[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 15 (Monday, January 24, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4129-4131]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1305]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-R-2010-N217; 40136-1265-0000-S3]
Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, Highlands and Polk
Counties, FL; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No
Significant Impact for Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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[[Page 4130]]
SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of our final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental
assessment for Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). In the
final CCP, we describe how we will manage this refuge for the next 15
years.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the CCP by writing to: Mr. Charles
Pelizza, Refuge Manager, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960-3559,
or by e-mail to: PelicanIsland@fws.gov. The CCP may also be accessed
and downloaded from the Service's Web site: http://southeast.fws.gov/planning/under ``Final Documents.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Charles Pelizza; telephone: 772/
562-3909, extension 244; e-mail: PelicanIsland@fws.gov; or Mr. Bill
Miller; telephone: 561/715-0023; e-mail: LakeWalesRidgeCCP@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we finalize the CCP process for Lake Wales Ridge
NWR. We started this process through a notice in the Federal Register
on June 20, 2008 (73 FR 35149).
Lake Wales Ridge NWR is a unit of the Merritt Island National
Wildlife Refuge Complex and is administered by and co-managed with
Pelican Island and Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuges, colloquially
termed the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Lake Wales Ridge NWR is one of the first of its kind in the
National Wildlife Refuge System to target community-level
conservation--specifically scrub habitat--a unique vegetation type
largely restricted to the central Florida ridge systems occurring on
the remnants of ancient beach and sand dune systems from Ocala National
Forest to southern Highlands County, Florida.
The refuge consists of 1,842.4 acres in fee title across four
management units within a 12-unit approved acquisition boundary. These
four units are as follows: Flamingo Villas (1,037.6 acres), Carter
Creek (627.5 acres), Lake McLeod (38 acres), and Snell Creek (139.3
acres). The refuge contains prime examples of several highly imperiled
ecosystems, including Florida scrub and sandhill, as well as over half
of the Federally listed plant species endemic to the Lake Wales Ridge.
The refuge protects 17 Federally listed plants, 40 endemic plants, 6
listed animals, and 1 candidate species, and more than 40 endemic
invertebrates. Because of the potential for impacts to these plants and
animals, the refuge has not been opened to the public.
Each of the four units comprising the refuge has its own particular
merits and value. Ten Federally listed plants, including the only
protected population of the Federally listed endangered Garrett's mint,
and five Federally listed animals are known to exist on the refuge's
Flamingo Villas Unit, including the threatened Florida scrub-jay. The
Carter Creek Unit is an excellent example of endemic-rich Lake Wales
Ridge sandhill, where 13 Federally listed plants exist, including an
introduced population of the Florida ziziphus, once thought to be
extinct. It is one of only a dozen populations known and one of the
rarest and most endangered plants in the State. Eight Federally listed
plants and two Federally listed animals occur on the small, 36-acre
Lake McLeod Unit, one of but two protected sites where the endangered
scrub lupine occurs. The Snell Creek Unit contains the vast majority of
the refuge's sand pine scrub habitat where rare, threatened, and
endangered species are known to occur, including the endangered sand
skink.
The refuge exists as part of a network of scrubs which include
lands managed by the U.S. Avon Park Air Force Range, State of Florida,
The Nature Conservancy, Archbold Biological Station, and Polk and
Highland Counties, with similar purposes to protect and manage what
remains of this unique ecosystem.
We announce our decision and the availability of the final CCP and
FONSI for Lake Wales Ridge NWR in accordance with the 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 Comprehensive Conservation Plan and
Environmental Assessment for Lake Wales Ridge NWR. The CCP will guide
us in managing and administering Lake Wales Ridge NWR for the next 15
years.
Compatibility determinations are available in the CCP and include
Research, Wildlife Observation and Photography, and Environmental
Education and Interpretation.
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, 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 Administration
Act.
Comments
We made copies of the Draft CCP/EA available for a 30-day public
review and comment period via a Federal Register notice on April 30,
2010 (75 FR 22832). We received comments from local citizens and
organizations.
Selected Alternative
After considering the comments we received, and based on the
professional judgment of the planning team, we selected Alternative B
for implementation.
The primary focus under Alternative B is management for rare,
threatened, and endangered species. Implementing Alternative B is
expected to result in restoring, improving, and maintaining habitat
conditions for the many and varied rare, threatened, and endangered
species found on the refuge. Increased information on a variety of
species, suites of species, and habitats will enhance our decision-
making. Further benefits will be realized from increased control of
exotic, invasive, and nuisance species, and implementation of a
prescribed fire program to target restoration of habitats to pre-fire
exclusion conditions in support of rare, threatened, and endangered
species. We will coordinate with partners to address challenges related
to the impacts of landscape-level ecosystem stresses, including climate
change and habitat conversion. We will increase our science and
management capacities. We will enhance resource protection through
focused and innovative land acquisition strategies and provide boundary
protection from illicit uses. To achieve this, we will work with
governmental and non-governmental partners, area communities, and local
businesses, in addition to pursuing additional staff to address
management concerns.
Alternative B is considered to be the most effective for meeting
the purposes
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of the refuge. It addresses priority issues such as: (1) Declines in
and threats to rare, threatened, and endangered species; (2) lack of
baseline information on resources; (3) lack of an effective approach to
apply fire management and measure fire effects; (4) existence,
persistence, and spread of exotic, invasive, and nuisance species; (5)
management challenges resulting from fragmented conservation lands
under multiple jurisdictions; (6) inability to complete acquisition
within the refuge's approved acquisition boundary; (7) threats and
impacts of an increasing human population; (8) lack of on-site staff
and resources to address needs; and (9) lack of understanding on the
effects of global climate change on resources.
Authority
This notice is published under the authority of the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law 105-57.
Dated: October 22, 2010.
Mark J. Musaus,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-1305 Filed 1-21-11; 8:45 am]
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