[Federal Register: November 26, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 228)]
[Notices]
[Page 66475-66476]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26no03-96]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Intent To Revise a Comprehensive Conservation Plan and
Associated Environmental Impact Statement for the Kanuti National
Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) intends to gather information necessary to revise the
Comprehensive Conservation Plan (Plan) and to develop an Environmental
Impact Statement, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and
its implementing regulations, for the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge.
The Service is furnishing this notice in compliance with the National
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended, and with
Service planning policy to advise other agencies and the public of our
intentions and to obtain suggestions and information on the scope of
issues to be addressed in the environmental documents.
    Special mailings, newspaper articles, and other media announcements
will inform people of opportunities to provide written input throughout
the planning process. Public meetings will be held in communities near
the refuge (e.g., Bettles, Evansville, Allakaket, Alatna, Coldfoot,
Hughes, and Fairbanks).
    The draft and final Plans and associated Environmental Impact
Statement will be available for viewing and downloading at
http://www.r7.fws.gov/planning.

ADDRESSES: Address comments, questions, and requests for further
information to Peter Wikoff, Planning Team Leader, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Rd. MS-231, Anchorage, AK 99503 or fw7_kanuti_planning@fws.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Peter Wikoff, Planning Team Leader,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Rd. MS-231, Anchorage, AK 99503 or fw7_kanuti_planning@fws.gov. Additional information

[[Page 66476]]

www.r7.fws.gov/planning and concerning the refuge at http://refuges.fws.gov
.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By Federal law (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-668ee]), the Service is to manage all lands within the National
Wildlife Refuge System in accordance with an approved Comprehensive
Conservation Plan. Section 304(g) of the Alaska National Interest Lands
Conservation Act (Pub. L. 96-487, 94 Stat. 2371) also directs that
these plans be prepared. The Plan guides management decisions and
identifies Refuge goals, long-range objectives, and strategies for
achieving Refuge purposes. During the planning process, the planning
team reviews a wide range of Refuge administrative requirements,
including conservation of the refuge's fish and wildlife populations
and habitats in their natural diversity; facilitation of subsistence
use by local residents and access for traditional recreational
activities; and conservation of resource values, including cultural
resources, wilderness, and wild rivers. The final revised Plan will
detail the programs, activities, and measures necessary to best
administer the Refuge to protect these values and to fulfill Refuge
purposes. In this Comprehensive Conservation Plan and associated
Environmental Impact Statement, the Service will describe and evaluate
a range of reasonable alternatives and the anticipated impacts of each.
Public input into the planning process is essential.
    The Plan will provide other agencies and the public with
information to facilitate understanding of the desired conditions for
the Refuge and how the Service will implement management strategies.
    The Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in
accordance with procedures for implementing the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4370d).
    The Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge lies on the Arctic Circle about
100 miles south of the Brooks Range and 150 miles northwest of
Fairbanks, Alaska. The Refuge lies in a basin formed by the Koyukuk and
Kanuti rivers and encompasses approximately 1.6 million acres. The
Refuge landscape consists of rolling hills, wetlands, ponds, and
streams. It supports waterfowl, furbearers, wolves, moose, caribou, and
bears.
    The Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act (ANILCA) of
1980 (Section 302[4][B]) established the Refuge and stated that the
purposes for which the Kanuti Refuge was established and would be
managed include:
    (i) To conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their
natural diversity including, but not limited to, white-fronted geese
and other waterfowl and migratory birds, moose, caribou (including
participation in coordinated ecological studies and management of the
Western Arctic caribou herd), and furbearers;
    (ii) To fulfill the international treaty obligation of the United
Sates with respect to fish and wildlife and their habitats;
    (iii) To provide, in a manner consistent with the purposes set
forth in subparagraphs (i) and (ii), the opportunity for continued
subsistence uses by local residents; and
    (iv) To ensure, to the maximum extent practicable and in a manner
consistent with the purposes set forth in paragraph (i), water quality
and necessary water quantity within the refuge.
    The Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Kanuti was completed in
1987. It is being revised consistent with Section 304(g) of the Alaska
National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the National Wildlife Refuge
System Improvement Act of 1997, and Service planning policy.

    Dated: November 7, 2003.
Rowan Gould,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 03-29302 Filed 11-25-03; 8:45 am]

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