[Federal Register: December 14, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 238)] [Notices] [Page 66148-66150] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14de09-80] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R2-R-2009-N210; 20131-1265-2CCP-S3] Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron and Willacy Counties, TX AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability: draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental assessment; request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and environmental assessment (EA) for the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge, NWR) for public review and comment. In these documents, we describe alternatives, including our preferred alternative, to manage this Refuge for the 15 years following approval of the final CCP. DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by February 12, 2010. We will announce upcoming public meetings in local news media. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or requests for copies or more information by any of the following methods. You may request hard copies or a CD-ROM of the documents. E-mail: mark_sprick@fws.gov. Include ``Laguna Atascosa Draft CCP and EA'' in the subject line of the e-mail. Fax: Attn: Mark Sprick, Natural Resource Planner, 505-248-6874. U.S. Mail: Mark Sprick, AICP, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Division of Planning, P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, NM 87103-1306. In-Person Drop-off: You may drop off comments during regular business hours (8:00 am to 4:30 pm) at 500 Gold Avenue, SW., 4th Floor, Room 4005, Albuquerque, NM 87102. Internet/Web site: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/Plan/ index.html. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sonny Perez, Wildlife Refuge Manager, Laguna Atascosa NWR, CCP-Project, 22817 Ocelot Road, Los Fresnos, TX 78566, or by phone at 956-748-3607, or [[Page 66149]] fax at 956-748-3609; or Mark Sprick, AICP, Natural Resource Planner, by phone at 505-248-7411. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Introduction With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Laguna Atascosa NWR. We started this process through a notice in the Federal Register July 19, 2004 (69 FR 43010). Laguna Atascosa NWR is located in Cameron and Willacy Counties, Texas, and encompasses 97,007 acres of brush lands, coastal prairies, freshwater and brackish pothole wetlands, estuarine wetlands, lomas (clay ridges), wind tidal flats, and barrier island beaches and dunes. Management efforts focus on protecting, enhancing, and restoring Refuge habitats and water management for the benefit of important fish and wildlife resources. The Refuge is a premiere birdwatching destination with 415 recorded bird species, more than any other national wildlife refuge. A total of nine federally listed endangered or threatened species occur within the Refuge, including four species of sea turtles. The largest United States population of endangered ocelot cats is located on the Refuge, making it the center for ocelot conservation and recovery. Laguna Atascosa NWR was formally established by the Migratory Bird Commission on October 31, 1945, and the first tract forming the Refuge was acquired on March 29, 1946. The purposes of the Refuge are: ``[F]or use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds'' (Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 (16 U.S.C. 715d), as amended); ``for wildlife conservation purposes if the real property has particular value in carrying out the national migratory bird management program'' (Transfer of Certain Real Property for Wildlife Conservation Purposes Act of 1948 (16 U.S.C. 667b-667d), Public Law 80-537, as amended); ``for the development, advancement, management, conservation and protection of fish and wildlife resources'' (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742(a)(4), as amended); and ``for the benefit of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in performing its activities and services. Such acceptance may be subject to the terms of any restrictive or affirmative covenant, or condition of servitude'' (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742(b)(1), as amended). Background The CCP Process The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Administration Act), as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, requires us to develop a CCP for each national wildlife refuge. The purpose for developing a CCP is to provide refuge managers with a 15-year plan 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 our policies. In addition to outlining broad management direction on conserving wildlife and their habitats, CCPs identify wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities available to the public, including opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation. We will review and update the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with the Administration Act. Public Outreach To begin the CCP process, we opened a 60-day comment period on July 19, 2004 (69 FR 43010). We made draft documents and other relevant information available for public review at the Refuge headquarters. In February and June 2004, we held internal preplanning meetings at the Refuge to discuss concerns, issues, and opportunities for the future of the Refuge. We held four ``open-house'' public scoping meetings between February 28 and March 8, 2005, at Raymondville, Brownsville, Harlingen, and South Padre Island to solicit initial public input and involvement during the early stages of CCP development. We also invited the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to participate as a partner in the planning process. We have considered and evaluated all of these comments received, and have incorporated many of them into the various alternatives we addressed in the draft CCP and the EA. CCP Alternatives We Are Considering During the public scoping process with which we started work on this draft CCP, we, other governmental partners, Tribes, and the public raised several issues. Our draft CCP addresses them. A full description of each alternative is in the EA. To address these issues, we developed and evaluated the following alternatives, summarized below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ B: Proposed C: Optimize A: No-action action public-use alternative alternative alternative ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Issue 1: Habitat Biological Integrated Same as No- Management program and biological and Action Activities. habitat habitat Alternative management would management (Alternative continue under efforts with A). existing plans; landscape level any expansions and ecosystem would occur level plans; opportunisticall emphasis on y. protection and monitoring of Federal trust species and priority species and their habitats. Issue 2: Limited to Improvement of Expand and Improvements to current public priority public emphasize all public use use under uses, priority public opportunities. existing plans; particularly uses, Any expansions hunting, particularly would occur fishing and hunting and opportunisticall wildlife fishing and y. observation, to access to all meet demand Refuge areas to when compatible the maximum with wildlife extent when needs and compatible, Refuge based on public purposes; comments. expansion of research efforts and dynamic partnerships. [[Page 66150]] Issue 3: Existing staffing Addition of 11 Base funding and Staffing, (17 permanent staff to staffing would Facilities, and positions) and existing base; increase by 4 Infrastructure. facilities; any addition of positions additional staff over 6 miles of (Outdoor and facility hike/bike Recreation expansions would trails; one Planner and 3 occur auto tour Park Rangers); opportunisticall route; 2 several y. separate additional parking areas; miles of auto new visitor tour routes, 7 center at hike/bike Laguna Atascosa trails and Unit. Visitor associated contact and parking areas; research visitor contact station at station; all Bahia Grande. primarily at Bahia Grande. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Public Availability of Documents In addition to any methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain documents at the following locations:At the Laguna Atascosa NWR Headquarters Office, 22817 Ocelot Road, Los Fresnos, TX 78566, 18 miles east of Rio Hondo, on Farm-to-Market Road 106, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. On our Web site: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/ Plan/index.html. At the following public libraries: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Library Address Phone number ------------------------------------------------------------------------ City of Brownsville Public 2600 Central Blvd., 956-548-1055 Library. Brownsville, TX 78520- 8824. Harlingen Public Library...... 410 '76 Drive, 956-427-8841 Harlingen, TX 78550. Laguna Vista Public Library... 1300 Palm Blvd., 956-943-7155 Laguna Vista, TX 78578. Los Fresnos Public Library.... 402 W. Ocean, Los 956-233-5330 Fresnos, TX 78566. Port Isabel Public Library.... 213 Yturria St., Port 956-943-2265 Isabel, TX 78578. Willacy County/Reber Memorial 190 N. 4th. St., 956-689-2930 Library. Raymondville, TX 78580. Rio Hondo Public Library...... 121 N. Arroyo Blvd., 956-748-3322 Rio Hondo, TX 78583. San Benito Public Library..... 101 W. Rose St., San 956-361-3860 Benito, TX 78586. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Submitting Comments/Issues for Comment We consider comments substantive if they: Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of the information in the document; Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of the EA; Present reasonable alternatives other than those presented in the EA; and/or Provide new or additional information relevant to the EA. Next Steps After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and address them in the form of a final CCP. Public Availability of Comments Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Dated: November 4, 2009. Brian A. Millsap, Acting Regional Director, Region 2. [FR Doc. E9-29637 Filed 12-11-09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P