[Federal Register: April 24, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 78)]
[Notices]
[Page 18744-18745]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24ap09-87]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-R-2009-N0045; 40136-1265-0000-S3]
Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Hillsborough County, FL;
Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge, Pinellas County, FL; and Passage Key
National Wildlife Refuge, Manatee County, FL
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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan and
environmental assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Egmont Key, Pinellas, and
Passage Key National Wildlife Refuges for public review and comment.
These three refuges, known as the Tampa Bay Refuges, are managed as
part of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex. In
this Draft CCP/EA, we describe the alternative we propose to use to
manage these refuges 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: Requests for copies of the Draft CCP/EA should be addressed
to: Mr. Richard J. Meyers, Assistant Refuge Manager, Chassahowitzka NWR
Complex, 9500 Koger Boulevard North, Suite 102, St. Petersburg, FL
33702. The Draft CCP/EA may also be accessed and downloaded from the
Service's Internet site: http://southeast.fws.gov/planning.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Richard J. Meyers, telephone: 727/
570-5417; e-mail: richard_meyers@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Egmont Key,
Pinellas, and Passage Key National Wildlife Refuges. We started the
process through a notice in the Federal Register on December 3, 2004
(69 FR 70276).
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 and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Significant issues addressed in the Draft CCP/EA include: erosion;
predatory/exotic/invasive species; human disturbance of wildlife,
particularly with respect to illegal access to closed areas; fishing
line and trash disposal; threatened and endangered species; bird and
other wildlife surveys; environmental education and interpretation
issues; and staffing, equipment, and facility needs.
Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) includes 392 acres and
was established in 1974 to protect its significant natural, historical,
and cultural resources from the impending threats of development.
Egmont Key NWR is the only refuge island open to the public and has
been traditionally visited for many years as a primary recreation
destination. Egmont Key NWR seeks to provide nesting habitat for brown
pelicans and other waterbirds, as well as to conserve and protect
barrier island habitat and to preserve historical structures of
national significance (i.e., historic lighthouse, guard house, gun
batteries, and brick roads). Presently, the island's approximately 244
acres of beach and coastal berm support more than 110 species of
nesting, migrating, and wintering birds. The island is listed as
critical habitat for endangered piping plovers and provides habitat and
protection for endangered manatees and sea turtles. Egmont Key NWR has
an unusually high population of gopher tortoises and box turtles. Two
wildlife sanctuaries, one on the east side of the island and one at the
south end of the island, comprise about 97 acres and are closed to
public use. Cooperative management agreements between the Service, the
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection entrust daily management activities of Egmont Key NWR to the
Florida Park Service (FPS), which manages the island to protect and
restore the historic structures and for swimming, sunbathing, shelling,
and picnicking.
Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1951 as
a breeding ground for colonial bird species. It contains seven mangrove
islands encompassing about 394 acres. The refuge is comprised of Little
Bird, Mule, Jackass, Listen, and Whale Island Keys and leases Tarpon
and Indian Keys from Pinellas County. A Pinellas County seagrass
sanctuary is located around Tarpon and Indian Keys and the use of
internal combustion engines within this zone is prohibited to protect
seagrass beds. Hundreds of brown pelicans and double-crested cormorants
and dozens of herons, egrets, and roseate spoonbills nest within Tarpon
and Little Bird Keys. Pinellas NWR provides important mangrove habitat
for most long-legged wading species, especially for reddish egrets. All
of the mangrove islands of Pinellas NWR are closed to public use year-
round to protect migratory birds.
Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was originally
designated as a Federal bird reservation by President Roosevelt in
1905, which then consisted of a 60-acre island with a freshwater lake
and lush vegetation. However, erosion and hurricanes have virtually
destroyed the key, and it is now a meandering sand bar varying in size
from 0.5 to 10 acres, depending on weather. In 1970, Passage Key NWR
was designated a Wilderness Area. The refuge's objective is to provide
habitat for colonial waterbirds. Hundreds of brown pelicans, laughing
gulls, black skimmer, and royal terns, and small numbers of herons and
egrets, nested
[[Page 18745]]
annually until the island was destroyed by a hurricane in 2005. The key
once hosted the largest royal tern and sandwich tern nesting colonies
in the State of Florida. Because of its fragility, small size, and to
protect the migratory birds that use the island, it is now closed to
public use year-round.
CCP Alternatives, Including Our Proposed Alternative
We developed three alternatives for managing the refuges and chose
Alternative B as the proposed alternative. A full description is in the
Draft CCP/EA. We summarize each alternative below.
Alternative A--No Action Alternative
Under Alternative A, the no action alternative, management of the
refuges would continue at the current level. The refuges would continue
their primary mission of providing habitat for wildlife. Wildlife and
habitat would be protected through a variety of management tools, such
as area closures, predator control, law enforcement, exotic plant
control, erosion control, and cleanup of trash. These activities
(except for the closures) would be conducted on an opportunistic basis
or under the direction and guidance of others.
The refuges would continue to be managed by one full-time assistant
refuge manager, with the support of nine staff members 100 miles away
at the Chassahowitzka NWR. The refuges would continue to be assisted by
numerous partners in opportunistically conducting bird and other
wildlife surveys, educating visitors, and encouraging wildlife
observation and photography. The Service would continue its cooperative
management agreement with the FPS to manage Egmont Key NWR, with the
State being responsible for most public recreation and interpretation
of natural and cultural resources, and the Service being primarily
responsible for the management of all wildlife and habitat. Meetings
between the two agencies would continue to be held approximately twice
a year.
Under this alternative, the existing level of funding and staffing
would be maintained. Accordingly, some positions would not be filled
when vacated if funds needed to be reallocated to meet rising costs or
new priorities.
Alternative B--Proposed Alternative
Under Alternative B, the proposed alternative, the Service would
take more of a leadership role by coordinating and/or directing
activities and decisions made by partners that have an impact on the
refuges, including coordinating, directing, and conducting bird surveys
and Atlantic loggerhead sea turtle surveys; coordinating additional
bird surveys and monitoring and conducting research on the gopher
tortoises of Egmont Key NWR; and, with partners, identifying, mapping,
and protecting State-listed plant species on the refuges. The Service
would promote and support increasing the Friends Group to more than 150
members.
Under this alternative, Service staff dedicated to the Tampa Bay
Refuges would be increased to four full-time permanent employees and
one part-time permanent employee, which would include the addition of a
law enforcement officer to increase protection of wildlife, habitat,
and visitor safety; a biological technician to conduct bird surveys,
predator and exotic species control, and beach renourishment
activities; a public use specialist to facilitate and create
opportunities for environmental education, interpretation, and wildlife
observation and photography; and a part-time administrative assistant.
Larger office space to accommodate the increased staff along with the
Friends Group would be acquired, as well as facilities for boat storage
and use; also, a Visitor Center would be established.
The cooperative agreement with FPS to manage Egmont Key NWR would
be enhanced under this alternative by establishing monthly
communications and quarterly meetings. Further, the Service would
facilitate the transfer of the USCG property on Egmont Key to the
Service, and would establish the Service's interest in the Pilots
Compound property in the event the occupancy of that property changes.
Acquisition of these lands would enable the Service to better conserve,
protect, and manage the habitat on Egmont Key.
Alternative C
Under Alternative C, the Service would take on an even greater
leadership role at the refuges, enhancing and expanding the activities
proposed under Alternative B. The Service staff dedicated to the Tampa
Bay Refuges would be increased to seven full-time permanent employees,
including two law enforcement officers, one biological technician, one
public use specialist, one maintenance person/equipment operator, and
an administrative assistant. The Service would promote and support
increasing the Friends Group to 200-300 members. Additional equipment
and facilities would be acquired to support the staff and increased
activities on the refuges.
The additional staff members would allow the refuges to increase
the frequency of some monitoring (e.g., piping plover); initiate bird
research; routinely monitor and research gopher tortoises; enhance
protection of wildlife, habitats, and visitor safety; control exotic
and invasive vegetation on a routine basis; and provide educational
events on a routine basis, including weekly interpretive tours using
concessionaire(s) selected and operating under Service contract.
Under this alternative, the Service would own and manage all of
Egmont Key without sharing that responsibility with FPS--an overlay
state park managed by FPS would no longer exist, allowing the Service
to manage the island in a comprehensive manner.
Next Step
After the comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and
address them.
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 13, 2009.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E9-9412 Filed 4-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P