Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment, 24958-24960 [2015-10298]

Agencies

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 84 (Friday, May 1, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24958-24960]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-10298]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-R-2014-N198; FXRS12650400000S3-123-FF04R02000]


Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana; Draft 
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of a ``Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and 
Environmental Assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Cat Island National 
Wildlife Refuge in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, for public review 
and comment. In this Draft CCP/EA, we describe the alternative we 
propose to use to manage this refuge for the 15 years following 
approval of the final CCP.

DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments 
by June 1, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the Draft CCP/EA by contacting Kent 
Ozment, Wildlife Refuge Specialist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Lower Mississippi River Refuge Complex, 21 Pintail Ln. 89, Natchez, MS 
39165. Alternatively, you may download the document from our Internet 
site at https://southeast.fws.gov/planning under ``Draft CCP 
Documents.'' Comments on the Draft CCP/EA may be submitted to the above 
postal address or by email to Kent Ozment at Kent_Ozment@fws.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kent Ozment, Natural Resource Planner, 
(601) 442-6696 or Kent_Ozment@fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With this notice, we continue the CCP 
process for Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) started through a 
notice in the Federal Register on October 22, 2013 (78 FR 62648). For 
more about the refuge and our CCP process, please see that notice.
    Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in October 
2000, as the 526th refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System. It is 
located in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, near the town of St. 
Francisville, 25 miles north of Baton Rouge. The refuge currently 
encompasses 10,473 acres of bottomland hardwood forest, baldcypress-
tupelo swamp, and shrub-scrub swamps. The Congressionally approved 
acquisition boundary encloses 36,500 acres.
    Cat Island NWR is part of the Lower Mississippi River Ecosystem and 
is located on the southeastern edge of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley 
(MAV) Bird Conservation Region, which is incorporated into the Gulf 
Coastal Plans and Ozarks Landscape Conservation Cooperative. The refuge 
provides high-quality habitat for many species of waterfowl, wading 
birds, Neotropical migratory songbirds, and resident game and fish, as 
well as threatened and endangered species and species of concern. The 
refuge contains a number of relict old-growth baldcypress trees, 
including the world's largest known individual of this species.

Background

The CCP Process

    The National Wildlife Refuge 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 refuge purposes and contributing toward the 
mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System consistent with sound 
principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal 
mandates, and our policies. In addition to outlining broad management 
direction on conserving wildlife and their habitats, CCPs identify 
wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities available to the public, 
including opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, 
wildlife photography, and environmental education and interpretation. 
We will review and update the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance 
with the Improvement Act.
    Priority resource issues addressed in the Draft CCP/EA include: 
Fish and Wildlife Population Management, Habitat Management, Resource 
Protection, Visitor Services, and Refuge Administration.

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 Draft 
CCP/EA. We summarize each alternative below.

Alternative A: Current Management (No Action)

    Under alternative A, Cat Island NWR would be managed as it has been 
in recent years. No new actions would be taken to manage Cat Island 
NWR, or improve or otherwise change the refuge's habitats, wildlife, or 
public use. Programs that have been ongoing in the past would continue. 
Certain monitoring activities would continue, including periodic 
migratory bird surveys. Maintenance of roads and public-use facilities 
would continue as presently conducted. Habitats would continue to be 
mostly passively managed, with actions taken only to provide for public 
safety or to avoid or mitigate damage to refuge resources. Current 
partnerships with the West Feliciana Parish Tourist Commission, 
Louisiana Hiking Club, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 
and others would continue as before. The refuge hunting, fishing, and 
non-consumptive uses would continue as presently constituted. Legal 
requirements for protection of natural and cultural resources would 
continue to be met.
    Acquisition of lands within the approved acquisition boundary would 
continue as before, contingent upon the availability of funding and 
appropriate lands offered by willing sellers. Law enforcement would 
continue to be a shared responsibility between the Service, the State 
of Louisiana, and the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office. The 
refuge would continue to be unstaffed, and funding for its operation 
would be restricted to funds generated by the sale of recreational use 
permits and occasional special project funding.

Alternative B: Active Resource Management (Proposed Alternative)

    Under this alternative, the refuge's natural resources would be 
managed to enhance habitats for priority species, including waterfowl 
and other migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, species 
of concern, and resident fish and wildlife. Additionally, consistent 
wildlife surveys would be conducted, using established protocols to 
establish baseline habitat conditions, estimate wildlife population 
indices, determine responses to management actions, and contribute to 
larger scale biological assessments. Invasive exotic and nuisance 
species would be actively managed to minimize their impacts on refuge 
resources. The refuge forests would be actively managed to enhance 
wildlife habitat. Aquatic habitats on the refuge would be inventoried 
and

[[Page 24959]]

assessed and, where feasible, access to them would be improved for 
recreational anglers.
    The refuge cultural resources would continue to be protected as 
they have been in the past. In addition, the refuge would seek funding 
to survey and catalog cultural resources on the refuge. Protection of 
cultural resources would be integrated into refuge planning at all 
levels, and management actions would be reviewed in order to avoid or 
mitigate impacts to cultural resources.
    Under the proposed alternative, public use would be more actively 
managed by refuge staff. Hunting and fishing would continue to be 
managed and made available with the active partnership of the Louisiana 
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. More law enforcement personnel 
hours would be allocated by the Service for Cat Island NWR. New 
partnerships with organizations interested in promoting non-consumptive 
refuge use would be sought, and existing ones strengthened. In 
particular, environmental education opportunities would be enhanced by 
active participation of Service personnel with local schools and 
nonprofit organizations.
    As under alternative A, acquisition of lands within the approved 
acquisition boundary would continue as before under the proposed 
alternative, contingent upon the availability of funding and 
appropriate lands offered by willing sellers. The refuge infrastructure 
would be maintained as in the past. The refuge would seek to improve 
access via the main refuge road and various trails. Efforts would be 
made to provide access to the northeast section of the refuge, and 
access via Cat Island Road would be pursued. The refuge would hire or 
assign staff to the refuge. Staff may include one or more of the 
following: A Refuge Manager, a Volunteer Coordinator, an Equipment 
Operator, a Law Enforcement Officer, a Forester, and a Biologist. Any 
or all of these may be shared positions among refuges in the Lower 
Mississippi River Refuge Complex.

Alternative C: Full Resource Management With Enhanced Public Use

    Under this alternative, as with alternative B, the refuge's natural 
resources would be actively managed to enhance priority species 
habitats. A full inventory and monitoring program, including vegetation 
mapping and plant and wildlife surveys, would be instituted under a new 
Inventory and Monitoring Plan. Monitoring activities would be conducted 
by refuge staff, with the assistance of volunteers and partners. An 
aggressive approach would be taken to control invasive plants and 
animals, particularly feral hogs. Trapping and shooting by refuge staff 
and/or contractors would be systematically implemented with the goal of 
keeping populations at levels that do not pose a significant risk to 
refuge resources. Forests on the refuge would be assessed according to 
a stand-entry table, and appropriate silvicultural treatments would be 
applied to achieve the habitat conditions described by the Lower 
Mississippi Valley Joint Venture Forest Resource Conservation Working 
Group. Abandoned food plots along the main road would be evaluated for 
restoration to support nocturnal woodcock habitat. Refuge hydrology and 
aquatic habitats on the refuge would be fully assessed and feasible 
management actions to restore and enhance their ability to support a 
native recreational fishery and species of concern would be taken.
    The refuge cultural resources would be protected as required by law 
and described under alternative B; however, increased public outreach 
and law enforcement presence would be expected to reduce risks of 
illegal disturbance of cultural artifacts. Funding for cultural 
resource surveys and catalog efforts would be sought, and cultural 
resources would be integrated into all refuge management activities, 
including forest management and public use programs. Historical 
information about the refuge lands would be compiled and displayed.
    Public use under alternative C would be more strongly emphasized. 
While the refuge would continue to forge and develop partnerships, it 
would also develop independent capacity to manage public use. This 
capacity would include significant personnel resources focused on 
environmental education and interpretation, hunting and fishing, and 
promoting wildlife observation and photography. Dedicated law 
enforcement resources would be allocated to the refuge to focus on 
enhancing public safety and enforcing applicable laws and regulations. 
The refuge would, if feasible, maintain bank fishing areas adjacent to 
culverts along the main road and/or at the small pond.
    Connections to educational institutions in the nearby Baton Rouge 
metropolitan area would be strengthened, and public outreach would 
emphasize the role of conservation in supporting urban quality of life. 
The refuge would investigate the possibility of hosting an annual 
public event.
    The refuge infrastructure would be enhanced. Roads would be 
improved to reduce overall maintenance costs, particularly those that 
result from annual flooding. The refuge would evaluate the feasibility 
of building roadside boat launches for use during flooded conditions. 
The refuge would work with State of Louisiana and West Feliciana Parish 
to improve the access road to the refuge. New bridges would be 
constructed on roads and All-Terrain Vehicles/Utility Terrain Vehicle 
(ATV/UTV) trails where needed. ATV/UTV trails would be hardened where 
necessary and maintained annually. The refuge would evaluate the 
feasibility of upgrading the River Road ATV trail to support automobile 
traffic. The trail and boardwalk at the Big Cypress would be improved. 
Maintenance and infrastructure on the hiking trails would be improved. 
Abandoned camps along the Mississippi River would be removed, along 
with associated debris. The refuge would establish a presence in St. 
Francisville to house staff and serve as a focus for public outreach. 
The refuge would hire a core staff team to include a Refuge Manager, a 
Park Ranger/Volunteer Coordinator, a Law Enforcement Officer, a 
Forester or Biologist, and an Equipment Operator. One or more of these 
positions would be primarily assigned to Cat Island NWR, while others 
may be shared with other refuges in the complex. Full staffing level 
dedicated to the refuge is anticipated to be approximately 3-4 full-
time equivalents under this alternative.

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.).


[[Page 24960]]


    Dated: October 27, 2014.
Mike Oetker,
Acting Regional Director.

    Editorial Note:  This document was received for publication by 
the Office of Federal Register on April 28, 2015.
[FR Doc. 2015-10298 Filed 4-30-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-55-P