[Federal Register: February 12, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 29)]
[Notices]
[Page 6872-6874]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12fe10-17]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-R-2009-N205; 20131-1265-2CCP-S3]
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Aransas, Calhoun, and
Refugio Counties, TX
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 (CCP) and an
environmental assessment (EA) for the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Complex (NWRC, Refuge) for public review and comment. In these
documents, we describe alternatives, including our preferred
alternative, to manage this Refuge complex for the 15 years following
approval of the final CCP.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by
April 13, 2010. We will announce upcoming public meetings in local news
media.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or requests for copies or more
information by any of the following methods. You may request hard
copies or a CD-ROM of the documents by any of the following methods:
E-mail: Roxanne_Turley@fws.gov. Include ``Aransas CCP'' in the
subject line of the message.
Fax: Attn: Roxanne Turley, 505-248-6874.
U.S. Mail: Roxanne Turley, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish &
Wildlife, Service, NWRS, Division of Planning, P.O. Box 1306,
Albuquerque, NM 87103-1306.
In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or Pickup: Call 505-248-6636 to make
an appointment during regular business hours. You may drop off comments
during regular business hours at 500 Gold Avenue, SW., 4th Floor, Room
4019, Albuquerque, NM 87102. For more information on locations for
viewing or obtaining documents, see ``Public Availability of
Documents'' under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Alonso, Complex Manager, by U.S.
mail at Aransas NWRC, CCP-Project, P.O. Box 100, Austwell, TX 77050; by
phone at 361-286-3559; or by fax at 361-286-3722; or Felipe Prieto,
Wildlife Refuge Specialist/CCP Planning Team, Aransas NWRC, by phone at
361-286-3559.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Aransas NWRC. We
started this process through a notice in the Federal Register (67 FR
55862, August 30, 2002).
Aransas NWRC is located in Aransas, Calhoun, and Refugio Counties,
Texas, and encompasses 115,931 acres of coastal prairie, oak woodland
and savannah, barrier island, and salt and freshwater marshes.
Management efforts focus on protecting, enhancing, and restoring Refuge
habitats and water management for the benefit of important fish and
wildlife resources.
Aransas NWRC was established ``as a refuge and breeding grounds for
birds,'' by Executive Order No. 7784 on December 31, 1937. The
authority of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 712d)
establishes that each refuge in the system is ``for use as an inviolate
sanctuary, or any other management purpose, for migratory birds.'' The
Refuge Recreation Act (16 U.S.C. 460-1) states that each refuge in the
system is ``suitable for incidental fish and wildlife-oriented
recreational development, the protection of natural resources, and the
conservation of endangered or threatened species.'' Additionally,
Aransas NWRC contains critical habitat for the whooping crane (43 FR
20938, May 15, 1978).
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, requires a CCP for each
national wildlife refuge. The purpose for developing a CCP is to
provide refuge managers with a 15-year strategy for achieving refuge
purposes and contributing toward the mission of the National Wildlife
Refuge System,
[[Page 6873]]
consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management,
conservation, legal mandates, and Service policies. In addition to
outlining broad management direction on conserving wildlife and their
habitats, the 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
these CCPs at least every 15 years in accordance with the
Administration Act.
Public Outreach
To begin the CCP process, we held a comment period beginning on
August 30, 2002, and ending on October 29, 2002 (67 FR 55862). We made
draft documents and other relevant information available for public
review at the Refuge headquarters. Prior to opening the public comment
period, Refuge staff gathered in July and August 2002 to discuss
concerns, issues, and opportunities for the future of the Refuge. In
January 2003, we held seven open-house-style meetings at the Refuge
Headquarters and in Rockport, Port Lavaca, Corpus Christi, Refugio, and
Victoria, including one Partners meeting for the Golden Crescent Nature
Club in February 2003. We intended these meetings to solicit initial
public input and involvement during the early stages of CCP
development. We also invited the State of Texas (Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department) to participate as a partner in the planning
process. We have considered and evaluated all of the comments we
received, and have incorporated many of them into the various
alternatives we addressed in the draft CCP and the EA.
CCP Alternatives We Are Considering
During the public scoping process with which we started work on
this draft CCP, we, other governmental partners, and the public raised
several issues. Our draft CCP addresses them. A full description of
each alternative is in the EA. To address these issues, we developed
and evaluated the following alternatives, summarized below.
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B: Optimal habitat
A: No-action management and public C: Maximal habitat
alternative use (proposed action) management and public-
alternative use alternative
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Issue 1: Habitat Management Biological program and Ecosystem-level Intensive management to
Activities. habitat management management actions to achieve a
would continue under better protect and predetermined amount
existing plans, with preserve the natural of woodlands,
the emphasis remaining diversity of unique wetlands, croplands,
primarily on migratory habitats and sensitive grasslands,
birds, waterfowl, and wildlife through a shrublands, and water
Federally listed holistic, partnered, impoundments to
species; the status and publicly involved benefit the highest
quo would prevail approach would be possible variety of
without the benefit of implemented; current plants and wildlife
holistic, long-term, and future long-term would be implemented.
and comprehensive benefits for migratory
guidance. and resident birds,
wildlife and their
habitats, and the
recovery of threatened
and endangered species
would be provided.
Issue 2: Improvements to Public Use Current public use An optimal, quality All priority public
Opportunities. under existing plans experience for the uses (hunting,
would continue; any public. Priority fishing, wildlife
expansions would occur wildlife-dependent observation,
opportunistically. uses would be photography, and
emphasized, and other environmental
existing public uses education and
would be allowed where interpretation) would
appropriate. be expanded
significantly above
current levels.
Visitor facilities and
interpretive and
environmental
education programs
would be improved or
developed.
Issue 3: Refuge Land and Boundary Currently, there is no Same as Alternative A; Same as Alternative A.
Protection. active land however, additional
acquisition or land land protection to
protection plan. address whooping crane
However, any future flock expansion in the
acquisitions would be vicinity of the Refuge
based on an approved would be considered.
land protection plan, The emphasis would
developed as a step- remain on protecting
down plan of the CCP. whooping cranes and
Any additional lands available acres of
added to the Refuge existing wetland or
would be purchased restorable wetland
from willing sellers habitat and adjacent
as opportunities and uplands in portions of
funding arise. Aransas, Calhoun, and
Refugio Counties.
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Public Availability of Documents
In addition to any methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain
documents at the following locations:
At the Aransas NWRC Headquarters Office, at 1 Wildlife
Circle, near Austwell, TX, during the hours between 8 a.m. and 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday.
Agency Web site: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/
Plan/index.html.
At the following public libraries:
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Library Address Phone No.
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Victoria Public Library....... 302 N Main St., 361-572-2701
Victoria, TX 77901.
Parkdale Branch Library....... 1230 Carmel Pkwy, 361-853-9961
Corpus Christi, TX
78411.
Calhoun County Public Library. 200 West Mahan St., 361-552-7323
Port Lavaca, TX 77979.
[[Page 6874]]
Aransas County Public Library. 701 E Mimosa St., 361-790-0153
Rockport, TX 78382.
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Submitting Comments/Issues for Comment
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
document;
Present reasonable alternatives other than those presented
in the document; and/or
Provide new or additional information relevant to the
document.
Next Steps
After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and
address them in the form of a final CCP and finding of no significant
impact.
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: January 7, 2010.
Brian Millsap,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2.
[FR Doc. 2010-2911 Filed 2-11-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P