[Federal Register: February 23, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 34)]
[Notices]
[Page 8102-8103]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23fe09-80]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R1-R-2009-N00007; 1265-0000-10137-S3]
Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge, Bonners Ferry, ID
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental assessment; and 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) for the Kootenai
National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). We will also prepare an
environmental assessment (EA) evaluating the potential effects of
various CCP alternatives. The Refuge is located within Boundary County,
Idaho. We are furnishing this notice to advise the public and other
government agencies and Tribes of our intentions, and to obtain public
comments, suggestions, and information on the scope of issues to be
considered during the planning process.
DATES: We request your written comments on the scope of the CCP by
March 25, 2009. All comments received during scoping will be considered
during development of the Draft CCP and EA.
ADDRESSES: Address comments, questions, and requests for information
to: Dianna Ellis, Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge, 287 Westside Road,
Bonners Ferry, ID 83805. Comments may be faxed to the Refuge at (208)
267-5570, or e-mailed to FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov. Include
``Kootenai Refuge CCP'' in the subject line of your message. Additional
information about the Refuge is available on the Internet at http://
www.fws.gov/kootenai/. Additional information about the CCP planning
process is available on the Internet at: http://www.fws.gov/pacific/
planning/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dianna Ellis, Refuge Manager, Kootenai
Refuge, phone (208) 267-3888.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS)
Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge
System Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee), requires all
lands within the NWRS to be managed in accordance with an approved CCP.
A CCP guides refuge management decisions, and identifies long-range
goals, objectives, and strategies for achieving the purposes for which
the refuge was established. During the CCP planning process for
Kootenai Refuge many elements will be considered, including wildlife
and habitat protection and management, public use opportunities, and
cultural resource protection.
Public input during the planning process is essential. To initiate
the public scoping phase of the CCP planning process we held two public
open house meetings in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, on January 23, 2009. We
announced the meetings in a press release and in a planning update
mailed to 239 addressees, including refuge neighbors, interested
individuals and organizations, elected officials, Tribes, and local,
State, and Federal government and nongovernment stakeholders.
Approximately 30 people attended the meetings. Public scoping will
continue until March 25, 2009.
The Refuge's CCP will describe desired Refuge conditions and the
long-term goals, objectives, and strategies for achieving those
conditions. To evaluate potential impacts of CCP alternatives, we will
prepare an EA in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.)
Background
The Refuge was established in 1964 under the Migratory Bird
Conservation Act ``for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other
management purpose, for migratory birds'' with emphasis on providing
migration and breeding habitat for migratory waterfowl. The Refuge's
habitats include wetlands, mixed moist deciduous and coniferous forest,
riparian woodland, riverine, and dry forest. Managed grasslands and
croplands are also present on the Refuge.
The Refuge supports tens of thousands of migrating waterfowl,
especially during fall migration. The Refuge also provides important
stop-over habitat for spring migratory swans that winter in
southeastern Oregon and nest in northeastern British Columbia and
northwestern Alberta. Habitat for the federally listed bull trout;
winter habitat for deer and elk; and occasionally, habitat and/or
travel corridors for wide-ranging species such as woodland caribou,
grizzly bear, and gray wolves is also provided on the Refuge.
Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and Opportunities
We identified the following categories of preliminary issues for
consideration in the planning process: water and wetland management,
including dike maintenance and water rights; cropland management;
integrated pest management; deer and elk management; maintenance and
restoration of riparian, upland forest, and instream habitats; the
Refuge's role in recovery of rare and listed fish species; providing
sustainable wildlife-dependent recreation with a small staff and land
base; reducing visitor conflicts and law enforcement violations; and
managing on-going Refuge programs and commitments in an era of tight
budgets. Additional issues may be identified during public scoping.
Public Availability of Comments
All comments we receive become part of the public record. Requests
for comments will be handled in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act, NEPA, and Service and Department of the Interior
policies and procedures. 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 to withhold it from public review, we cannot
guarantee we will be able to do so.
[[Page 8103]]
Dated: January 6, 2009.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. E9-3763 Filed 2-20-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P