[Federal Register: April 24, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 78)]
[Notices]
[Page 18742-18744]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24ap09-86]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-R-2009-N0057; 40136-1265-0000-S3]
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, Orleans Parish, LA
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability: draft comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental assessment; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announce the
availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan (Draft CCP/EA)
for Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) for public review and
comment. In this Draft CCP/EA, we describe the alternative we propose
to use to manage this refuge for the 15 years following approval of the
Final CCP.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
by May 26, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Send comments, questions, and requests for information to:
Mr. Pon Dixson, Deputy Project Leader, Southeast Louisiana National
Wildlife Refuge Complex, 61389 Highway 434, Lacombe, LA 70445. A copy
of the Draft CCP/EA is available on both compact disc and hard copy,
and it may be accessed and downloaded from the Service's Internet Site:
http://southeast.fws.gov/planning/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Pon Dixson; telephone: 985/882-
2014; fax: 985/882-9133; e-mail: pon_dixson@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice we continue the CCP process for Bayou Sauvage NWR.
We started the process through a notice in the Federal Register on May
16, 2008 (72 FR 27585).
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 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.
Bayou Sauvage NWR is in eastern Orleans Parish, Louisiana, and is
entirely situated within the corporate limits of the city of New
Orleans. It is the largest national wildlife refuge in an urban area of
the United States, and is one of the last remaining marsh areas
adjacent to the south shores of Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne. The
refuge consists of 24,000 acres of wetlands and is bordered on three
sides by water: Lake Pontchartrain on the north, Chef Menteur Pass on
the east, and Lake Borgne on the south. The western side of the refuge
is bordered by the Maxent Canal and lands that consist of bottomland
hardwood habitat and exotic species, such as Chinese tallow and china
berry. Un-leveed portions of the refuge consist of estuarine tidal
marshes and shallow water. The Hurricane Protection Levee System, along
with roadbeds, created freshwater impoundments, which altered the plant
communities as well as the fish communities within these impoundments.
Small forested areas exist on the low, natural ridges formed along
natural drainages and along manmade canals.
CCP Alternatives, Including our Proposed Alternative
We developed three alternatives for managing the refuge and chose
Alternative B as the proposed alternative. A full description is in the
Draft CCP/EA. We summarize each alternative below.
[[Page 18743]]
Alternative A: Continuation of Current Refuge Management (No Action)
This alternative represents no change from current management of
the refuge and provides a baseline. Management emphasis would continue
to be directed towards accomplishing the refuge's primary purposes.
Refuge staff would continue to restore and maintain emergent marsh--
both tidally influenced and impounded, natural levee ridges, bottomland
hardwood forests, spoil banks, and shallow open water bodies, all of
which constitute a wide range of habitats within the refuge boundaries.
Current refuge management would continue to provide wintering and
nesting habitats for migratory and resident waterfowl, wading birds,
and migrating songbirds. The operation and management of the refuge
would provide for the basic needs of these species, including feeding,
resting, and breeding. The planting of vegetation used for food,
nesting and cover, and moist-soil management in eight different water
management units that cater to a variety of different species would
continue to be priorities. At least two aerial waterfowl surveys would
continue to be conducted.
Alternative B: Restoring and Improving Refuge Resources (Proposed
Alternative)
This action was selected by the Service as the alternative that
best signifies the vision, goals, and purposes of the refuge. Under
Alternative B, the emphasis would be on restoring and improving refuge
resources needed for wildlife and habitat management, while providing
additional public use opportunities. This alternative would also allow
the refuge to provide law enforcement protection that adequately meets
the demands of an urban environment.
This alternative would focus on augmenting wildlife and habitat
management to identify, conserve, and restore populations of native
fish and wildlife species, with an emphasis on migratory birds and
threatened and endangered species. This would partially be accomplished
by increased monitoring of waterfowl, other migratory birds, and
endemic species in order to assess and adapt management strategies and
actions. The restoration of fresh and brackish marsh systems and
hardwood forests would be a vital part of this proposed action and
would be crucial to ensuring healthy and viable ecological communities
following Hurricane Katrina. This restoration would require increased
wetland vegetation and tree plantings, and the use of beneficial
dredge, breakwater structures, and organic materials to promote
reestablishment of emergent marsh and to reduce wave energy erosion
along Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne. Improving and monitoring water
quality and active moist-soil management would assist in reestablishing
freshwater marsh habitat.
The refuge would more aggressively control and, where possible,
eliminate invasive plant species by seeking funding through the
Service's invasive species control program. The control of Chinese
tallow trees and cogon grass along the hardwood ridge would be a focal
point. The control of nuisance wildlife would increase to include
yearly population evaluations and more aggressive trapping programs for
feral hogs and nutria.
Alternative B enhances the refuge's visitor services opportunities
by: Improving and providing additional fishing opportunities;
considering providing limited hunting opportunities on the refuge;
providing environmental education that emphasizes refuge restoration
activities, coastal conservation issues, and the diversity of water
management regimes in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; establishing
a visitor center or contact station on the refuge; developing and
implementing a visitor services management plan; and enhancing personal
interpretive opportunities. Volunteer programs and friends groups also
would be expanded to enhance all aspects of refuge management and to
increase resource availability.
Land acquisitions within the approved acquisition boundary would be
based on importance of the habitats for target management species and
for their public use value. The refuge headquarters would not only
house administrative offices, but would offer interpretation of refuge
wildlife and habitats, and would demonstrate habitat improvements for
individual landowners. The headquarters facilities would be developed
as an urban public use area with trails; buildings presently not being
used and landscaping would be refurbished for visitor and community
outreach.
In addition to the enforcement of all Federal and State laws
applicable to the refuge to protect archaeological and historical
sites, the staff would identify and develop a cultural resources plan
to protect all known sites. The allocation of one law enforcement
officer to the refuge would not only provide security for these
resources, but would also ensure visitor safety and public compliance
with refuge regulations.
Alternative C: Optimize Public Use Opportunities
Active management of refuge resources would be employed to optimize
public use opportunities. Resources would be dedicated to increasing
the public use activities of fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife
photography, and environmental education and interpretation, and a
limited hunting program would be considered. All purposes of the refuge
and mandated monitoring of Federal trust species and archaeological
resources would be continued, but other wildlife management would be
dependent on public interests.
This alternative would utilize a custodial habitat management
strategy. Moist-soil units would not be actively managed and would be
allowed to revert back to brackish tidal marsh. These units would also
be maintained near full pool level to facilitate public use
opportunities, such as fishing and canoeing. Hardwood forest habitat in
high public use areas would be restored and all other areas would
recover naturally with no management intervention.
Increased wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and
interpretation opportunities would result from the construction of an
on-site visitor's center, canoe and birding tours, kiosks, and trail
signs. Additionally, waterfowl and wildlife monitoring would be
conducted periodically to identify high use areas for the visiting
public to observe. Environmental education would be expanded by
addressing a wide range of local and global environmental concerns and
would be offered to a broader range of student groups and schools. New
information brochures and tear sheets would be published to increase
public outreach and to promote public use and recreational
opportunities.
Land acquisitions within the approved acquisition boundary would be
based on the importance of the habitat for public use. Administration
plans would stress the need for increased maintenance of existing
infrastructure and construction of new facilities that would benefit
public use activities. The refuge would operate with the current level
of staff. Law enforcement of refuge regulations and protection of
wildlife and visitors would continue at current levels.
Next Step
After the comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and
address them.
[[Page 18744]]
Public Availability of 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: March 16, 2009.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E9-9411 Filed 4-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P