[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 140 (Friday, July 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42359-42361]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-14217]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Impact
Statement for the Sweetwater Marsh and South San Diego Bay Units of the
San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces that a
Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Impact Statement
(Draft CCP/EIS) for the Sweetwater Marsh and South San Diego Bay Units
of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge is available for review
and comment. This Draft CCP/EIS has been prepared pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and is designed to address
the Service's obligation under the National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge
System Improvement Act of 1997. The Draft CCP/EIS describes the
Service's proposal for managing these Refuge Units over the next 15
years. Also available for review and public comment in the Draft CCP/
EIS are draft compatibility determinations for several public uses and
a draft Predator Management Plan.
DATES: Written comments must be received at the address below on or
before Monday, September 19, 2005.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the Draft CCP/EIS is available on compact disk or
in hard copy, and you may obtain a copy by writing to: Victoria
Touchstone, Refuge Planner, San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex,
6010 Hidden Valley Road, Carlsbad, CA 92011. You may also access or
download copies of the Draft CCP/EIS at the following Web site address:
http://pacific.fws.gov/planning.
Hard copies of the Draft CCP/EIS are also available for viewing at
the following locations:
San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 6010 Hidden
Valley Road, Carlsbad, CA;
Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center, 301 Caspian Way, Imperial
Beach, CA;
Chula Vista Public Library, Civic Center Branch, 365 F
Street, Chula Vista, CA and South Chula Vista Branch, 389 Orange
Avenue, Chula Vista, CA;
Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA;
Imperial Beach Library, 810 Imperial Beach Boulevard,
Imperial Beach, CA;
National City Library, 200 East 12th Street, National
City, CA; and
City of San Diego, Central Library, Government
Publications, 820 E Street, Logan Heights Branch Library, 811 South
28th Street, Otay Mesa Branch Library, 3003 Coronado Avenue, and
Paradise Hills Branch Library, 5922 Rancho Hills Drive, San Diego, CA.
A public meeting to present the details of the Draft CCP/EIS is
scheduled for Wednesday, August 31, 2005, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at
the Chula Vista City Council Chambers located at 276 Fourth Avenue,
Chula Vista, California 91910.
Comments on the Draft CCP/EIS should be addressed to: Victoria
Touchstone, Refuge Planner, San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex,
6010 Hidden Valley Road, Carlsbad, CA 92011. Comments may also be
submitted via electronic mail to [email protected] or via
fax to (760) 930-0256. Please type ``San Diego Bay CCP'' in the subject
line.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Victoria Touchstone, Refuge Planner, at
(760) 431-9440 extension 349.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for each
National Wildlife Refuge. The purpose for 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 (Refuge System), consistent with sound principles of fish
and wildlife science, conservation, legal mandates, and Service
policies. In addition to outlining broad management direction for
conserving wildlife and their habitats, the CCPs identify wildlife-
dependent recreational opportunities available to the public, including
opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and
photography, and environmental education and interpretation. 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 review and update these CCPs at least every 15
years. Revisions to the CCP will be prepared in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4370d).
Background
The CCP for the Refuge Units in San Diego Bay was initiated in June
2000. At that time and throughout the process, public comments were
requested, considered, and incorporated in numerous ways. Public
outreach has included scoping meetings, public workshops, planning
updates, a CCP webpage, and two Federal Register notices. When the CCP
was initiated, these refuge lands were referred to as the Sweetwater
Marsh National Wildlife Refuge and the South San Diego Bay Unit of the
San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. However, in June 2004, these lands
were reorganized into the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
[[Page 42360]]
This action was taken to streamline management and facilitate public
understanding and recognition of the two refuge areas within San Diego
Bay. This change had no affect on the approved refuge boundaries or the
current management practices. All that changed were the names. We now
refer to these areas as the Sweetwater Marsh and South San Diego Bay
Units of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
The San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately
10 miles north of the United States-Mexico border in southwestern San
Diego County, California. Collectively, the two Refuge Units encompass
approximately 2,620 acres of land and water in and around the south end
of San Diego Bay. The native coastal salt marsh and intertidal mudflats
preserved within this Refuge annually provide essential foraging and
resting habitat for tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds and
wintering waterfowl traveling along the Pacific Flyway.
The Sweetwater Marsh Unit was established as a National Wildlife
Refuge in 1988. Encompassing approximately 316 acres, this Refuge was
established to protect federally listed endangered and threatened
species. The coastal salt marsh and upland areas within the Sweetwater
Marsh Unit support 6 federally listed species, including 3 listed birds
that nest within the Unit, one State-listed endangered species, and 26
species of birds identified by the Service as Birds of Conservation
Concern.
The South San Diego Bay Unit was established in 1999 as a unit of
the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge for the purpose of protecting,
managing, and restoring habitats for federally listed endangered and
threatened species and migratory birds. The Service currently manages
approximately 2,300 acres of the 3,940 acres included within the Unit's
approved acquisition boundary. The majority of this management area is
leased to the Service by the California State Lands Commission.
Included within this Unit is the largest remaining expanse of
intertidal mudflats in San Diego Bay. This and other habitats within
the Unit support 5 federally listed endangered and threatened species,
1 State-listed endangered species, and 19 species of birds identified
by the Service as Birds of Conservation Concern. Open water is the
dominant habitat, followed by intertidal mudflats, disturbed uplands,
salt marsh, and freshwater wetlands. The Unit includes an active
commercial solar salt operation that is managed under a Special Use
Permit. The salt pond levees provide important nesting habitat for a
variety of colonial nesting seabirds.
Purpose and Need for Action
The CCP is intended to provide a coherent, integrated set of
management actions consistent with the purposes for which the two
Refuge Units were established; the mandates of the Refuge System; and
the vision, goals, and objectives defined in the CCP. The CCP
identifies the Refuge Units' roles in support of the mission of the
Refuge System, describes the Service's management actions, and provides
a basis for budget needs. This CCP is also intended to satisfy a
condition of the Public Agency Lease between the California State Lands
Commission and the Service, requiring management and public access
plans for the South San Diego Bay Unit and to fulfill the Service's
obligation described in a Cooperative Agreement between the Service and
the Unified Port of San Diego to prepare ``a holistic habitat
restoration plan'' for a 1,035-acre portion of the existing salt ponds
within the South San Diego Bay Unit.
Alternatives
The Draft CCP/EIS identifies and evaluates three alternatives for
managing the Sweetwater Marsh Unit and four alternatives for managing
the South San Diego Bay Unit for the next 15 years. One alternative for
each Refuge Unit that appears to best meet the Refuge purposes is
identified as the preferred alternative. The preferred alternatives
were identified based on the analysis presented in the Draft CCP/EIS,
which may be modified following the completion of the public comment
period based on comments received from other agencies, Tribal
governments, non-governmental organizations, or individuals.
Alternatives for the Sweetwater Marsh Unit
Under Alternative A--No Action, the Sweetwater Marsh Unit would
continue to be managed as it has in the past. No major changes in
habitat management would occur. The existing wildlife observation,
photography, environmental education, and interpretation programs would
remain unchanged.
Under Alternative B, current management activities would be
expanded to emphasize enhancement of existing salt marsh habitat. Tidal
and freshwater circulation within the salt marsh would be improved to
enhance habitat quality for the endangered light-footed clapper rail
and other trust species. Existing public uses would continue with added
opportunities for environmental interpretation provided adjacent to
Paradise Marsh and the F&G Street Marsh.
Under Alternative C (the preferred alternative), management
activities would be expanded to include restoration of intertidal and
upland habitat. The existing trail system on Gunpowder Point would be
redesigned and new interpretive elements would be provided to better
complement the existing environmental education programs supported by
the Refuge.
Alternatives for the South San Diego Bay Unit
Under Alternative A--No Action, the South San Diego Bay Unit would
continue to be managed as it has in the past. No major changes in
habitat management would occur. The existing opportunities for fishing,
wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, and boating
would remain unchanged and commercial solar salt production would
continue. The Service would continue to pursue land management
opportunities within the approved acquisition boundary for the Unit.
This activity would occur under any of the alternatives evaluated for
this Unit.
Under Alternative B, current management activities would be
expanded to emphasize enhancement of nesting opportunities in and
around the salt ponds for the California least tern, western snowy
plover, and various other colonial seabirds. New nesting habitat would
be created and levee tops would be capped with clean, light sand to
improve the quality of available nesting substrate. The current public
use programs would remain unchanged.
Under Alternative C, portions of the salt ponds and all of the Otay
River floodplain would be restored to native coastal habitats, and the
nesting enhancements described in Alternative B would be implemented.
Two restoration options are presented for both the salt ponds and the
Otay River floodplain that could result in the restoration of up to 410
acres of intertidal habitat in the salt works and 140 acres of habitat,
including intertidal salt marsh, freshwater wetlands, and native
uplands, within the Otay River floodplain. Opportunities for fishing
and wildlife observation would be expanded, the Otay Valley Regional
Trail would be facilitated, and the construction of a boardwalk along
the south side of the salt ponds is proposed. The commercial solar salt
operation would continue within a reduced footprint.
[[Page 42361]]
Under Alternative D (the preferred alternative), the habitat
potential within the salt ponds would be maximized. Approximately 600
acres of salt ponds would be restored to tidal influence to support
intertidal mudflat and coastal salt marsh habitats. Additionally, some
30 acres of new nesting habitat would be created, 230 acres of pond
area would be managed to benefit waterfowl and shorebird foraging and
nesting, and 44 acres of salt ponds and associated levees would be
managed to sustain a viable population of brine invertebrates to
support the foraging needs of specific species of migratory birds. The
Otay River floodplain would be restored as described in Alternative C
and the nesting enhancements described under Alternative B would be
implemented. Opportunities for wildlife observation, photography, and
environmental interpretation would be expanded, the regional trail and
boardwalk described in Alternative C would be provided, and the other
public uses that are currently provided, including fishing,
environmental education, and boating, would be maintained. Restoration
under this alternative would be phased and would ultimately result in
the closure of the existing commercial solar salt operation.
Predator Management Plan
A draft predator management plan has also been prepared to
accompany the CCP. Implementation of this plan is proposed pursuant to
the Service's endangered species management responsibilities and would
occur on the Refuge in conjunction with other wildlife and habitat
management activities. Species to benefit from the implementation of
predator management include the federally listed endangered California
least tern and light-footed clapper rail and the threatened western
snowy plover. The predator management plan has been developed as a
comprehensive wildlife damage control program that addresses a range of
management actions from vegetation control and nesting habitat
enhancement to non-lethal and lethal control of both mammalian and
avian predators. Under this plan, the most effective, selective, and
humane techniques available to deter or remove individual predators or
species that threaten nesting, breeding, or foraging California least
terns, western snowy plovers, or light-footed clapper rails would be
implemented.
Public Comments
After the review and comment period ends for this Draft CCP/EIS,
comments will be analyzed by the Service and addressed in the Final
CCP/EIS. All comments received from individuals, including names and
addresses, become part of the official public record and may be
released. Requests for such comments will be handled in accordance with
the Freedom of Information Act, the Council on Environmental Quality's
NEPA regulations, and Service and Departmental policies and procedures.
Dated: July 14, 2005.
Ken McDermond,
Manager, California/Nevada Operations, Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 05-14217 Filed 7-21-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P