[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 15 (Monday, January 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4060-4061]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01414]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-R-2015-N236]; [FXRS12610400000S3-167-FF04R02000]
Theodore Roosevelt and Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuges,
Mississippi Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No
Significant Impact for the Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of the final Comprehensive Conservation plan (CCP) and
finding of no significant impact for the environmental assessment for
Theodore Roosevelt and Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs),
Washington and Sharkey Counties, Mississippi. In the final CCP, we
describe how we will manage the two refuges for the next 15 years.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the CCP by downloading the document
from our Internet Site at http://southeast.fws.gov/planning under
``Final Documents.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Rich, Project Leader, at (662)
836-3004 (phone) or [email protected] (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we complete the CCP process for Theodore
Roosevelt and Holt Collier NWRs. We started the process through a
notice in the Federal Register (78 FR 45953) on July 30, 2013. For more
about the process, see that notice.
The Theodore Roosevelt NWR Complex (Complex) is comprised of seven
refuges: Hillside (est. 1975), Holt Collier (est. 2004), Mathews Brake
(est. 1980), Morgan Brake (est. 1977), Panther Swamp (est. 1978),
Theodore Roosevelt (est. 2004), and Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge
(est. 1936).
The Complex was originally known as the Yazoo National Wildlife
Refuge Complex and then briefly named the Central Mississippi National
Wildlife Refuge Complex. On January 23, 2004, section 145 of Public Law
108-199, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004, was signed into
law by then President George W. Bush. The Act renamed the Complex as
the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It designated
the geographically separate Bogue Phalia Unit of Yazoo NWR as Holt
Collier NWR. The refuge consists of 2,233 acres with an approved
acquisition boundary of 18,000 acres. The Service lists its purpose as
being designated under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16
U.S.C. 664): It ``shall be administered . . . for the conservation,
maintenance, and management of wildlife, resources thereof, and its
habitat thereon.''
The Act also directed the Secretary of the Interior to establish
the 6,600-acre Theodore Roosevelt NWR. No additional land was purchased
for the two new refuges, but rather they were assembled from disjunct
Farm Service Agency (FSA, formerly known as Farmers Home
Administration) lands already in Service possession. To date 1,674
acres have been acquired in the Theodore Roosevelt NWR. The Service
lists both new refuges as being established ``for conservation
purposes.''
The habitat consists mainly of converted agricultural lands now
reforested to trees more indicative of the native bottomland hardwood
forest. Farmlands and open water also occur. The refuge is not open to
the public. There are no public facilities located on either refuge.
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System Improvement Act of 1997
(Improvement Act) requires us to develop a CCP for each national
wildlife refuge. CCPs are developed to provide refuge managers with a
15-year plan for achieving refuges' purposes and contributing toward
the mission of the NWR System, consistent with sound principles of fish
and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and our
policies. CCPs describe a broad management direction for conserving
wildlife and their habitats. They propose wildlife-dependent
recreational opportunities to be made available to the public. These
include opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation,
wildlife photography, and environmental education and interpretation.
We will review the CCP annually and revise it as needed in accordance
with the Improvement Act.
Comments
We made the Draft CCP and Environmental Assessment available online
for a 30-day public review and comment period via a Federal Register
notice (80 FR 13420) on March 13, 2015. A total of seven comments were
[[Page 4061]]
received by mail, email or verbally at the April 2, 2015, public
meeting in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Comments supporting the plan and
preferred alternative were received from the Mississippi Department of
Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Safari Club International, and
Mississippi Wildlife.
CCP Alternatives, Including Our Preferred Alternative
We developed three alternatives for managing the refuge
(Alternatives A, B, and C), with Alternative B, Minimally Developed
Refuges, selected for implementation. As these are newer refuges
authorized by Congress in 2004, the focus of this plan is to develop
them. Therefore, our efforts over the next 15 years will be focused on
land acquisition to build-out the refuges to their approved acquisition
boundaries. Passive habitat protection and the addition of new resource
lands beneficial to wildlife will help preserve habitat in perpetuity
and to lessen fragmentation. This plan has the objective of providing
sanctuary to migratory species as a group, not just priority waterfowl
species. White-tailed deer management would continue through the Holt
Collier NWR hunt program and eventually at Theodore Roosevelt NWR.
Integrated damage control of invasive and nuisance species would lessen
the negative effects on the refuges' habitats.
Another primary focus of the plan is to create a visitor services
program to enhance environmental education and outreach efforts
substantially and to reach larger numbers of residents, students,
educators, and visitors. It places priority on wildlife-dependent uses,
such as hunting, fishing and wildlife observation. Priority public
uses, such as hunting, are allowed at Holt Collier NWR. At a time when
sufficient land is amassed and resources are available to allow for
ample public use opportunities, Theodore Roosevelt NWR would be opened
to hunting. Public use would be phased into both refuges. Compatibility
determinations are updated for the priority public uses and for
research and monitoring. For both refuges, some commercial uses would
be allowed under a Commercial Special Use Permit, including commercial
photography, firewood gathering, timber harvest for forest management,
and trapping.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004 authorized construction
of a Visitor Center to provide visitor services and to promote the
Delta area's natural resources and cultural heritage. Funding was
appropriated in 2009, in the amount of $2.6 million for the building of
the Theodore Roosevelt NWR Visitor Center. On February 11, 2015, a
total of 6.58 acres (originally proposed as approximately 5 acres)
located off of Highway 61 in Sharkey County, Mississippi) was donated
to the Service to construct a Visitor Center. A major focus of this
plan and Service efforts will be to build and staff the Visitor Center.
Since the location is secured for the Visitor Center, regular Service
procedures will be followed for building design and construction.
Staffing is proposed to run the Visitor Center, to provide
environmental and interpretive programs, and to coordinate volunteers.
Positions include a Park Ranger, Wildlife Refuge Manager and a
Maintenance Worker.
This CCP assumes a modest growth of refuge resources over its 15-
year implementation period, with three new positions as new funding is
available. Current partnerships would be maintained and new ones would
be sought. Daily operation of the refuges will be guided by this CCP
and through the implementation of nine projects and six step-down
management plans as detailed in the CCP.
Authority
This notice is published under the authority of the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et
seq.).
Dated: November 10, 2015.
Brett E. Hunter,
Deputy Chief, National Wildlife Refuge System, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2016-01414 Filed 1-22-16; 8:45 am]
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