[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 75 (Thursday, April 19, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19719-19721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7432]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Availability of the Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment for Catahoula National Wildlife
Refuge
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces that a Draft
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment (Draft
CCP/EA) for Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge is available for
distribution. The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of
1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act
of 1997, requires the Service to develop a comprehensive conservation
plan for each national wildlife refuge. This Draft CCP, when final,
will describe how the Service intends to manage Catahoula National
Wildlife Refuge over the next 15 years.
DATES: Written comments must be received at the postal address listed
below no later than May 21, 2007.
ADDRESSES: To provide written comments or to obtain a copy of the Draft
CCP/EA, please write to: Central Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge
Complex, 401 Island Road, Marksville, Louisiana 71351; or telephone:
318/253-4238. The Draft CCP/EA may also be accessed and downloaded from
the Service's Internet Site: http://southeast.fws.gov/planning/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: All comments received become part of the
official public record. Requests for such comments will be handled in
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act and other Service and
Departmental policies and procedures.
Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1958
primarily as a wintering area for migratory waterfowl. The refuge,
located in east-central LaSalle Parish, and west-central Catahoula
Parish, Louisiana, about 30 miles northeast of Alexandria, and 12 miles
east of Jena, now totals 25,242 acres. The 6,671-acre Headquarters Unit
borders nine miles of the northeast shore of Catahoula Lake, a 26,000-
acre natural wetland renowned for its large concentrations of migratory
waterfowl. The 18,571-acre Bushley Bayou Unit, located eight miles west
of Jonesville, was established in May 2001. The acquisition was made
possible through a partnership agreement between The
[[Page 19720]]
Conservation Fund, American Electric Power, and the Fish and Wildlife
Service.
Significant issues addressed in the Draft CCP/EA include: Waterfowl
management, bottomland hardwood reforestation and management, refuge
access, land acquisition, visitor services (i.e., hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and environmental education
and interpretation), cultural resources, and minor boundary expansion.
The Service developed three alternatives for management of the refuge
(alternatives A, B, and C), with Alternative B as the proposed
alternative.
Alternative A represents no change from current management of the
refuge. Under this alternative, existing refuge management practices
and uses would continue. All management actions would be directed
towards achieving the refuge's primary purposes, which include: (1) To
provide migrating and wintering habitat for migratory waterfowl
consistent with the overall objectives of the Mississippi Flyway; (2)
to provide nesting habitat for wood ducks; (3) to provide habitat and
protection for threatened and endangered species; and (4) to manage
bottomland hardwoods and provide habitat for a natural wildlife
diversity. Management programs would continue to be developed and
implemented with limited baseline biological information. Active
wetland management would be implemented by continuing water level
manipulations for moist soil. Grassland and forest management actions
are designed to provide diversified foraging, resting, and breeding
habitat for a variety of species and would be implemented only when
resources are available. Land would be acquired from willing sellers
within the current 28,254-acre acquisition boundary. Oil and gas
operations would continue under current special use permits, with
little opportunity to prevent potential risks of spills. There would be
no water quality surveys or pollution prevention measures for improving
or providing increased protection of refuge lands and water. Hunting
and fishing would continue to be the major focus of the public use
program, with no expansion of current opportunities.
Alternative B, the proposed alternative, is considered to be the
most effective management action for meeting the purposes of the refuge
by adding more staff, equipment, and facilities in order to provide
greater enhancement and management of habitats and associated plant
communities for the greater benefit of wildlife. Extensive wildlife and
plant census and inventory activities would be initiated to obtain the
biological information needed to implement management programs on the
refuge. The refuge would improve migratory waterfowl habitat, the wood
duck nest box program, habitat to support breeding pairs of wading
birds, and migration habitat for southbound and northbound shorebirds.
Habitat management activities would focus on providing healthy
bottomland hardwood forests, moist-soil units, and grasslands needed to
achieve wildlife population objectives. Forested habitat would be
managed to establish a multi-layered canopy that promotes and maintains
structural and plant species diversity and ultimately supports key
species of migratory and resident species. To improve habitat for
grassland birds, the refuge would work with the Natural Resources
Conservation Service to replant the 95-acre Willow Lake area with
native warm-season grasses. The refuge would inventory and more
aggressively monitor, control, and, where possible, eliminate invasive
plants. An archaeological survey to identify potential cultural
resources would help in planning for land protection.
The refuge would work closely with partners to acquire or exchange
lands with willing in-holding landowners and to expand the current
acquisition boundary by 2,824 acres in order to improve access for
refuge staff and the public. The refuge would continue to identify and
eliminate potential spill risks from oil and gas activities, to
continue the refuge special use permit system, and to provide
monitoring for first alert in spill events.
Hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and
environmental education and interpretation opportunities would be
improved. Youth hunts, handicap-accessible blinds, improved access for
bank fishing, replacement of the observation tower and an additional
tower, and supporting environmental-based curricula in the local
schools are some of the improvements planned under Alternative B. In
addition, the current office facility would be expanded to accommodate
an environmental education display and an interpretive display.
Additional staff would include a biologist, forester, park ranger (law
enforcement), engineering equipment operator, maintenance worker,
assistant refuge manager, and park ranger (interpretive) to accomplish
objectives for establishing baseline data on refuge resources, for
managing habitats, and for adequate protection of wildlife and
visitors.
Alternative C would maximize endemic bottomland hardwood forest
with minimal management. Under this alternative, there would be no
active management of refuge resources. Grasslands would be left fallow
and moist-soil units would not be actively managed. Bottomland hardwood
forests would be left to mature with no active management. Wood duck
nest boxes would be left in place and banding quotas would not
typically be met. There would be no active management of marshbird,
long-legged wader, shorebird, or forest breeding bird habitat. The
refuge would continue to support bald eagle management guidelines when
nests are encountered. The refuge would continue to attempt to acquire
land from willing sellers within the current 28,254-acre acquisition
boundary, but would plan no additional active management for these
lands. Oil and gas operations would continue under current special use
permits, with little opportunity to prevent potential risks of spills.
There would be no water quality surveys or pollution prevention
measures for improving or providing increased protection of refuge
lands and water. An archaeological survey to determine if there are any
cultural resources present would be used in planning for land
protection.
A limited amount of deer, duck, and small game hunting would
continue and the refuge would maintain current recreational fishing.
The current facilities for wildlife observation and photography, such
as the observation tower, nature trails, and wildlife drive pull-offs,
would be maintained and enhanced. Environmental education and
interpretation requests would be increased and would be accommodated
with the addition of a park ranger (interpretive). Enforcement of
refuge regulations and protection of wildlife and visitors would
continue at current levels.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tina Chouinard, Planning Team Leader,
Central Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Telephone: 318/253-
4238; Fax: 318/253-7139; e-mail: [email protected]; or by writing
to the address in the ADDRESSES section.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Pub. L.
105-57.
[[Page 19721]]
Dated: December 19, 2006.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the
Federal Register on April 16, 2007.
[FR Doc. E7-7432 Filed 4-18-07; 8:45 am]
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