[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 102 (Friday, May 25, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31379-31381]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-12353]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R1-R-2012-N049; 1265-0000-1037-S3]
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Lake County, OR; Draft
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Draft Environmental Impact
Statement
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to
revise the comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) for Hart Mountain
National Antelope Refuge (Refuge). An environmental impact statement
(EIS) evaluating effects of various CCP alternatives will also be
prepared. We provide this notice in compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act and our CCP policy to advise the public, other
Federal and State agencies, and Tribes of our intentions and to obtain
public comments, suggestions, and information on the scope of issues to
consider in the planning process.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by
July 24, 2012. We will hold public meetings to begin the CCP planning
process in various communities in the vicinity of the Refuge. Meeting
dates, times, and locations will be announced in news releases,
planning updates, and on our Web site: http://www.fws.gov/sheldonhartmtn/Hart/refuge_planning.html.
ADDRESSES: Information about the Refuge is available on our Web site
http://www.fws.gov/sheldonhartmtn/Hart/index.html. Send your comments
or requests for information by any of the following methods:
Online: http://www.fws.gov/sheldonhartmtn/Hart/refuge_planning.html. Follow the web link to our online comment form.
U.S. Mail: Project Leader, Sheldon--Hart Mountain National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, P.O. Box 111, Lakeview, OR 97630.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aaron Collins, (541) 947-3315, ext.
223.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we initiate our process for revising the Refuge
CCP. This notice complies with our CCP policy and the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.), to (1) advise other Federal and State agencies, Tribes, and the
public of our intention to conduct detailed planning on this refuge and
(2) obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to
consider in the EIS and during development of the CCP.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Refuge 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 (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
compatible 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 CCPs at least every 15
years in accordance with the
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Refuge Administration Act. The existing management plan for the Refuge
was completed in 1994. The revised CCP will include updates and changes
needed to comply with the Refuge Administration Act and current Service
policies.
Each unit of the Refuge System was established for specific
purposes. We use these purposes as the foundation for developing and
prioritizing the management goals and objectives for each refuge within
the Refuge System mission and to determine how the public can use each
refuge. The planning process is a way for us and the public to evaluate
management goals and objectives that will ensure the best possible
approach to wildlife, plant, and habitat conservation, while providing
for wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities that are compatible
with each refuge's establishing purposes and the mission of the Refuge
System.
Our CCP process provides participation opportunities for Tribal,
State, and local governments; agencies; organizations; and the public.
At this time we encourage input in the form of issues, concerns, ideas,
and suggestions for the future management of the Refuge.
We will conduct the environmental review of this project and
develop an EIS in accordance with the requirements of NEPA, NEPA
regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), other appropriate Federal laws
and regulations, and our policies and procedures for compliance with
those laws and regulations.
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge
The Refuge's approved boundary encompasses 277,893 acres of
sagebrush steppe uplands in Lake County, Oregon; of this, the Service
owns approximately 270,686 acres. The Refuge was established for the
following purposes.
``* * * as a range and breeding ground for antelope and other
species of wildlife * * *'' Executive Antelope Range (OR) Order 7523,
dated Dec. 21, 1936;
``* * * for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other
management purpose, for migratory birds.'' 16 U.S.C. 715d (Migratory
Bird Conservation Act);
``* * * for the development, advancement, management, conservation,
and protection of fish and wildlife resources * * *'' 16 U.S.C.
742f(a)(4);
``* * * for the benefit of the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, in performing its activities and services * * *'' 16 U.S.C.
742f(b)(1) (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956); and
``* * * suitable for--(1) incidental fish and wildlife-oriented
recreational development, (2) the protection of natural resources, (3)
the conservation of endangered species or threatened species * * *'' 16
U.S.C. 460k-1.
The Refuge encompasses a massive fault block ridge known as Hart
Mountain, which ascends abruptly almost three-quarters of a mile above
the Warner Valley and then extends along nearly the entire western edge
of the Refuge in a series of rugged cliffs, steep slopes, and knife-
like ridges. The eastern slope descends gradually in a series of hills
and a broad, gentle plain. Refuge habitats primarily include various
sagebrush uplands interspersed with meadows, seasonal shallow playas,
and pothole lakes. Aspen line the few perennial streams, and western
juniper cover steep canyon slopes along the mountain escarpment. The
Refuge provides important but seasonal habitat for its signature
species, the American pronghorn antelope, and also for mule deer,
bighorn sheep, and a wide variety of raptors and smaller migratory
birds. The Refuge also provides habitat for year-round resident
wildlife, which includes a full assemblage of sagebrush steppe mammals,
amphibians, fish, invertebrates, and birds, and provides some of the
most intact and important remaining habitat for the imperiled greater
sage-grouse.
Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and Opportunities
The following preliminary issues, concerns, and opportunities have
been identified for the Refuge, and may be evaluated in the CCP.
Additional issues may be identified during public scoping.
Habitat management and restoration. What management
actions are needed to sustain and restore antelope and priority species
and habitats over the next 15 years? How is the quality of the Refuge's
sagebrush steppe habitat being impacted by fire suppression and
encroachment from western juniper? What effects will climate change
have on pronghorn and other species the Refuge was established to
conserve?
Invasive species control. Invasive species, primarily
cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), degrade habitat for most sagebrush steppe
wildlife. How can we reduce the incidence and spread of cheatgrass and
other damaging weeds while maintaining a healthy mosaic of sagebrush
habitats?
Visitor services and education opportunities. Compatible
wildlife observation, photography, interpretation, environmental
education, fishing, and hunting are provided at the Refuge. How can we
improve the quality of these services and programs while minimizing
impacts to Refuge wildlife and habitats? What volunteer programs and
partnerships can we develop to improve outreach and education and
ensure adequate visitor facilities are maintained in keeping with the
Refuge's primitive and historic character?
Land protection and planning. Fish and wildlife depend not
only upon the Refuge, but also a much larger supporting landscape
influenced by changes in climate, land use, and other activities. What
management actions, including partnerships and/or additional landscape
protection measures, are needed to sustain and restore priority species
and habitats, maintain water quality, improve habitat protection and
connectivity, and reduce habitat fragmentation?
Wildlife and habitat monitoring. What data are needed and
how can we obtain those data regarding antelope and key species and
their habitats to accurately measure population numbers and trends and
to measure the effectiveness of projects and progress toward our
management objectives in order to adjust future management actions
accordingly?
The following issue, previously addressed, will not be considered
in the CCP.
Grazing. In the Refuge's 1994 management plan, livestock
grazing was evaluated and found incompatible with the purposes for the
Refuge and the use was discontinued. Following amendment of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C.
668dd-668ee) by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of
1997, the Service adopted an Appropriate Use Policy. The Appropriate
Use Policy requires an Appropriate Use analysis and finding for uses of
a refuge prior to the completion of a Compatibility Determination.
Pursuant to this policy, we have reevaluated the use of livestock
grazing on Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge through an
Appropriate Use Finding. Considering results from a number of studies
that evaluated changes in conditions and management of Refuge habitats
following livestock removal, we have determined that grazing is not
beneficial to Refuge resources and cannot be accommodated without
impacting existing wildlife-dependent uses. Therefore, we have
concluded that livestock grazing is not an appropriate use on the Hart
Mountain National
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Antelope Refuge and will not be considered in the revised CCP.
Public Meetings
We will give the public an opportunity to provide input at public
meetings. We will hold a meeting on May 31, 2012, at 6 p.m. at Daly
Middle School, 220 South H Street, Lakeview, Oregon. We will hold
another meeting on June 4, 2012, at 6 p.m. at Plush Elementary School
in Plush, Oregon. These public open houses will be announced in press
releases, planning updates, and on our Web site: http://www.fws.gov/sheldonhartmtn/Hart/refuge_planning.html. You may also send comments
anytime during the planning process by mail or email (see ADDRESSES).
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email 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: April 2, 2012.
Richard R. Hannan,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Region, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. 2012-12353 Filed 5-24-12; 8:45 am]
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