[Federal Register: December 4, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 234)]
[Notices]
[Page 73951-73952]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04de08-56]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-R-2008-N0250; 40136-1265-0000-S3]
Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, Currituck County, NC
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability: Final comprehensive conservation plan
and finding of no significant impact.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of our final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for Currituck National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR).
ADDRESSES: A copy of the CCP may be obtained by writing to: Mike Hoff,
Refuge Manager, Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 39,
Knotts Island, NC 27950. The CCP may also be accessed and downloaded
from the Service's Web site: http://southeast.fws.gov/planning/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Hoff; Telephone: 252/429-3100;
Fax: 252/429-3185.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we finalize the CCP process for Currituck NWR. We
started this process through a notice in the Federal Register on
November 3, 2000 (65 FR 66256).
Currituck NWR, in northeastern North Carolina, consists of 4,570
acres of fee simple land and 3,931 acres of conservation easements. Of
the fee simple land, 2,202 acres are brackish marsh, 778 acres are
brackish shrub, 637 acres are maritime forest, 202 acres are dune, and
143 acres are managed wetlands (impoundments). Currituck NWR was
established in 1984 to conserve and protect the coastal barrier island
ecosystem. These refuge lands are managed to provide wintering habitat
for waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, marsh birds, and neotropical
migratory songbirds, as well as to protect threatened and endangered
species, such as piping plovers, sea turtles, and the sea beach
amaranth.
We announce our decision and the availability of the final CCP and
FONSI for Currituck NWR in accordance with the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) [40 CFR 1506.6(b)] requirements. We completed a
thorough analysis of impacts on the human environment, which we
included in the
[[Page 73952]]
Draft CCP/EA. The CCP will guide us in managing and administering
Currituck NWR for the next 15 years. Alternative 2 is the foundation
for the CCP.
The compatibility determinations for recreational hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation, wildlife photography, environmental education and
interpretation, and trapping of selected furbearers for nuisance animal
management are also available in the CCP.
Background
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (16
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Improvement Act), which amended the National
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, requires us to
develop a CCP for each national wildlife refuge. The purpose for
developing a CCP is 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.
Comments
Approximately 100 copies of the Draft CCP/EA were made available
for a 30-day public review period as announced in the Federal Register
on February 9, 2006 (71 FR 6786). Eleven comments on the Draft CCP/EA
were received. The Draft CCP/EA identified and evaluated three
alternatives for managing the refuge over a 15-year period.
Selected Alternative
After considering the comments we received and based on the
professional judgment of the planning team, we selected Alternative 2
for implementation. The preferred alternative will result in moderate
program increases. All habitats on the refuge, including water levels
of the impoundments and the vegetation, will be managed very
intensively for migrating waterfowl. The staff will monitor vegetation
in the marshes before and after prescribed burns and inventory
vegetation in the maritime swamp forest. The refuge will continue to
allow the priority public uses (e.g., hunting, fishing, wildlife
observation, wildlife photography, and environmental education and
interpretation) and will have the capacity to increase the number of
opportunities for public use.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: September 29, 2008.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E8-28705 Filed 12-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P