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Notice of Intent to Prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Associated Environmental Impact Statement for the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: August 21, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 162)]
[Notices]
[Page 54229-54230]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21au02-105]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Intent to Prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan and
Associated Environmental Impact Statement for the Desert National
Wildlife Refuge Complex
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan
and Associated Environmental Impact Statement for the Desert National
Wildlife Refuge Complex.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) intends to gather information necessary to prepare a
Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and an associated Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
The Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex is composed of Ash Meadows
National Wildlife Refuge, Desert National Wildlife Range, Moapa Valley
National Wildlife Refuge and Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge
located in Clark, Lincoln and Nye Counties, Nevada. A Wilderness Review
of Desert National Wildlife Range will also be completed concurrently
in accordance with the Wilderness Act of 1964, as amended, and Refuge
Planning Policy 602 FW Chapters 1, 2, and 3. The Service is furnishing
this notice in compliance with our National Wildlife Refuge Planning
Policy and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended
(NEPA), and implementing regulations, to advise other agencies, Tribal
Governments, and the public of our intentions, and to obtain
suggestions and information on the scope of issues and alternatives to
include in the CCP and the environmental document.
DATES: A series of public scoping meetings will be held on September 16
through September 19 at the following locations:
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Date Time Location
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Sept. 16, 2002................. 7-9 pm Moapa Community
Center, Moapa Valley,
NV.
Sept. 17, 2002................. 7-9 pm Fish and Wildlife
Service Office, Las
Vegas, NV.
Sept. 18, 2002................. 4-6 pm Amargosa Valley Multi-
purpose Building,
Amargosa Valley, NV.
Sept. 18, 2002................. 7-9 pm Bob Ruud Community
Center, Pahrump, NV.
Sept. 19, 2002................. 7-9 pm Alamo Annex Building,
Alamo, NV.
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Interested persons are encouraged to attend these meetings to
identify issues, concerns, and opportunities to be addressed in the
CCP. For directions to the meetings, please contact us at the phone
number listed below. To ensure that the Service has adequate time to
evaluate and incorporate suggestions and other input into the planning
process, comments should be received within 60 days from the date of
this notice.
ADDRESSES: Address comments and requests to be put on the mailing list,
receive more information, or receive a copy of the most recent planning
update to: Project Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4701 North
Torrey Pines, Las Vegas, NV 89130 or call the Complex at (702) 515-
5450. Submit faxes to (702) 515-5460. If you choose to submit comments
via electronic mail, visit http://desertcomplex.fws.gov 
and use the ``Guest Mailbox'' provided at that site. More information
on the CCP process is also available at the above internet site by
selecting the ``CCP Planning Update'' link.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Birger, Project Leader, at the
address and phone number above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Established in 1984 under the authority of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended, the Refuge comprises 23,000 acres of spring
fed wetlands, mesquite bosques, and desert uplands that provide habitat
for at least 24 plants and animal species found nowhere else in the
world. The primary purpose of the Refuge is to provide for the
protection and recovery of endangered fish and plants, such as Devil's
Hole, Ash Meadows Amargosa, and Warm Springs pupfish, Ash Meadows
speckled dace, Ash Meadows milk-vetch, spring-loving centaury plant,
Ash Meadows sunray, Ash Meadows ivesia, Ash Meadows gumplant, and Ash
Meadows blazing star. The Amargosa Pupfish Station, located within the
Refuge, is home to a vertebrate species that may have one of the most
restricted habitats on the planet. The most striking feature of the
[[Page 54230]]
Refuge is the more than 30 spring-fed pools and streams that contrast
sharply with the arid desert that surround them.
Desert National Wildlife Range
The Refuge, established in 1936 by Executive Order No. 7373 for the
protection, preservation and management of desert bighorn sheep, as
well as other forms of native flora and fauna occurring on the Refuge,
encompasses 1.5 million acres of the diverse Mojave Desert in southern
Nevada. It is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the lower 48
states.
The Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999, Pub. L. No. 106-65,
authorized the withdrawal of 2,919,890 acres of public lands in Clark,
Nye, and Lincoln Counties, Nevada from all forms of appropriation under
the public lands laws (including the mining laws and the mineral
leasing and the geothermal leasing laws). These withdrawn lands were
reserved for use by the Secretary of the Air Force for military
testing, training and other defense-related purposes. During the period
of withdrawal, the Act provides that the lands within the Desert
National Wildlife Range will be managed by the Secretary of the
Interior pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration
Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd, et seq.) and other laws applicable to the
National Wildlife Refuge System. Pursuant to a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Secretary of the Air Force, The Secretary of the
Interior is to manage withdrawn lands for the purposes for which the
Refuge was established and to support current and future military
aviation training.
Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge
The Refuge was established September 10, 1979, under the authority
of the Endangered Species Act of 1969, as amended, to secure habitat
for the endangered Moapa dace. The Refuge is located on 106 acres in
northeastern Clark County. Due to its small size, fragile habitats, on-
going habitat restoration work, and unsafe structures, the Refuge is
currently closed to the general public.
Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge
The Refuge was established in 1963, under the authority of the
Migratory Bird Conservation Act, as amended, to provide protection and
habitat for migrating birds in the Pahranagat Valley. The 5,382 acre
refuge consists of marshes, meadows, lakes, and upland desert habitat.
It provides nesting, resting, and feeding areas for ducks, geese,
swans, and other birds.
Background and Planning Process
The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as
amended, requires the Service to manage all lands within the National
Wildlife Refuge System in accordance with an approved CCP (16 U.S.C.
668dd(e)). The CCP will guide wildlife, habitat, and public use
management decisions and identify refuge goals, long-range objectives,
and strategies for achieving Refuge purposes. Public input into this
planning process is encouraged. The CCP will provide other agencies and
the public with a clear understanding of the desired conditions for the
Refuges and how the Service will implement management strategies over
the next 15 years. Until the CCP is completed, Refuge management will
continue to be guided by refuge purposes, federal legislation regarding
management of national wildlife refuges, and other legal, regulatory
and policy guidance.
Comments and concerns received will be used to develop goals, key
issues and management strategies, and draft alternatives. Additional
opportunities for public participation will occur throughout the CCP
process, which is expected to be completed by 2005. Input from
interested federal, state, and local agencies, Native American tribes,
organizations and individuals is encouraged.
During development of the CCP, we will comply with the provisions
of NEPA through concurrent preparation of an EIS that will accompany
the CCP. The draft EIS will contain a No Action Alternative, a proposed
action alternative, and potentially other alternatives. The
alternatives will be used to define management options and compare
their effects. The potential environmental impacts of each alternative
will be analyzed in the draft EIS. A range of alternatives (and their
effects on the biological resources and on the local communities) that
address the issues and the management strategies associated with the
issues will be evaluated in the EIS.
We are required by Service policy to complete a wilderness review
of Service managed lands to determine if any lands are suitable for
inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The
wilderness review will be integrated into the CCP/EIS process including
identification of areas that meet the minimum wilderness criteria;
evaluation of the wilderness suitability of alternatives; and
documentation of recommendations. Wilderness designation requires
Congressional legislation. The last step, if appropriate, would consist
of forwarding any suitable recommendations from the Director of the
Service, through the Secretary of the Interior and the President, to
Congress in a Wilderness Study Report.
Conclusion
With the publication of this notice, the public is encouraged to
help identify potential issues, management actions and concerns;
significant problems or impacts; and opportunities to resolve them. The
public scoping period will continue for 60 days from the date of this
notice. However, the Service will accept comments throughout the
planning process.
All comments received from individuals on environmental impact
statements become part of the official public record. Requests for such
comments will be handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information
Act, the Council on Environmental Quality's NEPA regulations
[40CFR1506.6(f)]
and other Service and Departmental policy and
procedures.
The environmental review of this project will be conducted in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), NEPA
Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508), other appropriate Federal laws and
regulations, Executive Order 12996, and Service policies and procedures
for compliance with those regulations.
Dated: August 7, 2002.
Ken McDermond,
Acting Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office, Sacramento,
California.
[FR Doc. 02-20699 Filed 8-20-02; 8:45 am]
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