[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 135 (Friday, July 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41054-41055]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13615]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Availability of the Final Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Maine Coastal Islands
National Wildlife Refuge
AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the Final Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Maine Coastal Islands
National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)(formerly Petit Manan National Wildlife
Refuge Complex).
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces that
the Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife
Refuge (NWR) are available for review. The Final CCP and EIS were
prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration
Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 6688dd et seq.), and the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The CCP describes how the Service
intends to manage the refuge over the next 15 years.
DATES: A Record of Decision may be signed no sooner than 30 days after
publication of this notice (40 CFR 1506.10(b)(2)).
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final CCP or EIS, including Appendix I
(Summary of Public Comments and Service Responses), are available by
contacting Charles Blair, Refuge Manager, Maine Coastal Islands NWR,
P.O. Box 279, Water Street, Milbridge, Maine 04658-0279, or by e-
mailing [email protected]. The Final CCP and EIS are also available
for viewing and downloading online at the following Web site: http://library.fws.gov/ccps.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles Blair, Refuge Manager, at the
above street and e-mail address, or via telephone at (207) 546-2124, or
fax at (207) 546-7805.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 CCP
for each refuge. The purpose of developing a CCP 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 science, natural
resources conservation, legal mandates, and Service policies. In
addition to outlining broad management direction on conserving wildlife
and habitats, a CCP identifies wildlife-dependent recreational
opportunities available to the public, including opportunities for
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and
environmental education and interpretation. The CCP will be
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reviewed and updated at least every 15 years in accordance with the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
The Maine Coastal Islands NWR is located within the Gulf of Maine,
with landholdings along the entire Maine coast. The refuge is a complex
of five individual refuge units including: Petit Manan, Cross Island,
Seal Island, Franklin Island, and Pond Island NWRs. It protects
nationally-significant islands with nesting habitat for Federal- and
State-listed species, and other native wildlife of high conservation
concern, such as roseate tern, bald eagle, Atlantic puffin, common
tern, Arctic tern, and razorbills. Its mainland divisions protect
wetlands and other important habitats valuable to migratory birds of
conservation concern, including waterfowl, shorebirds, and Neotropical
landbirds.
The proposed action is to adopt and implement a CCP that best
achieves the purposes for which the refuge was established; furthers
its vision and goals; contributes to the mission of the National
Wildlife Refuge System; addresses significant issues and applicable
mandates; and is consistent with principals of sound fish and wildlife
management. Implementing the CCP will enable the refuge to fulfill its
critical role in the conservation and management of fish and wildlife
resources in the Gulf of Maine, including the protection of nationally-
significant coastal islands, and to provide high quality environmental
education and wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities for refuge
visitors. The Service analyzed four alternatives for future management
of the refuge; of these, Alternative B has been identified as the
Service's preferred alternative.
Alternative B, modified from the Draft CCP/EIS, would provide a
refuge boundary expansion and improve the diversity and depth of
management for natural resources and recreational opportunities.
Selecting this alternative would expand the Petit Manan NWR by 2,459.7
acres beyond the current approved boundary. The expansion is comprised
of 87 nationally significant seabird, wading bird, or bald eagle
coastal nesting islands (2,306.4 acres) and 2 mainland tracts (153.3
acres) of wetlands important for waterfowl and migrating shorebirds.
Alternative B would add six new seabird restoration projects to our
present six, and intensify the focus of our biological programs on
birds of high conservation priority in the Gulf of Maine. It would
increase opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation, especially in
our environmental education and interpretation programs, build new
trails on the Gouldsboro Bay, Sawyers Marsh, and Corea Heath divisions,
and open the Petit Manan Point Division for deer hunting. Alternative B
would also recommend that 13 NWR islands in 8 wilderness study areas be
included in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Refuge
staffing and budgets would increase commensurately with expanded
programs. We recommend Alternative B for approval. The following are
four important changes made between our Draft and Final CCP and EIS:
1. We propose changing the name of the entire refuge complex to
``Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge''. We will use this
name for outreach and administrative purposes when we are referring to
the five refuges collectively. It does not change the name or status of
the five individual refuge units.
2. We clarify our deer hunting proposal on the Petit Manan Point
Division because the Draft CCP/EIS did not stipulate which areas or
seasons would be opened. We propose opening the deer hunt to: (a)
hunters with disabilities during the regular rifle season, and (b)
hunters of all abilities during the regular muzzle-loader season. The
hunting area will lie in the northern half of the division, above the
entrance road, in the Birch Point Trail area.
3. We propose changing the wilderness study area (WSA) boundaries
to exclude all private lands and all existing rights-of-way granted to
private inholders on Cross and Bois Bubert islands, and Lily Lake and
the common boat landing on Bois Bubert Island. All WSA boundaries will
be defined by the mean high water mark surrounding the islands.
(Appendix D, ``Wilderness Inventory and Study'', includes those
changes).
4. We propose to exclude an 8-acre tract on Wood Island from our
expansion proposal. The tract is owned by the Coast Guard and includes
an historic lighthouse. The Coast Guard requested we exclude this
tract, which is under a licensing agreement with the American
Lighthouse Foundation for repair, maintenance, and historic
preservation. (Appendix A, ``Land Protection Plan'', includes this
change).
Public comments were requested, considered and incorporated
throughout the planning process in numerous ways. Public outreach has
included open houses, public meetings, technical workgroups, planning
update mailings, and Federal Register notices. Three previous notices
were published in the Federal Register concerning the development of
this CCP/EIS (60 FR 52008, October 4, 1995; 64 FR 70723, December 17,
1999; 69 FR 23803, April 30, 2005). During the Draft CCP/EIS comment
period that occurred from April 30 to July 6, 2004, the Service
received 594 public responses in oral testimony at public hearings, in
phone calls, or in written or electronic documents. All substantive
issues raised in the comments on the Draft CCP/EIS have been addressed
through changes incorporated into the Final CCP and EIS text, and
through the responses to the public comments included in Appendix I,
``Summary of Public Comments and Service Responses,'' of the Final EIS.
Dated: March 7, 2005.
Richard O. Bennett,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley,
Massachusetts.
[FR Doc. 05-13615 Filed 7-14-05; 8:45 am]
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