[Federal Register: October 1, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 190)]
[Notices]
[Page 60808-60810]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01oc10-99]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-R-2010-N134; 40136-1265-0000-S3]
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, Chesterfield County,
SC
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability: Final comprehensive conservation plan
and finding of no significant impact.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of our final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental
assessment for Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). In
the final CCP, we describe how we will manage this refuge for the next
15 years.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the CCP by writing to: Ms. Allyne
Askins, Refuge Manager, Carolina Sandhills NWR, 23734 U.S. Highway 1,
McBee, SC 29101. The CCP may also be accessed and downloaded from the
Service's Web site: http://southeast.fws.gov/planning/ under ``Final
Documents.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Allyne Askins; telephone: 843-335-
8350; fax: 843-335-8406; e-mail: allyne_askins@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we finalize the CCP process for Carolina
Sandhills NWR. We started this process through a notice in the Federal
Register on August 22, 2007 (72 FR 47062).
Carolina Sandhills NWR was established by Executive Order 8067,
dated March 17, 1939. This Executive Order authorized the Federal
Government to purchase lands from willing sellers to restore habitats
and wildlife species. Today, the 45,348-acre refuge is managed to
restore the longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem for the benefit of the
red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) and other endangered species; to provide
habitat for migratory and upland game birds; to provide opportunities
for environmental
[[Page 60809]]
education, interpretation and wildlife-dependent recreational
opportunities; and to demonstrate sound land management practices that
enhance natural resource conservation. The refuge is a land management
demonstration refuge for the longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem. The
refuge supports an estimated 150 active clusters of the endangered RCW,
the largest population in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The
refuge's primary public use is hunting; although wildlife observation,
hiking, and fishing also are popular.
We announce our decision and the availability of the final CCP and
FONSI for Carolina Sandhills NWR in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) [40 CFR 1506.6(b)] requirements. We
completed a thorough analysis of impacts on the human environment,
which we included in the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and
Environmental Assessment (Draft CCP/EA). The CCP will guide us in
managing and administering Carolina Sandhills NWR for the next 15
years. Alternative C is the foundation for the CCP.
The compatibility determinations for hunting, fishing, wildlife
observation and photography, environmental education and
interpretation, cooperative farming, commercial timber harvest,
boating, public safety and military training, natural resource
collection for personal use, cemetery upkeep, scientific research and
collections, off-road vehicle use for mobility-impaired persons,
outdoor recreation (e.g., bicycling, hiking, jogging, walking, mountain
biking, and picnicking), camping, and horseback riding are available in
the 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 national wildlife refuge. The purpose in 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, wildlife photography, and
environmental education and interpretation. We will review and update
the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with the Administration
Act.
Comments
We made copies of the Draft CCP/EA available for a 30-day public
review and comment period via a Federal Register notice on January 21,
2010 (75 FR 3484). We received five comments on the Draft CCP/EA.
Selected Alternative
The Draft CCP/EA identified and evaluated three alternatives for
managing the refuge. After considering the comments we received and
based on the professional judgment of the planning team, we selected
Alternative C for implementation.
Under Alternative C, we will optimize management of native wildlife
and habitat diversity (e.g., floristic communities, longleaf-wiregrass,
and native grasslands) and appropriate wildlife-dependent public uses
and visitor services. We will continue our focus on RCW monitoring and
recovery, while managing for a suite of species. We will enhance
habitat required for RCWs by (1) accelerating the transition to multi-
aged management; (2) improving forest structure and composition,
focusing on diversifying plantation structure to create multiple-aged
classes and densities of overstory pines, while improving ground layer
structure and composition; (3) using all available tools to control
midstory (e.g., chemical, mechanical, and pre-commercial); (4)
increasing growing season burning; and (5) considering use of fall
burning for hazardous fuel reduction and seed bed preparation.
We will increase partnership activities with the South Carolina
Department of Natural Resources, Cheraw State Park, and Sandhills State
Forest to manage RCWs as one recovery population. We will enhance our
management of the unique floristic communities on the refuge, including
seepage bogs, Atlantic white cedar and cane bottoms, and old field
species at Oxpen Farm. We will develop and implement habitat management
response surveys to identify species response to treatments in longleaf
pine and restoration in pocosin habitat sites.
We will manage 1,200 acres of grasslands for birds of conservation
concern, conduct baseline population surveys of grassland birds, and
survey to assess effects of habitat management. As part of grassland
management and restoration, we will restore longleaf-wiregrass and
native grasslands, establish native warm season grass demonstration
areas, and eradicate non-native plants (e.g., fescue, love grass, and
bamboo). We will also establish a seed nursery/orchard for native warm
season grass and native ground cover and engage in native plant
botanical research.
We will balance habitat restoration and fish and wildlife
population management with enhanced visitor services. We will improve
our wayside exhibits and update our Web site, encouraging families to
use the refuge to pursue outdoor recreational opportunities. We will
host an annual public lands and private landowner demonstration day to
showcase restoration and management practices. We will work with our
volunteers, partners, and friends group, to further information and
technology exchange. We will target land acquisitions that will
maximize ecosystem management objectives and opportunities for public
use and environmental education. We will identify and evaluate
important gaps and corridors to ensure landscape-level conservation and
connectivity. We will search for opportunities to enter into
cooperative wildlife management agreements with private landowners in
the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program focus areas. We will
increase protection of visitors to the refuge.
Alternative C directs the development of programs to best achieve
the refuge purpose and goals; emphasizes adaptive management; collects
habitat and wildlife data; and ensures long-term achievement of refuge
and Service objectives. At the same time, these management actions
provide balanced levels of compatible public use opportunities
consistent with existing laws, Service policies, and sound biological
principles. It provides the best mix of program elements to achieve
desired long-term conditions. Under this alternative, all lands under
our management and direction will be protected, maintained, and
enhanced to best achieve national, ecosystem, and refuge specific goals
and objectives within anticipated funding and staffing levels. In
addition, the action positively addresses significant issues and
concerns expressed by the public.
Authority
This notice is published under the authority of the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law 105-57.
[[Page 60810]]
Dated: August 5, 2010.
Mark J. Musaus,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-24668 Filed 9-30-10; 8:45 am]
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