[Federal Register: June 23, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 119)]
[Notices]
[Page 29714-29715]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23jn09-71]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-R-2008-N0257; 20131-1265-2CCP-S3]
Texas Mid-Coast Refuge Complex, Brazoria and Matagorda Counties,
TX
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental assessment; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to
prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and environmental
assessment (EA) for the Texas Mid-Coast Refuge Complex (Complex). The
Complex consists of the following refuges: Brazoria and San Bernard,
located in Brazoria County, and Big Boggy in Matagorda County, Texas.
Discontinuous refuge parcels and conservation easements, located
primarily within the forested bottomlands of the Brazos River, San
Bernard River, and Colorado River basins, in Brazoria, Wharton, and
Fort Bend counties, are also part of the Complex. We provide this
notice in compliance with our CCP policy to advise other Federal and
State agencies, Tribes, and the public of our intentions, and to obtain
suggestions and information on the scope of issues to consider in the
planning process.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
by September 21, 2009. We will hold open house meetings during the
scoping phase of the Draft CCP development process. We will announce
the dates, times, and places for all meetings in the local media.
ADDRESSES: Comments, questions, and requests for more information
regarding the planning process should be sent to: Carol Torrez,
Biologist/Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Division of Planning, P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, NM 87103-1306.
Comments may also be submitted via electronic mail to: carol_
torrez@fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Sanchez, Project Leader,
Telephone: 979-964-4011; Fax: 979-964-4021, or Carol Torrez, Biologist/
Natural Resource Planner, Telephone: 505-248-6821, Fax: 505-248-6874.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we initiate our process for developing a CCP for
the Texas Mid-Coast Refuge Complex, which includes the following
refuges: Brazoria and San Bernard, located in Brazoria County, and Big
Boggy in Matagorda County, Texas. Discontinuous refuge parcels and
conservation easements, located primarily within the forested
bottomlands of the Brazos, San Bernard, and Colorado Rivers basins, are
also part of the Complex.
This notice complies with our CCP policy to (1) advise other
Federal and State agencies, Tribes, and the public of our intention to
conduct detailed planning on these Refuges, and (2) obtain suggestions
and information on the scope of issues to consider in the environmental
document and during development of the CCP.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (16
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Improvement Act), which amended the National
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, 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 strategy
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 Improvement Act.
Each unit of the National Wildlife 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 National Wildlife 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
for the best possible conservation approach to this important wildlife
habitat, while providing for wildlife-dependent recreation
opportunities that are compatible with each refuge's establishing
purposes and the mission of the National Wildlife 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 Complex. Special
mailings, newspaper articles, and other media outlets will be used to
announce opportunities for input throughout the planning process.
We will conduct the EA in accordance with the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.); 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.
Texas Mid-Coast Refuge Complex
The Complex is located along the upper Texas Gulf Coast and
consists of three refuges (Brazoria, San Bernard, and Big Boggy NWRs),
and parcels and conservation easements located throughout the Columbia
Bottomlands region. All three of the Refuges are comprised largely of
coastal marsh with tidal interchange along the Gulf of Mexico and were
originally established for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any
other management purpose, for migratory birds. These coastal marsh
communities grade inland into coastal prairie, which gives way to
bottomland forests along the rivers and bayous. The CCP will provide
other agencies and the public with a clear understanding of the desired
conditions for the Complex, and how the Service will implement
management strategies for the conservation and development of these
natural resources.
We estimate that the draft environmental documents will be
[[Page 29715]]
available in 2010 for public review and comment.
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: May 1, 2009.
Brian Millsap,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque,
New Mexico.
[FR Doc. E9-14566 Filed 6-22-09; 8:45 am]
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