Department of the Interior February 3, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) are soliciting project proposals for Federal assistance under the Tribal Wildlife Grants program (TWG). The Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 authorized an appropriation of $69,027,526 for wildlife conservation grants to States and to the District of Columbia, U.S. Territories, and Tribes under provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, for the development and implementation of programs for the benefit of wildlife and their habitat, including species that are not hunted or fished. The Act further specified that the Service use $ 5,916,645 of the funds for a competitive grant program available to federally recognized Indian Tribes. This allows the Secretary, through the Director of the Service, to manage a separate Tribal grant program not subject to the provisions of the formula-based State Wildlife Grants program, or other requirements of the State Wildlife Grants portion of Pub. L. 107-63.

This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intends to gather information necessary to prepare Comprehensive Conservation Plans (CCP) and Environmental Assessments (EA) for the following National Wildlife Refuges: Rice Lake NWR in Aitkin and Pine Counties, Minnesota and Mille Lacs NWR in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, which are managed by Rice Lake NWR staff, and Horicon NWR in Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties, Wisconsin and Fox River NWR in Marquette County, Wisconsin, which are managed by Horicon NWR staff. The CCPs will describe how we intend to manage the refuges for the next 15 years. The Service is furnishing this notice in compliance with the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.), and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Open house style meetings and possibly focus group meetings and workshops will be held during the scoping phase of the CCP development process to obtain additional suggestions and information on the scope of alternatives and impacts to be considered. In addition, the Service is inviting comments on archeological, historic, and traditional cultural sites in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act. Cultural resource overview studies will be conducted to identify known historic and cultural sites on the refuges. Special mailings, newspaper articles, Internet postings, and other media announcements will inform people of the opportunities for written comments.

The Fish and Wildlife Service (We) plans to submit the collection of information described below to OMB for renewal under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106- 408) requires that States certify annually in writing that their expenditures of Federal grant funds under the Federal Aid in Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Acts were in accordance with the appropriate Act.