[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 32 (Thursday, February 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9260-9261]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3650]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R6-R-2011-N212; FF06R06000-FXRS1265066CCP0S2-123]
Establishment of Dakota Grassland Conservation Area, North Dakota
and South Dakota
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) has established the Dakota Grassland Conservation
Area, the 554th unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The
Service established the Dakota Grassland Conservation Area on September
21, 2011, with the purchase of a 318.18-acre grassland easement in
Walworth County, South Dakota.
ADDRESSES: A map depicting the approved Refuge boundary and other
information regarding the Refuge is available on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/planning/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nick Kaczor, Planning Team Leader,
Division of Refuge Planning, USFWS, P.O. Box 25486, DFC, Denver, CO
80225. http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/planning/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Service established the Dakota Grassland
Conservation Area in the eastern parts of North Dakota and South
Dakota, which cover all counties north and east of the Missouri River
except those in the existing Dakota Tallgrass Prairie Wildlife
Management Area. The Service will continue to conserve wetland and
grassland resources in the conservation area, primarily through the
purchase of perpetual easements from willing sellers. These wetland and
grassland easements will connect and expand existing lands under
conservation protection.
The area's strong and vibrant rural lifestyle, of which agriculture
is the dominant land use, is one of the key components to ensuring
habitat integrity and wildlife resource protection. Based on
anticipated levels of landowner participation, objectives for the
conservation area are to protect 240,000 acres of wetland and 1.7
million acres of critical grassland habitat. The conservation area is a
landscape-scale effort to conserve populations of priority species in a
highly diverse and endangered ecosystem over an area of approximately
29.6 million acres. Therefore, it is important to incorporate the
elements of strategic habitat conservation (SHC) to ensure effective
conservation. SHC entails strategic biological planning and
conservation design, integrated conservation delivery, monitoring, and
research at ecoregional scales.
This conservation area allows the Service to purchase critical
wetland and grassland easements, using the acquisition authority of the
Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a-j). In response to
comments received during the public review of the draft environmental
assessment (EA) and land protection plan (LPP), the Service included
the authority of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 (16 U.S.C.
715-715d, 715e, 715f-r). The Federal money used to acquire conservation
easements is from the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 460l-4 through 11; funds received under this act are
derived primarily from oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental
Shelf, motorboat fuel taxes, and the sale of surplus Federal property),
and the sale of Federal Duck Stamps [Migratory Bird Hunting and
Conservation Stamp Act (16 U.S.C. 718-718j, 48 Stat. 452)]. Additional
funding to acquire lands, water, or interests for fish and wildlife
conservation purposes could be identified by Congress or donated by
nonprofit organizations. The purchase of easements from willing sellers
will be subject to available money.
The Service has involved the public, agencies, partners, and
legislators throughout the planning process for the easement program.
At the beginning of the planning process, the Service initiated public
involvement for the proposal to protect habitats primarily through
acquisition of wetland and grassland conservation easements for
management as part of the Refuge System. The Service spent time
discussing the proposed project with landowners; conservation
organizations; Federal, State and county governments; tribes and other
interested groups and individuals. The Service held three open-house
meetings on December 14, 15, and 16, 2010, at Minot, North Dakota;
Jamestown, North Dakota; and Huron, South Dakota; respectively. These
open houses were announced in local media.
[[Page 9261]]
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4321), the Service prepared an environmental assessment (EA)
that evaluated two alternatives and their potential impacts on the
project area. The Service released the draft environmental assessment
(EA) and LPP on June 20, 2011, for a 30-day public review period. The
draft documents were made available to Federal elected officials and
agencies, State elected officials and agencies, 32 Native American
tribes with aboriginal or tribal interests, local media, and other
members of the public that were identified during the scoping process.
In addition, two public meetings were held, in Bismarck, North
Dakota, and in Miller, South Dakota, on June 28 and 29, 2011,
respectively. These meetings were announced in advance in local media.
Approximately 50 landowners, citizens, and elected representatives
attended the meetings. The Service received 10 letters from agencies,
organizations, and other entities, and 347 general public comments.
After all comments were received, they were reviewed, added to the
administrative record, and incorporated into the environmental
assessment (EA) if substantial.
Based on the documentation contained in the environmental
assessment (EA), a Finding of No Significant Impact was signed on
September 1, 2011, for the establishment of the Dakota Grassland
Conservation Area.
Dated: December 2, 2011.
Matt Hogan,
Acting, Deputy Regional Director, Mountain-Prairie Region, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-3650 Filed 2-15-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P