[Federal Register: June 17, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 115)]
[Notices]
[Page 28722-28723]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17jn09-80]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-R-2009-N0102; BAC-4311-K9-S3]
Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Rockingham County, NH
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental assessment; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to
prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and associated National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document for Great Bay National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR). We provide this notice in compliance with our
CCP policy to advise other Federal and State agencies, Tribes, and the
public of our intentions, and to obtain suggestions and information on
the scope of issues to consider in the planning process.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
by July 17, 2009. Special mailings, newspaper articles, and other media
announcements will be used to inform the public and State and local
government agencies of the opportunities for input throughout the
planning process. A public scoping meeting will be held early in the
CCP development process. The date, time, and place for the meeting will
be announced in the local media.
ADDRESSES: Send comments, questions, and requests for information to:
Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge, c/o Parker River NWR, 6 Plum Island
Turnpike, Newburyport, MA 01950; 978-465-5753 (phone); 978-465-2807
(fax); fw5rw_prnwr@fws.gov (e-mail); http://www.fws.gov/northeast/
parkerriver (Web site).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Mao Lin, Assistant Planner, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035;
413-253-8556 (phone); 413-253-8468 (fax); northeastplanning@fws.gov (e-
mail).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we initiate our process for developing a CCP for
Great Bay NWR in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, which includes a
conservation easement in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. Both units
are managed by Parker River NWR in Essex County, Massachusetts. This
notice complies with our CCP policy to (1) advise other Federal and
State agencies, Tribes, and the public of our intention to conduct
detailed planning on this refuge; and (2) obtain suggestions and
information on the scope of issues to consider in the environmental
document and during development of the CCP.
Background
The CCP Process
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 refuge. The purpose for developing a CCP is to
provide refuge managers with a 15-year strategy for achieving refuge
purposes and contributing to the mission of the National Wildlife
Refuge System (NWRS), consistent with sound principles of fish and
wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and our policies. In
addition to outlining broad management direction for 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.
Each refuge of the NWRS was established for specific purposes. We
use these purposes as the foundation for developing and prioritizing
the management goals and objectives for each refuge within the NWRS
mission, and to determine how the public can use each refuge. The
planning process is a way for us and the public to evaluate management
goals and objectives for the best possible conservation approach to
this important wildlife habitat, while providing for wildlife-dependent
recreational opportunities that are compatible with the refuge's
establishing purposes and the mission of the NWRS.
Our CCP process provides participation opportunities for Tribal,
State, and local governments; other Federal agencies, organizations,
refuge neighbors, and the public. At this time, we encourage input in
the form of issues, concerns, ideas, and suggestions for the future
management of Great Bay NWR.
We will conduct the environmental review of this project and
develop an environmental assessment in
[[Page 28723]]
accordance with the requirements of the NEPA, as amended (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.); NEPA regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508); other
appropriate Federal laws and regulations; and our policies and
procedures for compliance with those laws and regulations.
Great Bay NWR, which encompasses 1,089 acres, was established in
1992 to encourage natural diversity, protect listed species, and
preserve and enhance water quality. The refuge is located on a portion
of the former Pease Air Force Base. Despite past land uses, including
active military operations, the refuge has a diversity of habitat types
including oak-hickory forest, grasslands, shrub thickets, fresh and
saltwater wetlands, and open water habitats. The refuge includes 7
miles of shoreline and is the largest parcel of protected land on Great
Bay. In addition, Great Bay NWR includes a 28-acre conservation
easement in Concord, New Hampshire, with a mix of open pitch pine-
scrub, pine-hardwood, and other scrubland. The easement is managed
primarily for the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly. Since
2008, Great Bay NWR and the Karner blue butterfly easement have been
managed by Parker River NWR in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Public Availability and Comments
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 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, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: May 22, 2009.
James G. Geiger,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, MA
01035.
[FR Doc. E9-14222 Filed 6-16-09; 8:45 am]
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