[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 190 (Monday, October 1, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59962-59963]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-24046]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-R-2012-N145; BAC-4311-K9-S3]
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, DE and
Philadelphia Counties, PA; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and
Finding of No Significant Impact
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 John Heinz National
Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum (John Heinz NWR, refuge) in Delaware and
Philadelphia Counties, Pennsylvania. In this final CCP, we describe how
we will manage the 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 a CD-ROM.
Agency Web site: Download a copy of the document at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/John%20Heinz/ccphome.html.
Email: Send requests to northeastplanning@fws.gov. Include ``John
Heinz NWR Final CCP'' in the subject line of your email.
Mail: Lia McLaughlin, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035.
Fax: Attention: Lia McLaughlin, 413-253-8468.
In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call (215) 365-3118 to make an
appointment (necessary for view/pickup only) during regular business
hours at 8601 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19153.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Stolz, Refuge Manager, phone:
(215) 365-3118, or Lia McLaughlin, Planning Team Leader, phone: 413-
253-8575; email: northeastplanning@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we finalize the CCP process for John Heinz NWR.
We started this process through a notice of intent in the Federal
Register (75 FR 25285) on May 7, 2010. We released the draft CCP/
environmental assessment (EA) to the public, announcing and requesting
comments in a notice of availability in the Federal Register (77 FR
16854) on March 22, 2012.
The refuge was established in 1972 to preserve and restore the
natural area known as Tinicum Marsh, to promote environmental
education, and to afford visitors an opportunity to study wildlife in
its natural habitat. It is located in Delaware and Philadelphia
Counties, along the Delaware River, in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Currently, the refuge includes 993 acres of freshwater tidal marsh,
open water, grassland, and forest habitat. It is an important migratory
stopover for birds along the Atlantic Flyway, and provides habitat for
State-listed threatened and endangered species such as the eastern
redbelly turtle (Pseudemys rubriventris). The refuge also offers unique
opportunities for environmental education and interpretation in an
urban setting.
We announce our decision and the availability of the Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) for the final CCP for John Heinz NWR in
accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.) 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 Heinz NWR
for the next 15 years. Alternative B, as described for the refuge in
the draft CCP/EA, and with the modifications described below, 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 NWR. 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
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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 the Selected Alternative
Our draft CCP/EA addressed several key issues. To address these
issues and develop a plan based on the refuge's establishing purposes,
vision, and goals, we evaluated three alternatives for John Heinz NWR
in the draft CCP/EA. The draft CCP/EA describes each alternative in
detail and relates them to the issues and concerns that arose during
the planning process. Below, we provide summaries for the three John
Heinz NWR alternatives evaluated in the draft CCP/EA.
Management Alternatives
Alternative A (Current Management)
Alternative A (current management) satisfies the National
Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 1506.6(b)) requirement of a ``No
Action'' alternative, which we define as ``continuing current
management.'' It describes our existing management priorities and
activities, and serves as a baseline for comparing and contrasting
alternatives B and C. It would maintain our present levels of approved
refuge staffing and the biological and visitor programs now in place.
We would continue to focus on providing native tidal marsh habitat for
migrating and nesting wading birds; wintering marshbirds, waterfowl,
and shorebirds; and other wildlife. We would also continue to actively
control invasive species, manage grassland habitats, and maintain dikes
and water levels in the impoundment. Our environmental education
program would continue to focus on providing training for teachers so
they could guide field trips on refuge property.
Alternative B (Focus on Environmental Education for Urban Youth)
This is the Service-preferred alternative. It combines the actions
we believe would best achieve the refuge's purposes, vision, and goals,
and the intent of NWRS policy on Biological Integrity, Diversity, and
Environmental Health (601 FW 3). This alternative would also best
respond to the issues that arose during the planning process.
Under alternative B, we would expand our freshwater tidal marsh
restoration efforts, implement additional forest habitat restoration
and management efforts, and increase monitoring efforts for species and
for climate change effects. Our environmental education program would
focus on expanding staff-led and volunteer-led programs for urban
youth. We would also develop environmental education programs that
focus on this audience, and work to develop long-term relationships
with schools and school districts. We would work to expand
environmental interpretation opportunities and infrastructure on the
refuge as well.
Alternative C
Alternative C would focus on restoring degraded forests and
converting specific grassland areas to shrubland habitat. As in
alternative B, we would emphasize invasive species management,
freshwater tidal marsh restoration, and monitoring for climate change
adaptation. However, under alternative C, we would delay much of these
efforts to more fully assess the potential effects of climate change
and propose restoring all of the impoundment to tidal marsh. Under
alternative C, environmental educational programming would concentrate
on providing high school and college-level programs focused on
encouraging and training the next generation of conservation
professionals and environmentally concerned citizens. We would also
focus on playing a more regional role in conservation efforts.
Comments
We solicited comments on the draft CCP/EA for John Heinz NWR from
March 22 to April 23, 2012 (77 FR 16854). During the comment period, we
received 19 sets of responses including comments from public meetings,
a phone call, electronic mail, and letters. We evaluated all of the
substantive comments we received, and include a summary of those
comments, and our responses to them, as appendix K in the final CCP.
Selected Alternative
We have selected alternative B for implementation, with the
following modifications:
We highlighted that we will be working closely with the
Philadelphia International Airport to assess any wildlife hazards prior
to implementing any wetland restoration under objective 1.1 in chapter
4.
We incorporated updated information on species provided by
the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission into section 3.3 of chapter 3
and section 2.5 of appendix C.
We added the following strategy to objective 2.1 in
chapter 4: ``Work with partners to identify and obtain resources to
replace the water control system in the impoundment.''
We modified the bicycling compatibility determination in
appendix B to open one additional trail to bicycling.
We corrected all format and typographical errors that were
brought to our attention.
We have selected alternative B to implement for John Heinz NWR,
with these minor changes, for several reasons. Alternative B comprises
a mix of actions that, in our professional judgment, work best towards
achieving the refuge's purposes, vision, and goals, NWRS policies, and
the goals of other State and regional conservation plans. We also
believe that alternative B most effectively addresses key issues raised
during the planning process. The basis of our decision is detailed in
the FONSI (appendix L in the final CCP).
Public Availability of Documents
You can view or obtain the final CCP, including the FONSI, as
indicated under ADDRESSES.
Dated: August 27, 2012.
Deborah Rocque,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2012-24046 Filed 9-28-12; 8:45 a.m.]
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