1190 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 5 / Friday, January 7, 2011 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R5–R–2010–N228; BAC–4311–K9–S3] 

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, City 

of Virginia Beach, VA; Final 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan and 

Finding of No Significant Impact for 

Environmental Assessment 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 

availability of our final comprehensive 

conservation plan (CCP) and finding of 

no significant impact (FONSI) for the 

environmental assessment (EA) for Back 

Bay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). In 

this final CCP, we describe how we will 

manage this refuge for the next 15 years. 

ADDRESSES: You may view or obtain 

copies of the final CCP and FONSI by 

any of the following methods. You may 

request a hard copy or CD–ROM. 

Agency Web Site: Download a copy of 

the document(s) at http://www.fws.gov/ 

northeast/planning/Back%20Bay/ 

ccphome.html. 

Electronic mail: 

northeastplanning@fws.gov. Include 

‘‘Back Bay Final CCP’’ in the subject line 

of the message. 

U.S. Postal Service: Thomas Bonetti, 

Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center 

Drive, Hadley, MA 01035–9589. 

In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call 

757–721–2412 to make an appointment 

during regular business hours at Back 

Bay NWR, 4005 Sandpiper Road, 

Virginia Beach, VA 23456–4325. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jared Brandwein, Refuge Manager, Back 

Bay NWR, 4005 Sandpiper Road, 

Virginia Beach, VA 23456–4325; phone: 

757–721–2412; electronic mail: 

jared_brandwein@fws.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

With this notice, we finalize the CCP 

process for Back Bay NWR. We started 

this plan’s development by publishing a 

notice in the Federal Register (67 FR 

30950; May 8, 2002), and then updating 

that notice (72 FR 8196, February 23, 

2007). We released the draft CCP/EA to 

the public, announcing and requesting 

comments in a notice of availability in 

the Federal Register (75 FR 15721) on 

March 30, 2010. 

Back Bay NWR, currently 9,035 acres, 

was established in 1938 by Executive 

Order 7907 ‘‘ * * * as a Refuge and 

breeding ground for migratory birds and 

other wildlife.’’ Another of the refuge’s 

primary purposes for lands acquired 

under the Migratory Bird Conservation 

Act is ‘‘* * * use as an inviolate 

sanctuary, or for any other management 

purpose, for migratory birds.’’ The 

Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 

1986 also authorizes purchase of 

wetlands for the purpose of ‘‘* * * the 

conservation of the wetlands of the 

Nation in order to maintain the public 

benefits they provide and to help fulfill 

international obligations contained in 

various migratory bird treaties and 

conventions,’’ using money from the 

Land and Water Conservation Fund. In 

1939, presidential proclamation closed 

4,600 acres of open bay waters within 

the refuge boundary to the taking of 

migratory birds. The refuge includes 5 

miles of oceanfront beach, a 900-acre 

freshwater impoundment complex, 

numerous bay islands, bottomland 

mixed forests, old fields, and freshwater 

wetlands adjacent to Back Bay and its 

tributary shorelines. 

Although wildlife and habitat 

conservation come first on the refuge, 

the public can enjoy excellent 

opportunities to observe and 

photograph wildlife, fish, hunt, or 

participate in environmental education 

and interpretation. Current visitor 

facilities are primarily located in the 

eastern, barrier island portion of the 

refuge, where annual visitation is 

greater than 100,000. Back Bay NWR 

provides scenic trails, a visitor contact 

station, and, with advance scheduling, 

group educational opportunities. 

Outdoor facilities are open daily, dawn 

to dusk. 

We announce our decision and the 

availability of the FONSI for the final 

CCP for Back Bay NWR in accordance 

with National Environmental Policy Act 

(40 CFR 1506.6(b)) requirements. We 

completed a thorough analysis of 

impacts on the human environment, 

which we included in the draft CCP/EA. 

The CCP will guide us in managing and 

administering Back Bay NWR for the 

next 15 years. Alternative B, as we 

described in the draft CCP/EA, is the 

foundation for the final CCP. 

Background 

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 wildlifedependent 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. 

CCP Alternatives, Including Selected 

Alternative 

Our draft CCP/EA (75 FR 15721) 

addressed several key issues, including 

ways to improve access and 

opportunities for public use while 

ensuring the restoration and protection 

of priority resources, the evaluation of 

wilderness characteristics of refuge 

lands, the role of cooperative farming, 

and the management of invasive or 

nuisance species on the refuge. 

To address these issues and develop 

a plan based on the purposes for 

establishing the refuge, and the vision 

and goals we identified, three 

alternatives were evaluated in the EA. 

The alternatives have some actions in 

common, such as encouraging research 

that benefits our resource decisions, 

maintaining a proactive law 

enforcement program, protecting 

cultural resources, continuing to acquire 

land from willing sellers within our 

approved refuge boundary, and 

distributing refuge revenue sharing 

payments to counties. 

Other actions distinguish the 

alternatives. Alternative A, or the ‘‘No 

Action Alternative,’’ is defined by our 

current management activities. It serves 

as the base-line against which to 

compare the other two alternatives. Our 

habitat management and visitor services 

programs would not change under this 

alternative. We would continue to use 

the same tools and techniques, and not 

expand existing facilities. 

Alternative B, the ‘‘Service-preferred 

Alternative,’’ reflects a management 

emphasis on enhancing conservation of 

wildlife through habitat management, as 

well as providing additional visitor 

opportunities on the refuge. Some of the 

major strategies proposed include: 

Opening up the forest canopy by 

selectively removing loblolly pine, 

sweetgum, and red maple; withdrawing 

the 1974 wilderness designation 

proposal for Long Island, Green Hills, 

and Landing Cove (2,165 acres); 

developing a canoe/kayak trail on the 


jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 5 / Friday, January 7, 2011 / Notices 1191 

west side of the refuge; expanding the 

deer hunt; developing new hiking trails; 

and developing and designing a new 

headquarters/visitor contact station. 

Alternative C features additional 

management that aims to restore (or 

mimic) natural ecosystem processes or 

functions to achieve refuge purposes. 

Alternative C focuses on using 

management techniques that would 

encourage forest growth and includes an 

increased focus toward the previously 

proposed wilderness areas. Strategies 

proposed include creating conditions 

that allow us to shift more resources 

from intensive management of the 

refuge impoundment system to the 

restoration of Back Bay-Currituck 

Sound. In addition, we propose to 

develop and design a new headquarters/ 

visitor contact station that provides 

more office space than proposed for 

Alternative B; and we also plan to work 

with partners to provide a shuttle 

service (for a fee) from the new 

headquarters site to the barrier spit. 

Comments 

We solicited comments on the draft 

CCP/EA for Back Bay NWR from March 

30 to May 1, 2010 (75 FR 15721). We 

received comments from 162 

individuals, organizations, and State 

and Federal agencies on our draft plan 

via electronic mail, phone, and letters. 

All comments we received were 

evaluated. A summary of those 

comments and our responses to them is 

included as Appendix K in the CCP. 

Selected Alternative 

After considering the comments we 

received on our draft CCP/EA, we have 

selected Alternative B for 

implementation. Alternative B 

comprises the mix of actions that, in our 

professional judgment, works best 

towards achieving refuge purposes, our 

vision and goals, and the goals of other 

State and regional conservation plans. 

We also believe it most effectively 

addresses the key issues raised during 

the planning process. The basis of our 

decision is detailed in Appendix L of 

the CCP. 

Public Availability of Documents 

You can view or obtain documents as 

indicated under ADDRESSES. 

Dated: November 17, 2010. 

Salvatore M. Amato, 

Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, MA 

01035. 

[FR Doc. 2011–97 Filed 1–6–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[2280–665] 

National Register of Historic Places; 

Notification of Pending Nominations 

and Related Actions 

Nominations for the following 

properties being considered for listing 

or related actions in the National 

Register were received by the National 

Park Service before December 18, 2010. 

Pursuant to sections 60.13 or 60.15 of 36 

CFR part 60, written comments are 

being accepted concerning the 

significance of the nominated properties 

under the National Register criteria for 

evaluation. Comments may be 

forwarded by United States Postal 

Service, to the National Register of 

Historic Places, National Park Service, 

1849 C St. NW., MS 2280, Washington, 

DC 20240; by all other carriers, National 

Register of Historic Places, National 

Park Service,1201 Eye St. NW., 8th 

floor, Washington, DC 20005; or by fax, 

202–371–6447. Written or faxed 

comments should be submitted by 

January 24, 2011. 

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. 

J. Paul Loether, 

Chief, National Register of Historic Places/ 

National Historic Landmarks Program. 

ARKANSAS 

Desha County 

Dickinson-Moore House, 707 Robert S 

Moore Ave, Arkansas, 10001192 

CALIFORNIA 

Mariposa County 

El Portal Old Schoolhouse, Chapel Lane, 

El Portal, 10001190 

Nevada County 

North Star House, 12075 Old Auburn 

Rd, Grass Valley, 10001191 

FLORIDA 

Miami-Dade County 

Fowey Rocks Light, (Light Stations of 

the United States MPS) Offshore in 

Straits of Florida 6.3 mi SSE of Cape 

Florida on Key Biscayne, Florida, 

10001181 

Monroe County 

American Shoal Light, (Light Stations of 

the United States MPS) Offshore of 

the lower Florida Keys, 9.6 mi SW of 

Summerland Key, Summerland Key, 

10001189 

IOWA 

Dubuque County 

Banner Dairy Lunch Company, 

(Dubuque, Iowa MPS) 756 Main St, 

Dubuque, 10001183 

LOUISIANA 

Natchitoches Parish 

Flora Commissary, LA HWY 120, 

approximately 1⁄4 mi W of LA HWY 

478, Flora, 10001194 

Orleans Parish 

Bohn Motor Company Automobile 

Dealership, 2700 S Broad, New 

Orleans, 10001193 

MONTANA 

Big Horn County 

Young, Alvin, Barn and Cabin Historic 

District, HC 42 Box 640, Busby, 

10001188 

NORTH DAKOTA 

Barnes County 

Amphitheater and Fieldstone WPA 

Features at Valley City Pioneer Park, 

SW of the intersection between 5th St 

and 8th Ave NW, Valley City, 

10001195 

OKLAHOMA 

Murray County 

Travertine Nature Center, E of SHWY 

177, Sulpher, 10001180 

SOUTH CAROLINA 

Greenville County 

Greer Post Office, 106 S Main St, Greer, 

10001184 

VIRGINIA 

Fairfax County 

Panorama, 1005 Panorama Rd, 

Montross, 10001186 

Halifax County 

Town of Halifax Court House Historic 

District, Main St, Cemetery St, Prizery 

St, Edmunds Boulevard, Mary 

Bethune St, Cowford Rd, Maple Ave, 

Church St, Cary St, Halifax, 10001187 

Mathews County 

Donk’s Theatre, 259 Buckley Hall Rd, 

Hudgins, 10001185 


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