[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 47 (Monday, March 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11046-11047]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4369]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Buck Island, Green Cay, and Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuges
in the U.S. Virgin Islands
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental assessment; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, intend to gather
information necessary to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan and
associated environmental documents for Buck Island, Green Cay, and
Sandy Point
[[Page 11047]]
National Wildlife Refuges. We furnish this notice in compliance with
our comprehensive conservation planning policy to advise other agencies
and the public of our intentions, and to obtain suggestions and
information on the scope of issues to be considered in the planning
process.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
by April 11, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information to Ms.
Susan Silander, Refuge Manager, Caribbean Islands National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, P.O. Box 510, Boquer[oacute]n, PR 00622; Telephone:
787/851-7258; or electronically to: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With this notice, we initiate the process
for developing a comprehensive conservation plan for Buck Island, Green
Cay, and Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuges with headquarters in
Boquer[oacute]n, Puerto Rico.
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
comprehensive conservation plan for each national wildlife 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.
We establish each unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System with
specific purposes. We use these purposes 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 efforts of these important wildlife habitats, while
providing for wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities that are
compatible with each refuge's 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 governments;
agencies; organizations; and the public to participate in issue scoping
and public comment. We request input for issues, concerns, ideas, and
suggestions for the management of the Buck Island, Green Cay, and Sandy
Point National Wildlife Refuges, with headquarters in Boquer[oacute]n,
Puerto Rico. We invite anyone interested to respond to the following
two questions:
1. What problems or issues do you want to see addressed in the
comprehensive conservation plan?
2. What improvements would you recommend for the Buck Island, Green
Cay, and Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuges?
We have provided the above questions for your optional use; you are
not required to provide information to us. Our Planning Team developed
these questions to gather information about individual issues and ideas
concerning these refuges. Our Planning Team will use comments it
receives as part of the planning process; however, we will not
reference individual comments in our reports or directly respond to
them.
We will also give the public an opportunity to provide input at an
open house and public scoping meetings during 2007, to identity issues
to be addressed in the plan. These events will be advertised through
local media outlets. You may also submit comments anytime during the
planning process by writing to the address in the ADDRESSES section.
All information provided voluntarily by mail, phone, or at public
meetings becomes part of our official record (i.e., names, addresses,
letters of comment, input recorded during meeting).
We will conduct the environmental review of this project in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); NEPA Regulations (40
CFR parts 1500-1508); other appropriate Federal laws and regulations;
and our policies and procedures for compliance with those regulations.
All comments we receive on our environmental assessment become part of
the official public record. We will handle requests for such comments
in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, NEPA [40 CFR
1506.6(f)], and other Departmental and Service policies and procedures.
When we receive a request, we generally will provide comment letters
with the names and addresses of the individuals who wrote the comments.
Buck Island Refuge was established in 1969, and consists of 45
acres. It is an unstaffed refuge administered as part of the Caribbean
Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The island was transferred to
the Fish and Wildlife Service due to its ``value for migratory birds.''
However, little nesting occurs due to the presence of introduced rates.
Visitors to the refuge may see red-billed tropic birds, frigate birds,
terns, laughing gulls, and other species in the vicinity of the island.
Green Cay Refuge was established in 1977, and consists of 14 acres.
It is an unstaffed refuge administered as part of the Caribbean Islands
National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The island provides critical habitat
for one of only two remaining natural populations of the endangered St.
Croix ground lizard. Its extirpation from the mainland of St. Croix is
generally attributed to the introduction of the small Indian mongoose.
Outcrops of lava, tuffs, and breccias are prominent geological
features. The island is closed to the public due to fragile habitat and
easily disturbed wildlife, such as the St. Croix ground lizard.
Sandy Point Refuge was established in 1984, and consists of 360
acres. It is a staffed refuge administered as part of the Caribbean
Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The island hosts the largest
nesting population of endangered leatherback sea turtles under United
States jurisdiction. Approximately 11,000 people visit the refuge
annually.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: February 8, 2007.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E7-4369 Filed 3-9-07; 8:45 am]
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