[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 95 (Thursday, May 17, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27837-27838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9483]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge in Pope and Yell Counties, AR
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service.
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 Holla Bend 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 during the planning process.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
by June 18, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information to: Ben
Mense, Refuge Manager, Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, 10448 Holla
Bend Road, Dardanelle, AR 72834; Telephone: 479/229-4300; or
electronically to: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With this notice, we initiate the process
for developing a comprehensive conservation plan for Holla Bend
National Wildlife Refuge in Dardanelle, AR.
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. Sec. 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 to 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 the refuge's establishing purpose 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 management of the Holla Bend 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 the Holla Bend
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 conduct the environmental review of this project in
accordance
[[Page 27838]]
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.
Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1957, under
the Transfer of Real Property Act, as a result of a U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers navigation and flood control project. This 6,616-acre refuge
is six miles south of Dardanelle, Arkansas, just off of State Highway
155. The refuge lies along the Arkansas River and is bounded by an old
oxbow that was created when the Corps of Engineers cut a channel
through the bend in the river to promote navigation and flood control.
The primary objectives of the refuge are to: (1) Provide habitat for
migratory waterfowl; (2) provide habitat for endangered species; (3)
provide habitat for resident wildlife; and (4) provide interpretation
and recreation to the public.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: March 29, 2007.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E7-9483 Filed 5-16-07; 8:45 am]
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