[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61624-61626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-24929]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-R-2012-N078; BAC-4311-K9-S3]
Patuxent Research Refuge, Prince George's and Anne Arundel
Counties, MD; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental
Assessment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (we, the Service),
announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental assessment (CCP/EA) for Patuxent Research Refuge
(Patuxent RR), located in Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties,
Maryland, for public review and comment. The draft CCP/EA describes our
proposal for managing the refuge for the next 15 years.
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Also available for public review and comment are the draft findings
of appropriateness and draft compatibility determinations for uses to
be allowed upon initial completion of the plan, if alternative B is
selected. These are included as appendix C in the draft CCP/EA.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your comments no later than
November 26, 2012. We will announce upcoming public meetings in local
news media, via our project mailing list, and on our regional planning
Web site: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/patuxent/ccphome.html.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or requests for copies or more
information by any of the following methods. You may request hard
copies or a CD-ROM of the documents.
Email: northeastplanning@fws.gov. Please include ``Patuxent RR
Draft CCP'' in the subject line of the message.
Fax: Attention: Bill Perry, 413-253-8468.
U.S. Mail: Bill Perry, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035.
In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or Pickup: Call 301-497-5580 to make
an appointment (necessary for view/pickup only) during regular business
hours at Patuxent RR, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel, MD 20708. For
more information on locations for viewing or obtaining documents, see
``Public Availability of Documents'' under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brad Knudsen, Refuge Manager, 301-437-
5580 (phone), or Bill Perry, Planning Team Leader, 413-253-8688
(phone); northeastplanning@fws.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Patuxent RR. We
started this process through a notice in the Federal Register (75 FR
12563; March 16, 2010).
Patuxent RR was established in 1936 by Executive Order by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt ``to effectuate further the purposes of the
Migratory Bird Conservation Act'' and ``as a wildlife experiment and
research refuge.'' The total approved acquisition boundary encompasses
12,841 acres between Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC--an area
with one of the highest densities of development in the United States.
Currently, about 10,000 of Patuxent RR's 12,841 acres are forest, but
the refuge also contains grasslands, freshwater marshes, shrub and
early successional forest, and open water. It provides important
habitat for a variety of migratory birds of conservation concern. The
refuge also offers unique opportunities for environmental education and
interpretation in an urban setting and is home to the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS) Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, a leading
international research institute for wildlife and applied environmental
research.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Refuge 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, 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 Refuge Administration Act.
Public Outreach
We started pre-planning for the Patuxent RR CCP in December 2009.
In February 2010, we distributed our first newsletter and press release
announcing our intent to prepare a CCP for the refuge. In February and
March 2010, we had a formal public scoping period. The purpose of the
public scoping period was to solicit comments from the community and
other interested parties on the issues and impacts that should be
evaluated in the draft CCP/EA. To help solicit public comments, we held
two public meetings at the refuge during the formal public scoping
period. Throughout the rest of the planning process, we have conducted
additional outreach by participating in community meetings, events, and
other public forums, and by requesting public input on managing the
refuge and its programs. We received comments on topics such as the
potential effects of climate change, habitat management, reforesting,
environmental education programs, and other public uses of the refuge.
We have considered and evaluated all of the comments we received and
addressed them in various ways in the alternatives presented in the
draft CCP/EA.
CCP Alternatives We Are Considering
During the public scoping process, we, the Maryland Department of
Natural Resources, other governmental partners, and the public raised
several issues. To address these issues, we developed and evaluated
three alternatives in the draft CCP/EA. A full description of each
alternative is in the draft CCP/EA. All alternatives include measures
to control invasive species, monitor and abate diseases affecting
wildlife and plant health, coordinate with USGS to house and support
research efforts, protect cultural resources, continue existing
projects managed by outside programs, and minimize impacts from the
shooting ranges located on the refuge. There are also several actions
that are common to both alternatives B and C. These include using green
technology to update refuge buildings and grounds, constructing
additional space for environmental education and interpretation
classes, and collaborating with stakeholders on a redesign of the
shooting ranges.
There are other actions that differ among the alternatives. The
draft CCP/EA describes each alternative in detail and relates it to the
issues and concerns that arose during the planning process. Below, we
provide summaries for the three alternatives.
Alternative A (Current Management)
Alternative A (current management) satisfies the National
Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 1506.6(b)) requirement of a ``no
action'' alternative, which we define as ``continuing current
management.'' It describes our existing management priorities and
activities, and serves as a baseline for comparing and contrasting
alternatives B and C. It would maintain our present levels of approved
refuge staffing and the biological and visitor programs now in place.
We would continue to manage for and maintain a diversity of habitats,
including forests, forested wetlands, pine-oak savannah, grasslands,
and scrub-shrub on the refuge. The refuge would continue to provide an
active visitor use program that supports environmental education and
interpretation, hunting, fishing, and wildlife observation and
photography.
Alternative B (Forest Restoration and Mixed Public Use)
This alternative is the Service-preferred alternative. It combines
the
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actions we believe would most effectively achieve the refuge's
purposes, vision, and goals, and respond to the issues raised during
the scoping period. It emphasizes the management of specific refuge
habitats to support species of conservation concern in the Chesapeake
Bay region. In particular, it emphasizes forest biodiversity and
ecosystem function. This includes the restoration of a number of
impoundments and grasslands to forested areas to support forest
interior-dwelling bird species and other forest-dependent species. In
addition, alternative B strives to promote wildlife-dependent public
uses, while allowing for non-wildlife-dependent public uses. In
particular, it promotes higher quality hunting and fishing programs;
expands wildlife observation, viewing, and photography opportunities;
and initiates new interpretive program and environmental education
opportunities.
Alternative C (Maximize Forest Interior Restoration and Emphasize
Wildlife-dependent Public Use Activities)
Alternative C would focus on maximizing interior forest habitat.
This would require active management to restore a majority of
impoundments and grasslands into forested areas that would support
forest interior-dwelling species, in addition to other species of
conservation concern. Alternative C also focuses on accommodating
wildlife-dependent public uses while minimizing non-wildlife-dependent
uses, particularly by expanding wildlife observation, viewing, and
photography opportunities and reducing the number of special events and
interpretive programming.
Public Availability of Documents
In addition to any methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain
documents at the following locations:
Our Web site: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/patuxent/ccphome.html.
Submitting Comments
We consider comments substantive if they:
Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of the
information in the document;
Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of the EA;
Present reasonable alternatives other than those presented
in the EA; and/or
Provide new or additional information relevant to the EA.
Next Steps
After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and
address them in the form of a final CCP and, if appropriate, a finding
of no significant impact.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email 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: August 14, 2012.
Deborah Rocque,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2012-24929 Filed 10-9-12; 8:45 am]
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