[Federal Register: October 21, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 203)]
[Notices]
[Page 65026-65028]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21oc10-66]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R7-2010-N191; 70133-1265-0000-S3]
Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental
Assessment, Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Kotzebue, AK
AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; 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 (CCP) and
environmental assessment (EA) for the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge
(Refuge) for public review and comment. In this document, we describe
alternatives, including our preferred alternative, to manage the Refuge
for the 15 years following approval of the final CCP.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by
January 15, 2011. We will announce upcoming public meetings and other
opportunities for public input in local news media.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or requests for copies of the draft
CCP and the EA or more information by any of the following methods. You
may request hard copies or a CD-ROM of the document.
Agency Web Site: Download a copy of the document at http://
alaska.fws.gov/nwr/planning/plans.htm.
E-mail: selawik_planning@fws.gov; please include ``Selawik
National Wildlife Refuge draft CCP and EA'' in the subject line of the
message.
Fax: Attn: Jeffrey Brooks, (907) 786-3965, or Lee Anne Ayres, (907)
442-3124.
U.S. Mail: Jeffrey Brooks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional
Office, 1011 E. Tudor Road Mailstop 231, Anchorage, AK 99503.
In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call (907) 786-3357 to make an
appointment during regular business hours at the above address; or call
(907) 442-3799 to make an appointment during regular business hours at
the Selawik Refuge Headquarters in Kotzebue, AK.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Brooks, Planning Team Leader,
at the above address, by phone at (907) 786-3839, or by e-mail at
selawik_planning@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP process for the Selawik
National Wildlife Refuge. We started this process through a notice of
intent in the Federal Register (73 FR 57143; October 1, 2008).
The Selawik National Wildlife Refuge was established by the Alaska
National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) in 1980. Selawik
Refuge straddles the Arctic Circle in northwestern Alaska, encompassing
an area approximately the size of Connecticut. Refuge boundaries
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encompass approximately 3.2 million acres of which approximately 2.5
million acres are administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Section 302(7)(B) of ANILCA states the purposes for which the Selawik
Refuge was established: (1) To conserve fish and wildlife populations
and habitats in their natural diversity; (2) to fulfill international
treaty obligations of the United States with respect to fish and
wildlife and their habitats; (3) to provide the opportunity for
continued subsistence use by local residents; and (4) to ensure water
quality and necessary water quantity within the Refuge.
The Selawik River, an important feature, meanders through the heart
of the Refuge, creating a rich succession of habitats, including vast
wetlands. The names of both the river and the Refuge originated from
the Inupiaq word ``siilivik,'' which means ``place of sheefish.'' The
sheefish, or inconnu, is a member of the whitefish family and provides
an important, and highly desired, food resource for Native subsistence
harvesters in this region of Alaska.
Extensive tundra wetlands containing grass and sedge meadows
dominate the Refuge landscape, while boreal spruce forests, alder, and
willow thickets trace stream and river drainages. Multitudes of
migratory waterfowl and shorebirds breed on 24,000 lakes and ponds
within the Refuge. Neo-tropical songbirds nest in forests and willow
thickets. Moose, wolves, lynx, bears, muskoxen, Arctic and red fox,
beavers, and muskrats are year-round residents. The Western Arctic
Caribou Herd migrates across Selawik Refuge. In mild winters, small
bands of caribou remain on the Refuge to forage in the lichen-covered
foothills. Many rivers, sloughs, and lakes support both freshwater and
anadromous fisheries, and provide spawning grounds for northern pike,
Arctic grayling, and various types of whitefish.
Access to the Refuge is possible only by boat, float- or ski-
equipped airplane, snowmobile, or dogsled team. Snowmobile trails
provide vital links among the Alaska Native villages of the region in
winter and are usually passable to travelers through the end of April.
Several of these villages are located within or near the Refuge
boundary, including Buckland, Noorvik, Selawik, Kiana, Ambler, Kobuk,
and Shungnak.
Background
The CCP Process
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, and the Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (94 Stat. 2371; ANILCA) require
us to develop a CCP for each 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. We will
review and update the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with
the Administration Act and ANILCA.
Public Outreach
We started the CCP for Selawik Refuge in September 2008. At that
time and throughout the planning process, we requested public comments
and considered and incorporated them in numerous ways. We mailed a
planning newsletter to approximately 3,200 individuals, agencies, and
organizations. This newsletter announced that we were revising the CCP
and seeking input from the public. The newsletter informed the public
about issues that were identified by the planning team and Refuge
staff. The newsletter contained a work sheet that provided an
opportunity for people to identify issues that they thought should be
addressed in the CCP. This newsletter and work sheet were also made
available through the Internet. Over 70 written comments were received.
To gather additional input from the public, members of the planning
team held an open house meeting in Kotzebue, which was attended by 18
community members. Visits were made to Buckland, Kiana, Noorvik,
Selawik, and Shungnak where members of the planning team attended city
and tribal council meetings to inform residents of the planning process
and to hear them speak about the issues. Nearly 50 village elders and
community leaders were interviewed during these visits.
The planning team categorized the comments into four interrelated
topics that were of value to the public: (1) Subsistence; (2)
aesthetics, natural habitat, and wildness; (3) fish and wildlife; and
(4) research and education. Based on this public outreach and the
discussions of the planning team, we have formulated eight major
planning issues which are addressed in the draft CCP and the EA: (1)
Protection of fish, wildlife, habitats, and subsistence; (2) management
of access to refuge lands for community residents and the visiting
public; (3) maintaining hunting opportunities; (4) addressing local
public use needs; (5) maintaining water quality and quantity; (6)
maintaining the wild character of the Refuge and quality visitor
experiences; (7) proactively addressing the uncertainties of climate
change; and (8) providing more outreach and better communication for
the public.
We have considered and evaluated all of these issues and public
concerns, with many incorporated into the various management
alternatives, goals, and objectives addressed or described in the draft
CCP and the EA.
CCP Alternatives We Are Considering
The document describes and evaluates three alternatives for
managing the Refuge for the 15 years following approval of the final
CCP. These alternatives follow much of the same general management
direction. Alternative A (the No-Action Alternative) is required under
NEPA and describes continuation of current management activities.
Alternative A serves as a baseline against which to compare the other
alternatives. Under Alternative A, management of the Refuge would
continue to follow direction described in the 1987 CCP and record of
decision as modified by subsequent program-specific plans (e.g.,
fisheries, cultural resources, and fire management plans). Alternative
A would continue to protect and maintain the existing wildlife values,
natural diversity, and ecological integrity of the Refuge. Human
disturbances to fish and wildlife habitats and populations would be
minimal. Private and commercial uses of the Refuge would not change,
and public uses employing existing access methods would continue to be
allowed. Opportunities would be maintained to pursue traditional
subsistence activities and recreational hunting, fishing, and other
wildlife dependent activities. Opportunities would be maintained to
pursue research activities.
Alternative B (the Preferred Alternative) would generally continue
to follow management direction described in the 1987 CCP and record of
decision as modified by subsequent program-specific plans, but some of
that management direction has been updated by changes in policy since
the 1987 Selawik CCP was approved. Alternative B identifies these
specific changes in management direction as well as new goals and
objectives for Refuge management that would be adopted regardless of
which alternative is selected. Alternative B proposes limiting access
to some public lands,
[[Page 65028]]
which are intermingled with private lands, for commercial guides and
transporters whose clients are big game hunting. Alternative B proposes
that a formal partnership be created between the Refuge and local
entities to jointly maintain a shared facility of one or more buildings
with capacity for office, meeting, and storage space in a community
within the refuge. Alternative B proposes a study of traditional access
methods for subsistence purposes. Alternative B proposes that local
public use and access needs be addressed by creating formal
partnerships between the Refuge and various local entities.
Alternative C would generally continue to follow management
direction described in Alternative A as modified by subsequent program-
specific plans. Alternative C would also identify any specific changes
or updates in management direction as well as adopt the new goals and
objectives for Refuge management. Alternative C proposes that the
Refuge manager could open or close some public lands, which are
intermingled with private lands, to use by commercial guides and
transporters whose clients are big game hunting. Alternative C proposes
that the Refuge independently maintain a facility of one or more
buildings with capacity for office, meeting, and storage space in a
community within the refuge. Alternative C proposes the same study of
traditional access methods for subsistence purposes. Alternative C
would address local public use and access needs slightly different from
Alternative B by proposing to expand or improve some opportunities for
public use and access on Refuge lands.
Public Meetings
We will involve the public through open houses, meetings, written
comments, and personal interviews with community members. We will mail
documents to our national and local Refuge mailing lists. Public
meetings will be held in communities in the Refuge area, including
Kotzebue, Noorvik, and Selawik. Dates, times, and locations of each
meeting or open house will be announced in advance in local media.
Submitting Comments/Issues for Comment
We particularly seek comments on the following issues:
Management of use by commercial guides and transporters to
maintain big game hunting opportunities while reducing social conflict
in the region;
How to best conduct a traditional access study of use for
subsistence purposes on Refuge lands;
Proactively addressing climate change; and
Providing more outreach and better communication for the
public.
We consider comments substantive if they:
Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of the
information in the document;
Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of the
environmental assessment;
Present reasonable alternatives other than those presented
in the draft CCP and the EA; and/or
Provide new or additional information relevant to the
assessment.
Next Steps
After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and
address them in the form of a final CCP and decision document.
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.
Dated: October 12, 2010.
Gary Edwards,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage,
Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2010-26655 Filed 10-20-10; 8:45 am]
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