[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67627-67630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9343]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge in Jackson
County, Mississippi; Availability of Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces that a Draft
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment for
Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge are available for
review and comment. This draft plan and environmental assessment were
prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration
Act, as amended, and the National Environmental Policy Act. The draft
plan describes the Service's proposal for management of the refuge for
15 years.
DATES: Written comments must be received at the postal or electronic
addresses listed below no later than December 22, 2006.
ADDRESSES: To provide written comments or to obtain a copy of the draft
plan and environmental assessment, please write to the Mississippi
Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, 7200 Crane Lane, Gautier,
Mississippi 39553; Telephone 601/497-6322. Comments may also be
submitted via electronic mail to [email protected]. The plan and
environmental assessment may be accessed and downloaded from the
Service's Internet site: http://southeast.fws.gov/planning/.
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), requires the
Service to develop a plan for each 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, plans
identify wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities available to the
public, including opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife
observation, wildlife photography, and environmental education and
interpretation.
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 meeting.
After the review and comment period for the draft plan and
environmental assessment, all comments will be analyzed and considered
by the Service. All comments received from individuals on the draft
plan and environmental assessment become part of the official public
record. Requests for such comments will be handled in accordance with
the Freedom of Information Act and Service and Departmental policies
and procedures.
Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge was established
in 1975 to safeguard the critically endangered Mississippi sandhill
crane and its unique disappearing habitat.
Significant issues addressed in the draft plan include: Threatened
and endangered species; waterfowl management; neotropical migratory
birds; savanna restoration; visitor services (e.g., fishing, wildlife
observation, wildlife photography, and environmental education and
interpretation); staffing; and cultural resources. The Service
developed four alternatives for managing the refuge and chose
Alternative D as the proposed alternative.
Under Alternative A, the No Action Alternative, present management
would continue. Current approaches to managing and protecting cranes,
other
[[Page 67628]]
wildlife and habitats, and allowing for public use would remain
unchanged.
With regard to the endangered Mississippi sandhill crane, the
refuge's objective would be to maintain a population of 110-130
individuals, including 20-25 nesting pairs, while fledging 2-4 young
annually. Staff would cultivate 15-40 acres of chufa in multiple food
plots to provide foraging areas for the cranes. The refuge would also
maintain 14 existing ponds; these provide roosting, feeding, and
release pen habitat for cranes. Predator control would need to
continue, since predation is one of the key factors in retarding
successful recruitment of young and achievement of a self-sustaining
population. The refuge's objective would be to conduct sufficient
predator control to allow for 40 percent hatching success, 25 percent
fledging success, and 75 percent survival of after-hatch-year birds.
Two to three red-tailed hawks, one of the principal predators of
nestling and juvenile cranes, would be removed annually.
The refuge would continue to furnish incidental benefits for other
native wildlife species. It would also maintain the current habitat mix
for the benefit of other migratory birds, including waterfowl,
shorebirds, marsh birds, and landbirds. Staff would continue existing
amphibian surveys to monitor long-term population trends and health of
these vertebrates. Managers would continue to record casual sightings
of invertebrates, while maintaining incidental benefits to
invertebrates from various management actions.
Habitat objectives are oriented toward providing benefits to
wildlife, and thus overlap wildlife objectives to some extent. The main
habitat the refuge strives to restore and manage is pine savanna,
particularly wet pine savanna. Under Alternative A, refuge management
would continue to provide 8,000-10,000 acres of savanna habitat to
benefit the Mississippi sandhill crane and priority grassland bird
species. The staff would maintain the current habitat mix to provide
incidental benefits to other migratory birds, including waterfowl,
shorebirds, marsh birds, and landbirds. Fire management, in particular
prescribed fire, is an important ecological tool in maintaining savanna
habitat against encroachment by woody vegetation and trees. The refuge
would continue to aim for conducting prescribed fires on all
compartments on a 2-3 year rotation, although attaining this objective
would depend on weather conditions. Other habitats on the refuge would
be maintained at current levels and in the same locations as at
present: Approximately 9,000 acres in pine flatwood forest; 1,300 acres
in forested wetlands; and 600 acres in open water.
Resource protection would continue to be carried out as it is
currently. One hundred acres of cogongrass would be targeted for annual
spraying to reduce infestations of this non-native weed. Tallow trees
and other invasives would be controlled or eliminated as opportunities
arise. The refuge's Private Lands program would remain the same, with
passive management of 12 Farm Service Agency tracts totaling 2,203
acres (1,975 acres in fee title and 228 acres in easement). At present,
the refuge has one collateral duty officer (0.25 FTE) and shares a law
enforcement officer with Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge
would follow standard Service protocol and procedures in conducting
cultural resource surveys.
Existing public use and environmental education programs would be
maintained. The refuge would continue to serve the public without being
guided by a Visitor Services Management Plan, relying instead on
experience and general Service mandates and practices. A new
headquarters/visitor center would be constructed.
Current wildlife observation and wildlife photography programs and
facilities would be maintained. These include guided crane tours in
vans every January and February, two hiking/nature trails, and
observation/photography blinds. The refuge would maintain environmental
education and interpretation at their current levels, including
participation in community events, on-site and off-site environmental
education, guided tours, and interpretive trails. The refuge would
technically remain closed to sport hunting and fishing, though the
latter would continue to be available to anglers in watercraft (e.g.,
boats, canoes, and kayaks) entering the refuge on bayous under State
jurisdiction and management.
Under Alternative B, the refuge would emphasize its biological
program by applying maximum efforts to enhance habitat conditions and
increase wildlife populations, particularly the endangered crane. The
visitor services program would remain as it is at present. An assistant
refuge manager would be hired for supervisory and administrative
support.
With regard to the endangered Mississippi sandhill crane, the
refuge's objective would be to provide for a self-sustaining crane
population of 130 to 170 individuals, including 30-35 nesting pairs,
fledging 10-15 young annually for at least 10 years. Chufa cultivation
would expand to 40-60 acres, and winter cover crops and legumes would
be planted on up to 20 acres within food plots. Staff would also create
a food plot in the Fontainbleau Unit in addition to exploring
opportunities with partners to protect existing and extend potential
foraging areas off-refuge would continue to maintain 14 existing ponds,
which provide roosting, feeding, and release pen habitat for cranes. In
addition to these 14 ponds, 10 new small, shallow ponds would be
created. Staff would clear overgrown interiors of five Grady ponds. An
additional equipment operator would be hired to assist with
construction and maintenance.
Under Alternative B, predator management for Mississippi sandhill
crane survival would increase to allow for 60 percent hatching success,
67 percent fledging success, and over 80 percent survival of after-
hatch-year birds. Up to 10 red-tailed hawks would be removed annually.
The refuge would also continue to furnish incidental benefits to
other native wildlife species. It would provide 15,000-17,000 acres of
savanna habitat to benefit priority grassland bird species, as well as
the Mississippi sandhill crane. This would be an increase of 7,000
acres over Alternative A. Alternative B would aim to increase the
refugee's knowledge about other migratory birds by developing and
implementing monitoring programs. Staff would continue existing
amphibian surveys to monitor long-term population trends and health of
these vertebrates. The refuge would maintain and develop habitats and
promote management actions that would support viable populations of
both amphibians and reptiles.
The refuge would conduct periodic sampling to evaluate incidental
benefits to invertebrates from various management actions. Management
of invertebrates would increase overall by maintaining the native
diversity of butterfly and dragonfly species as indicators of
biodiversity, and by providing for high-quality orthoptera and related
species numbers for food by the sandhill cranes and their young.
Under Alternative B, pine savanna acreage would increase. Fire
management, particularly prescribed fire, is an important ecological
tool in maintaining savanna habitat against encroachment by woody
vegetation and trees. Under Alternative B, the refuge would continue to
aim for conducting prescribed fires on all compartments on a 2-3 year
rotation, although attaining this objective would depend on weather
[[Page 67629]]
conditions. Pine flatwood forests would be reduced to 2,000-5,000 acres
(from 9,000 acres currently), because the majority of this habitat
would be converted to pine savanna (i.e., opened up and thinned out),
which is more desirable to cranes and other indigenous species of
management concern. Forested wetlands would be maintained at current
levels (1,300 acres) and the acreage of open water, that is, bayous and
ponds, would increase somewhat from the construction of 10 new ponds.
Under Alternative B, resource protection would be intensified. The
main invasive species at present is cogongrass, and the refuge's
objective would be to reduce cogongrass by 90 percent within 5 years,
to total no more than 15 acres. A program would also be developed to
control tallow trees and other invasive species. In the refuge's
Private Lands Program, staff would work with private landowners of the
12 Farm Service Agency tracts to manage and improve habitats. Staff
would also reduce cogongrass on these areas and explore opportunities
with partners to protect existing and extend potential foraging areas
off-refuge. The refuge would partner with The Nature Conservancy and
other nearby landowners on fire management issues and biological
assistance.
Current wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and
environmental education and interpretation programs would be maintained
under the Alternative B. As in Alternative A, the refuge would
technically remain closed to sport hunting and fishing.
Under Alternative C, management would focus on maximizing
opportunities for public visitation, increasing both facilities and
activities throughout the 15-year duration of the plan. Current
approaches to managing and protecting cranes and other wildlife and
habitats would remain unchanged. An assistant refuge manager would be
hired for supervisory and administrative support.
One difference between Alternatives C and A is in the area of law
enforcement: Alternative C would provide a full-time law enforcement
officer to protect refuge resources and the public. With regard to
cultural resources, including those of an archaeological or historical
nature, within 15 years of the plan's approval, the refuge would
develop and begin to implement a Cultural Resources Management Plan.
Public use and environmental education would increase under
Alternative C. Within 3 years of plan completion, the refuge would
develop a Visitor Services Management Plan to be used in expanding
public use facilities and opportunities on the refuge. This step-down
management plan would provide overall, long-term direction and guidance
in developing and running a larger public use program. The Service
would construct a new headquarters and a separate visitor center. The
new visitor center would include a small auditorium for use in talks,
meetings, films, videos, and other audiovisual presentations.
Alternative C would also increase opportunities for visitors by
adding facilities such as photo-blinds, observation sites, and trails,
including boardwalks. Two on-refuge auto tours would be developed as
well.
Over the 15-year life of the plan, the staff would increase
emphasis on environmental education and interpretation to lead to a
better understanding of the importance of wildlife and habitat
resources, especially sandhill cranes, savanna, fire ecology, invasive
species, endangered species, and migratory birds. A public use
specialist would be hired. Within 5 years of plan approval, the refuge
would prepare a Fishing Plan that would outline permissible fishing
opportunities within the refuge and a Hunting Plan that would allow for
a limited deer hunt. The refuge would construct a fishing pier and
canoe and kayak trail with access point.
Under Alternative D, the proposed alternative, the refuge would
strive to optimize both its biological program and its visitor services
program. Thus it would include certain elements of Alternative B, which
emphasizes the biological program, and Alternative C, which focuses on
the visitor services program. Alternative D recognizes that there may
be tradeoffs and opportunity costs between the various elements of the
biological and visitor services programs. Hence, Alternative D stresses
the principle of optimization rather than maximization of wildlife,
habitat, and public use outputs. An assistant refuge manager would be
hired for supervisory and administrative support.
With regard to the endangered Mississippi sandhill crane, the
refuge's objective would be the same as Alternative B. Also, objectives
to furnish incidental benefits to other native wildlife species would
be the same as Alternative B. The main habitat the refuge strives to
restore and manage is pine savanna, particularly wet pine savanna.
Under Alternative D, savanna acreage would increase.
Under Alternative D, resource protection at the refuge would be
intensified from the level now maintained in Alternative A. Efforts to
control invasive species would increase. The main invasive species at
present is cogongrass, and the refuge's objective would be to reduce
the species by 80 percent within 5 years. Tallow trees and other
invasive species would continue to be controlled or eliminated as
opportunities are available. In the refuge's Private Lands Program,
staff would work with private landowners of the 12 Farm Service Agency
tracts to manage and improve habitats. Staff would also explore
opportunities with partners to protect existing and extend potential
foraging areas off-refuge. The refuge would partner with The Nature
Conservancy and other nearby landowners on fire management issues and
biological assistance.
Alternative D would provide a full-time law enforcement officer, an
equipment operator, a maintenance mechanic, and a wildlife technician.
The refuge would develop and begin to implement a Cultural Resources
Management Plan. Until such time as the plan is completed and
implemented, the refuge would follow standard Service protocol and
procedures in conducting cultural resource surveys.
Public use and environmental education would increase under
Alternative D. Within 3 years of the plan's completion, the refuge
would develop a Visitor Services Plan to be used in expanding public
use facilities and opportunities on the refuge. This step-down
management plan would provide overall, long-term direction and guidance
in developing and running a larger public use program. Within the 15-
year planning horizon, the Service would construct a new visitor center
near the existing one and convert the existing visitor center into a
refuge headquarters. The new visitor center would include a small
auditorium for use in talks, meetings, films, videos, and other
audiovisual presentations.
Alternative D would also increase opportunities for visitors by
adding facilities such as photoblinds, observation sites, and trails,
but would not include boardwalks. One or more on-refuge auto tours
would be developed as well.
Over the 15-year life of the plan, the staff would increase
emphasis on environmental education and interpretation to lead to a
better understanding of the importance of wildlife and habitat
resources, especially sandhill cranes, savanna, fire ecology, invasive
species, endangered species, and migratory birds. Within 5 years of the
plan's approval, the refuge would prepare a Fishing Plan that would
outline permissible fishing opportunities within the refuge. The
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refuge would also construct a fishing pier on the bayou and a canoe and
kayak trail with access point. Staff would investigate opportunities
for limited hunting possibilities.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: October 11, 2006.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 06-9343 Filed 11-21-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M