Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 38 / Friday, February 25, 2011 / Notices 10621 

Pt. Arena Water Sys Annex 

Mendocino CA 95468 

Landholding Agency: Air Force 

Property Number: 18200820032 

Status: Excess 

Reasons: Secured Area 

Florida 

Defense Fuel Supply Point 

Lynn Haven FL 32444 

Landholding Agency: Air Force 

Property Number: 18200740009 

Status: Excess 

Reasons: Floodway 

Illinois 

Annex 

Scolt Radio Relay 

Belleville IL 62221 

Landholding Agency: Air Force 

Property Number: 18201020011 

Status: Unutilized 

Reasons: Secured Area 

Indiana 

1.059 acres 

Grissom AFB 

Peru IN 46970 

Landholding Agency: Air Force 

Property Number: 18200940012 

Status: Excess 

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or 

explosive material 

North Dakota 

JFSE 

4128 27th Ave. 

Grand Forks ND 58203 

Landholding Agency: Air Force 

Property Number: 18201040011 

Status: Unutilized 

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or 

explosive material 

Texas 

Rattlesnake ESS 

FNWZ, Dyess AFB 

Pecos TX 79772 

Landholding Agency: Air Force 

Property Number: 18200920011 

Status: Unutilized 

Reasons: Secured Area 

24 acres 

Tethered Aerostate Radar Site 

Matagorda TX 77457 

Landholding Agency: Air Force 

Property Number: 18200920022 

Status: Excess 

Reasons: Secured Area 

FNXH 99100 

Dyess AFB 

Dyess AFB TX 79607 

Landholding Agency: Air Force 

Property Number: 18200930012 

Status: Unutilized 

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or 

explosive material 

2.43 acre/0.36 acre 

Dyess AFB 

Dyess AFB TX 79563 

Landholding Agency: Air Force 

Property Number: 18200930014 

Status: Unutilized 

Directions: FNXL 99104, 99108, 99110, 

99112, FNXM 99102, 99103, 99108 

Reasons: Within airport runway clear zone 

Virginia 

Site 3—Cheatham 

P.O. Drawer 200 

Yorktown VA 23691–0160 

Landholding Agency: Navy 

Property Number: 77201110004 

Status: Unutilized 

Directions: on Water Tank near bldg. 101 & 

T1072, Naval Weapon Station Yorktown 

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or 

explosive material, Secured Area 

[FR Doc. 2011–4034 Filed 2–24–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R1–R–2011–N011; 1265–0000–10137– 

S3] 

Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, 

U.S. Pacific Island Territory; Nonnative 

Rat Eradication Project, Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 

availability of Palmyra Atoll National 

Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) nonnative rat 

eradication project draft environmental 

impact statement (DEIS) for public 

review and comment. In the DEIS we 

describe a range of alternatives for 

eliminating nonnative rats from the 

Refuge. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, please 

send your written comments by April 

11, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may send your 

comments or requests for information by 

any of the following methods. For 

information on viewing or obtaining the 

documents, see ‘‘Public Availability of 

Documents’’ under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

E-mail: pacific_reefs@fws.gov. Include 

‘‘Palmyra rat project’’ in subject line. 

Fax: Attn: Dr. Elizabeth Flint, 808– 

792–9586. 

U.S. Mail: Pacific Reefs National 

Wildlife Refuge Complex, 300 Ala 

Moana Blvd., Room 5–231, Honolulu, 

HI 96850. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Elizabeth Flint, Supervisory Wildlife 

Biologist, (808) 792–9553. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

With this notice, we continue the 

public involvement process for our 

DEIS, in accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), as amended, and its 

implementing regulations. We started 

the process through a notice in the 

Federal Register (75 FR 2158) published 

on January 14, 2010. 

Refuge Overview 

Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife 

Refuge is located in the Northern Line 

Islands, approximately 1,000 miles 

south of Honolulu, HI, in the central 

Pacific Ocean. The Refuge encompasses 

nearly all of the Palmyra Atoll (Atoll). 

The Atoll consists of approximately 54 

small, heavily vegetated islets 

surrounding 3 central lagoons. Habitats 

consist of 680 acres of land and 15,512 

acres of lagoons and shallow reefs. The 

Nature Conservancy (TNC) purchased 

the Atoll’s islands in 2000 from private 

landowners, and later sold most of the 

islands to the Service. The Refuge was 

established to manage, conserve, 

protect, and restore fish, wildlife, and 

plant resources and their habitats for 

future generations. 

The Nature Conservancy retained 

ownership of Cooper and Menge 

Islands, and established a small research 

station on Cooper Island that is 

operational year round. The Nature 

Conservancy’s mission is to preserve 

plants, animals and natural 

communities that represent the 

biological diversity of life on Earth by 

protecting the lands and waters they 

need to survive. The Service and TNC 

work cooperatively to protect, restore, 

and enhance migratory birds, coral 

reefs, and threatened and endangered 

species in their natural setting on the 

Atoll. 

The Pacific Remote Islands Marine 

National Monument (Monument) was 

established on January 6, 2009, by 

Presidential Proclamation by President 

George W. Bush. The Refuge is one of 

seven refuges in the Monument, and is 

encompassed within the Monument’s 

boundaries. The Refuge’s boundary 

extends seaward 12 nautical miles, 

encompassing 515,232 acres; the 

boundary of the Monument extends 

resource protection out to 50 nautical 

miles. The Refuge’s terrestrial habitats 

support one of the largest remaining 

tropical coastal strand forests in the U.S. 

Pacific Islands, primarily consisting of 

the Pisonia grandis tree. A diverse land 

crab fauna including the coconut crab, 

ecologically intact predator-dominated 

fish assemblages, and large seabird 

populations are important Refuge 

resources. The Refuge is closed to 

commercial fishing. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
10622 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 38 / Friday, February 25, 2011 / Notices 

Background 

The National Environmental Policy Act 

and National Wildlife Refuge System 

Administration Act 

We prepared the DEIS in accordance 

with NEPA, and its implementing 

regulations; the National Wildlife 

Refuge System Administration Act of 

1966 as amended by the National 

Wildlife Refuge System Improvement 

Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd–668ee) 

(Refuge Administration Act); and 

Service regulations and policies. The 

Refuge Administration Act requires 

each unit of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System to be managed to achieve 

its establishing purposes. 

Public Outreach 

We conducted public scoping for the 

DEIS from January 14 to March 1, 2010 

(75 FR 2158). During that time we 

requested public comments through the 

Federal Register and on our Web site 

http://www.fws.gov/palmyraatoll/ 

rainforestrestoration.html. The 

comments we received covered topics 

such as threats to nontarget species, our 

selection of the rodenticide brodifacoum 

over diphacinone, and effects to other 

Refuge operations. We have considered 

and evaluated these comments, and 

incorporated them into the various 

alternatives identified in the DEIS. We 

are now requesting your comments on 

our draft alternatives. 

Invasive Species on the Atoll 

The Atoll was significantly modified 

by the U.S. Navy during World War II. 

A network of roadways connecting the 

major islets and the construction of a 

north-south causeway altered natural 

water circulation. The impacts from 

invasive species on the Atoll’s native 

forests, fauna, and habitats are 

associated with World War II era 

restructuring and invasive species 

introductions that included plants 

(coconut palm), insects (several ant 

species, mosquitoes, and scale insects), 

and mammals (black rats). 

Black rats cause degradation of nearly 

all aspects of the Atoll’s ecosystem, 

from breeding seabird populations to 

the native Pisonia forest ecotype. Rats 

prey on native seabirds, their eggs, and 

their young, and are likely preventing 

the recolonization of six additional 

seabird species indigenous to the area. 

The rats prey on native land crabs as 

well, and directly compete with them 

for limited food resources. 

Black rats provide habitat for other 

invasive species. The spread of coconut 

palm, an invasive tree species, is likely 

aided by rat-related recruitment and 

limitation of other tree species. Rats 

foraging on coconuts create habitat for 

invasive mosquitoes, and spread the 

seeds of invasive flora throughout the 

Atoll. The rats are modifying the 

terrestrial ecosystem of this important 

Atoll by limiting the reproduction, 

recruitment, and establishment of 

several native tree species. Coconut 

palms already dominate 45 percent of 

the Refuge’s forests. Left unchecked, the 

combined effects of rats and coconut 

palms could drastically alter forest 

structure. All of these impacts in turn 

affect the relationship between land and 

marine resources, and compromise our 

ability to achieve Refuge purposes. 

Palmyra Atoll also functions as a 

natural laboratory, where scientists 

study ocean acidification and other 

effects of anthropogenic global climate 

change, including the movements of 

endangered species in the absence of 

other significant human-induced effects, 

and other issues. Removing rats and 

restoring the ecological integrity of the 

ecosystem are essential for facilitating 

this research. 

Palmyra Atoll Restoration 

Removing rats from Palmyra Atoll is 

the first step in a series of restoration 

efforts designed to restore the Atoll to 

its pre World War II status. Rat 

eradication is the first step in the 

process, because eradicating the rats is 

feasible and relatively fast. Removing 

the rats will enhance the ecological 

integrity of the Atoll by slowing the 

spread of coconut palms and allowing 

extirpated breeding seabird species to 

recolonize. The next stage of restoration, 

eradicating the coconut palms, becomes 

feasible after the removal of the rats. 

Eradicating rats from Palmyra is 

expected to result in biodiversity 

benefits for seabirds, plants, terrestrial 

invertebrates, and other components of 

the Atoll’s terrestrial ecosystem. 

Removing the threat of rats will give 

Palmyra’s remnant native forest and the 

extant and likely extirpated seabird 

species the opportunity to recover. The 

benefit of this conservation action is 

significant from a regional perspective 

because Palmyra is the only moist 

tropical atoll ecosystem in the Central 

Pacific with strong Federal protections 

that is not experiencing exploitation of 

both marine and terrestrial natural 

resources by burgeoning human 

populations. Removing rats from 

Palmyra will help prevent the extinction 

of the Central Pacific moist tropical 

island ecotype. 

Alternatives 

We developed four alternatives, 

including Alternative A, our no action 

alternative. The action alternatives— 

Alternatives B, C, and D—were 

developed to focus on the primary 

issues we identified internally and in 

comments we received during public 

scoping from the public, national and 

international experts in island rodent 

eradication, and government regulatory 

agencies. 

The potential impacts of the 

alternatives are assessed in the DEIS, 

and where appropriate, mitigation 

measures are applied to reduce the 

intensity of or avoid the potential 

effects. A brief description of each 

alternative follows. 

Under Alternative A, our no-action 

alternative, no new actions to eradicate 

the black rat population from Palmyra 

Atoll would be implemented, and the 

black rat would continue to multiply 

and harm the Atoll’s environment. 

Under Alternative B, we would apply 

a brodifacoum pesticide where 

appropriate using hand baiting, aerial 

application, and bait stations, to 

eliminate black rats from Palmyra Atoll. 

Under Alternative C, we would apply 

a brodifacoum pesticide where 

appropriate using hand baiting, aerial 

application, and bait stations, to 

eliminate black rats from Palmyra Atoll. 

We would also proactively mitigate 

potential risks to vulnerable shorebirds. 

Under Alternative D, we would 

establish brodifacoum bait stations and 

conduct canopy baiting to eliminate 

black rats from Palmyra Atoll. 

Public Availability of the DEIS 

The DEIS is available for viewing and 

downloading on our Web site at 

http://www.fws.gov/palmyraatoll/. 

Printed copies of the DEIS may be 

reviewed at the Pacific Reefs National 

Wildlife Refuge Complex Office, 300 

Ala Moana Blvd., Room 5–211, 

Honolulu, HI 96850; phone (808) 792– 

9550. 

Next Steps 

After this comment period ends, we 

will analyze the comments and address 

them in the form of a final 

environmental impact statement. 

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. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 38 / Friday, February 25, 2011 / Notices 10623 

Dated: February 4, 2011. 

Robyn Thorson, 

Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon. 

[FR Doc. 2011–4040 Filed 2–24–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R9–IA–2011–N035; 96300–1671– 

0000–P5] 

Endangered Species; Marine 

Mammals; Receipt of Applications for 

Permit 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of applications 

for permit. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, invite the public to 

comment on the following applications 

to conduct certain activities with 

endangered species, marine mammals, 

or both. With some exceptions, the 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) and 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA) prohibit activities with listed 

species unless a Federal permit is issued 

that allows such activities. Both laws 

require that we invite public comment 

before issuing these permits. 

DATES: We must receive comments or 

requests for documents on or before 

March 28, 2011. We must receive 

requests for marine mammal permit 

public hearings, in writing, at the 

address shown in the ADDRESSES section 

by March 28, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Brenda Tapia, Division of 

Management Authority, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax 

Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA 22203; 

fax (703) 358–2280; or e-mail 

DMAFR@fws.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brenda Tapia, (703) 358–2104 

(telephone); (703) 358–2280 (fax); 

DMAFR@fws.gov (e-mail). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Public Comment Procedures 

A. How do I request copies of 

applications or comment on submitted 

applications? 

Send your request for copies of 

applications or comments and materials 

concerning any of the applications to 

the contact listed under ADDRESSES. 

Please include the Federal Register 

notice publication date, the PRTnumber, and the name of the applicant 

in your request or submission. We will 

not consider requests or comments sent 

to an e-mail or address not listed under 

ADDRESSES. If you provide an e-mail 

address in your request for copies of 

applications, we will attempt to respond 

to your request electronically. 

Please make your requests or 

comments as specific as possible. Please 

confine your comments to issues for 

which we seek comments in this notice, 

and explain the basis for your 

comments. Include sufficient 

information with your comments to 

allow us to authenticate any scientific or 

commercial data you include. 

The comments and recommendations 

that will be most useful and likely to 

influence agency decisions are: (1) 

Those supported by quantitative 

information or studies; and (2) Those 

that include citations to, and analyses 

of, the applicable laws and regulations. 

We will not consider or include in our 

administrative record comments we 

receive after the close of the comment 

period (see DATES) or comments 

delivered to an address other than those 

listed above (see ADDRESSES). 

B. May I review comments submitted by 

others? 

Comments, including names and 

street addresses of respondents, will be 

available for public review at the 

address listed under ADDRESSES. The 

public may review documents and other 

information applicants have sent in 

support of the application unless our 

allowing viewing would violate the 

Privacy Act or Freedom of Information 

Act. 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. 

II. Background 

To help us carry out our conservation 

responsibilities for affected species, the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, section 

10(a)(1)(A), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 

et seq.), and our regulations in the Code 

of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 

17, the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et 

seq.), and our regulations in the Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 18 

require that we invite public comment 

before final action on these permit 

applications. Under the MMPA, you 

may request a hearing on any MMPA 

application received. If you request a 

hearing, give specific reasons why a 

hearing would be appropriate. The 

holding of such a hearing is at the 

discretion of the Service Director. 

III. Permit Applications 

A. Endangered Species 

Applicant: U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Anchorage Field Office, 

Anchorage, AK; PRT–29819A. 

The applicant requests a permit to 

export one short-tailed albatross 

(Phoebastria albatrus) specimen, 

acquired via incidental take to the 

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa 

Tongarewa for the purpose of 

enhancement of the survival of the 

species. 

Applicant: Caroline Stahala, Florida 

State University, Tallahassee, FL; PRT– 

29587A. 

The applicant requests a permit to 

import 150 blood samples from Bahama 

parrot (Amazona leucocephala 

bahamensis), for the purpose of 

scientific research and enhancement of 

the survival of the species. 

Multiple Applicants 

The following applicants each request 

a permit to import the sport-hunted 

trophy of one male bontebok 

(Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled 

from a captive herd maintained under 

the management program of the 

Republic of South Africa, for the 

purpose of enhancement of the survival 

of the species. 

Applicant: Russell Herring, Phenix 

City, AL; PRT–23648A. 

Applicant: Nicholas Andreola, 

Garland, TX; PRT–34141A. 

Applicant: Harold Rank, Colton, CA; 

PRT–35237A. 

Applicant: Jeffrey Bearden. League 

City, TX; PRT–35221A. 

B. Endangered Marine Mammals and 

Marine Mammals 

Applicant: Wild Horizons, Ltd., 

Bristol, United Kingdom; PRT–31164A. 

The applicant requests a permit to 

photograph northern sea otters (Enhydra 

lutris kenyoni) in Alaska, from the air 

and the ground and in the water, for 

commercial and educational purposes. 

This notification covers activities to be 

conducted by the applicant over a 1- 

year period. 

Concurrent with publishing this 

notice in the Federal Register, we are 

forwarding copies of the above 

application to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and the Committee of 

Scientific Advisors for their review. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES