Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Palm Beach County, FL; Boundary Adjustment, 47137-47138 [2021-18013]

Download as PDF 47137 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 160 / Monday, August 23, 2021 / Notices Number of respondents Information collection HUD Form 4737C HCD Utilization Plan ....... HUD Form 4737D HUD Funding Tracker ..... Total ....................................................... 2,500.00 2,500.00 I 12,500.00 • Utilization Tracker and Funding Tracker hourly response rate has been determined by a mean of the PHA and HCD hourly response rates. • PHA utilization hourly response is set at the median hourly rate of a General Operation Manager, per OES, https://www.bls.gov/oes/. • The HCD hourly response rate has been determined by the median hourly rate of a compliance manager, per OES, https://www.bls.gov/oes/. B. Solicitation of Public Comment This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affected parties concerning the collection of information described in Section A on the following: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) The accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond; including through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in response to these questions. Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35. Krista Mills, Director, Office of Field Policy and Management. [FR Doc. 2021–17981 Filed 8–20–21; 8:45 am] jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES BILLING CODE 4210–67–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:11 Aug 20, 2021 Frequency of response Jkt 253001 Responses per annum 1.00 1.00 I ........................ Burden hour per response 2,500.00 2,500.00 I ........................ 1.50 3.00 I 16.00 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R4–NWRS–2019–N160; FXRS12610400000–201–FF04RFLX00; 40136–1265–0000–S3] Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Palm Beach County, FL; Boundary Adjustment Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have adjusted the acquisition boundary line of a section of Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, to reflect an approved action from 2015. ADDRESSES: Accessing Documents: You may review maps depicting the boundary revision by either of the following methods. • Internet: https://https:// www.fws.gov/refuge/ARM_Loxahatchee/ map.html. • In-Person Inspection: Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, 10211 Lee Road, Boynton Beach, FL 33473. (Please call 561–735–6022 to make an appointment.) SUMMARY: Rolf Olson, Project Leader, 561–735–6022. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have adjusted the approved acquisition boundary line surrounding a section of Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), to reflect an approved action from 2015. Specifically, the South Florida Water Management District and Service agreed to exchange two parcels of land adjacent to the Refuge in western Palm Beach County. The land-for-land exchange was finalized on January 11, 2018. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Background The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (Administration Act; 16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.) provides authority for the Service to manage national wildlife refuges across the country. In accordance with the Administration Act, refuges are PO 00000 Frm 00088 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Total burden hours Hourly per response 3,750.00 7,500.00 I 40,000.00 Annual cost 34.18 42.01 I ........................ 139,425.00 315,075.00 I 1,694,612.50 managed to fulfill the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System; fulfill the individual purpose of each refuge; and maintain the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of the refuge system. According to the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, national wildlife refuges ‘‘. . . shall be administered by [the Secretary of the Interior] directly or in accordance with cooperative agreements . . . and in accordance with such rules and regulations for the conservation, maintenance, and management of wildlife, resources thereof, and its habitat thereon . . . .’’ (16 U.S.C. 664). Further, the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929, 45 Stat. 1222, states that a refuge is ‘‘. . . . for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds.’’ (16 U.S.C. 715d). The Refuge is the last remnant of the once vast northern Everglades ridge and slough landscape. The Act of June 30, 1948, 62 Stat. 1171, 1176, authorizing the construction of the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project, and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of March 10, 1934, 48 Stat. 401, amended by the Act of August 14, 1946, 60 Stat. 1080, all authorized the establishment of the Refuge, which took place on January 1, 1951. Notice of the Refuge boundary was published in the Federal Register on October 21, 1955 (20 FR 7950). The Refuge was created by two agreements entered into by the Department of the Interior. The first agreement is a General Plan with the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (now the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) which permitted state Water Conservation Area (WCA)–1 to be used by the Service for the national migratory bird management program. The second agreement is a long-term (50-year) License Agreement between the Service and the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District (now SFWMD) which provided for the use of WCA–1 by the Service ‘‘as a Wildlife Management Area, to promote the conservation of wildlife, fish, and game, and for other purposes embodying the principles and objective of planned multiple land use.’’ The Service manages the area as a national wildlife refuge (NWR) under the terms of the E:\FR\FM\23AUN1.SGM 23AUN1 47138 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 160 / Monday, August 23, 2021 / Notices License Agreement and regulations governing the NWR system at Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations. In 2002, the License Agreement was revised and renewed for an additional 50 years. On February 26, 2018, the Service and SFWMD entered into a renegotiated 20-year license agreement. Currently, the size of the licensed lands, referred to as the Refuge Interior, is approximately 141,374 acres. In addition to the ‘‘Refuge Interior,’’ the USFWS owns 3,814.50 acres in fee title to the east. This acreage is sub-divided into three management impoundments (A, B, and C), a 400-acre cypress swamp, and the recently added 2,586-acre Strazzulla Marsh (see below). In total, the Refuge currently includes 145,188 acres. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Introduction In 2015, the Service developed an environmental assessment under which the Service would exchange a Serviceowned property, Compartment D, with a State of Florida-owned property, Strazzulla Marsh. Both parcels are adjacent to WCA–1, the northern limit of the greater Everglades ecosystem. The purpose of the exchange was to bring Strazzulla Marsh, which is the last remaining sawgrass habitat in the eastern Everglades and one of the few remaining sawgrass marshes adjacent to the coastal ridge, into permanent protection as part of the Refuge. At the same time, the SFWMD obtained Compartment D for use as part of the Everglades Restoration Strategies Initiative, to improve overall water quality in the Everglades Protection Area. When the Congressional Appropriations Committee approved the proposed land exchange, it requested that the Refuge acquisition boundary be formally adjusted to reflect the changes in land ownership. This Notice satisfies this request and ensures that the current Refuge boundary is properly recorded. The Service today announces that it has adjusted the Refuge boundary lines to reflect this approved action (See Appendices), which removes the 1,327acre Compartment D parcel, which is now owned by the State of Florida, from the Refuge acquisition boundary. This action also brings a portion of Strazzulla Marsh, which was acquired by the United States in exchange for Compartment D, within the approved Refuge acquisition boundary. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:11 Aug 20, 2021 Jkt 253001 Authority This notice is published under the authority of the Improvement Act, Public Law 105–57. Leopoldo Miranda-Castro, Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, GA. [FR Doc. 2021–18013 Filed 8–20–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333–15–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R8–ES–2020–N081; FXES11140800000–212–FF08ECAR00] Proposed Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement for the California RedLegged Frog; Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, California; National Environmental Policy Act Documentation/Categorical Exclusion Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments. AGENCY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the receipt of an enhancement of survival (EOS) permit application from the Service’s Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office that includes a proposed safe harbor agreement (SHA) in southern California for the federally threatened California red-legged frog. If granted, the SHA would provide for California redlegged frog recovery by providing a framework to reestablish frogs within their historical range. The EOS permit would be in effect for a 30-year period and would authorize take of the California red-legged frog incidental to the implementation of the Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement in Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, California. The documents available for review and comment are the SHA and National Environmental Policy Act documentation that supports a categorical exclusion. We invite comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before September 22, 2021. ADDRESSES: To request further information or submit written comments, please use one of the following methods, and note that your information request or comments are in reference to the ‘‘California red-legged frog SHA for Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.’’ Obtaining Documents: You may obtain the applicant’s safe harbor SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00089 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 agreements and the National Environmental Policy Act documentation from the internet at https://www.fws.gov/Carlsbad. Submitting Comments: You may submit written comments by the following method: • Email: fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov. For additional information about submitting comments, see the Public Comments Solicited section below. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Sobiech, 760–431–9440. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf, please call the Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from the Service’s Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office for an enhancement of survival (EOS) permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The requested 30-year permit would authorize the incidental take of the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), which is federally listed as threatened, in exchange for conservation measures that are expected to provide a net conservation benefit for the species. The application includes a proposed SHA that describes allowable land uses and the conservation measures that are intended to produce a net conservation benefit for the California red-legged frog on non-Federal lands in Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties. NonFederal property owners may enroll in this SHA, so long as the SHA remains in effect. Background Section 9 of the ESA and the implementing Federal regulations in effect at the time the California redlegged frog was listed prohibit the take of animal species listed as endangered or threatened. For the California redlegged frog, the take prohibitions as outlined in 50 CFR 17.31 apply, except that incidental take of California redlegged frog is not prohibited if resulting from routine ranching activities (as described in 50 CFR 17.43(d)(3)(i)–(xi) on private and tribal lands. ‘‘Take’’ is defined under the ESA as ‘‘to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect [listed animal species], or to attempt to engage in such conduct’’ (16 U.S.C. 1532(19)). ‘‘Harm’’ includes significant habitat modification or degradation that actually kills or injures listed wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, such as breeding, feeding, or sheltering (50 CFR 17.3). Under specified circumstances, however, we may issue E:\FR\FM\23AUN1.SGM 23AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 160 (Monday, August 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47137-47138]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18013]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-NWRS-2019-N160; FXRS12610400000-201-FF04RFLX00; 40136-1265-
0000-S3]


Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Palm 
Beach County, FL; Boundary Adjustment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have adjusted the 
acquisition boundary line of a section of Arthur R. Marshall 
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, to reflect an approved action 
from 2015.

ADDRESSES: Accessing Documents: You may review maps depicting the 
boundary revision by either of the following methods.
     Internet: https://https://www.fws.gov/refuge/ARM_Loxahatchee/map.html.
     In-Person Inspection: Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee 
National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, 10211 Lee Road, Boynton Beach, 
FL 33473. (Please call 561-735-6022 to make an appointment.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rolf Olson, Project Leader, 561-735-
6022.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), have adjusted the approved acquisition boundary line 
surrounding a section of Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National 
Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), to reflect an approved action from 2015. 
Specifically, the South Florida Water Management District and Service 
agreed to exchange two parcels of land adjacent to the Refuge in 
western Palm Beach County. The land-for-land exchange was finalized on 
January 11, 2018.

Background

    The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as 
amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 
(Administration Act; 16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.) provides authority for 
the Service to manage national wildlife refuges across the country. In 
accordance with the Administration Act, refuges are managed to fulfill 
the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System; fulfill the 
individual purpose of each refuge; and maintain the biological 
integrity, diversity, and environmental health of the refuge system.
    According to the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, national 
wildlife refuges ``. . . shall be administered by [the Secretary of the 
Interior] directly or in accordance with cooperative agreements . . . 
and in accordance with such rules and regulations for the conservation, 
maintenance, and management of wildlife, resources thereof, and its 
habitat thereon . . . .'' (16 U.S.C. 664). Further, the Migratory Bird 
Conservation Act of 1929, 45 Stat. 1222, states that a refuge is ``. . 
. . for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management 
purpose, for migratory birds.'' (16 U.S.C. 715d).
    The Refuge is the last remnant of the once vast northern Everglades 
ridge and slough landscape.
    The Act of June 30, 1948, 62 Stat. 1171, 1176, authorizing the 
construction of the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project, 
and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of March 10, 1934, 48 Stat. 
401, amended by the Act of August 14, 1946, 60 Stat. 1080, all 
authorized the establishment of the Refuge, which took place on January 
1, 1951. Notice of the Refuge boundary was published in the Federal 
Register on October 21, 1955 (20 FR 7950).
    The Refuge was created by two agreements entered into by the 
Department of the Interior. The first agreement is a General Plan with 
the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (now the Florida Fish 
and Wildlife Conservation Commission) which permitted state Water 
Conservation Area (WCA)-1 to be used by the Service for the national 
migratory bird management program. The second agreement is a long-term 
(50-year) License Agreement between the Service and the Central and 
Southern Florida Flood Control District (now SFWMD) which provided for 
the use of WCA-1 by the Service ``as a Wildlife Management Area, to 
promote the conservation of wildlife, fish, and game, and for other 
purposes embodying the principles and objective of planned multiple 
land use.'' The Service manages the area as a national wildlife refuge 
(NWR) under the terms of the

[[Page 47138]]

License Agreement and regulations governing the NWR system at Title 50, 
Code of Federal Regulations.
    In 2002, the License Agreement was revised and renewed for an 
additional 50 years. On February 26, 2018, the Service and SFWMD 
entered into a renegotiated 20-year license agreement.
    Currently, the size of the licensed lands, referred to as the 
Refuge Interior, is approximately 141,374 acres. In addition to the 
``Refuge Interior,'' the USFWS owns 3,814.50 acres in fee title to the 
east. This acreage is sub-divided into three management impoundments 
(A, B, and C), a 400-acre cypress swamp, and the recently added 2,586-
acre Strazzulla Marsh (see below). In total, the Refuge currently 
includes 145,188 acres.

Introduction

    In 2015, the Service developed an environmental assessment under 
which the Service would exchange a Service-owned property, Compartment 
D, with a State of Florida-owned property, Strazzulla Marsh. Both 
parcels are adjacent to WCA-1, the northern limit of the greater 
Everglades ecosystem. The purpose of the exchange was to bring 
Strazzulla Marsh, which is the last remaining sawgrass habitat in the 
eastern Everglades and one of the few remaining sawgrass marshes 
adjacent to the coastal ridge, into permanent protection as part of the 
Refuge. At the same time, the SFWMD obtained Compartment D for use as 
part of the Everglades Restoration Strategies Initiative, to improve 
overall water quality in the Everglades Protection Area.
    When the Congressional Appropriations Committee approved the 
proposed land exchange, it requested that the Refuge acquisition 
boundary be formally adjusted to reflect the changes in land ownership. 
This Notice satisfies this request and ensures that the current Refuge 
boundary is properly recorded.
    The Service today announces that it has adjusted the Refuge 
boundary lines to reflect this approved action (See Appendices), which 
removes the 1,327-acre Compartment D parcel, which is now owned by the 
State of Florida, from the Refuge acquisition boundary. This action 
also brings a portion of Strazzulla Marsh, which was acquired by the 
United States in exchange for Compartment D, within the approved Refuge 
acquisition boundary.

Authority

    This notice is published under the authority of the Improvement 
Act, Public Law 105-57.

Leopoldo Miranda-Castro,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, GA.
[FR Doc. 2021-18013 Filed 8-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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