Jump to main content.

Notice of Availability of the Draft Interim Visitor Services Plan for the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge/Battle of Midway National Memorial/Midway Atoll Special Management Area

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: December 26, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 247)]
[Notices]
[Page 77406-77407]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26de06-61]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of the Draft Interim Visitor Services Plan
for the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge/Battle of Midway National
Memorial/Midway Atoll Special Management Area

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has completed a Draft
Interim Visitor Services Plan (VSP) and associated Environmental
Assessment (EA) for the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge/Battle of
Midway National Memorial/Midway Atoll Special Management Area (Refuge).
The Draft VSP/EA is available for public review and comments. This
remote Pacific island Refuge is a U.S. territory located in the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and part of the newly established
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument (Monument). The
VSP is intended to guide visitor activities on the Refuge for an
interim period of time until a broader Monument management plan is
completed that meets the applicable requirements of a refuge
comprehensive conservation plan.

DATES: Written comments must be received (see ADDRESSES) by midnight on
February 6, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft VSP/EA should be submitted via
electronic mail to midway@fws.gov. Please use ``VSP'' in the subject
line. Alternatively, comments may be addressed to: Barbara Maxfield,
Chief, Pacific Islands Division of External Affairs and Visitor
Services, 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 5-231, Honolulu, HI 96850. You may
view or obtain copies of the Draft VSP/EA as indicated under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Maxfield, Chief, Pacific Islands
Division of External Affairs and Visitor Services, phone number (808)
792-9531.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft VSP and EA were prepared pursuant
to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as
amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997,
and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, in consultation with
the Secretary of Commerce through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), and the State of Hawaii.
    Important elements of the Draft VSP/EA include: Allowing visitation
only in limited numbers, and only from November through July, to ensure
no adverse impacts to wildlife or their habitats occurs and to maintain
a high quality visitor experience; and developing and maintaining a
financially self-sustaining program and an associated table of proposed
fees.
    The Draft VSP/EA will be available for viewing and downloading
online at http://www.fws.gov/midway. Limited copies of the Draft VSP/EA
may be obtained by writing to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Attn:
Barbara Maxfield, Chief, Pacific Islands Division of External Affairs
and Visitor Services, 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 5-231, Honolulu, HI,
96850. Copies of the Draft VSP/EA may be viewed at the Hawaiian and
Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex Office, Monday through
Friday, during regular business hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office
is located in the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building at
300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 5-231, Honolulu, HI.

Background

    In 1996, the Service prepared a public use plan to guide visitor
services on the Refuge. Since then, new laws and policy regarding
wildlife-dependent recreation in the National Wildlife Refuge System
have been promulgated, and a new visitor services plan is required to
ensure recreational uses at the Refuge are compatible with the National
Wildlife Refuge System mission and the purposes of the Refuge and the
Battle of Midway National Memorial. In addition, all recreational
activities must be compliant with the requirements of the newly designated 
Monument, which refers to the Refuge as a Special Management Area.
    The Draft VSP/EA is an interim plan to guide visitor activities on
the Refuge until such time as the broader management plan is completed
for the Monument that meets the applicable requirements of a refuge
comprehensive conservation plan. The Monument's management plan will
incorporate opportunities to participate in broader management and
conservation activities, within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and
throughout the main Hawaiian Islands, benefiting the Monument.
    The development of this Draft VSP/EA began prior to the
establishment of the Monument to fulfill Service requirements necessary
to allow a regularly scheduled visitor services program to resume at
the Refuge. As such, the focus of activities under the Draft VSP/EA is
limited to initial visitor services within the Midway Atoll Special
Management Area only. Future planning for a Monument-wide visitor
services program will be further developed to more fully realize the
President's vision to create a visitor window to the Monument at the
Refuge. In addition, future planning will explore opportunities for
visitor use at Kure Atoll (under the jurisdiction of the State of
Hawaii) and in the main Hawaiian Islands, using distance learning and
remote educational opportunities. The Service will continue to work
closely with its co-trustees of the Monument, NOAA and the State of
Hawaii, when the final VSP is implemented, and in the development of
the Monument's management plan. Longer-term strategies are included in
this Draft VSP/EA, so the interested public may gain a vision of what
the co-trustees envision at the Refuge.
    This Draft VSP/EA evaluates recreational activities at the Refuge,
and describes the structure of the proposed visitor services program.
It also outlines activities that honor and interpret the World War II
history at Midway Atoll, in recognition of its status as the Battle of
Midway National Memorial. It discusses operational limitations,
biological constraints, and partnership opportunities beyond Midway Atoll.
    Since 1995, the Service has been strongly committed to welcoming
visitors to the Refuge. This is the first and only remote island
national wildlife refuge in the Pacific Ocean to provide the general
public with an opportunity to learn about and experience these unique
ecosystems. A regularly scheduled visitor program operated on the
Refuge until early in 2002, when it ended after our cooperator left the
atoll. Since then, visitors have arrived almost exclusively by the
occasional cruise ship or sailboat, or for a Battle of Midway
commemorative event. In the Draft VSP/EA, opportunities to expand the
visitor program and allow more people to experience Midway's wildlife
and historic treasury are proposed.
    Preliminary compatibility determinations are provided in the Draft
VSP/EA that would allow the following wildlife-dependent recreational
uses: Wildlife observation and photography, environmental education and

[[Page 77407]]

interpretation, and participatory research. Hunting and fishing, two
uses normally given priority on national wildlife refuges, will not
take place on the Refuge. All animal species occurring on the Refuge
are protected by law, or occur in numbers too low to provide hunting
opportunities. Recreational fishing is precluded under the Presidential
proclamation (Proclamation 8031) designating the Monument.
    Additional preliminary compatibility determinations allow for beach
use activities such as swimming and volleyball, non-administrative
airport operations, limited outdoor sports such as bicycling and
jogging, and amateur radio use. Each preliminary compatibility
determination includes stipulations necessary to ensure protection of
the Refuge's natural and historic resources. Any additional activities
that may be proposed within the Refuge would need to be evaluated
through the compatibility determination process with formal public
review. Activities that are determined to be compatible are authorized
through the issuance of Monument permits, which fall within six permit
types: Conservation and management, research, education, Native
Hawaiian uses, special ocean uses, and recreation.
    Goals, objectives, and strategies for the visitor program are
discussed in Chapter 4 of the Draft VSP/EA. The Service will encourage
individual visitors as well as organized groups to visit the Refuge.
Opportunities for teacher workshops in environmental education, college
courses, and distance learning will be explored. Improvements to trails
and installation of blinds will benefit wildlife observation and
photography opportunities, as will snorkeling and guided kayaking
tours. Onsite and offsite interpretation of Midway Atoll's historic and
wildlife resources will be enhanced.
    In order to ensure a quality visitor experience using the limited
infrastructure currently available, limiting the total number of
overnight visitors that would be allowed on Midway Atoll at any one
time to 30 people in 2007, and 50 people in 2008 and beyond, as long as
the VSP is effective, is proposed. The number of visitors may exceed
these limits for short periods of time (less than a day) for
prearranged visits by ocean vessels or aircraft. In these cases,
visitor activities are closely supervised and primarily consist of
guided tours or participation in commemorative events. Annual goals for
the number of overnight visitors are 100 people in 2007 and 500 people
in 2008 and beyond.
    For the next 5 years (2007-2011), visitor programs would operate
from November through July, which coincides with the albatross season
on the Refuge. The months of August through October would be reserved
primarily for planned construction and major maintenance activities.
    With no additional Service funding available to support a visitor
program, visitation at the Refuge must be financially self-sustaining.
Fees reflecting actual costs for transportation, lodging, food
services, and visitor services staffing are included in this Draft VSP/
EA. Additional permitting requirements also are discussed.
    For this interim period, the Service intends to operate the visitor
program primarily with its own staffing and with help from Monument co-
trustees and volunteers. Outside entities may be needed to provide
assistance with marketing the program, and to establish a dive program
at the Refuge. These options will be evaluated over the coming year.

Public Comments

    Public comments are requested, considered, and incorporated
throughout the planning process. After the review and comment period
ends for the Draft VSP/EA, comments will be analyzed by the Service and
addressed in revised planning documents. All comments received from
individuals, including names and addresses, become part of the official
public record and may be released. Requests for such comments will be
handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, the Council
on Environmental Quality's NEPA regulations [40 CFR 1506.6(f)], and
Service and Department of the Interior policies and procedures.

    Dated: December 6, 2006.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. E6-22112 Filed 12-22-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

 
 

Local Navigation

Jump to main content.