[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 77 (Monday, April 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23778-23780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-09348]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R6-R-2012-N235; FF06R06000 134 FXRS1265066CCP0]
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Stafford, KS; Comprehensive
Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: 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
that our draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and environmental
assessment (EA) for Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is available. This
draft CCP/EA describes how the Service intends to manage this refuge
for the next 15 years.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
on the draft CCP/EA by May 20, 2013.
Submit comments by one of the methods under ADDRESSES.
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ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information by any
of the following methods.
Email: toni_griffin@fws.gov. Include ``Quivira NWR'' in the
subject line of the message.
Fax: Attn: Toni Griffin, Planning Team Leader, 303-236-4792.
U.S. Mail: Toni Griffin, Planning Team Leader, Suite 300, 134 Union
Boulevard, Lakewood, CO 80228.
Document Request: A copy of the CCP/EA may be obtained by writing
to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Refuge Planning, 134
Union Boulevard, Suite 300, Lakewood, Colorado 80228; or by download
from http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/planning.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Toni Griffin, 303-236-4378 (phone);
303-236-4792 (fax); or toni_griffin@fws.gov (email); or David C.
Lucas, 303-236-4366 (phone); 303-236-4792 (fax); or david_c_lucas@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP process for the Quivira
National Wildlife Refuge. We started this process through a notice in
the Federal Register (75 FR 8394, February 24, 2010).
The 22,135-acre Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is part of the
National Wildlife Refuge System and is located in Reno, Rice, and
Stafford Counties in south-central Kansas. The Quivira National
Wildlife Refuge was established in 1955 to provide wintering and
migration stopover habitat for migratory birds along the Central Flyway
of North America. Wetlands large and small are present throughout the
refuge, with approximately 7,000 acres of wetlands with slightly to
moderately saline water. Thousands of Canada geese, ducks, and other
migratory birds such as sandhill cranes and shorebirds use these
wetlands as they pass through the refuge on their annual migrations.
The refuge provides critical habitat for the federally listed whooping
crane and State-listed western snowy plover. Bald eagles winter and
nest on the refuge, and Interior least terns nest on the refuge. The
refuge also provides numerous opportunities for the public, including
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, interpretation
and environmental education for students and visitors. The Quivira
Refuge manages the Great Plains Nature Center located in Wichita, which
compliments and supports the purpose of the refuge. The refuge has many
special designations, including the following: It is a Ramsar Site
(Wetlands of International Importance), it is in the Western Hemisphere
Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), and it is an Important Bird Area
(IBA, National Audubon Society) and Research Natural Area.
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 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 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.
Public Outreach
We started the CCP for Quivira Refuge in February 2010. At that
time and throughout the process, we requested public comments and
considered and incorporated them in the planning process. Public
outreach has included a news release, planning update, and three
scoping meetings. Comments we received cover topics such as habitat
management, threatened and endangered species, and public use. We have
considered and evaluated all of these comments, with many incorporated
into the various alternatives addressed in the draft CCP and the EA.
CCP Alternatives We Are Considering
Alternative A--Current Management (No Action)
Funding, staff levels, and management activities at the refuge
would not change. Habitats would be managed to increase and maintain
resilience through conservation of native communities. Baseline
monitoring of habitat conditions that could potentially be related to
the effects of climate change would continue. Staff would continue to
seek information and maintain communications with others regarding
current and potential future conservation issues impacting the refuge,
while periodically assessing the role of the refuge at different
landscape scales. The hydrology of the Big Salt Marsh would be allowed
to fluctuate with natural climate variations, and use of Rattlesnake
Creek water would be limited. The Little Salt Marsh would continue to
be used to serve the dual roles of providing waterbird habitat and
storing water from Rattlesnake Creek to facilitate management of other
refuge wetlands.
Migratory birds would continue to be the focus of refuge
management, with a primary focus of wetland management to provide
migration, resting, and nesting habitat for a diversity of waterbirds,
especially waterfowl, cranes, shorebirds, and rails. Upland habitats
would continue to be managed to provide migratory and nesting habitat,
primarily favoring native wildlife communities characteristic of open
sand prairie. Quivira Refuge would continue to manage habitats in
support of Federal and State threatened and endangered species, Federal
candidate species, and State species in need of conservation,
especially those species with designated critical habitat on Quivira
Refuge lands and those that most commonly depend on refuge resources.
Staffing would consist of nine full-time permanent refuge funded
employees, one permanent part-time employee and two fire-funded staff.
In addition, one permanent employee would be stationed at the GPNC. The
Service would continue to support the GPNC through its partnership with
the City of Wichita Department of Park and Recreation and the Kansas
Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Level of Service staffing at
the GPNC would remain the same.
Alternative B--Proposed Action
Management would focus on restoring native communities that benefit
focal resources, or focal species and their respective habitats, and
increasing public use opportunities for hunting. Increased attention
would be given to understanding and minimizing effects of management
among habitat types, such as habitat changes in meadow and adjacent
uplands resulting from water management in created wetlands. This
should enhance awareness of the connectedness of habitats and areas
throughout the refuge. To achieve this alternative, relatively minor
changes in the refuge's operations; inventory,
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monitoring, and research; staffing; and infrastructure would likely be
required.
Alternative C
The intent of alternative C would be to promote self-sustaining
natural processes to the extent possible. Key values of restoring
natural ecological processes are achieving long-term sustainability of
native communities and lowering maintenance costs on some aspects of
management. Management efforts, such as prescribed fire, grazing, and
invasive species control, would be focused on maintaining native plant
community composition and diversity, with the assumption that native
wildlife would benefit from these activities. Relative to other
alternatives, habitat conditions would be allowed to fluctuate more
with climatically driven wet and dry cycles; however, some management
would still be required to mitigate the effects of past land use on the
refuge and in the watershed that have permanently altered some
ecological processes.
Initially, considerable time would be required to assess current
ecological functions, identify key elements that should be restored,
and evaluate potential restoration options that could be implemented
within the constraints imposed by biological, economic, social,
political, and legal considerations. Implementation of this alternative
would occur in stages over many years, and changes in refuge research
and monitoring, staffing, operations, and infrastructure would be
required. In addition, the success of actions implemented under this
alternative would be influenced greatly by the ability of management to
develop new and expanded partnerships with a diversity of stakeholders
in the Rattlesnake Creek watershed.
Public Meetings
Opportunity for public input will be provided at public meetings.
The specific dates and times for the public meetings are yet to be
determined, but will be announced via local media and a planning
update.
Next Steps
After the public reviews and provides comments on the draft CCP and
EA, the planning team will present this document along with a summary
of all substantive public comments to the Regional Director. The
Regional Director will consider the environmental effects of each
alternative, including information gathered during public review, and
will select a preferred alternative for the draft CCP and EA. If the
Regional Director finds that no significant impacts would occur, the
Regional Director's decision will be disclosed in a finding of no
significant impact included in the final CCP. If the Regional Director
finds a significant impact would occur, an environmental impact
statement will be prepared. If approved, the action in the preferred
alternative will compose the final CCP.
Public Availability of Comments
All public comment information provided voluntarily by mail, by
phone, or at meetings (e.g., names, addresses, letters of comment,
input recorded during meetings) becomes part of the official public
record. If requested under the Freedom of Information Act by a private
citizen or organization, the Service may provide copies of such
information.
Authority
The environmental review of this project will be conducted in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); NEPA
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508, 43 CFR part 46); other appropriate
Federal laws and regulations; Executive Order 12996; the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997; and Service policies
and procedures for compliance with those laws and regulations.
Dated: October 29, 2012.
Noreen E. Walsh,
Acting Regional Director, Mountain Prairie Region, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-09348 Filed 4-19-13; 8:45 am]
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