| Page Range | 8203-8205 | |
| FR Document | 2017-01543 |
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 24, 2017)] [Notices] [Pages 8203-8205] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2017-01543] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R2-R-2016-N168; FXRS12650200000-178-FF02R04000] Little Sandy National Wildlife Refuge, Wood County, Texas; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Draft Environmental Assessment AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan (dCCP) and the draft Environmental Assessment (dEA) for Little Sandy National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located approximately 80 miles east of Dallas, Texas, for public review and comment. The dCCP/dEA describes our proposal for managing the refuge for the next 15 years. DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by February 23, 2017. We will announce any potential upcoming public meetings in local news media. 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. Please contact David Weaver, Refuge Manager, or Joseph Lujan, Natural Resource Planner. Email: [email protected]. Include ``Little Sandy NWR draft CCP and draft EA'' in the subject line of the message. Fax: Attn: Joseph Lujan, 505-248-6803. U.S. Mail: Joseph Lujan, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NWRS, Division of Planning, P.O. Box 1306 Room 4335, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103. In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or Pickup: In-Person Drop-off: You may drop off comments during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 500 Gold Avenue SW; 4th Floor, Room 4335; Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102. Little Sandy NWR, CCP Project, P.O. Box 340, Broken Bow, Oklahoma 74728 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Weaver, Refuge Manager, Little Sandy NWR, CCP Project, P.O. Box 340, Broken Bow, Oklahoma 74728; phone: 580-584-6211. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Introduction With this notice, we continue the Comprehensive Conservation Planning (CCP) process for the Little Sandy NWR. We started this process through a notice in the Federal Register (72 FR 46095; August 16, 2007). The primary purpose of Little Sandy NWR is to protect a remnant of the bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem along the Sabine River in East Texas. The Little Sandy NWR was established in December 1986 as a permanent non-development easement with the Little Sandy Hunting and Fishing Club (LSHFC). It is managed as a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) out of the Little River NWR Complex headquarters in Broken Bow Oklahoma. Background The CCP Process The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement 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 NWRS, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and FWS 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 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 Formal scoping began when we published a notice of intent to prepare a CCP and EA in the Federal Register on August 16, 2007, and formally invited the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to participate in the development of the document. TPWD has provided constant input and the Service has continued to involve them throughout the planning process. Information sheets were sent to the public, and news releases were sent to a variety of media outlets. A public open house meeting was held on September 9, 2009, at Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas. Additional written comments were received prior to the open house. A variety of stakeholders contributed feedback at the open house meeting and via written [[Page 8204]] comments and we used the feedback in development of the dCCP. CCP Alternatives We Are Considering The public raised multiple issues during the public scoping process that initiated this dCCP. Our dCCP addresses them in detail. A full description of each alternative is in the dEA. To address these issues, we developed and evaluated the following alternatives, summarized below. Comparison of Alternatives ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alternative A: Alternative B: Issues and topics Current management Proposed action ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I. Habitat Management ------------------------------------------------------------------------Climate Change..... The Service has The Refuge would limited activities establish a at Little Sandy baseline dataset NWR; as such, the for Refuge Refuge attempts to resources. To do limit carbon so, the Refuge footprints by would use consolidating trips technologies from Caddo Lake including NWR; what few trips historical imagery are made to the and tabular data, Refuge are offset existing maps and by the conservation records, LiDAR, of the bottomland contemporary ortho- hardwood habitat rectified imagery, found on the ground-truthing and Refuge. There are on-screen no Service digitizing. This facilities present baseline dataset on the Refuge; would enable the therefore, there is Refuge to develop a no effort to decision-based utilize green research and products commonly monitoring program associated with to track potential such facilities. impacts from climate change on the Refuge. There would be no Service development of facilities on the Refuge. Land Acquisition... The Service would The Refuge will work within the 10 participate in a percent rule which partnership driven allows Refuge Land Protection expansion to occur Planning process up to 10 percent of that would guide the total Refuge land acquisition establishment acres efforts and provide within the Refuge the opportunity to or up to 1 mile of acquire any the existing Refuge adjacent lands from boundary. This willing sellers. includes fee Both bottomland and acquisition and upland tracts would conservation be considered in easements from the plan. willing sellers or donors. Flora Inventory.... An initial habitat Same as Alternative assessment of the A plus the refuge was development of a completed by refuge comprehensive staff when Little species list for Sandy was brought the Refuge would be into the Refuge beneficial for System, and an determining additional ecological ecological integrity and community habitat diversity characterization as well as survey was providing a conducted by the baseline dataset U.S. Geological from which any Survey's National changes to habitat Wetland Research as a result of Center. Current climate change and inventory management activities are activities can be limited to tracked. identification and confirmation of invasive flora species when Little Sandy Hunting and Fishing Club (LSHFC) members report them. Prescribed Burning. There is currently The completion and no prescribed fire implementation of a plan or program on step-down fire Little Sandy NWR. A management plan Fire program would would be focused on mimic natural fire mimicking natural ecology and be fire ecology on the beneficial to upland portions of upland habitat. the Refuge, controlling invasive flora species, reducing fuel loads from wildfires and promote pine savanna habitat. Invasive Species Limited management Same as Alternative Management (Flora). activities are A plus increased present in the form efforts to locate, of chemical (Garlon map, treat, and 3A and Garlon4) monitor these, as treatments when well as other identified by LSHFC invasive species, members.. which may be In 2011 and 2012, present on the limited funding was Refuge. In available to treat addition, some Chinese tallow and stumps may be cut privet. and sprayed to minimize spread of invasive species. This can be conducted in conjunction with the Flora Inventory as described above. Prescribed burning can also be used to treat with the production of a fire management plan. Water Body Brumley and Overton Same as Alternative Management. Lake levels managed A. by LSHFC for recreation and hunting purposes; the Refuge serves in an advisory function only. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ II. Wildlife Management ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fauna Inventory.... Annual aerial Same as Alternative waterfowl surveys A, plus expand were conducted current wildlife between October and monitoring on the March, from 2008- Refuge and 2011, on a monthly coordinate with the basis by the Region Division of 2 pilot and a Biological Refuge staff Sciences. This member. Aerial alternative would surveys were halted also provide an in 2011 when the opportunity to Region no longer utilize LiDAR to had a airplane. In monitor changes in addition, annual habitat throughout bird point counts the Refuge. The are conducted with alternative assistance from includes; expansion Region 2 migratory of bird point bird biologist, counts and Texas Parks and monitoring to meet Wildlife biologist Service standards, and Refuge staff continuation of on each spring in May the ground and June. waterfowl surveys and the collection of biological data from fauna harvested by the LSHFC. [[Page 8205]] Nuisance and The LSHFC staff Under this Invasive Species Management identifies and alternative, the (Fauna). removes beaver dams Refuge will develop throughout the year step down from culverts and management plans small drains to focused on nuisance promote drainage and invasive and maintain species management. trails. Hunt club Step Down Plans members may take would be initiated hogs during other for an Invasive hunting activities, Species Management but these Plan, a Feral Hog circumstances are and Beaver opportunistic and Management Plan. relatively rare; Step Down there have been Management Plans coordinated may initiate trapping efforts management between the Service practices for and LSHFC since nuisance species 2013. (beaver, nutria), such as dam removal and trapping, reducing the negative impacts to existing infrastructure. Additionally, the Refuge will utilize their own staff or contract services to conduct hunting and trapping of feral hogs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ III. Staff Requirements Under the Two Alternatives ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zero (0) Full-Time 2.5 FTE. Equivalent (FTE) Staff ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IV. Budgets Under the Two Alternatives ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Refuge Base $0.................. $612,476.00. Operational Budget. Annual Maintenance. $0.................. $0. Fire Operations.... $0.................. $0. Tallow/Forest $18,884.00.......... $18,884.00. Inventory. Total Budget............ $18,884.00.......... $631,360.00. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Public Availability of Documents In addition to using any methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain documents at the following locations: Little River NWR, P.O. Box 340, Broken Bow, Oklahoma 74728, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our Web site: https://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/little_sandy/CCP. The following public libraries: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Library Address Phone number ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Allen Memorial Public Library.... 121 East Blackbourn 903-769-2241 Street, Hawkins, Texas 75765. Tyler Public Library............. 201 South College 903-593-7323 Avenue, Tyler, Texas 75702. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Submitting Comments/Issues for Comment 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 dEA; Present reasonable alternatives other than those presented in the dEA; and/or Provide new or additional information relevant to the dEA. Next Steps After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and then address them in the form of a final CCP and The National Environmental Policy Act decision document. 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: January 11, 2017. Benjamin Tuggle, Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [FR Doc. 2017-01543 Filed 1-23-17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| Action | Notice of availability; request for comments. | |
| Dates | To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by February 23, 2017. We will announce any potential upcoming public meetings in local news media. | |
| Contact | David Weaver, Refuge Manager, Little Sandy NWR, CCP Project, P.O. Box 340, Broken Bow, Oklahoma 74728; phone: 580-584-6211. | |
| FR Citation | 82 FR 8203 |