Patuxent Research Refuge, Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties, MD; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment, 61624-61626 [2012-24929]
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61624
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 10, 2012 / Notices
there will be approximately 100 surveys
initiated, the second year 125 surveys
initiated, and the third year 150 surveys
initiated based on prior experience and
expected growth in the program. These
figures above represent an expected
average per year over the three-year
period.
(3) Description of the need and use of
the information: The proposed renewal
of this information collection activity
provides a means to consistently assess,
benchmark and improve customer
satisfaction with Federal Government
agency programs and/or services within
the Executive Branch. The Federal
Consulting Group of the Department of
the Interior serves as the executive agent
for this methodology and has partnered
with the CFI Group and the American
Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) to
offer the ACSI to Federal government
agencies.
The CFI Group, a leader in customer
satisfaction and customer experience
management, offers a comprehensive
model that quantifies the effects of
quality improvements on citizen
satisfaction. The CFI Group has
developed the methodology and
licenses it to the American Customer
Satisfaction Index, an independent
organization which produces the
American Customer Satisfaction Index
(ACSI). This national indicator is
developed for different economic
sectors each quarter, which are then
published in The Wall Street Journal.
The ACSI was introduced in 1994 by
Professor Claes Fornell under the
auspices of the University of Michigan,
the American Society for Quality (ASQ),
and the CFI Group. It monitors and
benchmarks customer satisfaction across
more than 200 companies and many
U.S. Federal agencies.
The ACSI is the only cross-agency
methodology for obtaining comparable
measures of customer satisfaction with
Federal government programs and/or
services. Along with other economic
objectives—such as employment and
growth—the quality of output (goods
and services) is a part of measuring
living standards. The ACSI’s ultimate
purpose is to help improve the quality
of goods and services available to
American citizens.
ACSI surveys conducted by the
Federal Consulting Group are subject to
the Privacy Act of 1974, Public Law 93–
579, December 31, 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a).
The agency information collection is an
integral part of conducting an ACSI
survey. The contractor will not be
authorized to release any agency
information upon completion of the
survey without first obtaining
permission from the Federal Consulting
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15:15 Oct 09, 2012
Jkt 229001
Group and the participating agency. In
no case shall any new system of records
containing privacy information be
developed by the Federal Consulting
Group, participating agencies, or the
contractor collecting the data. In
addition, participating Federal agencies
may only provide information used to
randomly select respondents from
among established systems of records
provided for such routine uses.
There is no other agency or
organization which is able to provide
the information that is accessible
through the surveying approach used in
this information collection. Further, the
information will enable Federal
agencies to determine customer
satisfaction metrics with discrimination
capability across variables. Thus, this
information collection will assist
Federal agencies in improving their
customer service in a targeted manner
which will make best use of resources
to improve service to the public.
This survey asks no questions of a
sensitive nature, such as sexual
behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs,
and other matters that are commonly
considered private.
As required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), a
Federal Register notice soliciting
comments on the collection of
information was published on February
28, 2012 (77 FR 12073–74). No
comments were received. This notice
provides the public with an additional
30 days in which to comment on the
proposed information collection
activity.
III. Request for Comments
The Departments invite comments on:
(a) Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agencies, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(b) The accuracy of the agencies’
estimate of the burden of the collection
and the validity of the methodology and
assumptions used;
(c) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(d) Ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through
the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
collection techniques or other forms of
information techniques.
‘‘Burden’’ means the total time, effort,
and financial resources expended by
persons to generate, maintain, retain,
disclose, or provide information to or
for a Federal agency. This includes the
time needed to review instructions; to
develop, acquire, install, and utilize
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technology and systems for the purpose
of collecting, validating, and verifying
information, processing and
maintaining information, and disclosing
and providing information; to train
personnel and to be able to respond to
a collection of information, to search
data sources, to complete and review
the collection of information; and to
transmit or otherwise disclose the
information.
All written comments, with names
and addresses, will be available for
public inspection. If you wish us to
withhold your personal information,
you must prominently state at the
beginning of your comment what
personal information you want us to
withhold. We will honor your request to
the extent allowable by law. If you wish
to view any comments received, you
may do so by scheduling an
appointment with the National Business
Center, Federal Consulting Group by
calling (202) 513–7655. A valid picture
identification is required for entry into
the Department of the Interior.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, a collection of information
unless it displays a currently valid
Office of Management and Budget
control number.
Ron Oberbillig,
Chief Operating Officer, Federal Consulting
Group.
[FR Doc. 2012–24763 Filed 10–9–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–RK–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R5–R–2012–N078; BAC–4311–K9–S3]
Patuxent Research Refuge, Prince
George’s and Anne Arundel Counties,
MD; Draft Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental
Assessment
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (we, the Service),
announce the availability of a draft
comprehensive conservation plan and
environmental assessment (CCP/EA) for
Patuxent Research Refuge (Patuxent
RR), located in Prince George’s and
Anne Arundel Counties, Maryland, for
public review and comment. The draft
CCP/EA describes our proposal for
managing the refuge for the next 15
years.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 10, 2012 / Notices
rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Also available for public review and
comment are the draft findings of
appropriateness and draft compatibility
determinations for uses to be allowed
upon initial completion of the plan, if
alternative B is selected. These are
included as appendix C in the draft
CCP/EA.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please
send your comments no later than
November 26, 2012. We will announce
upcoming public meetings in local news
media, via our project mailing list, and
on our regional planning Web site:
https://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/
patuxent/ccphome.html.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
or requests for copies or more
information by any of the following
methods. You may request hard copies
or a CD–ROM of the documents.
Email: northeastplanning@fws.gov.
Please include ‘‘Patuxent RR Draft CCP’’
in the subject line of the message.
Fax: Attention: Bill Perry, 413–253–
8468.
U.S. Mail: Bill Perry, Natural Resource
Planner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA
01035.
In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or
Pickup: Call 301–497–5580 to make an
appointment (necessary for view/pickup
only) during regular business hours at
Patuxent RR, 10901 Scarlet Tanager
Loop, Laurel, MD 20708. For more
information on locations for viewing or
obtaining documents, see ‘‘Public
Availability of Documents’’ under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brad
Knudsen, Refuge Manager, 301–437–
5580 (phone), or Bill Perry, Planning
Team Leader, 413–253–8688 (phone);
northeastplanning@fws.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP
process for Patuxent RR. We started this
process through a notice in the Federal
Register (75 FR 12563; March 16, 2010).
Patuxent RR was established in 1936
by Executive Order by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt ‘‘to effectuate
further the purposes of the Migratory
Bird Conservation Act’’ and ‘‘as a
wildlife experiment and research
refuge.’’ The total approved acquisition
boundary encompasses 12,841 acres
between Baltimore, Maryland, and
Washington, DC—an area with one of
the highest densities of development in
the United States. Currently, about
10,000 of Patuxent RR’s 12,841 acres are
forest, but the refuge also contains
grasslands, freshwater marshes, shrub
and early successional forest, and open
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15:15 Oct 09, 2012
Jkt 229001
water. It provides important habitat for
a variety of migratory birds of
conservation concern. The refuge also
offers unique opportunities for
environmental education and
interpretation in an urban setting and is
home to the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) Patuxent Wildlife Research
Center, a leading international research
institute for wildlife and applied
environmental research.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C.
668dd-668ee) (Refuge Administration
Act), as amended by the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement
Act of 1997, requires us to develop a
CCP for each national wildlife refuge.
The purpose for developing a CCP is to
provide refuge managers with a 15-year
plan for achieving refuge purposes and
contributing toward the mission of the
National Wildlife Refuge System,
consistent with sound principles of fish
and wildlife management, conservation,
legal mandates, and our policies. In
addition to outlining broad management
direction on conserving wildlife and
their habitats, CCPs identify wildlifedependent recreational opportunities
available to the public, including
opportunities for hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation and photography,
and environmental education and
interpretation. We will review and
update the CCP at least every 15 years
in accordance with the Refuge
Administration Act.
Public Outreach
We started pre-planning for the
Patuxent RR CCP in December 2009. In
February 2010, we distributed our first
newsletter and press release announcing
our intent to prepare a CCP for the
refuge. In February and March 2010, we
had a formal public scoping period. The
purpose of the public scoping period
was to solicit comments from the
community and other interested parties
on the issues and impacts that should be
evaluated in the draft CCP/EA. To help
solicit public comments, we held two
public meetings at the refuge during the
formal public scoping period.
Throughout the rest of the planning
process, we have conducted additional
outreach by participating in community
meetings, events, and other public
forums, and by requesting public input
on managing the refuge and its
programs. We received comments on
topics such as the potential effects of
climate change, habitat management,
reforesting, environmental education
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61625
programs, and other public uses of the
refuge. We have considered and
evaluated all of the comments we
received and addressed them in various
ways in the alternatives presented in the
draft CCP/EA.
CCP Alternatives We Are Considering
During the public scoping process,
we, the Maryland Department of Natural
Resources, other governmental partners,
and the public raised several issues. To
address these issues, we developed and
evaluated three alternatives in the draft
CCP/EA. A full description of each
alternative is in the draft CCP/EA. All
alternatives include measures to control
invasive species, monitor and abate
diseases affecting wildlife and plant
health, coordinate with USGS to house
and support research efforts, protect
cultural resources, continue existing
projects managed by outside programs,
and minimize impacts from the shooting
ranges located on the refuge. There are
also several actions that are common to
both alternatives B and C. These include
using green technology to update refuge
buildings and grounds, constructing
additional space for environmental
education and interpretation classes,
and collaborating with stakeholders on
a redesign of the shooting ranges.
There are other actions that differ
among the alternatives. The draft CCP/
EA describes each alternative in detail
and relates it to the issues and concerns
that arose during the planning process.
Below, we provide summaries for the
three alternatives.
Alternative A (Current Management)
Alternative A (current management)
satisfies the National Environmental
Policy Act (40 CFR 1506.6(b))
requirement of a ‘‘no action’’ alternative,
which we define as ‘‘continuing current
management.’’ It describes our existing
management priorities and activities,
and serves as a baseline for comparing
and contrasting alternatives B and C. It
would maintain our present levels of
approved refuge staffing and the
biological and visitor programs now in
place. We would continue to manage for
and maintain a diversity of habitats,
including forests, forested wetlands,
pine-oak savannah, grasslands, and
scrub-shrub on the refuge. The refuge
would continue to provide an active
visitor use program that supports
environmental education and
interpretation, hunting, fishing, and
wildlife observation and photography.
Alternative B (Forest Restoration and
Mixed Public Use)
This alternative is the Servicepreferred alternative. It combines the
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 10, 2012 / Notices
actions we believe would most
effectively achieve the refuge’s
purposes, vision, and goals, and
respond to the issues raised during the
scoping period. It emphasizes the
management of specific refuge habitats
to support species of conservation
concern in the Chesapeake Bay region.
In particular, it emphasizes forest
biodiversity and ecosystem function.
This includes the restoration of a
number of impoundments and
grasslands to forested areas to support
forest interior-dwelling bird species and
other forest-dependent species. In
addition, alternative B strives to
promote wildlife-dependent public
uses, while allowing for non-wildlifedependent public uses. In particular, it
promotes higher quality hunting and
fishing programs; expands wildlife
observation, viewing, and photography
opportunities; and initiates new
interpretive program and environmental
education opportunities.
Alternative C (Maximize Forest Interior
Restoration and Emphasize Wildlifedependent Public Use Activities)
Alternative C would focus on
maximizing interior forest habitat. This
would require active management to
restore a majority of impoundments and
grasslands into forested areas that
would support forest interior-dwelling
species, in addition to other species of
conservation concern. Alternative C also
focuses on accommodating wildlifedependent public uses while
minimizing non-wildlife-dependent
uses, particularly by expanding wildlife
observation, viewing, and photography
opportunities and reducing the number
of special events and interpretive
programming.
Public Availability of Documents
In addition to any methods in
you can view or obtain
documents at the following locations:
• Our Web site: https://www.fws.gov/
northeast/planning/patuxent/
ccphome.html.
ADDRESSES,
rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Submitting Comments
We consider comments substantive if
they:
• Question, with reasonable basis, the
accuracy of the information in the
document;
• Question, with reasonable basis, the
adequacy of the EA;
• Present reasonable alternatives
other than those presented in the EA;
and/or
• Provide new or additional
information relevant to the EA.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:15 Oct 09, 2012
Jkt 229001
Next Steps
After this comment period ends, we
will analyze the comments and address
them in the form of a final CCP and, if
appropriate, a finding of no significant
impact.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone
number, email 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: August 14, 2012.
Deborah Rocque,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2012–24929 Filed 10–9–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–HQ–EA–2012–N234; FF09X60000–
FVWF97920900000–XXX]
Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership
Council
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), announce a
public meeting of the Sport Fishing and
Boating Partnership Council (Council).
A Federal advisory committee, the
Council was created in part to foster
partnerships to enhance public
awareness of the importance of aquatic
resources and the social and economic
benefits of recreational fishing and
boating in the United States. This
meeting is open to the public, and
interested persons may make oral
statements to the Council or may file
written statements for consideration.
DATES: The meeting will take place
Wednesday, November 7, 2012, from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday,
November 8, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 1
p.m. (Central Standard Time). For
deadlines and directions on registering
to attend the meeting, submitting
written material, and/or giving an oral
presentation, please see ‘‘Public Input’’
under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Texas A & M University—Corpus
Christi, Harte Research Institute; 6300
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
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Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412–
5869.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Douglas Hobbs, Council Coordinator,
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Mailstop
3103–AEA, Arlington, VA 22203;
telephone (703) 358–2336; fax (703)
358–2548; or email
doug_hobbs@fws.gov.
In
accordance with the requirements of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5
U.S.C. App., we announce that the Sport
Fishing and Boating Partnership
Council will hold a meeting.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Council was formed in January
1993 to advise the Secretary of the
Interior, through the Director of the
Service, on nationally significant
recreational fishing, boating, and
aquatic resource conservation issues.
The Council represents the interests of
the public and private sectors of the
sport fishing, boating, and conservation
communities and is organized to
enhance partnerships among industry,
constituency groups, and government.
The 18-member Council, appointed by
the Secretary of the Interior, includes
the Service Director and the president of
the Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies, who both serve in ex officio
capacities. Other Council members are
directors from State agencies
responsible for managing recreational
fish and wildlife resources and
individuals who represent the interests
of saltwater and freshwater recreational
fishing, recreational boating, the
recreational fishing and boating
industries, recreational fisheries
resource conservation, Native American
tribes, aquatic resource outreach and
education, and tourism. Background
information on the Council is available
at https://www.fws.gov/sfbpc.
Meeting Agenda
The Council will hold a meeting to
consider:
• Finalizing the Council Strategic
Work Plan for the 2012–2014 term.
• Issues regarding the Boating
Infrastructure Grant Program, Clean
Vessel Act Grant Program, and the Sport
Fish Restoration Boating Access
Program.
• The Rigs to Reefs Program and the
Interior Department implementation of
its ‘‘Idle Iron’’ policy for
decommissioning and removing unused
oil and gas production infrastructure.
• The on-going effort to assist the
Service in crafting a strategic vision for
its fishery and aquatic resource
conservation efforts.
E:\FR\FM\10OCN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61624-61626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-24929]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-R-2012-N078; BAC-4311-K9-S3]
Patuxent Research Refuge, Prince George's and Anne Arundel
Counties, MD; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental
Assessment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (we, the Service),
announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental assessment (CCP/EA) for Patuxent Research Refuge
(Patuxent RR), located in Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties,
Maryland, for public review and comment. The draft CCP/EA describes our
proposal for managing the refuge for the next 15 years.
[[Page 61625]]
Also available for public review and comment are the draft findings
of appropriateness and draft compatibility determinations for uses to
be allowed upon initial completion of the plan, if alternative B is
selected. These are included as appendix C in the draft CCP/EA.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your comments no later than
November 26, 2012. We will announce upcoming public meetings in local
news media, via our project mailing list, and on our regional planning
Web site: https://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/patuxent/ccphome.html.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or requests for copies or more
information by any of the following methods. You may request hard
copies or a CD-ROM of the documents.
Email: northeastplanning@fws.gov. Please include ``Patuxent RR
Draft CCP'' in the subject line of the message.
Fax: Attention: Bill Perry, 413-253-8468.
U.S. Mail: Bill Perry, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035.
In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or Pickup: Call 301-497-5580 to make
an appointment (necessary for view/pickup only) during regular business
hours at Patuxent RR, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel, MD 20708. For
more information on locations for viewing or obtaining documents, see
``Public Availability of Documents'' under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brad Knudsen, Refuge Manager, 301-437-
5580 (phone), or Bill Perry, Planning Team Leader, 413-253-8688
(phone); northeastplanning@fws.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Patuxent RR. We
started this process through a notice in the Federal Register (75 FR
12563; March 16, 2010).
Patuxent RR was established in 1936 by Executive Order by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt ``to effectuate further the purposes of the
Migratory Bird Conservation Act'' and ``as a wildlife experiment and
research refuge.'' The total approved acquisition boundary encompasses
12,841 acres between Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC--an area
with one of the highest densities of development in the United States.
Currently, about 10,000 of Patuxent RR's 12,841 acres are forest, but
the refuge also contains grasslands, freshwater marshes, shrub and
early successional forest, and open water. It provides important
habitat for a variety of migratory birds of conservation concern. The
refuge also offers unique opportunities for environmental education and
interpretation in an urban setting and is home to the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS) Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, a leading
international research institute for wildlife and applied environmental
research.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Refuge 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 Refuge Administration Act.
Public Outreach
We started pre-planning for the Patuxent RR CCP in December 2009.
In February 2010, we distributed our first newsletter and press release
announcing our intent to prepare a CCP for the refuge. In February and
March 2010, we had a formal public scoping period. The purpose of the
public scoping period was to solicit comments from the community and
other interested parties on the issues and impacts that should be
evaluated in the draft CCP/EA. To help solicit public comments, we held
two public meetings at the refuge during the formal public scoping
period. Throughout the rest of the planning process, we have conducted
additional outreach by participating in community meetings, events, and
other public forums, and by requesting public input on managing the
refuge and its programs. We received comments on topics such as the
potential effects of climate change, habitat management, reforesting,
environmental education programs, and other public uses of the refuge.
We have considered and evaluated all of the comments we received and
addressed them in various ways in the alternatives presented in the
draft CCP/EA.
CCP Alternatives We Are Considering
During the public scoping process, we, the Maryland Department of
Natural Resources, other governmental partners, and the public raised
several issues. To address these issues, we developed and evaluated
three alternatives in the draft CCP/EA. A full description of each
alternative is in the draft CCP/EA. All alternatives include measures
to control invasive species, monitor and abate diseases affecting
wildlife and plant health, coordinate with USGS to house and support
research efforts, protect cultural resources, continue existing
projects managed by outside programs, and minimize impacts from the
shooting ranges located on the refuge. There are also several actions
that are common to both alternatives B and C. These include using green
technology to update refuge buildings and grounds, constructing
additional space for environmental education and interpretation
classes, and collaborating with stakeholders on a redesign of the
shooting ranges.
There are other actions that differ among the alternatives. The
draft CCP/EA describes each alternative in detail and relates it to the
issues and concerns that arose during the planning process. Below, we
provide summaries for the three alternatives.
Alternative A (Current Management)
Alternative A (current management) satisfies the National
Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 1506.6(b)) requirement of a ``no
action'' alternative, which we define as ``continuing current
management.'' It describes our existing management priorities and
activities, and serves as a baseline for comparing and contrasting
alternatives B and C. It would maintain our present levels of approved
refuge staffing and the biological and visitor programs now in place.
We would continue to manage for and maintain a diversity of habitats,
including forests, forested wetlands, pine-oak savannah, grasslands,
and scrub-shrub on the refuge. The refuge would continue to provide an
active visitor use program that supports environmental education and
interpretation, hunting, fishing, and wildlife observation and
photography.
Alternative B (Forest Restoration and Mixed Public Use)
This alternative is the Service-preferred alternative. It combines
the
[[Page 61626]]
actions we believe would most effectively achieve the refuge's
purposes, vision, and goals, and respond to the issues raised during
the scoping period. It emphasizes the management of specific refuge
habitats to support species of conservation concern in the Chesapeake
Bay region. In particular, it emphasizes forest biodiversity and
ecosystem function. This includes the restoration of a number of
impoundments and grasslands to forested areas to support forest
interior-dwelling bird species and other forest-dependent species. In
addition, alternative B strives to promote wildlife-dependent public
uses, while allowing for non-wildlife-dependent public uses. In
particular, it promotes higher quality hunting and fishing programs;
expands wildlife observation, viewing, and photography opportunities;
and initiates new interpretive program and environmental education
opportunities.
Alternative C (Maximize Forest Interior Restoration and Emphasize
Wildlife-dependent Public Use Activities)
Alternative C would focus on maximizing interior forest habitat.
This would require active management to restore a majority of
impoundments and grasslands into forested areas that would support
forest interior-dwelling species, in addition to other species of
conservation concern. Alternative C also focuses on accommodating
wildlife-dependent public uses while minimizing non-wildlife-dependent
uses, particularly by expanding wildlife observation, viewing, and
photography opportunities and reducing the number of special events and
interpretive programming.
Public Availability of Documents
In addition to any methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain
documents at the following locations:
Our Web site: https://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/patuxent/ccphome.html.
Submitting Comments
We consider comments substantive if they:
Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of the
information in the document;
Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of the EA;
Present reasonable alternatives other than those presented
in the EA; and/or
Provide new or additional information relevant to the EA.
Next Steps
After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and
address them in the form of a final CCP and, if appropriate, a finding
of no significant impact.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email 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: August 14, 2012.
Deborah Rocque,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2012-24929 Filed 10-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P