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Intent To Prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for Little Sandy National Wildlife Refuge, Located in Wood County, TX

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



[Federal Register: August 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 158)]
[Notices]
[Page 46095-46097]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16au07-110]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Intent To Prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and
Environmental Assessment (EA) for Little Sandy National Wildlife
Refuge, Located in Wood County, TX

AGENCY: Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Fish and Wildlife
Service, Southwest Region, intends to gather information necessary to
prepare a CCP and EA for Little Sandy National Wildlife Refuge,
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and its implementing
regulations. The Service is furnishing this notice in compliance with
the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, to
achieve the following:
    (1) Advise other agencies and the public of our intentions,
    (2) Obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to
include in the environmental document.

DATES: Special mailings, newspaper articles, postings, and media
announcements will inform people of

[[Page 46096]]

opportunities for written input throughout the CCP planning process.
Refuge fact sheets will be made available at local libraries in the
surrounding communities. This notice of intent/public scoping process
will continue until January 1, 2007. Written comments submitted by mail
or e-mail should be postmarked by that date to ensure consideration.
Comments mailed after that date will be considered to the extent
practical. Inquire at the following address for future dates of
planning activities and due dates for comments.

ADDRESSES: Address comments and requests for more information to: Mark
Williams, Refuge Manager, Little Sandy National Wildlife Refuge, P.O.
Box 230, Karnack, Texas 75661; phone: 903-679-9144, fax: 903-679-9148.
Information concerning this Refuge may also be found at the following
Web site: http://southwest.fws.gov. Comments submitted via e-mail should be 
addressed to Tom Baca at Tom--Baca@fws.gov. or Mark Williams
at Mark_Williams@fws.gov. Our practice is to make comments, including
names and addresses of respondents, available for public review during
regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that we
withhold their home address from the rulemaking record, which we will
honor to the extent allowable by law.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Baca, Chief, Division of Planning,
P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103-1306; phone: 505-248-6631;
fax: 505-248-6874; e-mail Tom_Baca@fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997 requires that all lands within the National
Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) are to be managed in accordance with an
approved CCP. The CCP guides management decisions and identifies refuge
goals, long-range objectives, and strategies for achieving refuge
purposes. Each refuge in the NWRS has specific purposes for which it
was established. Those purposes are used to develop and prioritize
management goals and objectives within the NWRS mission and to guide
which public uses will occur on a given refuge.
    The planning process will consider many elements including wildlife
and habitat management, habitat protection and acquisition, wilderness
preservation, public recreational activities, and cultural resource
protection. Public input into the planning process is essential. The
planning process is a way for the Service and the public to evaluate
refuge management goals and objectives for the best possible
conservation efforts of this important wildlife habitat. Concurrently,
this process is also providing for wildlife-dependent recreation
opportunities that are compatible with each refuge's establishing
purposes and the mission of the NWRS.
    The Little Sandy National Wildlife Refuge is a 3,802 acre,
permanent, ``non development'' easement located along the Sabine River
in East Texas. The special interest in land was received by the United
States for management as a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System
in December 1986. The interest in land was donated by the Little Sandy
Hunting and Fishing Club in Wood County, Texas. An Environmental
Assessment was completed in December 1986 describing the affected
environment and the purposes of establishment of the Little Sandy
National Wildlife Refuge. By acceptance of the easement donation on
behalf of the United States, the Service was acting under the authority
of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 to protect and preserve
habitat for waterfowl giving the Refuge its primary purposes. No
funding for acquisition was required. The site would not be actively
managed by the Service, and the use of the site as a hunting club by
the Little Sandy Hunting and Fishing Club would be maintained into
perpetuity. However, the ``non development'' easement prohibits the
conversion of these lands to other land practices, such as timber
harvest or alteration of wetlands notwithstanding specific
authorization by Congress. Although active habitat manipulation (i.e.,
restoration, maintenance, or enhancement of habitat) is limited, the
Service is interested in engaging with the Little Sandy Hunt Club and
other conservation partners in the formation of goals, objectives, and
strategies leading to a better understanding of the full range of
habitat and wildlife resources present on the Refuge. The Service is
cognizant of its responsibility to request authorization from the
Little Sandy Hunt Club prior to any engagement of on site activities.
    The Refuge contains old growth bottomland hardwood habitat and
associated wetlands that support wintering mallards (Anas
platyrhynchos) and wintering and breeding wood ducks (Aix sponsa). The
area also supports a large number of other wildlife and plant species,
including the threatened American alligator (Alligator
mississippiensis) and the once endangered bald eagle (Haliaeetus
leucocephalus).
    The CCP will provide other agencies and the public with a clear
understanding of the desired conditions for the Refuge and how the
Service will implement management strategies for the conservation and
development of these natural resources.
    The Service, through this notice of intent, formally begins the
comprehensive conservation planning process for Little Sandy National
Wildlife Refuge. The Service requests input on any and all issues
concerning the Service's responsibilities to monitor and understand the
full spectrum of habitat and wildlife resources present on the Refuge.
Because the Refuge is an easement overlay upon private hunt club lands,
the comprehensive plan to be developed will likely carry only a minimum
of objectives and strategies pertaining to resource educational and
interpretive opportunities that could be considered in partnership with
the Little Sandy Hunt Club and/or other interested partners. The CCP is
also likely to outline any issues regarding the protection of
threatened and/or endangered species, migratory birds, native species,
and their habitats.
    Comments received will be used as part of the planning process.
Individual comments will not be referenced in our reports or directly
responded to. The Service will continue to solicit information from the
public and other agencies via open houses, meetings, and written
comments. Special mailings, newspaper releases, and announcements will
continue to inform people of the time and place of opportunities for
further input to the CCP.
    Review of this project will be conducted in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1968, as amended (42 U.S.C 4321 et
seq.), NEPA Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) found at 
http://www.thecre.com/fedlaw/default.htm Exit Disclaimer
, other appropriate Federal laws, and
Service policies and procedures for compliance with those regulations.
    The Service will prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) in
accordance with procedures for implementing NEPA found in the
Department of the Interior Manual (DM Part 516, Chap. 6). The decision
to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement instead of an EA would be
contingent upon the complexity of issues following the scoping phase of
the CCP process.
    We estimate that the draft environmental documents will be
available in fall 2007 for public review and comment.

[[Page 46097]]

    Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.

    Dated: November 7, 2006.
Christopher T. Jones,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque,
New Mexico.

    Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the
Federal Register on August 13, 2007.
[FR Doc. E7-16128 Filed 8-15-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

 
 

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