[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 136 (Monday, July 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41233-41234]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-14047]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental 
Assessment for Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Sherburne County, MN

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces that the Draft 
Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) 
is available for Sherburne NWR, Minnesota.
    The CCP was prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge 
System Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife 
Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969. Goals and objectives in the CCP describe how the 
agency intends to manage the refuge over the next 15 years.

DATES: Comments on the Draft CCP/EA must be received on or before 
September 2, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Draft CCP are available on compact disk or 
hard copy, you may obtain a copy by writing to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, Division of Conservation Planning, Bishop Henry Whipple 
Federal Building, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111 or 
you may access and download a copy via the planning Web site at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/sherburne/index.html.
    All comments should be addressed to Sherburne National Wildlife 
Refuge, Attention: CCP Comment, 17076 293rd Avenue, Zimmerman, MN 
55398, or direct e-mail to [email protected]. Comments may also be 
submitted through the Service's regional Web site at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Sittauer at (763) 389-3323 
extension 11.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 30,575-acre Sherburne National Wildlife 
is located in central Minnesota at the juncture of the northern boreal 
forest, the eastern deciduous forest, and the tallgrass prairie. It was 
established in 1965 under the general authority of the Migratory Bird 
Conservation Act of 1929 (16 U.S.C. 715d). The Act states that lands 
may be acquired `` * * * for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any 
other management purpose, for migratory birds.'' The Refuge attracts 
over 230 species of birds each year to its diverse habitats. Of these, 
over 120 are known to nest in the area. The Refuge wetlands provide 
habitat for about 30 nesting pairs of Greater Sandhill Cranes and serve 
as a staging area for thousands of cranes during fall migration. During 
fall and spring migration, the Refuge wetlands also support thousands 
of waterfowl.
    The EA evaluates five different approaches, or alternatives, to 
future management of the Sherburne NWR. The plan also identifies 
wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities available to the public 
including hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and 
environmental education and interpretation. The preferred alternative 
calls for: (1) Changes in the water impoundment system and upland 
management to create a diversity of wetland types and historic upland 
plant communities; (2) increased opportunities for all types of 
wildlife-dependent recreation; and (3) outreach, private lands, and 
partnership activities that will emphasize natural processes, including 
native habitat restoration and conservation, to form ecologically 
functioning connections to and from the Refuge.
    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. 668dd-668ee et seq.) requires the Service to develop a CCP 
for each National Wildlife Refuge. The purpose in 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 
management, conservation, legal mandates, and Service policies. In 
addition to outlining broad management direction for conserving 
wildlife and their habitats, the CCP identifies wildlife-dependent 
recreational opportunities available to the public, including 
opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and 
photography, and environmental education and interpretation. We will 
review and update these CCPs at least every 15 years in accordance with 
the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as 
amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, 
and the

[[Page 41234]]

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4370d).

    Dated: February 25, 2005.
Charles M. Wooley,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ft. Snelling, 
Minnesota.
[FR Doc. 05-14047 Filed 7-15-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P