[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 147 (Tuesday, August 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44355-44357]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15182]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment for Okefenokee National Wildlife
Refuge in Folkston, Georgia.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces that a Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment for Okefenokee National Wildlife
Refuge are available for review and comment. The National Wildlife
Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, requires the Service to
develop a comprehensive conservation plan for each national wildlife
refuge. The purpose in developing a comprehensive conservation plan is
to provide refuge managers with a 15-year strategy 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 Service policies. In
addition to outlining broad management direction on conserving wildlife
and their habitats, the plan identifies wildlife-dependent recreational
opportunities available to the public, including opportunities for
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and
environmental education and interpretation.
DATES: Three meetings will be held to present the plan to the public
and accept formal public comments. Mailings, newspaper articles, and
postings on the refuge Web site will be the avenues to inform the
public of the date and time of the meetings. Individuals wishing to
comment on the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental
Assessment for Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge should do so no
later than September 16, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment should be addressed to Mr. M. Skippy
Reeves, Refuge Manager, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge--CCP, Route
2, Box 3330, Folkston, Georgia 31537; Telephone 912/496-7366; Fax 912/
496-3332. The draft plan and environmental assessment may be accessed
and downloaded from the Fish and Wildlife Service's Internet Web site
http://www.southeast.fws.gov/planning/. Comments on the draft plan and
environmental assessment may be submitted to the above address or via
electronic mail to [email protected]. Please include CCP in the
subject line and your name and return address in your Internet message.
Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of
respondents, available for public review during regular business hours.
Individual respondents may request that we
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withhold their home addresses from the record, which we will honor to
the extent allowable by law.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The draft plan identifies and evaluates four
alternatives for managing the refuge over the next 15 years.
Alternatives
Alternative 1. Maintain Current Management (No Action Alternative)
The current management of Okefenokee National Refuge recognizes the
importance of looking beyond the refuge boundary. Open communication
and partnerships with adjacent landowners and interest groups
downstream from the Okefenokee Swamp are important aspects of the
current management strategy. To protect the resources outside the
refuge boundary, as well as within the refuge, cooperation during
emergency fire/weather incidents has been established and would be
continued under this alternative. Upland management would emphasize the
maintenance and restoration of longleaf pine communities. The refuge
would continue to seek partnerships with adjacent landowners to enhance
the refuge's habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and
associated species by providing corridors between refuge upland
management compartments or expanding foraging and nesting areas.
Environmental parameters would be monitored, and additional parameters
would be added as issues arise. Current staff would monitor selected
flora and fauna for long-term trends. Other institutions would be
sought to investigate topics in detail. The protection of wilderness
qualities is considered in management decisions and standard operating
procedures are established for management activities within the
wilderness. The use of fire to benefit the resources is implemented and
expanded. The refuge messages are disseminated through the public
services program. All six priority uses (e.g., hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and environmental education
and interpretation) are incorporated in the current program. Emphasis
is on refuge facilities and activities with some outreach avenues
established at both the local and State level. Recreational solitude is
emphasized through the current canoe system. Current staffing has
limited the quantity and quality of the service the refuge provides.
With the addition of 20 requested positions identified in the Refuge
Operating Needs System (RONS), staffing would be adequate to meet the
management needs at the level presented in this alternative.
Alternative 2. Integrated Landscape Management (Preferred Alternative)
Threats to the refuge are becoming more prominent as development
activities occur in northeast Florida and southeast Georgia. Although
Okefenokee Refuge is a large system in itself, it can be greatly
compromised by activities a distance away from its boundary. Through
Alternative 2, the refuge staff fully recognizes the impact these
activities may have on the integrity of the swamp. These ``zones of
influence'' vary depending on the resources involved. Under this
alternative, the staff would continue activities as stated in
Alternative 1 and extend beyond the immediate neighbors to address
issues associated with the aquifer, air shed, and biota exchange
pathways. Extensive resource sharing and networking with other refuges,
State agencies, organizations, specialists, researchers, and private
citizens would expand the knowledge base and develop cooperation
between interest groups. Restoration of natural systems, native
communities, and healthy environments would be emphasized, thus
promoting a high quality of life regionally. Within the refuge, the
original refuge purpose, natural processes, and the wilderness
philosophy will be strongly considered in all decisions. Management
within the wilderness will be evaluated through the Minimum Requirement
Decision Guide. Monitoring environmental parameters, flora, and fauna
would be incorporated into an integrated study to gain knowledge on the
health of the Okefenokee ecosystem. The refuge and surrounding area
would be promoted, linking recreational and educational avenues.
Education and outreach would be expanded with an emphasis on the health
of the whole ecosystem and the links between the components. Staffing
would be expanded to meet the needs of partners and the greater number
of interest groups, and accommodate data and resource sharing. A
significant increase in staff is presented in this alternative due to
the time necessary to manage the refuge with a greater consciousness
for the wilderness resource. Ninety-eight additional staff members
would be needed to fully implemented this alternative at the highest
quality level.
Alternative 3. Conservation Through National Processes
Management of the upland management compartments outside the
wilderness boundary would be similar to Alternative 2, including the
interest in networking and partnerships to address outside threats
within the ``zones of influence.'' This alternative differs from the
others in the concept of embracing the exclusive use of natural
processes to govern the health of the Okefenokee Wilderness Area. It
also promotes primitive and unconfined recreation. Hand tools and non-
motorized equipment would be used exclusively to maintain the network
of boat trails. The use of motorized boats by the public in designated
areas, as established in the legislation for the Okefenokee Wilderness
Area, would continue; however, motorized transportation, such as
motorboats, airboats, and helicopters, and equipment would not be
allowed for administrative purposes except for emergencies such as
wildland fires. Large crews in canoes using hand tools would maintain
the trail system. To promote primitive and unconfined recreation, the
canoe reservation system would be eliminated, along with all platforms,
toilets, and trail markers. The visitors would be allowed to travel
throughout the swamp and camp where they are able. Natural processes
are relied on exclusively with no prescribed fires conducted on
interior wilderness islands. Protection of private property adjacent to
the refuge would be focused on due to the increased threat of wildland
fires moving off refuge lands. Land purchases to create a fire
management zone outside the wilderness area would be considered. Fire,
water levels, and weather parameters would be monitored to make
predictions to meet the needs of adjacent landowners. Other monitoring,
of environmental parameters, fauna, and flora, would continue at a
level to determine general long-term trends as they relate to natural
processes. Obtaining data on trends of the endangered red-cockaded
woodpecker on interior islands would be limited to Billys Island, which
is accessible by boat. Because of the time and effort needed to
maintain trails and conduct surveys in compliance with the specified
tool restrictions, a significant increase in staff over the number that
would be required to implement Alternative 2 is necessary. A total of
129 staff members, mostly in resource management, have been identified
to fully implement this alternative.
Alternative 4. Refuge-Focused Management
This alternative would focus the refuge staff activities
internally, within the jurisdictional boundaries, on the land that is
directly under the care of
[[Page 44357]]
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as Okefenokee National Wildlife
Refuge. Collecting information on outside threats would continue but
few partnerships would be pursued. The refuge would rely on interest
groups to carry the refuge's concerns forward to the appropriate level.
The restoration of native communities and the health of resident
wildlife species would be emphasized on refuge lands. Monitoring of
environmental parameters, flora, and fauna would demonstrate long-term
trends, environmental changes, or the results of management practices
on refuge lands. Research, management, protection, education, and
public use would be conducted to maximize benefits to Okefenokee Refuge
specifically. Land acquisition on high-priority areas, rather than
partnership formation, would be emphasized. This alternative requires
an increase in staff similar to that of Alternative 2 because of the
additional time and manpower needed to conduct surveys, trail
maintenance, and other management functions within the wilderness area.
The additional staff identified in Alternative 2 for developing and
maintaining partnerships and outreach are not included in Alternative 4
due to Alternative 4's emphasis on refuge lands only. Eighty-four
additional staff members are necessary to fully implement this
alternative.
The Okefenokee Refuge is situated in the southeastern Georgia
counties of Ware, Charlton, and Clinch, and in northeastern Florida's
Baker County, roughly between latitudes 30[deg]33' and 31[deg]05' North
and longitudes 82[deg]07' and 82[deg]33' West. In 1937, with Executive
Order 7593 (later amended by Executive Order 7994), President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt established the refuge, designating it as ``a refuge
and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.'' It
protects the ecological system of the 438,000-acre Okefenokee Swamp.
The refuge consists presently of 395,080 acres. The refuge's approved
acquisition boundary includes 519,480 acres, 123,480 acres beyond the
current refuge acres. Approximately 371,000 acres of the Okefenokee
Swamp wetlands are incorporated into the refuge; and 353,981 acres
within the swamp were designated as wilderness by the Okefenokee
Wilderness Act of 1974, making it the third largest National Wilderness
Area east of the Mississippi River. In 1986, the Okefenokee Refuge was
designated by the Wetlands Convention as a Wetland of International
Importance.
Okefenokee's natural beauty was first threatened in the 1890s, when
attempts were made to drain the swamp to facilitate logging operations.
The Suwannee Canal was dug 11.5 miles into the swamp from Camp
Cornelia. After the failure of this project, other interests acquired
the swamp and began removing timer in 1909, using a network of tram
roads extending deep into the major timbered areas. When logging
operations were halted in 1927, more than 423 million board feet of
timber, mostly cypress, had been removed from the swamp.
The establishment of Okefenokee Refuge in 1937 marked the
culmination of a movement that had been initiated at least 25 years
earlier by a group of scientists from Cornell University who recognized
the educational, scientific, and recreational values of this unique
area. The Okefenokee Preservation Society, formed in 1918, promoted
nationwide interest in the swamp. With the support of State and local
interests and numerous conservation and scientific organizations, the
Federal Government acquired most of the swamp for refuge purposes in
1936.
Okefenokee Refuge preserves the unique qualities of the Okefenokee
Swamp for future generations to enjoy. The swamp is considered the
headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers. Habitats provide for
threatened and endangered species, such as red-cockaded woodpeckers,
wood storks, indigo snakes, and a wide variety of other wildlife
species. It is world renowned for its amphibian populations that are
bio-indicators of global health. More than 600 plant species have been
identified on refuge lands.
Combining Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge with Osceola National
Forest, private timberlands, and State-owned forests, more than 1
million contiguous acres provide wildlife habitat and recreational
opportunities. Researchers and students study the resources.
The Georgia communities of Waycross (12 miles north), Folston (7
miles east), St. George (8 miles southeast), Fargo (5 miles west), and
Homerville (20 miles northwest) surround the refuge, and Jacksonville,
Florida is 40 miles to the southeast. Nearly 300,000 people visit the
refuge each year, making it the 16th most visited refuge in the
National Wildlife Refuge System. In 1999, the economic impact of
tourists in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties in Georgia exceeded $67
million.
The Okenfenokee swamp has shaped the culture of southeast Georgia.
Most residents of Charlton, Clinch, and Ware Counties have ancestors
who once lived or worked in the swamp and view the swamp as a part of
their heritage.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement ACt of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: May 13, 2005.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 05-15182 Filed 8-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M