[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 89 (Monday, May 9, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26751-26753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11266]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-R-2010-N284; BAC-4311-K9-S3]
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Sussex County, DE;
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; 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 Prime Hook National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Sussex County, Delaware. An environmental
impact statement (EIS) evaluating effects of various CCP alternatives
will also be prepared. 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. We are also
requesting public comments. This notice also advises the public that we
have reconsidered a 2005 notice, in which we announced our intention to
develop an environmental assessment (EA) for the refuge. Comments
already received in response to the previous notice will be considered
during preparation of the subject CCP/EIS.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by
June 23, 2011. We will announce opportunities
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for public input in local news media throughout the CCP process.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information by any
of the following methods.
E-mail: northeastplanning@fws.gov. Include ``Prime Hook CCP'' in
the subject line of the message.
Fax: Attention: Thomas Bonetti, Planning Team Leader, at 413-253-
8468.
U.S. Mail: Thomas Bonetti, Planning Team Leader, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Northeast Regional Office, 300 Westgate Center Drive,
Hadley, MA 01035.
In-Person Drop-off: You may drop off comments during regular
business hours at Prime Hook NWR, 11978 Turkle Pond Road, Milton, DE
19968.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain more information on the
refuge, contact Michael Stroeh, Project Leader, Prime Hook NWR, 11978
Turkle Pond Road, Milton, DE 19968; phone: 302-653-9345; fax: 302-684-
8504.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue our process for developing a CCP for
Prime Hook NWR in Sussex County, DE. This notice complies with our CCP
policy, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended
(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), to (1) Advise other Federal and State
agencies, Tribes, and the public of our intention to conduct detailed
planning on this refuge, 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 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 (NWRS), 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.
Each unit of the NWRS 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 NWRS
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 that will ensure the best possible approach to
wildlife, plant, and habitat conservation, while providing for
wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities that are compatible with
each refuge's establishing purposes and the mission of the NWRS.
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 Prime Hook NWR. We
previously published a notice of intent on October 17, 2005 (70 FR
60365) stating we intended to prepare a CCP and EA for Prime Hook NWR.
We held three public meetings in November 2005 in Milton, Dover, and
Lewes, DE. All meetings were announced in local newspapers. One hundred
and ten members of the public attended the meetings and provided
comments. All comments we received on the EA will go forward into the
EIS planning process. Based on the extent of public comments already
received, and subsequent developments since scoping, we have determined
that an EIS would be more appropriate than an EA to ensure that a full
and fair discussion of all significant environmental impacts occurs,
and to inform decision-makers and the public of the reasonable
alternatives that would avoid or minimize adverse impacts and enhance
the quality of the human environment.
We will conduct the environmental review of this project and
develop an EIS in accordance with the requirements of NEPA, 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.
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge
In 1963, Prime Hook NWR was established under the authority of the
Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 715-715r) for use as an
inviolate sanctuary, or any other management purpose, expressly for
migratory birds. Farms and residences were once present on portions of
what is now the refuge. Prime Hook NWR was established primarily to
preserve coastal wetlands as wintering and breeding habitat for
migratory waterfowl. The 10,133 acres of the refuge stretch along the
west shore of Delaware Bay, 22 miles southeast of Dover, Delaware.
Eighty percent of the refuge's vegetation cover types are characterized
by tidal and freshwater creek drainages that discharge into the
Delaware Bay and associated coastal marshes. The remaining 20 percent
is composed of upland habitats. The land uses near the refuge are
intensive agricultural and developed residential.
Scoping: Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and Opportunities
We have identified preliminary issues, concerns, and opportunities
that we will address in the CCP. We have briefly summarized some of
these issues below. During public scoping, we may identify additional
issues.
Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise
A growing body of evidence indicates that accelerating climate
change, associated with increasing global temperatures, is affecting
water, land, and wildlife resources. Along our coasts, rising sea
levels have begun to affect fish and wildlife habitats, including those
used by waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds on our national
wildlife refuges. Successful conservation strategies will require an
understanding of climate change and the ability to predict how those
changes will affect fish and wildlife at multiple scales. Overwash is
the flow of water and sediment over the crest of the beach that does
not directly return to the water body where it originated. It is a
natural manifestation of rising sea levels, but also critical to
maintaining healthy emergent wetlands in barrier island systems of
estuaries like the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays.
Mosquito Control
Balancing the needs of wildlife and people is becoming more
difficult as residential developments encroach upon wild areas and more
visitors participate in wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities
on the refuge. Providing quality habitat at sufficient quantities for
an increasing number of species and individuals is challenging to
wildlife managers and biologists. Mosquitoes are a part of the natural
environment and a food source for a variety of wildlife. More
importantly, insecticides, in particular adulticides
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that are used to control mosquitoes, can have devastating impacts on
insects, which are utilized by fish, amphibians, and migratory birds as
important food sources. Prime Hook NWR has and will continue to work
with the State's Mosquito Control Section while striving to protect the
biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of the
refuge.
Cooperative Farming
Prime Hook NWR has an on-refuge cooperative farming program, which
has a long history. However, the refuge has never tilled more than 870
acres in any year, and this farmed acreage has been reduced
incrementally over the years. In 2006, the Delaware Audubon Society,
Center for Food Safety, and Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility filed suit against the Service alleging the refuge's
failure to comply with Federal laws and policies. The refuge ceased all
farming operations in 2006. In 2009, the refuge was enjoined from
farming and the planting of genetically modified organisms until the
refuge completed compatibility determinations and environmental
assessments dealing with the impacts.
Hunting
On the Delmarva Peninsula, hunting is a traditional outdoor pastime
that is deeply rooted in American and Delaware heritage. Opportunities
for public hunting are decreasing with increasing private land
development. Refuge lands thus become increasingly important in the
region as a place to engage in this activity. Hunting has and will
continue to be an integral component of the public use program at the
refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Manual (605 FW 2) states
that hunting programs must provide quality experiences for the public,
be compatible with the mission of the NWRS and the purposes of the
refuge, and, to the extent practicable, be consistent with State fish
and wildlife laws and regulations. In scoping for the CCP, we invite
suggestions on how to improve the current hunting program.
Public Involvement
You may send comments anytime during the planning process by mail,
e-mail, or fax (see ADDRESSES). There will be additional opportunities
to provide public input once we have prepared a draft CCP. Comments
already received under the previous notice will be considered during
preparation of the subject CCP/EIS. The public's ideas and comments are
an important part of the CCP process, and we invite public
participation. The Service is looking for meaningful comments that will
help determine the desired future conditions of the refuge and address
the full range of refuge issues and opportunities.
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: January 28, 2011.
Kyla J. Hastie,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-11266 Filed 5-6-11; 8:45 am]
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