[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 94 (Wednesday, May 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27585-27586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9405]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in South Louisiana
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 Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife
Refuge. 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 June 15, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information to:
Charlotte Parker, Natural Resource Planner, Southeast Louisiana
National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 61389 Highway 434, Lacombe, Louisiana
70445; Telephone: 985/882-2000; or electronically to: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With this notice, we initiate the process
for developing a comprehensive conservation plan for Bayou Sauvage
National Wildlife Refuge in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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
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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 Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife
Refuge. 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 Bayou Sauvage National
Wildlife Refuge?
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 this refuge. 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 a
public scoping meeting to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the
development phase of the plan. This event 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 the public
meeting 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 Sec.
506.6(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.
Bayou Sauvage Refuge was established in 1990. Consisting of 22,770
acres and situated within the city limits of New Orleans, it is the
Nation's largest urban wildlife refuge. Objectives of the refuge are
to: enhance populations of migratory, shore, and wading birds;
encourage natural diversity of fish and wildlife species; protect
threatened and endangered plants and animals; protect archaeological
resources; provide for scientific research and environmental education
with emphasis on wetlands; and provide opportunities for fish and
wildlife-dependent recreation in an urban setting.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: March 7, 2007.
Jacquelyn B. Parrish,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E7-9405 Filed 5-15-07; 8:45 am]
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