[Federal Register: August 17, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 158)]
[Notices]
[Page 50777-50779]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17au10-70]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-R-2010-N116; BAC-4311-K9-S3]
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan; John Hay National Wildlife
Refuge, Merrimack County, NH
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of the final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental
assessment (EA) for John Hay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). In this
final CCP, we describe how we will manage this refuge for the next 15
years.
ADDRESSES: You may view or obtain copies of the final CCP and FONSI by
any of the following methods. You may request a hard copy or CD-ROM.
Agency Web Site: Download a copy of the document(s) at http://
www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/JohnHay/ccphome.html.
Electronic mail: northeastplanning@fws.gov. Include ``John Hay
final CCP'' in the subject line of the message.
U.S. Postal Service: Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife
Refuge Complex, 103 East Plumtree Road, Sunderland, MA 01375.
In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call 413-548-8002 to make an
appointment during regular business hours at 103 East Plumtree Road,
Sunderland, Massachusetts.
Facsimile: 413-548-9725.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew French, Project Leader, Silvio
[[Page 50778]]
O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, 103 East Plumtree Road,
Sunderland, MA 01375; phone: 413-548-8002; facsimile: 413-548-9725;
electronic mail: andrew_french@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we finalize the CCP process for John Hay NWR. We
started this plan's development through a notice in the Federal
Register (73 FR 76376) on December 16, 2008. We released the draft CCP/
EA to the public, announcing and requesting comments in a notice of
availability in the Federal Register (75 FR 7287) on February 18, 2010.
John Hay NWR was established as a migratory bird and wildlife
reservation in 1972. Alice Hay donated the 164-acre summer estate of
John Hay to the Service. From 1987 to 2008, the refuge was
cooperatively managed by several partners, including the New Hampshire
State Parks, and then The Fells, a non-profit organization dedicated to
maintaining the John Hay estate. In 2008, the refuge transferred 84
acres containing the estate buildings and grounds to The Fells and
retained approximately 80 forested acres on the shores of Lake Sunapee
in Newbury, New Hampshire, as John Hay NWR. In exchange for this land
transfer, 727 (+/-) acres were appended to Umbagog NWR. Refuge property
extends to the normal high-water line. Therefore, when we refer to
Service ownership or describe shoreline refuge management actions, we
generally mean those areas above the normal high-water line.
We announce our decision and the availability of the FONSI for the
final CCP for John Hay NWR in accordance with 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 draft CCP/EA.
The CCP will guide us in managing and administering John Hay NWR
for the next 15 years. Alternative B, as we described in the draft CCP/
EA, is the foundation for the final CCP.
Background
The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Administration Act), as amended by the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, 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 (NWRS), 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 and
photography, and environmental education and interpretation. We will
review and update the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with
the Administration Act.
CCP Alternatives, Including Selected Alternative
Our draft CCP/EA (75 FR 7287) addressed several key issues,
including the amount of grasslands to manage, other priority habitat
types to conserve, land protection and conservation priorities,
improving the visibility of the Service and refuge, providing desired
facilities and activities, and ways to improve opportunities for public
use while ensuring the restoration and protection of priority
resources.
To address these issues and develop a plan based on the purposes
for establishing the refuge and the vision and goals we identified,
three alternatives were evaluated in the EA. The alternatives have some
actions in common, such as protecting and monitoring Federally listed
species and the regionally significant bald eagle population,
controlling invasive plants and wildlife diseases, encouraging research
that benefits our resource decisions, protecting cultural resources,
and distributing refuge revenue-sharing payments to counties.
Other actions distinguish the alternatives. Alternative A, or the
``No Action Alternative,'' is defined by our current management
activities. It serves as the baseline against which to compare the
other two alternatives. Our habitat management and visitor services
programs would not change under this alternative. We would continue to
use the same tools and techniques, and not expand existing facilities.
Under Alternative A, we would continue to passively manage refuge lands
through collaboration with partners and the Service would have minimal
presence. Habitat management would be limited to promoting visitor
safety and responding to invasive plants or animals that can impact
habitat integrity or priority wildlife. No other active wildlife or
habitat management would occur except the existing mowing of the meadow
and viewing corridor, which provides early successional forest habitat.
Minimal coordination with The Fells, Forest Society, Lake Sunapee
Protective Association, and New Hampshire Audubon for wildlife, water
quality, and habitat protection would continue on an as-needed basis.
The current level and types of visitor services would continue on the
refuge. Administration of visitor services, land protection, and
biological and law enforcement activities would be handled by existing
staff from Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. We would
maintain our current minimal visitor services, biological and law
enforcement activities, and administration through the Sunderland
office as funds and staffing permit.
Alternative B (the Service-preferred alternative) includes an array
of management actions that, in our professional judgment, work best
toward achieving the purposes of the refuge, our vision and goals for
those lands, the NWRS mission, and the goals in State and regional
conservation plans. Under Alternative B, we would emphasize the
management of specific refuge habitats to support focal species whose
habitat needs benefit other species of conservation concern in the Lake
Sunapee region. In particular, we would emphasize habitat for priority
bird species of conservation concern in the Bird Conservation Region 14
and Partners in Flight Physiographic Area 27 plans, New Hampshire
Wildlife Action Plan, Birds of Conservation Concern 2008, and other
conservation plans at State and national scales. We would strive to
integrate the habitat management objectives for species of concern with
maintaining the cultural heritage of the former John Hay estate. In
addition, we would focus on making improvements to our visitor services
through the addition of seasonal on-site staff, fishing as an approved
public use, and a minor expansion of our trail system on the refuge. We
would construct an alternate route for the John Hay II Forest Ecology
Trail to allow visitors to return to the trailhead without entering The
Fells' property, post explanatory signage at the trailhead and at the
point of entry to The Fells, install a kiosk at the trailhead and
interpretive and informational signs throughout the refuge to
incrementally increase visitor awareness of refuge resources, add a
spur trail to the fen and back with informational signage on the
ecology of fens, and install a footbridge(s) where stream crossing of
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Beech Brook is a concern for public safety and stream health. Finally,
our biological program would be enhanced through partnerships that
would increase our ability to conduct surveys and long-term monitoring.
Alternative C is similar in many respects to Alternative B, but
proposes more intensive forest management and wildlife dependent
recreation, with a philosophy of maintaining the character and history
of the forest, to the extent that it does not compromise the refuge
purposes and goals. Generally, white pine (Pinus strobus) and other
native species would be encouraged to regenerate. The addition of
permanent staff would enhance the visitor services program through a
much broader array of programming and outreach. In addition to the
trail and signage improvements proposed with Alternative B, under
Alternative C we would improve the Ecology Trail to be compliant with
the Americans with Disabilities Act and lead to a viewing platform at
the lakeshore. Both fishing and hunting would be added as new public
uses at the refuge. Biological programs would incorporate more surveys
and the ability to conduct habitat improvements.
Comments
We solicited comments on the draft CCP/EA for a 30-day period of
public review and comment from February 18 to March 22, 2010, and held
a public meeting on March 11, 2010, in Newbury, New Hampshire. We
received 18 unique letters and oral comments representing individuals,
organizations, and State agencies. Appendix F in the final CCP includes
a summary of those comments and our responses to them.
Selected Alternative
After considering the comments we received on our draft CCP/EA, we
have selected Alternative B for implementation for several reasons.
Alternative B comprises the mix of actions that, in our professional
judgment, works best towards achieving refuge purposes, our vision and
goals, and the goals of other State and regional conservation plans. We
also believe it most effectively addresses the key issues raised during
the planning process. The basis of our decision is detailed in Appendix
G of the CCP.
Public Availability of Documents
You can view or obtain documents as indicated under ADDRESSES.
Dated: June 24, 2010.
Sherry W. Morgan,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-20305 Filed 8-16-10; 8:45 am]
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