Theodore Roosevelt and Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuges, Mississippi; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment, 13420-13422 [2015-05721]
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13420
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 49 / Friday, March 13, 2015 / Notices
Kyle
Hensley, (503) 808–6132, Branch of
Geographic Sciences, Bureau of Land
Management, 1220 SW. 3rd Avenue,
Portland, Oregon 97204. Persons who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
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day, 7 days a week, to leave a message
or question with the above individual.
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business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A person
or party who wishes to protest against
this survey must file a written notice
with the Oregon State Director, Bureau
of Land Management, stating that they
wish to protest. A statement of reasons
for a protest may be filed with the notice
of protest and must be filed with the
Oregon State Director within thirty days
after the protest is filed. If a protest
against the survey is received prior to
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comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
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to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Timothy J. Moore,
Acting Chief Cadastral Surveyor of Oregon/
Washington.
[FR Doc. 2015–05746 Filed 3–12–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–33–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
[FWS–R4–R–2014–N152;
FXRS12650400000S3–123–FF04R02000]
Theodore Roosevelt and Holt Collier
National Wildlife Refuges, Mississippi;
Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment
AGENCY:
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
Notice of availability; request
for comments.
ACTION:
We, the Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service), announce the
SUMMARY:
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19:27 Mar 12, 2015
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availability of a Draft Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental
Assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for
Theodore Roosevelt and Holt Collier
National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in
Sharkey and Washington Counties,
Mississippi, for public review and
comment. In this Draft CCP/EA, we
describe the alternative proposed to
manage these refuges for the 15 years
following approval of the final CCP.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we
must receive your written comments by
April 13, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of
the Draft CCP/EA by contacting Justin
Sexton, Refuge Manager, by mail at
Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge, 595
Yazoo Refuge Rd., Hollandale, MS
38748, or by phone at (662) 839–2638.
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 by email to
Justin Sexton at Justin_Sexton@fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Justin Sexton, (662) 839–2638 (phone)
or Justin_Sexton@fws.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP
process, which started through a notice
in the Federal Register on July 30, 2013
(78 FR 18231). For more about the
refuges and our CCP process, please see
that notice.
The refuges are located in Central
Mississippi. They are two of seven
refuges in the Theodore Roosevelt NWR
Complex. The two refuges were
established for conservation purposes.
The enacting legislation for both refuges
is section 145 of Public Law 108–199,
the Consolidated Appropriations Act of
2004. This Act renamed The Bogue
Phalia Unit of Yazoo NWR as Holt
Collier NWR. This is the first NWR to
be named in honor of an African
American historical legend and famed
hunting guide to President Roosevelt.
Legislative authority for Holt Collier
NWR therefore also comes from the Fish
and Wildlife Coordination Act, which
established Yazoo NWR.
Holt Collier NWR consists of
approximately 2,233 acres of Farm
Service Agency lands in Washington
County, and it is located 5 miles east of
Hollandale in the Darlove area. Its
approved acquisition boundary is
18,000 acres. The refuge is open yearround for wildlife-related activities such
as hunting, wildlife observation, and
nature photography. The refuge habitat
is former agricultural lands, most of
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
which, in the past 15 years, have been
reforested to bottomland hardwood.
Theodore Roosevelt NWR is located
in Sharkey County south of Cary,
Mississippi. Congress authorized 6,600
acres to be acquired through donation
and land exchange. To date 1,674 acres
have been established in fee title. The
habitat consists mainly of converted,
agricultural lands now reforested to
trees more indicative of the native
bottomland hardwood forest. Farmlands
and open water also occur. The refuge
is not open to the public. There are no
public facilities located on either refuge.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)
System Improvement Act of 1997
(Improvement Act) requires us to
develop a CCP for each national wildlife
refuge. CCPs are developed to provide
refuge managers with a 15-year plan for
achieving refuges’ purposes and
contributing toward the mission of the
NWR System, consistent with sound
principles of fish and wildlife
management, conservation, legal
mandates, and our policies. CCPs
describe a broad management direction
for conserving wildlife and their
habitats. They propose wildlifedependent recreational opportunities to
be made available to the public. These
include opportunities for hunting,
fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife
photography, and environmental
education and interpretation. We will
review the CCP annually and revise it as
needed in accordance with the
Improvement Act.
Priority resource issues addressed in
the Draft CCP/EA include: Fish and
Wildlife Populations, Habitat
Management, Resource Protection,
Visitor Services, and Refuge
Administration. See Chapter III in the
Draft CCP for a full description.
CCP Alternatives, Including Our
Proposed Alternative (B)
We developed three alternatives for
managing the refuge (Alternatives A, B,
and C), with Alternative B as our
proposed alternative. A full description
of each alternative is in the CCP
(Chapter IV) and Chapters III and IV of
the EA. We summarize each alternative
below.
Alternative A: Current Management (No
Action)
Alternative A continues the refuges’
limited management activities and
programs at levels similar to the current
and past few years of management.
Theodore Roosevelt NWR would remain
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 49 / Friday, March 13, 2015 / Notices
closed until a sufficient land area is
accumulated to accommodate public
use.
We would continue to approve and
support Special Use Permits to outside
agencies to conduct research on the
refuges. While there is no active
research or management for listed
species that may occur on the refuges,
the Service supports State research
efforts for the Louisiana black bear.
Waterfowl are the priority species for
management on the Complex. Both
refuges have a passive role in providing
sanctuary for waterfowl. Native wildlife
species benefit from waterfowl and
timber management on the Complex. At
Holt Collier NWR, hunting programs
aim to manage white-tailed deer and
there are partnerships for healthy herd
efforts and studies.
The refuges’ primary mission is to
provide sanctuary for wildlife,
particularly migratory birds (waterfowl).
Major reforestation efforts in recent
decades returned converted agricultural
lands to bottomland hardwood forest.
The Service would continue to acquire
lands to grow the refuges. There is no
active management of forest or water
resources. Invasive species such as feral
swine would be controlled, and grant
opportunities and partnerships would
be pursued to fund and/or conduct
trapping.
Efforts to promote visitor safety,
protect resources, and ensure public
compliance with refuge regulations
would continue as a collateral duty of
one law enforcement officer for three
refuges. Complex personnel also
provide safety and refuge regulation
information. A law enforcement stepdown plan is under development for the
Complex. In keeping with the Service’s
responsibilities under cultural and
historic preservation laws, cultural
resource protection is addressed in
refuge operations.
The Delta area is known for its
cultural history, and these refuges were
created to honor and promote it. The
Consolidated Appropriations Act of
2004 established the refuges and
appropriated funds for an
environmental education and
interpretive center. The Congressional
sponsors of the Act intended for it to be
named for Holt Collier, a historic figure
of the area. The Service would
incorporate the environmental
education and interpretive facilities
within a Visitor Center for the Complex
located at Theodore Roosevelt NWR.
Efforts would continue to identify a site
for the Visitor Center to showcase the
Delta’s rich cultural heritage. At present
the Complex provides information and
interpretation via its and each refuge’s
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Web sites and by staffing events or
public talks. There are no volunteer or
Friends programs to provide a base of
support for staff assistance.
Access to both refuges is via State
roads and highways that pass through
the refuges. Wildlife viewing
opportunities for both refuges are
limited. Theodore Roosevelt NWR is
closed to public use, and Holt Collier
NWR has limited public use, mainly
hunting. The only facility on either
refuge is the hunter information station
at Holt Collier NWR. When Theodore
Roosevelt NWR has acquired enough
land to support public use, it would be
opened to wildlife-dependent public
uses including hunting and fishing. No
funding would be sought for positions
to further manage the refuges.
Alternative B: Minimally Developed
Refuges
As these are newer refuges authorized
by Congress in 2004, the focus of this
plan is to develop them. Congress
established the refuges with a mandate
to expand them to their designated land
acreages. Therefore, our efforts over the
next 15 years will be focused on land
acquisition to build-out the refuges to
their approved acquisition boundaries.
Passive habitat protection and the
addition of new resource lands
beneficial to wildlife will help preserve
habitat in perpetuity and to lessen
fragmentation. This plan has the
objective of providing sanctuary to
migratory species as a group, not just
priority waterfowl species. White-tailed
deer management would continue
through the Holt Collier NWR hunt
program and eventually at Theodore
Roosevelt NWR. Integrated damage
control of invasive and nuisance species
would lessen the negative effects on the
refuges’ habitats.
Another primary focus of the plan is
to create a visitor services program to
enhance environmental education and
outreach efforts substantially and to
reach larger numbers of residents,
students, educators, and visitors. It
places priority on wildlife-dependent
uses, such as hunting, fishing and
wildlife observation. The details of
these allowable uses are specified in
appropriate use and compatibility
determinations (Appendices E and F).
Priority public uses, such as hunting,
are allowed at Holt Collier NWR. At a
time when sufficient land is amassed to
allow for ample public use
opportunities, Theodore Roosevelt NWR
would be opened to hunting. Public use
would be phased into both refuges.
Compatibility determinations are
updated and proposed for the priority
public uses and for research and
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13421
monitoring. For both refuges, some
commercial uses would be allowed
under a Commercial Special Use Permit,
including commercial photography,
firewood gathering, timber harvest for
forest management, and trapping.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act
of 2004 appropriated funds for a Visitor
Center to provide visitor services and to
promote the Delta area’s natural
resources and cultural heritage. A major
focus of this plan and Service efforts
will be to site, build, and staff the
Visitor Center. Key interpretive
messages would focus on natural
resources (e.g., Louisiana black bear)
and cultural heritage and would reach a
broader audience and geographic area.
Currently the Service is working on
accepting a 5-acre land donation and
purchasing the adjacent 20 acres to
serve as the site for the Visitor Center.
All preliminary, site-suitability work
has been completed. Once a location is
secured for the Visitor Center, regular
Service procedures would be followed
for site and building design and
construction. Staffing is proposed to run
the Visitor Center, to provide
environmental and interpretive
programs, and to coordinate volunteers.
This CCP assumes a modest growth of
refuge resources over its 15-year
implementation period. This plan
proposes to staff the refuges with three
new positions as new funding is
available. Current partnerships would
be maintained and new ones would be
sought. Daily operation of the refuges
will be guided by this CCP and through
the implementation of nine projects and
six step-down management plans as
detailed in Chapter V, Plan
Implementation.
The goals, objectives, and strategies
presented are the Service’s responses to
the issues, concerns, and needs
expressed by the planning team, refuge
partners, and the public. They reflect
the Service’s commitment to achieve the
mandates of the Improvement Act, the
mission of the Refuge System, and the
purposes and vision of the refuges.
Assuming adequate resources are
provided through Congressional budget
and grant funding, the Service aims to
accomplish these goals, objectives, and
strategies within the next 15 years.
Alternative C: Optional Alternative
Like Alternative B, Alternative C
presents a management scenario in
which the newer refuges are minimally
developed to allow for basic natural
resource management, for the promotion
of cultural heritage, and for wildlifedependent public use. It also provides
for modest staffing and management
capability, adding three positions to the
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 49 / Friday, March 13, 2015 / Notices
three identified in Alternative B.
Whereas the facilities for public use will
mainly be off site and associated with
the administrative Visitors Center site
for both Alternatives A and B,
Alternative C adds facilities to the
refuges proper to provide for basic
visitor use and to promote wildlifedependent recreation, mainly fishing
and wildlife observation and
photography. The refuges would add a
maintenance compound on each refuge
and visitor services facilities to promote
access and use. These include adding a
system of trails for each refuge and
providing fishing access via a primitive
boat launch at Coon Bayou. To enhance
wildlife viewing, a photography
observation platform and/or photo
blinds would be constructed at each
refuge.
The Service would expand its survey
and monitoring of priority species as
proposed in Alternative B to obtain
baseline data for native species, none of
which have been inventoried or their
presence documented (e.g., selected
mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and
invertebrates). Also, active habitat
management (e.g., cooperative farming,
moist soil management) could occur.
Nuisance animal control and invasive
plant species management would
continue as described in Alternative B
and conducted opportunistically.
Alternative C includes adding the
positions proposed in Alternative B plus
three others: A Federal Wildlife Officer
position, a Visitor Services Specialist,
and an office/administrative assistant or
clerk position, which, among
administrative duties, would serve as a
receptionist at the Visitor Center. With
additional staffing, the Visitor Center
could be open more hours.
Next Step
After the comment period ends, we
will analyze the comments and address
them.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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.
Authority
This notice is published under the
authority of the National Wildlife
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19:27 Mar 12, 2015
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Refuge System Improvement Act of
1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.).
Dated: January 5, 2015.
Mike Oetker,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2015–05721 Filed 3–12–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCA942000 L57000000.BX0000 14X
L5017AR]
Filing of Plats of Survey: California
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The plats of survey of lands
described below are scheduled to be
officially filed in the Bureau of Land
Management, California State Office,
Sacramento, California.
DATES: April 13, 2015.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the plats may be
obtained from the California State
Office, Bureau of Land Management,
2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento,
California 95825, upon required
payment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chief, Branch of Geographic Services,
Bureau of Land Management, California
State Office, 2800 Cottage Way W–1623,
Sacramento, California 95825, (916)
978–4310. 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: A person
or party who wishes to protest a survey
must file a notice that they wish to
protest with the Chief, Branch of
Geographic Services. A statement of
reasons for a protest may be filed with
the notice of protest and must be filed
with the Chief, Branch of Geographic
Services within thirty days after the
protest is filed. If a protest against the
survey is received prior to the date of
official filing, the filing will be stayed
pending consideration of the protest. A
plat will not be officially filed until the
day after all protests have been
dismissed or otherwise resolved. Before
including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
SUMMARY:
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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.
Mount Diablo Meridian, California
T. 32 S., R. 16 E., dependent resurvey and
subdivision, accepted February 12, 2015.
T. 39 N., R. 14 E., dependent resurvey and
subdivision, accepted February 12, 2015.
San Bernardino Meridian, California
T. 7 S., R. 13 E., addendum plat of section
21, accepted February 12, 2015.
T. 7 S., R. 13 E., addendum plat of section
13, accepted February 12, 2015.
Authority: 43 U.S.C., Chapter 3.
Dated: March 5, 2015.
Lance J. Bishop,
Chief Cadastral Surveyor, California.
[FR Doc. 2015–05785 Filed 3–12–15; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Antitrust Division
Notice Pursuant to the National
Cooperative Research and Production
Act of 1993; Pistoia Alliance, Inc.
Notice is hereby given that, on
February 12, 2015, pursuant to Section
6(a) of the National Cooperative
Research and Production Act of 1993,
15 U.S.C. 4301 et seq. (‘‘the Act’’),
Pistoia Alliance, Inc. has filed written
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filed for the purpose of extending the
Act’s provisions limiting the recovery of
antitrust plaintiffs to actual damages
under specified circumstances.
Specifically, Amgen, Thousand Oaks,
CA; quattro research GmbH, Munich,
GERMANY; Cambridgene, Cambridge,
Cambridgeshire, UNITED KINGDOM;
Dotmatics Limited, Bishop Stortford,
Hertfordshire, UNITED KINGDOM; Paul
Willer (individual member), Sudbury,
Suffolk, UNITED KINGDOM; H.
Lundbeck A/S, Valby, DENMARK; and
Jeeva Informatics Solutions, Derwood,
MD, have been added as parties to this
venture.
Also, ChemITment, Amston, CT;
Progenus, Namur, BELGIUM; Answer
Consulting, Woking, UNITED
KINGDOM; IrisNote, Inc., Columbus,
OH; Blue Reference, Inc., Bend, OR; and
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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 49 (Friday, March 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13420-13422]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05721]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-R-2014-N152; FXRS12650400000S3-123-FF04R02000]
Theodore Roosevelt and Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuges,
Mississippi; 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 Theodore Roosevelt and Holt
Collier National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in Sharkey and Washington
Counties, Mississippi, for public review and comment. In this Draft
CCP/EA, we describe the alternative proposed to manage these refuges
for the 15 years following approval of the final CCP.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
by April 13, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the Draft CCP/EA by contacting
Justin Sexton, Refuge Manager, by mail at Yazoo National Wildlife
Refuge, 595 Yazoo Refuge Rd., Hollandale, MS 38748, or by phone at
(662) 839-2638. 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 by email to Justin Sexton at Justin_Sexton@fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Justin Sexton, (662) 839-2638 (phone)
or Justin_Sexton@fws.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP process, which started
through a notice in the Federal Register on July 30, 2013 (78 FR
18231). For more about the refuges and our CCP process, please see that
notice.
The refuges are located in Central Mississippi. They are two of
seven refuges in the Theodore Roosevelt NWR Complex. The two refuges
were established for conservation purposes. The enacting legislation
for both refuges is section 145 of Public Law 108-199, the Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2004. This Act renamed The Bogue Phalia Unit of
Yazoo NWR as Holt Collier NWR. This is the first NWR to be named in
honor of an African American historical legend and famed hunting guide
to President Roosevelt. Legislative authority for Holt Collier NWR
therefore also comes from the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, which
established Yazoo NWR.
Holt Collier NWR consists of approximately 2,233 acres of Farm
Service Agency lands in Washington County, and it is located 5 miles
east of Hollandale in the Darlove area. Its approved acquisition
boundary is 18,000 acres. The refuge is open year-round for wildlife-
related activities such as hunting, wildlife observation, and nature
photography. The refuge habitat is former agricultural lands, most of
which, in the past 15 years, have been reforested to bottomland
hardwood.
Theodore Roosevelt NWR is located in Sharkey County south of Cary,
Mississippi. Congress authorized 6,600 acres to be acquired through
donation and land exchange. To date 1,674 acres have been established
in fee title. The habitat consists mainly of converted, agricultural
lands now reforested to trees more indicative of the native bottomland
hardwood forest. Farmlands and open water also occur. The refuge is not
open to the public. There are no public facilities located on either
refuge.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System Improvement Act of 1997
(Improvement Act) requires us to develop a CCP for each national
wildlife refuge. CCPs are developed to provide refuge managers with a
15-year plan for achieving refuges' purposes and contributing toward
the mission of the NWR System, consistent with sound principles of fish
and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and our
policies. CCPs describe a broad management direction for conserving
wildlife and their habitats. They propose wildlife-dependent
recreational opportunities to be made available to the public. These
include opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation,
wildlife photography, and environmental education and interpretation.
We will review the CCP annually and revise it as needed in accordance
with the Improvement Act.
Priority resource issues addressed in the Draft CCP/EA include:
Fish and Wildlife Populations, Habitat Management, Resource Protection,
Visitor Services, and Refuge Administration. See Chapter III in the
Draft CCP for a full description.
CCP Alternatives, Including Our Proposed Alternative (B)
We developed three alternatives for managing the refuge
(Alternatives A, B, and C), with Alternative B as our proposed
alternative. A full description of each alternative is in the CCP
(Chapter IV) and Chapters III and IV of the EA. We summarize each
alternative below.
Alternative A: Current Management (No Action)
Alternative A continues the refuges' limited management activities
and programs at levels similar to the current and past few years of
management. Theodore Roosevelt NWR would remain
[[Page 13421]]
closed until a sufficient land area is accumulated to accommodate
public use.
We would continue to approve and support Special Use Permits to
outside agencies to conduct research on the refuges. While there is no
active research or management for listed species that may occur on the
refuges, the Service supports State research efforts for the Louisiana
black bear. Waterfowl are the priority species for management on the
Complex. Both refuges have a passive role in providing sanctuary for
waterfowl. Native wildlife species benefit from waterfowl and timber
management on the Complex. At Holt Collier NWR, hunting programs aim to
manage white-tailed deer and there are partnerships for healthy herd
efforts and studies.
The refuges' primary mission is to provide sanctuary for wildlife,
particularly migratory birds (waterfowl). Major reforestation efforts
in recent decades returned converted agricultural lands to bottomland
hardwood forest. The Service would continue to acquire lands to grow
the refuges. There is no active management of forest or water
resources. Invasive species such as feral swine would be controlled,
and grant opportunities and partnerships would be pursued to fund and/
or conduct trapping.
Efforts to promote visitor safety, protect resources, and ensure
public compliance with refuge regulations would continue as a
collateral duty of one law enforcement officer for three refuges.
Complex personnel also provide safety and refuge regulation
information. A law enforcement step-down plan is under development for
the Complex. In keeping with the Service's responsibilities under
cultural and historic preservation laws, cultural resource protection
is addressed in refuge operations.
The Delta area is known for its cultural history, and these refuges
were created to honor and promote it. The Consolidated Appropriations
Act of 2004 established the refuges and appropriated funds for an
environmental education and interpretive center. The Congressional
sponsors of the Act intended for it to be named for Holt Collier, a
historic figure of the area. The Service would incorporate the
environmental education and interpretive facilities within a Visitor
Center for the Complex located at Theodore Roosevelt NWR. Efforts would
continue to identify a site for the Visitor Center to showcase the
Delta's rich cultural heritage. At present the Complex provides
information and interpretation via its and each refuge's Web sites and
by staffing events or public talks. There are no volunteer or Friends
programs to provide a base of support for staff assistance.
Access to both refuges is via State roads and highways that pass
through the refuges. Wildlife viewing opportunities for both refuges
are limited. Theodore Roosevelt NWR is closed to public use, and Holt
Collier NWR has limited public use, mainly hunting. The only facility
on either refuge is the hunter information station at Holt Collier NWR.
When Theodore Roosevelt NWR has acquired enough land to support public
use, it would be opened to wildlife-dependent public uses including
hunting and fishing. No funding would be sought for positions to
further manage the refuges.
Alternative B: Minimally Developed Refuges
As these are newer refuges authorized by Congress in 2004, the
focus of this plan is to develop them. Congress established the refuges
with a mandate to expand them to their designated land acreages.
Therefore, our efforts over the next 15 years will be focused on land
acquisition to build-out the refuges to their approved acquisition
boundaries. Passive habitat protection and the addition of new resource
lands beneficial to wildlife will help preserve habitat in perpetuity
and to lessen fragmentation. This plan has the objective of providing
sanctuary to migratory species as a group, not just priority waterfowl
species. White-tailed deer management would continue through the Holt
Collier NWR hunt program and eventually at Theodore Roosevelt NWR.
Integrated damage control of invasive and nuisance species would lessen
the negative effects on the refuges' habitats.
Another primary focus of the plan is to create a visitor services
program to enhance environmental education and outreach efforts
substantially and to reach larger numbers of residents, students,
educators, and visitors. It places priority on wildlife-dependent uses,
such as hunting, fishing and wildlife observation. The details of these
allowable uses are specified in appropriate use and compatibility
determinations (Appendices E and F).
Priority public uses, such as hunting, are allowed at Holt Collier
NWR. At a time when sufficient land is amassed to allow for ample
public use opportunities, Theodore Roosevelt NWR would be opened to
hunting. Public use would be phased into both refuges. Compatibility
determinations are updated and proposed for the priority public uses
and for research and monitoring. For both refuges, some commercial uses
would be allowed under a Commercial Special Use Permit, including
commercial photography, firewood gathering, timber harvest for forest
management, and trapping.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004 appropriated funds for
a Visitor Center to provide visitor services and to promote the Delta
area's natural resources and cultural heritage. A major focus of this
plan and Service efforts will be to site, build, and staff the Visitor
Center. Key interpretive messages would focus on natural resources
(e.g., Louisiana black bear) and cultural heritage and would reach a
broader audience and geographic area. Currently the Service is working
on accepting a 5-acre land donation and purchasing the adjacent 20
acres to serve as the site for the Visitor Center. All preliminary,
site-suitability work has been completed. Once a location is secured
for the Visitor Center, regular Service procedures would be followed
for site and building design and construction. Staffing is proposed to
run the Visitor Center, to provide environmental and interpretive
programs, and to coordinate volunteers.
This CCP assumes a modest growth of refuge resources over its 15-
year implementation period. This plan proposes to staff the refuges
with three new positions as new funding is available. Current
partnerships would be maintained and new ones would be sought. Daily
operation of the refuges will be guided by this CCP and through the
implementation of nine projects and six step-down management plans as
detailed in Chapter V, Plan Implementation.
The goals, objectives, and strategies presented are the Service's
responses to the issues, concerns, and needs expressed by the planning
team, refuge partners, and the public. They reflect the Service's
commitment to achieve the mandates of the Improvement Act, the mission
of the Refuge System, and the purposes and vision of the refuges.
Assuming adequate resources are provided through Congressional budget
and grant funding, the Service aims to accomplish these goals,
objectives, and strategies within the next 15 years.
Alternative C: Optional Alternative
Like Alternative B, Alternative C presents a management scenario in
which the newer refuges are minimally developed to allow for basic
natural resource management, for the promotion of cultural heritage,
and for wildlife-dependent public use. It also provides for modest
staffing and management capability, adding three positions to the
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three identified in Alternative B. Whereas the facilities for public
use will mainly be off site and associated with the administrative
Visitors Center site for both Alternatives A and B, Alternative C adds
facilities to the refuges proper to provide for basic visitor use and
to promote wildlife-dependent recreation, mainly fishing and wildlife
observation and photography. The refuges would add a maintenance
compound on each refuge and visitor services facilities to promote
access and use. These include adding a system of trails for each refuge
and providing fishing access via a primitive boat launch at Coon Bayou.
To enhance wildlife viewing, a photography observation platform and/or
photo blinds would be constructed at each refuge.
The Service would expand its survey and monitoring of priority
species as proposed in Alternative B to obtain baseline data for native
species, none of which have been inventoried or their presence
documented (e.g., selected mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and
invertebrates). Also, active habitat management (e.g., cooperative
farming, moist soil management) could occur. Nuisance animal control
and invasive plant species management would continue as described in
Alternative B and conducted opportunistically.
Alternative C includes adding the positions proposed in Alternative
B plus three others: A Federal Wildlife Officer position, a Visitor
Services Specialist, and an office/administrative assistant or clerk
position, which, among administrative duties, would serve as a
receptionist at the Visitor Center. With additional staffing, the
Visitor Center could be open more hours.
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, 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.
Authority
This notice is published under the authority of the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et
seq.).
Dated: January 5, 2015.
Mike Oetker,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-05721 Filed 3-12-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P