[Federal Register: October 4, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 191)]
[Notices]
[Page 61171-61173]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04oc10-55]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-R-2010-N164; BAC-4311-K9-S3]
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Genesee County and Orleans
County, NY
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of draft comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental assessment; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of the draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and
environmental assessment (EA) for Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
(NWR) for a 30-day public review and comment period. In this draft CCP/
EA, we describe three alternatives, including our Service-preferred
Alternative B, for managing this refuge for the next 15 years. Also
available for public review and comment is the draft compatibility
determinations, which is included as Appendix A in the draft CCP/EA.
DATES: To ensure our consideration of your written comments, we must
receive them by November 3, 2010. We will also hold an open house and
public meeting at the refuge in the town of Alabama, New York, during
the 30-day review period to receive comments and provide information on
the draft plan. We will announce and post details about the public
meeting in local news media, via our project mailing list, and on our
Regional planning Web site, http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/
Iroquois/ccphome.html.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments, requests for more information, or
requests for copies of the draft CCP/EA by any of the following
methods.
U.S. Mail: Thomas Bonetti, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035.
Facsimile: Attention: Thomas Bonetti, 413-253-8468.
Electronic mail: northeastplanning@fws.gov. Include ``Iroquois NWR
CCP'' in the subject line of your message.
Agency Web site: View or download the draft document at http://
www.fws.gov/northeast/iroquois/.
In-Person Drop Off: You may drop off comments during regular
business hours at Iroquois NWR, 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Roster, Project Leader,
Iroquois
[[Page 61172]]
NWR, 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013; phone: 585-948-5445; facsimile:
585-948-9538; electronic mail: northeastplanning@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Iroquois NWR,
which we started by publishing a notice in the Federal Register (73 FR
10279; February 26, 2008). We prepared the draft CCP in compliance with
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, as
amended) (NEPA) and the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration
Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Improvement Act).
Iroquois NWR was established in 1958 under the Migratory Bird
Conservation Act for ``* * * use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any
other management purpose, for migratory birds.'' (16 U.S.C. 715d). The
refuge consists of more than 10,800 acres within the rural townships of
Alabama and Shelby, New York, midway between Buffalo and Rochester.
Freshwater marshes and hardwood swamps are bounded by forests,
grasslands, and wet meadows. These areas serve the habitat needs of
both migratory and resident wildlife, including waterfowl, songbirds,
mammals, and amphibians, as well as numerous indigenous plant species.
Background
The CCP Process:
The Improvement Act requires us to develop a CCP for each national
wildlife refuge. The purpose for developing CCPs is to provide refuge
managers with 15-year plans for achieving refuge purposes and the
mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), in conformance
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 each CCP at least every 15
years, in accordance with the Improvement Act.
Public Outreach
In conjunction with our Federal Register notice announcing our
intent to begin the CCP process, open houses and public information
meetings were held in Western New York at three different locations
during April 2008. Meetings were advertised locally through news
releases, Web sites, and our mailing list. Participants were encouraged
to actively express their opinions and suggestions. The public meetings
allowed us to gather information and ideas from local residents,
adjacent landowners, and various organizations and agencies.
Throughout the process, we have conducted additional outreach via
newsletters and participation in meetings, and continued to request
public input on refuge management and programs. We considered and
evaluated all comments, and incorporated many of them into the varied
alternatives in the draft CCP/EA.
CCP Actions We Are Considering, Including the Service-Preferred
Alternative
We developed three management alternatives based on the purposes
for establishing the refuge, its vision and goals, and the issues and
concerns the public, State agencies, and the Service identified during
the planning process. The alternatives have some actions in common,
such as protecting cultural resources, developing step-down management
plans, and controlling invasive plant species. Other actions
distinguish the alternatives. The draft CCP/EA describes the
alternatives in detail, and relates them to the issues and concerns we
identified during the planning process. The following are highlights of
each of the alternatives.
Alternative A (Current Management)
This alternative is the ``No Action'' alternative, as required by
NEPA. Alternative A defines our current management activities, and
serves as the baseline against which to compare the other alternatives.
A selection of this alternative would maintain the status quo in
managing the refuge for the next 15 years. No major changes would be
made to current management practices. This alternative provides a basis
for comparing the other two alternatives.
Current management of refuge impoundments would continue, resulting
in no change in the amount of open water and emergent marsh habitat
available to refuge wildlife. Forested habitat on the refuge would
increase as the refuge allows natural succession of some early
successional grassland and shrubland habitats. We would continue to
eliminate small, isolated grasslands that do not provide significant
habitat, leading to a 138-acre decrease in grassland habitat as
compared to current levels. Refuge shrublands would continue to be cut
at a rate of 10-20 acres annually, resulting in a decrease of 445 acres
of shrubland habitat as compared to current levels. We would maintain
existing opportunities for visitors to engage in wildlife observation
and photography, environmental education, interpretation, hunting, and
fishing on the refuge. We would also maintain existing infrastructure
and buildings, and current staffing levels.
Alternative B (Service-Preferred Alternative)
This alternative is the one we propose as the best way to manage
this refuge over the next 15 years. It includes the array of management
actions that, in our professional judgment, works best toward achieving
the refuge purposes, our vision and goals, and the goals of other State
and regional conservation plans. We also believe it most effectively
addresses the key issues raised during the planning process.
Under Alternative B, refuge habitat management would focus on
decreasing habitat fragmentation and restoring native habitats. Similar
to Alternative A, management of refuge impoundments would not change,
with no change in the amount of open water and emergent marsh habitat
available. The amount of early successional habitat, including
grasslands and shrublands, would slightly increase as the refuge
removes remaining hedgerows and improves connectivity between these
habitats. The refuge would also convert 202 acres of non-native conifer
plantations, replacing most of these plantations with native tree
species. Some plantations, located in shrubland management areas, would
be converted to native shrub species.
Similar to many other national wildlife refuges, we propose to
limit public access to designated areas of the refuge year-round.
Wildlife observation and photography, hiking, and walking would be
permitted on established refuge nature trails. Off-trail access would
be limited to permitted hunters participating in refuge hunting
programs. Limiting off-trail access would reduce human disturbance to
foraging and resting waterfowl and other migratory birds using refuge
impoundments.
Under this alternative, we would renovate and expand the existing
refuge headquarters building as a new visitor contact station and
administration building. We also propose to co-locate
[[Page 61173]]
the Lower Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, currently
located in Amherst, New York, in this new building. The 10,609 square-
foot building would house a sales outlet for the Friends of Iroquois
National Wildlife Refuge, an exhibit hall, multi-purpose room,
conference room, and office space to accommodate Service Refuge and
Fisheries programs staff and New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation staff.
We would also continue our biological monitoring and inventory
program, but regularly evaluate the results to help us better
understand the implications of our management actions and identify ways
to improve their effectiveness.
Alternative C (Natural Systems)
Refuge management under Alternative C would focus on restoration of
natural ecosystem processes and functions. Habitat management would
target a more natural state and emphasize restoration of native
habitats. Refuge impoundments would no longer be actively managed,
resulting in a 329-acre decrease in open water and emergent marsh
habitat. Only the two largest grassland units would be managed, leading
to a 50 percent reduction in the amount of grassland habitat. We would
also discontinue active management of shrubland habitat, with only some
native shrub swamp habitat remaining. Under this alternative, forest
cover would increase by 1,548 acres through the natural succession of
refuge grasslands, shrublands, open water, and emergent marsh habitat.
Similar to Alternative B, non-native conifer plantations would be
replaced with native tree species.
We propose to limit public access to designated areas of the refuge
year-round, allowing wildlife observation, hiking, and walking on
established refuge nature trails. Also, we propose to co-locate the
Lower Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office currently
located in Amherst, New York, with a new visitor contact station and
administration building at Iroquois NWR.
Public Meetings
We will give the public opportunities to provide input at an open
house and public meeting at the refuge headquarters in Alabama, New
York. You can obtain the schedule from the project leader or natural
resource planner (see ADDRESSES or FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
above). You may also submit comments at any time during the planning
process by any means shown in the ADDRESSES section.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or
other personal identifying information in your comments, 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: September 9, 2010.
James G. Geiger,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, MA
01035.
[FR Doc. 2010-24836 Filed 10-1-10; 8:45 am]
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