[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 30, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30687-30688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4913]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment for Alligator River National Wildlife
Refuge in Dare and Hyde Counties, North Carolina.
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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces that a Draft
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment (Draft
CCP/EA) for the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge are available
for review and comment. This Draft CCP/EA was prepared pursuant to the
National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act, as amended, and the
National Environmental Policy Act. The Draft CCP/EA 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 June 29, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the Draft CCP/EA should be addressed
to: Bonnie Strawser, CCP, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge,
P.O. Box 1969, Manteo, North Carolina 27954; Telephone 252/473-1131,
extension 230. Comments on the draft plan may be submitted to the above
address or via electronic mail to: [email protected].
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
[[Page 30688]]
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, environmental education and interpretation.
The staffing and funding for Alligator River National Wildlife
Refuge support both Alligator River and Pea Island National Wildlife
Refuges as a complex.
Alternatives
The Service developed and analyzed three alternatives for managing
the refuge and chose Alternative 2 as the proposed alternative.The
proposed action is to adopt and implement a comprehensive conservation
plan for the refuge that best achieves the refuge's purpose, vision,
and goals; contributes to the National Wildlife Refuge System mission;
addresses the significant issues and relevant mandates; and is
consistent with principles of sound fish and wildlife management.
Alternative 1 is a proposal to maintain the current management. The
refuge currently manages its impoundments intensively by managing water
levels and vegetation to create optimum habitat for migrating
waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and aquatic organisms. It also
manages marshes and pine forests with prescribed fire. The staff
surveys waterfowl, shorebirds, and wading birds on a routine basis. The
refuge allows the six priority public use activities: Hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and environmental education
and interpretation. The staff conducts extensive environmental
education and interpretation programs with the assistance of 10,000
hours of volunteer service every year.Tthe total complex staff consists
of 26 positions, with 19.7 of these assigned to manage Alligator River
Refuge. The staff manages the refuge from a rented building in Manteo,
10 miles east of the refuge.
Alternative 2, the proposed alternative, proposes moderate program
increases. The refuge would continue to manage its impoundments
intensively by managing water levels and vegetation to create optimum
habitat for migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and aquatic
organisms. The marshes and pine forests would be managed with
prescribed fire. The staff would inventory and monitor fire-dependent
habitats to document their conditions and assess the effectiveness of
management. Waterfowl, shorebirds, and wading birds would be surveyed
on a routine basis. The staff would also document the presence of
wildlife species as they are found and document the density of
invertebrates in moist-soil units. The refuge would allow the six
priority public use activities: hunting, fishing, wildlife observation,
wildlife photography, and environmental education and interpretation.
The staff would conduct extensive environmental education and
interpretation programs with the assistance of 12,000 hours of
volunteer service every year. Programs would be conducted on the refuge
and in the newly constructed visitor center. Under this alternative,
the refuge staff would be increased by 7.05 positions, for a total of
26.75 positions to manage Alligator River Refuge. The staff would
manage the refuge from a Service-owned building in Manteo, 10 miles
east of the refuge.
Alternative 3 proposes substantial program increases. The refuge
would continue to manage its impoundments intensively by managing water
levels and vegetation to create optimum habitat for migrating
waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and aquatic organisms. It also
would manage marshes and pine forests with prescribed fire and
deciduous forests with thinning. The staff would inventory and monitor
all habits to document their conditions and assess the effectiveness of
management. All wildlife species would be surveyed on a routine basis.
The staff would also document the presence of wildlife species as they
are found and document the density of invertebrates in moist-soil
units. The refuge would allow the six priority public use activities:
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and
environmental education and interpretation. The staff would conduct
extensive environmental education and interpretation programs with the
assistance of 15,000 hours of volunteer service every year. The staff
would conduct programs on the refuge and in the newly constructed
visitor center. Under the alternative, the refuge staff would be
increased by 17.75 positions, for a total of 37.45 positions to manage
Alligator River Refuge. The staff would manage the refuge from a
Service-owned building in Manteo, 10 miles east of the refuge.
Meetings will be held in Manns Harbor, North Carolina, to present
the Draft CCP/EA to the public. Mailings, newspaper articles, and
postings on the refuge website will be the avenues to inform the public
of the dates and times of the meetings. After the review and comment
period for the Draft CCP/EA, all comments will be analyzed and
considered by the Service. All comments received from individuals on
the Draft CCP/EA 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.
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, in northeast North
Carolina, consists of 152,260 acres in fee simple ownership. On the
refuge, 38,533 acres are pond pine shrub pocosin, 30,400 acres are pond
pine cane pocosin, 25,204 acres are brackish marsh, 12,236 acres are
non-alluvial hardwood forest, 11,380 acres are mixed pine hardwood
forest, and 8,468 acres are Atlantic white cedar swamp. These habitats
support a variety of wildlife species, including red wolves, red-
cockaded woodpeckers, waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, marsh birds,
and neotropical migratory songbirds.
The refuge hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually who
participate in hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife
photography, and environmental education and interpretation.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: April 10, 2006.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 06-4913 Filed 5-26-06; 8:45am]
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