[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 197 (Thursday, October 13, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59764-59766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-20491]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Theodore Roosevelt National
Wildlife Refuge Complex, which consists of five national wildlife
refuges--Yazoo, Panther Swamp, Hillside, Morgan Brake, and Mathews
Brake--as well as a number of smaller fee title properties and
floodplain and conservation easements in the Mississippi Delta.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces that a Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Theodore Roosevelt National
Wildlife Refuge Complex 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: A meeting will be held to present the plan to the public.
Mailings, newspaper articles, and posters will be the avenues to inform
the public of the date and time for the meting. Individuals wishing to
comment on the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental
Assessment for the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex
should do so within 45 days following the date of this notice.
ADDRESSES: Request for copies of the Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment should be addressed to the Theodore
Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 728 Yazoo Refuge Road,
Hollandale, Mississippi 38748; Telephone 662/839-2638. The plan and
environmental assessment may also be accessed and downloaded from the
Service's Internet Web site http://southeast.fws.gov/planning/.
Comments on the draft plan may be submitted to the above address or via
electronic mail to [email protected]. Please include 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 withhold their home addresses from the record,
which we will honor to the extent allowable by law.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Significant issues addressed in the draft
plan include: threatened and endangered species, waterfowl management,
neotropical migratory birds, bottomland hardwood restoration,
agriculture, visitor services, funding and staffing, cultural
resources, land acquisition, and forest fragmentation.
The Service developed four alternatives for managing the refuge
complex and chose Alternative B as the preferred alternative.
Alternatives
Alternative A. No Action (Current Situation)
Existing Complex management and public outreach practices would be
favored under this alternative. All refuge management actions would be
directed toward achieving the Complex's primary purposes including (1)
preserving wintering waterfowl habitat; (2) providing production
habitat for wood ducks; and (3) meeting the habitat conservation goals
of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, all the while
contributing to other national, regional, and state goals to protect
and restore shorebirds, neotropical migratory breeding birds,
woodcocks, and threatened and endangered species. Refuge management
programs would continue to be developed and implemented with little
baseline biological information. Active habitat management would be
implemented through water level manipulations, moist-soil and cropland
management, and reforestation designed to provide a diverse complex of
habitats that meet the foraging, resting, and breeding requirements for
a variety of species. Complex staff would continue to restore and
maintain existing wetlands, open waters, grasslands, and bottomland
hardwood forest habitats.
[[Page 59765]]
Land would be acquired from willing sellers within the current
acquisition boundaries totaling 113,060 acres.
Hunting and fishing would continue to be the major focuses of the
Complex public use program, with no expansion of current opportunities.
Current restrictions or prohibitions would remain. All-terrain vehicle
use would continue at its current level, with little maintenance to
existing trails. Environmental education and wildlife observation and
photography would be accommodated on a case-by-case basis. Funding
requests would continue in order to construct a Complex headquarters
office/visitor contact area on Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge and to
rehabilitate other existing facilities.
Alternative B. Balanced Habitat and Public Use Emphasis (Preferred
Alternative)
The Service planning team has identified Alternative B as the
preferred alternative. This alternative was developed based on public
input and the best judgement of the planning team. The strategies
presented in the draft comprehensive conservation plan were developed
as a direct result of the selection of Alternative B.
This alternative would promote a greater understanding of, and
protection for, the fish, wildlife, and habitats of the Complex. It
would promote quality and more evenly balanced recreational and
educational programs for visitors. Hunting and fishing would continue
with greater emphasis on the quality of the experience with more
diverse opportunities, including those for youth and disabled hunters/
anglers. Education and interpretation would be promoted through regular
programs and partnerships with local schools. Wildlife observation and
photography opportunities would be expanded, including trails, auto
tours, photo blinds, and observation towers, highlighting refuge
management programs and unique wildlife and habitats. All-terrain
vehicle use for wildlife-dependent creation (e.g., hunting and fishing)
would continue to provide access to remote portions of certain refuges.
Trails to accommodate these vehicles would be evaluated for retention
based on impacts to refuge resources, access, duplication, and other
means of access. If possible, trails removed for these reasons would be
rerouted if needed for hunter dispersal. A user fee and permit would be
required for all-terrain vehicles to provide additional funds needed
for the trail maintenance program.
A visitor center and headquarters office would be constructed at
Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge. Two new subheadquarters and visitor
contact stations would be constructed at Panther Swamp and Morgan Brake
National Wildlife Refuges. The new subheadquarters at Panther Swamp
Refuge would be relocated off either Highway 49 or River Road, to
provide greater visibility and access to the public.
Reforestation efforts would focus on creating buffers along field
edges to protect waterfowl and other waterbirds from disturbance, and
define boundaries along adjacent private lands. As lands are acquired,
they would be evaluated for their ability to contribute to step-down
habitat objectives (e.g., moist soil) and to interior forest habitat.
Research studies on bottomland hardwood forest restorations would
be fostered and partnerships developed with universities and other
agencies, providing needed resources and experiment sites while meeting
the needs of the complex's reforestation programs. Research would also
benefit efforts throughout the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley
to reforest large tracts of lands to meet the objectives set by the
Lower Mississippi Joint Venture office to address the fulfillment of
the Partners-in-Flight Plan.
Additional staff and facilities would be added to accomplish
objectives for establishing baseline data on refuge resources, managing
habitats, providing opportunities and facilities for wildlife
observation and photography, and providing educational programs that
promote a greater understanding of the Complex's purposes, issues, and
resources, as well as the unique value of the Lower Mississippi River
Alluvial Valley.
Under this alternative, 125,511 acres of Complex lands (including
refuges and Farmers Home Administration properties) would be protected,
maintained, restored, and enhanced for resident wildlife, waterfowl,
migratory nongame birds, and threatened and endangered species. A
``Conservation Partners Focus Area'' would be established to not only
concentrate off-refuge resources, but for partnership opportunities and
future boundary expansion studies to meet regional and national
objectives. Extensive wildlife and plant censuses and inventory
activities would be initiated to obtain the biological information
needed to implement and monitor management programs on the Complex. All
management actions would be directed toward achieving each refuge's
primary purposes, while contributing to other national, regional, and
state goals. Active habitat management programs would include water
level manipulations, moist-soil and cropland management, reforestation,
and existing forest management, all designed to meet the foraging,
resting, and breeding requirements for a variety of species,
particularly migratory birds. An extensive system of levees, water
control structures, and wells would be maintained and developed in an
effort to mimic historic flooding regimes.
As funding becomes available to either contract or conduct farming
operations with Complex equipment and staff, acres in agricultural
production would be reduced by at least half, depending upon the level
of funding and yield. The majority of the acres would be converted to
moist soil to meet habitat objectives and needs of wintering waterfowl
and other waterbirds, and scrub/shrub and grassland habitats for
neotropical migratory birds, woodcock, and upland game birds.
Additional lands would be reforested, but due to the size and
distribution of sites, would not be sufficient to meet any interior
forest objectives. An assortment of step-down management plans would be
created or updated to provide the specifics for the individual refuge
programs.
Under this alternative, the Complex would continue to seek, from
willing sellers, acquisition of all inholdings within the present
acquisition boundaries. Top priority would be lands which, if acquired,
would address some critical issues related to habitat protection,
access, and off-refuge impacts. Lands acquired as part of the Complex
would be made available for compatible wildlife-dependent public
recreation and environmental education opportunities. Equally important
options to be used include: Corps of Engineers' mitigation program;
outreach and partnerships with adjacent landowners; hunt clubs; and the
Natural Resources Conservation Service to use conservation easements,
cooperative agreements, and federal programs, such as the Wetland
Reserve Program, to link bottomland hardwood forest tracts and
contribute to overall wildlife, soil, and water conservation benefits
within the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley.
Alternative C. Public Use Emphasis
This approach would place less emphasis on managing habitats, while
allowing for significantly more public recreational uses. Any
additional staff and resources would be directed towards allowing for
more compatible public activities in all areas of the Complex.
Additional moist soil, scrub/
[[Page 59766]]
shrub, forested lands, and grasslands would not be restored and
managed. Moist-soil impoundments, currently managed for waterfowl and
shorebirds, would be converted to fishing ponds for public use. Hunting
seasons would be aligned with state regulations to allow for maximum
use. All-terrain vehicle use would continue to disperse hunters, with
additional funding used to maintain the maximum number of trails and
roads for access.
Auto tours, canoe trails, foot trails, and observation towers would
be added for environmental education and watchable wildlife programs.
Additional staff would be used for developing and presenting both on-
and off-site outreach and interpretation programs.
A visitor center and headquarters office would be constructed at
Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge. Two new subheadquarters and visitor
contact stations would be constructed at Panther Swamp and Morgan Brake
Refuges. The new subheadquarters at Panther Swamp Refuge would be
relocated off either Highway 49 or River Road, to provide greater
visibility and access to the public.
Land acquisition within the current acquisition boundary would
continue with emphasis on those lands that could provide additional
public use opportunities and greater access to current refuge lands by
the public.
Alternative D. Interior Forest Habitat Emphasis
Under this alternative, all suitable Complex lands would be
reforested in support of migratory birds and other wildlife dependent
on interior forest habitats. Most refuge management actions would be
directed toward creating and managing the largest amount of interior
and corridor forest habitat (for Louisiana black bear, neotropical
migratory songbirds, and other interior forest wildlife) and reducing
forest fragmentation, while supporting the overall primary purposes for
the Complex of preserving wintering habitat for mallards, pintails, and
wood ducks, and providing production habitat for wood ducks and other
migratory birds dependent on forested habitats. Other national,
regional, and state goals to protect and restore shorebird, grassland,
and scrub/shrub bird populations would be supported secondarily in
habitats that were not suitable for reforestation. Step-down waterfowl
objectives, established by the Lower Mississippi Joint Venture, in
support of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, for
unharvested crops and moist soil would not be met. However, wintering
waterfowl would potentially benefit from additional flooded timber
habitat, including mast and invertebrate production.
Open habitat for geese would not be maintained on Yazoo National
Wildlife Refuge and farming would be eliminated throughout the Complex.
Eliminating farming would eliminate goose use, maximize the amount of
forests and forested corridor habitats, and minimize forest
fragmentation. A forest management plan, designed to address this
alternative's primary goals by creating spatially and specifically
diverse woodlands, would be developed and implemented. Quality
wildlife-dependent recreation activities (e.g., hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation, and environmental education and interpretation)
would be provided. An environmental education plan, incorporating
aggressive and proactive promotion of on- and off-site programs, would
be developed and implemented. Improvements would be made to interior
and exterior roads to provide all-weather vehicular access to a broad
segment of the public; however, existing and proposed roads and trails
would be evaluated for their impacts on forest fragmentation. Wildlife
observation sites/platforms; interpretive trails, boardwalks, and
kiosks; and restrooms would be provided at specific sites to allow for
fully accessible interpretation and environmental education programs.
Fishing would be provided on Panther Swamp, Hillside, Morgan Brake, and
Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuges.
Under this alternative, the complex would continue to seek, from
willing sellers, acquisition of all inholdings within the present
acquisition boundary. Highest priority would be given to those lands
that may be reforested to contribute to the interior forest objectives.
Lands would be made available for compatible wildlife-dependent public
recreation and environmental education opportunities. Additionally, the
Complex would concentrate on all future off-refuge programs and
partnerships within the ``Conservation Partners Focus Area,'' with an
emphasis on contributing to interior forest habitat.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: April 7, 2005.
Jacquelyn B. Parrish,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 05-20491 Filed 10-12-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M