[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 194 (Tuesday, October 9, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57343-57344]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19794]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Koyukuk, Nowitna and the Northern Unit (Kaiyuh Flats) of Innoko
National Wildlife Refuges, AK
AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to revise the comprehensive conservation plan
and prepare an environmental assessment; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to
prepare a revised comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and
environmental assessment (EA) for Koyukuk, Nowitna and the Northern
Unit (Kaiyuh Flats) of Innoko National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges). We
furnish this notice in compliance with our CCP policy to advise other
agencies, Tribes, and the public of our intentions, and to obtain
suggestions and information on the scope of issues to consider in the
planning process. We will use local announcements, special mailings,
newspaper articles, the internet, and other media announcements to
inform people of opportunities to provide input throughout the planning
process. We will hold public meetings in communities near the refuges
during preparation of the revised plan.
DATES: Please provide written comments on the scope of the CCP revision
by December 15, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Address comments, questions, and requests for further
information to: Robert Lambrecht, Planning Team Leader, Koyukuk Nowitna
National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 287, Galena, AK 99741-0287. Comments
may be faxed to (907) 656-1708, or sent via electronic mail to Koyukuk/[email protected]. Additional information about the Refuge is
available on the internet at: http://alaska.fws.gov/nwr/planning/knpol.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Lambrecht, Planning Team
Leader, phone (907) 656-1231.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we initiate our process for developing a CCP for
the Koyukuk and Nowitna and the Northern Unit (Kaiyuh Flats) of Innoko
National Wildlife Refuges, Alaska. We furnish this notice in compliance
with our policy to (1) advise other Federal and State agencies, Tribes,
and the public of our intention to conduct detailed planning on this
refuge and (2) obtain suggestions and information on the scope of
issues to be considered in the environmental document and during the
development of the CCP.
The CCP Process
The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (94 Stat. 2371)
and the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (16
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee), which amended the National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966; require us to develop a CCP for each
national wildlife refuge in Alaska. The purpose of developing a CCP is
to provide refuge managers with a 15-year plan for achieving refuge
purposes and contributing to the mission of the National Wildlife
Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife
management, conservation, legal mandates, and our policies. In addition
to outlining broad management direction on conserving wildlife and
their habitats, CCPs identify 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
the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with the Refuge
Improvement Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
Each unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System was established
for specific purposes. We use these purposes as the bases to develop
and prioritize management goals and objectives within the National
Wildlife Refuge System mission, and to guide which public uses will
occur on these Refuges. The planning process is a way for us and the
public to evaluate management goals and objectives for the best
possible conservation approach to this important wildlife habitat,
while providing for wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities that
are compatible with the Refuges' establishing purposes and the mission
of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
We will conduct a comprehensive conservation planning process that
will provide opportunity for Tribal, State, and local government
agencies; organizations; and the public to participate in issue scoping
and public comment. We request input in the form of issues, concerns,
ideas, and suggestions for the future management of the Koyukuk and
Nowitna and the Northern Unit (Kaiyuh Flats) of Innoko National
Wildlife Refuges.
We will conduct the environmental review of this project through an
[[Page 57344]]
environmental assessment in accordance with the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended; NEPA regulations
(40 CFR parts 1500-1508); other appropriate Federal laws and
regulations; and our policies and procedures for compliance with those
laws and regulations.
The Refuges
The Koyukuk Refuge (3,550,000 acres), Nowitna Refuge (1,560,000
acres), and Northern Unit (Kaiyuh Flats) of Innoko Refuge (350,800
acres) are managed from the headquarters office in Galena, Alaska.
Following are the purposes for which the Koyukuk and Nowitna National
Wildlife Refuges were established by ANILCA: (i) To conserve fish and
wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity, including
but not limited to [Koyukuk] waterfowl and other migratory birds,
moose, caribou (including participation in coordinated ecological
studies and management of the Western Arctic caribou herd), furbearers,
and salmon; [Nowitna] trumpeter swans, white-fronted geese,
canvasbacks, and other waterfowl and migratory birds; moose; caribou;
martens, wolverines, and other furbearers; salmon; sheefish; and
northern pike; [Innoko] waterfowl, peregrine falcons, other migratory
birds, black bear, moose, furbearers, and other mammals; and salmon;
(ii) to fulfill the international treaty obligations of the United
States with respect to fish and wildlife and their habitats; (iii) to
provide, in a manner consistent with the purposes set forth in
subparagraphs (i) and (ii), the opportunity for continued subsistence
uses by local residents; (iv) to ensure, to the maximum extent
practicable and in a manner consistent with the purposes set forth in
paragraph (i), water quality and necessary water quantity within the
refuge.
The CCPs for these refuges were completed in 1987. They provide
direction for managing the refuges by identifying the types and level
of activities that can occur on the refuges. The refuges are divided
into three management categories: Most of the refuges are in the
Minimal management category; 400,000 acres of the Koyukuk Refuge are
designated Wilderness; and 142,000 acres of the Nowitna Refuge are in
the Wild and Scenic River category. As we revise the CCPs, the two
current CCPs will be combined into one CCP.
Koyukuk Refuge lies in a basin surrounded by rolling, low mountains
and is bisected by the Koyukuk River, the third largest river in
Alaska. The refuge's rich wetlands combine with lowland forests to
support a diversity of wildlife, including moose and large populations
of migrating waterfowl. There are about 15,000 lakes and over 5,500
miles of rivers and streams within the boundaries of the refuge. Refuge
lands support large numbers of nesting waterfowl and contain some of
Alaska's highest quality moose habitat. The refuge is also home to
caribou, wolves, lynx, pike, raptors, and black and grizzly bears. The
six Native (Koyukon Athabascan) villages adjacent to, or within, the
refuge boundaries have used the refuge for centuries. Hunting, fishing
and trapping are still important subsistence activities today.
The northern unit (Kaiyuh Flats) of Innoko Refuge shares a common
boundary with Koyukuk Refuge and is home to waterfowl, peregrine
falcons, other migratory birds, black bear, moose, fur bearers and
other mammals, and salmon. Pike, a long-lived fish that can reach large
sizes, also winter in the Kaiyuh Flats.
Nowitna Refuge's topography varies from flat lowlands dotted with
wetlands to rolling hills capped by alpine tundra. During summer,
Nowitna's varied habitats support over 125 bird species but this number
drops to only a few dozen during winter. The Palisades, a series of
bluffs on the Yukon River near the northeast boundary of the refuge, is
a rich source of fossils and other evidence of Pleistocene Era animals
and plants. The Nowitna River bisects the refuge and forms a broad
meandering flood plain. Two-hundred twenty-three miles of the Nowitna
is designated Wild and Scenic River and passes through a 15 mile canyon
with peaks up to 2,100 feet. In the spring, high water and ice dams can
back the river up more than 100 miles, affecting water levels and
permitting the migration of fish from many adjacent lakes and sloughs.
Scoping: Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and Opportunities
We have identified preliminary issues, concerns, and opportunities
and may address them in the CCP. Preliminary issues include (1) concern
about management of moose, salmon, predators, and waterfowl within the
refuges; (2) competition for refuge resources between local and non-
local users; (3) desire for improved pubic outreach and involvement in
refuge management; (4) sensitivity to local cultural ways; (5) future
trends in public use of the refuge and how public use will be managed;
(6) effects of climate change on the refuge; (7) implementation of
existing policies on cabins, timber harvest, and other resource
development; and (8) effects of existing and proposed off-refuge
development on refuge lands and resources. These and other issues will
be explored during the scoping process and the refuge will determine
which issues will be addressed in the revised CCP.
Public Meetings
We will involve the public through open houses, meetings, and
comments. We will mail planning updates to our refuge mailing list to
keep the public aware of the status of the revision and how we use
public comments in each stage of the planning process. Scoping meetings
are planned to be held in October, 2007 in the following refuge area
communities: Hughes, Huslia, Kaltag, Koyukuk, Nulato, Ruby, and Tanana.
A week-long open house will be held at refuge headquarters in Galena
also in October. Details will be announced locally.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your name, address, phone number, e-mail address,
or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should
be aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Dated: October 1, 2007.
Thomas O. Melius,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska.
[FR Doc. E7-19794 Filed 10-5-07; 8:45 am]
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