which are among the most consistently
declining species in the United States.
Therefore, it is important to incorporate
the elements of strategic habitat
conservation (SHC) to ensure effective
conservation. SHC entails strategic
biological planning and conservation
design, and integrated conservation
delivery, monitoring, and research at
ecoregional scales.
This conservation area allows the
Service to purchase perpetual
conservation easements, using the
acquisition authority of the Fish and
E:\FR\FM\17FEN1.SGM
17FEN1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
9694
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 33 / Friday, February 17, 2012 / Notices
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a–j).
The Federal money used to acquire
conservation easements is primarily
from the Land and Water Conservation
Fund Act of 1965, as amended (16
U.S.C. 460l–4 through 11) (derived
primarily from oil and gas leases on the
Outer Continental Shelf, motorboat fuel
taxes, and the sale of surplus Federal
property). Additional funding to acquire
lands, water, or interests for fish and
wildlife conservation purposes could be
identified by Congress or donated by
nonprofit organizations. The purchase
of easements from willing sellers will be
subject to available money.
The Service has involved the public,
agencies, partners, and legislators
throughout the planning process for the
easement program. At the beginning of
the planning process, the Service
initiated public involvement for the
proposal to protect habitats primarily
through acquisition of conservation
easements for management as part of the
Refuge System. The Service spent time
discussing the proposed project with
landowners; conservation organizations;
Federal, State and county governments;
tribes; and other interested groups and
individuals. For initial public scoping,
the Service held three open-house
meetings, on November 30, December 1,
and December 2, 2009, in Alma,
Wichita, and Cottonwood Falls, Kansas,
respectively. These open houses were
announced in local media.
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Service
prepared an environmental assessment
(EA) that evaluated two alternatives and
their potential impacts on the project
area. The Service released the draft EA
and land protection plan (LPP), on April
14, 2010, for a 30-day public review
period. The draft documents were made
available to Federal elected officials and
agencies, State elected officials and
agencies, Native American tribes with
aboriginal or tribal interests, and other
members of the public that were
identified during the scoping process.
The Service held three additional openhouse public meetings to discuss the
draft EA and land protection plan LPP,
on April 21, 22, and 23, 2010—at El
Dorado, Cottonwood Falls, and Alma,
Kansas, respectively. These meetings
were announced in advance in local
media. Approximately 148 landowners,
citizens, and elected representatives
attended the meetings. The Service
received 7 letters from agencies,
organizations, and other entities, and 24
general public comments. After all
comments were received, they were
reviewed and incorporated into the EA
and administrative record.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
19:08 Feb 16, 2012
Jkt 226001
Based on the documentation
contained in the EA, a Finding of No
Significant Impact was signed on July
30, 2010, for the establishment of the
Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area.
Dated: December 23, 2011.
Noreen E. Walsh,
Deputy Regional Director, Mountain-Prairie
Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2012–3756 Filed 2–16–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLAZ910000.L14300000.DB0000.
LXSS058A0000]
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Restoration Design Energy Project
and Land Use Plan Amendments
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA); the Council
on Environmental Quality and the
Department of the Interior regulations
implementing NEPA; and the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Arizona State Office
has prepared a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the
Restoration Design Energy Project
(RDEP) to evaluate proposed
amendments to several Resource
Management Plans (RMPs) to identify
lands across Arizona that may be
suitable for developing renewable solar
and wind energy, and to establish a
baseline set of environmental protection
measures for such projects. By this
notice, the BLM is announcing the
beginning of a 90-day public review and
comment period on the Draft EIS.
DATES: To ensure comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the RDEP Draft
EIS within 90 days following the date
the Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its Notice of Availability in
the Federal Register. The BLM will
announce future meetings or hearings
and any other public involvement
activities at least 15 days in advance
through local media, newspapers,
mailings, and the BLM Web site at:
https://www.blm.gov/az/st/en.html.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the RDEP Draft EIS by any of the
following methods.
• Email: az_arra_rdep@blm.gov.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00075
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
• Fax: Attn: Lane Cowger, (602) 417–
9454; and
• Mail or other delivery service:
BLM–Arizona State Office, Attn:
Restoration Design Energy Project, One
North Central Avenue, Suite 800,
Phoenix, AZ 85004–4427.
Please be sure to include your name,
any organization you represent, and
return address with your comment.
Copies of the Draft EIS are available
at the BLM–Arizona State Office, One
North Central Avenue, Suite 800,
Phoenix, Arizona 85004, or it can be
downloaded from the project Web site:
https://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/
energy/arra_solar.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kathy Pedrick, BLM Project Manager;
Telephone: 602–417–9235; Mail: One
North Central Avenue, Suite 800,
Phoenix, Arizona 85004–4427; or email:
az_arra_rdep@blm.gov. Persons who use
a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–
800–877–8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business
hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, to leave a message
or question with the above individual.
You will receive a reply during normal
business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The RDEP
supports the Secretary of the Interior’s
goals to build America’s new energy
future and to protect and restore
treasured landscapes. The purpose of
the RDEP is to conduct statewide
planning that fosters environmentally
responsible production of solar and
wind energy and allows the permitting
of future solar and wind energy
development projects to proceed in a
more efficient and standardized manner.
The RDEP would amend BLM land use
plans to identify geographic areas in
Arizona best suited for solar and wind
energy development, including solar
and wind technologies, and to establish
a baseline set of environmental
protection measures for such projects.
The BLM is proposing to identify
Renewable Energy Development Areas
(REDAs), BLM-administered lands that
may be suitable for the development of
solar and wind facilities, and a Solar
Energy Zone (SEZ) with a priority for
utility-scale (greater than 20 megawatts)
solar development. These areas include
disturbed sites and lands with low
resource sensitivity and few
environmental conflicts. Through
scoping and outreach activities,
disturbed sites have been identified
throughout Arizona, including former
landfills, brownfields, mines, isolated
BLM parcels, and Central Arizona
E:\FR\FM\17FEN1.SGM
17FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9693-9694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3756]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R6-R-2011-N212; FF06R06000-FXRS1265066CCP0S2-123]
Establishment of Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area, Kansas
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) has established the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation
Area, the 555th unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The
Service established the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area on
September 28, 2011, with the donation of a conservation easement in
Chautauqua County, Kansas.
ADDRESSES: A map depicting the approved Refuge boundary and other
information regarding the Refuge is available on the Internet at https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/planning/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Thornburg, Planning Team Leader,
USFWS, Division of Refuge Planning, P.O. Box 25486, DFC, Denver, CO
80225.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Service established the Flint Hills
Legacy Conservation Area, which covers all or part of 21 counties in
eastern Kansas. Today, less than 4 percent of the once-vast tallgrass
prairie remains, most (80 percent) of which lies within the Flint Hills
of eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma. The Service will work to
conserve tallgrass prairie and the wildlife resources in the
conservation area primarily through the purchase of perpetual easements
from willing sellers in Kansas. These conservation easements will
protect native grassland birds, as well as over 80 species of native
fish, and native mollusks that depend on the pristine streams that are
found in the Flint Hills region.
The Service recognizes the importance of protecting and fostering
traditional cultural values, including ranching lifestyles and
economies, in concert with habitat conservation interests. Ranching has
historically played a major role in preserving the tallgrass
ecoregion--and by extension, conserving valuable fish and wildlife
habitat. Based on anticipated levels of landowner participation,
objectives for the conservation area are to protect up to 1.1 million
acres of tallgrass prairie habitat. The conservation area is a
landscape-scale effort to conserve populations of native grassland
birds, which are among the most consistently declining species in the
United States. Therefore, it is important to incorporate the elements
of strategic habitat conservation (SHC) to ensure effective
conservation. SHC entails strategic biological planning and
conservation design, and integrated conservation delivery, monitoring,
and research at ecoregional scales.
This conservation area allows the Service to purchase perpetual
conservation easements, using the acquisition authority of the Fish and
[[Page 9694]]
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a-j). The Federal money used to
acquire conservation easements is primarily from the Land and Water
Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as amended (16 U.S.C. 460l-4 through 11)
(derived primarily from oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental
Shelf, motorboat fuel taxes, and the sale of surplus Federal property).
Additional funding to acquire lands, water, or interests for fish and
wildlife conservation purposes could be identified by Congress or
donated by nonprofit organizations. The purchase of easements from
willing sellers will be subject to available money.
The Service has involved the public, agencies, partners, and
legislators throughout the planning process for the easement program.
At the beginning of the planning process, the Service initiated public
involvement for the proposal to protect habitats primarily through
acquisition of conservation easements for management as part of the
Refuge System. The Service spent time discussing the proposed project
with landowners; conservation organizations; Federal, State and county
governments; tribes; and other interested groups and individuals. For
initial public scoping, the Service held three open-house meetings, on
November 30, December 1, and December 2, 2009, in Alma, Wichita, and
Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, respectively. These open houses were
announced in local media.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Service prepared an environmental
assessment (EA) that evaluated two alternatives and their potential
impacts on the project area. The Service released the draft EA and land
protection plan (LPP), on April 14, 2010, for a 30-day public review
period. The draft documents were made available to Federal elected
officials and agencies, State elected officials and agencies, Native
American tribes with aboriginal or tribal interests, and other members
of the public that were identified during the scoping process. The
Service held three additional open-house public meetings to discuss the
draft EA and land protection plan LPP, on April 21, 22, and 23, 2010--
at El Dorado, Cottonwood Falls, and Alma, Kansas, respectively. These
meetings were announced in advance in local media. Approximately 148
landowners, citizens, and elected representatives attended the
meetings. The Service received 7 letters from agencies, organizations,
and other entities, and 24 general public comments. After all comments
were received, they were reviewed and incorporated into the EA and
administrative record.
Based on the documentation contained in the EA, a Finding of No
Significant Impact was signed on July 30, 2010, for the establishment
of the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area.
Dated: December 23, 2011.
Noreen E. Walsh,
Deputy Regional Director, Mountain-Prairie Region, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-3756 Filed 2-16-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
