6872 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 29 / Friday, February 12, 2010 / Notices 

A: No-action 

alternative 

B: Custodial 

no active management 

C: Integrated management 

actions and public use 

(selected) 

D: Maximum habitat 

management 

Issue 7: Hunting Opportunity.Waterfowl and Deer .......... Closed to Public ................ Evaluation of additional 

hunting.

Evaluation of additional 

hunting. 

Comments 

We solicited comments on the draft 

CCP and the EA for the Washita and 

Optima NWRs from September 17, 2007, 

to November 2, 2007 (72 FR 52903). We 

thoroughly evaluated all received 

comments and included them in the 

CCP when possible. 

Selected Alternative 

After considering the comments we 

received, we selected Alternative C for 

implementation. This alternative (now 

the CCP) describes how habitat 

objectives will be accomplished through 

a combination of management activities 

(farming, moist soil created wetlands, 

periodic prescribed burning, and 

mechanical and chemical exotic species 

control methods) to encourage 

ecological integrity, promote native 

prairie restoration, control invasive 

plant species, and provide/enhance 

habitat for migratory waterfowl, 

grassland birds, and other resident 

wildlife. We selected this alternative 

because it best meets the purposes and 

goals of the Washita and Optima NWR 

Complex. This action will not adversely 

impact endangered or threatened 

species or their habitat. Opportunities 

for wildlife-dependent activities such as 

observation, photography, 

environmental education, and 

interpretation will be enhanced. Future 

management actions will have a neutral 

or positive impact on the local 

economy, and the recommendations in 

the CCP will ensure that Refuge 

management is consistent with the 

mandates of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System. 

Public Availability of Documents 

In addition to the methods in 

ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain 

documents at the following locations: 

• Our Web site: http://www.fws.gov/ 

southwest/refuges/Plan/planindex.html. 

• Public Library: Elk City Carnegie 

Library, located at 221 W. Broadway 

Ave., Elk City, OK 73644–4741, during 

regular library hours. 

December 15, 2009. 

Thomas L. Bauer, 

Acting, Regional Director, Region 2. 

[FR Doc. 2010–2904 Filed 2–11–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R2–R–2009–N205; 20131–1265– 

2CCP–S3] 

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge 

Complex, Aransas, Calhoun, and 

Refugio Counties, TX 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability: Draft 

comprehensive conservation plan and 

environmental assessment; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 

availability of a draft comprehensive 

conservation plan (CCP) and an 

environmental assessment (EA) for the 

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge 

Complex (NWRC, Refuge) for public 

review and comment. In these 

documents, we describe alternatives, 

including our preferred alternative, to 

manage this Refuge complex for the 15 

years following approval of the final 

CCP. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, please 

send your written comments by April 

13, 2010. We will announce upcoming 

public meetings in local news media. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

or requests for copies or more 

information by any of the following 

methods. You may request hard copies 

or a CD–ROM of the documents by any 

of the following methods: 

E-mail: Roxanne_Turley@fws.gov. 

Include ‘‘Aransas CCP’’ in the subject 

line of the message. 

Fax: Attn: Roxanne Turley, 505–248– 

6874. 

U.S. Mail: Roxanne Turley, Natural 

Resource Planner, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, 

Service, NWRS, Division of Planning, 

P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, NM 

87103–1306. 

In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or 

Pickup: Call 505–248–6636 to make an 

appointment during regular business 

hours. You may drop off comments 

during regular business hours at 500 

Gold Avenue, SW., 4th Floor, Room 

4019, Albuquerque, NM 87102. For 

more information on locations for 

viewing or obtaining documents, see 

‘‘Public Availability of Documents’’ 

under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan 

Alonso, Complex Manager, by U.S. mail 

at Aransas NWRC, CCP–Project, P.O. 

Box 100, Austwell, TX 77050; by phone 

at 361–286–3559; or by fax at 361–286– 

3722; or Felipe Prieto, Wildlife Refuge 

Specialist/CCP Planning Team, Aransas 

NWRC, by phone at 361–286–3559. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

With this notice, we continue the CCP 

process for Aransas NWRC. We started 

this process through a notice in the 

Federal Register (67 FR 55862, August 

30, 2002). 

Aransas NWRC is located in Aransas, 

Calhoun, and Refugio Counties, Texas, 

and encompasses 115,931 acres of 

coastal prairie, oak woodland and 

savannah, barrier island, and salt and 

freshwater marshes. Management efforts 

focus on protecting, enhancing, and 

restoring Refuge habitats and water 

management for the benefit of important 

fish and wildlife resources. 

Aransas NWRC was established ‘‘as a 

refuge and breeding grounds for birds,’’ 

by Executive Order No. 7784 on 

December 31, 1937. The authority of the 

Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 

U.S.C. 712d) establishes that each refuge 

in the system is ‘‘for use as an inviolate 

sanctuary, or any other management 

purpose, for migratory birds.’’ The 

Refuge Recreation Act (16 U.S.C. 460–1) 

states that each refuge in the system is 

‘‘suitable for incidental fish and 

wildlife-oriented recreational 

development, the protection of natural 

resources, and the conservation of 

endangered or threatened species.’’ 

Additionally, Aransas NWRC contains 

critical habitat for the whooping crane 

(43 FR 20938, May 15, 1978). 

Background 

The CCP Process 

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 a CCP for each national 

wildlife refuge. The purpose for 

developing a CCP is to provide refuge 

managers with a 15-year strategy for 

achieving refuge purposes and 

contributing toward the mission of the 

National Wildlife Refuge System, 


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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 29 / Friday, February 12, 2010 / Notices 6873 

consistent with sound principles of fish 

and wildlife management, conservation, 

legal mandates, and Service policies. In 

addition to outlining broad management 

direction on conserving wildlife and 

their habitats, the CCPs identify 

wildlife-dependent 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 these CCPs at least 

every 15 years in accordance with the 

Administration Act. 

Public Outreach 

To begin the CCP process, we held a 

comment period beginning on August 

30, 2002, and ending on October 29, 

2002 (67 FR 55862). We made draft 

documents and other relevant 

information available for public review 

at the Refuge headquarters. Prior to 

opening the public comment period, 

Refuge staff gathered in July and August 

2002 to discuss concerns, issues, and 

opportunities for the future of the 

Refuge. In January 2003, we held seven 

open-house-style meetings at the Refuge 

Headquarters and in Rockport, Port 

Lavaca, Corpus Christi, Refugio, and 

Victoria, including one Partners meeting 

for the Golden Crescent Nature Club in 

February 2003. We intended these 

meetings to solicit initial public input 

and involvement during the early stages 

of CCP development. We also invited 

the State of Texas (Texas Parks and 

Wildlife Department) to participate as a 

partner in the planning process. We 

have considered and evaluated all of the 

comments we received, and have 

incorporated many of them into the 

various alternatives we addressed in the 

draft CCP and the EA. 

CCP Alternatives We Are Considering 

During the public scoping process 

with which we started work on this 

draft CCP, we, other governmental 

partners, and the public raised several 

issues. Our draft CCP addresses them. A 

full description of each alternative is in 

the EA. To address these issues, we 

developed and evaluated the following 

alternatives, summarized below. 

A: No-action alternative 

B: Optimal habitat management 

and public use (proposed action) 

alternative 

C: Maximal habitat management 

and public-use alternative 

Issue 1: Habitat Management Activities.Biological program and habitat 

management would continue 

under existing plans, with the 

emphasis remaining primarily 

on migratory birds, waterfowl, 

and Federally listed species; 

the status quo would prevail 

without the benefit of holistic, 

long-term, and comprehensive 

guidance.

Ecosystem-level management actions to better protect and preserve the natural diversity of 

unique habitats and sensitive 

wildlife through a holistic, 

partnered, and publicly involved 

approach would be implemented; current and future 

long-term benefits for migratory 

and resident birds, wildlife and 

their habitats, and the recovery 

of threatened and endangered 

species would be provided.

Intensive management to achieve 

a predetermined amount of 

woodlands, wetlands, croplands, grasslands, shrublands, 

and water impoundments to 

benefit the highest possible variety of plants and wildlife would 

be implemented. 

Issue 2: Improvements to Public 

Use Opportunities.

Current public use under existing 

plans would continue; any expansions would occur 

opportunistically.

An optimal, quality experience for 

the public. Priority wildlife-dependent uses would be emphasized, and other existing public 

uses would be allowed where 

appropriate.

All priority public uses (hunting, 

fishing, wildlife observation, 

photography, and environmental education and interpretation) would be expanded significantly above current levels. 

Visitor facilities and interpretive 

and environmental education 

programs would be improved or 

developed. 

Issue 3: Refuge Land and Boundary Protection.Currently, there is no active land 

acquisition or land protection 

plan. However, any future acquisitions would be based on 

an approved land protection 

plan, developed as a step-down 

plan of the CCP. Any additional 

lands added to the Refuge 

would be purchased from willing 

sellers as opportunities and 

funding arise.

Same as Alternative A; however, 

additional land protection to address whooping crane flock expansion in the vicinity of the 

Refuge would be considered. 

The emphasis would remain on 

protecting whooping cranes and 

available acres of existing wetland or restorable wetland habitat and adjacent uplands in portions of Aransas, Calhoun, and 

Refugio Counties.

Same as Alternative A. 

Public Availability of Documents 

In addition to any methods in 

ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain 

documents at the following locations: 

• At the Aransas NWRC Headquarters 

Office, at 1 Wildlife Circle, near 

Austwell, TX, during the hours between 

8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through 

Friday. 

• Agency Web site: http:// 

www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/Plan/ 

index.html. 

• At the following public libraries: 

Library Address Phone No. 

Victoria Public Library ............................................................... 302 N Main St., Victoria, TX 77901 ......................................... 361–572–2701 

Parkdale Branch Library ........................................................... 1230 Carmel Pkwy, Corpus Christi, TX 78411 ........................ 361–853–9961 

Calhoun County Public Library ................................................. 200 West Mahan St., Port Lavaca, TX 77979 ......................... 361–552–7323 


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6874 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 29 / Friday, February 12, 2010 / Notices 

Library Address Phone No. 

Aransas County Public Library ................................................. 701 E Mimosa St., Rockport, TX 78382 .................................. 361–790–0153 

Submitting Comments/Issues for 

Comment 

We consider comments substantive if 

they: 

• Question, with reasonable basis, the 

accuracy of the information in the 

document; 

• Question, with reasonable basis, the 

adequacy of the document; 

• Present reasonable alternatives 

other than those presented in the 

document; and/or 

• Provide new or additional 

information relevant to the document. 

Next Steps 

After this comment period ends, we 

will analyze the comments and address 

them in the form of a final CCP and 

finding of no significant impact. 

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. 

Dated: January 7, 2010. 

Brian Millsap, 

Acting Regional Director, Region 2. 

[FR Doc. 2010–2911 Filed 2–11–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Minerals Management Service 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Central 

Planning Area (CPA) Gulf of Mexico 

(GOM) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 213 

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Final Notice of Sale (NOS) 213. 

SUMMARY: On Wednesday, March 17, 

2010, the Minerals Management Service 

(MMS) will open and publicly 

announce bids received for blocks 

offered in CPA Oil and Gas Lease Sale 

213, pursuant to the OCS Lands Act (43 

U.S.C. 1331–1356, as amended) and the 

regulations issued thereunder (30 CFR 

part 256). The Final NOS 213 Package 

contains information essential to 

bidders, and bidders are responsible for 

knowing the information within the 

documents contained in the Package. 

DATES: Public bid reading for the CPA 

Oil and Gas Lease Sale 213 will begin 

at 9 a.m., Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 

at the Louisiana Superdome, 1500 

Sugarbowl Drive, New Orleans, 

Louisiana, 70112. The lease sale will be 

held in the St. Charles Club Room on 

the second floor (Loge Level). Entry to 

the Superdome will be on the Poydras 

Street side of the building through Gate 

A on the Ground or Plaza Level, and 

parking should be available at Garage 6. 

All times referred to in this document 

are local New Orleans times, unless 

otherwise specified. 

Please Note: Starting with this sale, MMS 

is revising the lease terms for blocks in water 

depths of 400 meters to less than 1,600 

meters. Blocks in 400 to less than 800 meters 

change from an initial 8-year lease term 

(where a well has to be spudded within the 

first 5 years of the initial 8-year term to avoid 

lease cancellation) to a 5-year initial lease 

term (where spudding a well within the 

initial lease term would automatically extend 

the lease term to 8 years). Blocks in 800 to 

less than 1,600 meters change from a 10-year 

initial lease term to a 7-year initial lease term 

(where spudding a well within the initial 

lease term would automatically extend the 

lease term to 10 years). The MMS received 

9 comments on the lease terms changes in the 

Proposed Notice of Sale. 

ADDRESSES: Bidders can obtain a Final 

NOS 213 Package containing the NOS 

and the supporting documents by 

writing or calling the: Gulf of Mexico 

Region Public Information Unit, 

Minerals Management Service, 1201 

Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, 

Louisiana 70123–2394, (504) 736–2519 

or (800) 200–GULF, MMS GOM Internet 

Web site at: http://www.gomr.mms.gov. 

Filing of Bids: Bidders must submit 

sealed bids to the Regional Director 

(RD), MMS Gulf of Mexico Region, 1201 

Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, 

Louisiana, 70123–2394, between 8 a.m. 

and 4 p.m. on normal working days, and 

from 8 a.m. to the Bid Submission 

Deadline of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 

16, 2010, the day before the lease sale. 

If bids are mailed, please address the 

envelope containing all of the sealed 

bids as follows: Attention: Supervisor, 

Leasing and Financial Responsibility 

Unit (MS 5422), Leasing and 

Environment, Leasing Activities 

Section, MMS Gulf of Mexico Region, 

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New 

Orleans, Louisiana 70123–2394. 

Contains Sealed Bids for CPA Oil and 

Gas Lease Sale 213, Please Deliver to 

Ms. Nancy Kornrumpf, 6th Floor, 

Immediately. 

Please note: Bidders mailing bid(s) are 

advised to call Ms. Nancy Kornrumpf at (504) 

736–2726 or Ms. Cindy Thibodeaux at (504) 

736–2809 immediately after putting their 

bid(s) in the mail. If the RD receives bids 

later than the time and date specified above, 

he will return those bids unopened to 

bidders. Should an unexpected event such as 

flooding or travel restrictions be significantly 

disruptive to bid submission, the MMS may 

extend the Bid Submission Deadline. Bidders 

may call (504) 736–0557 or access our MMS 

Gulf of Mexico Internet Web site at: http:// 

www.gomr.mms.gov for information about 

the possible extension of the Bid Submission 

Deadline due to such an event. 

Areas Offered for Leasing: The MMS 

is offering for leasing in CPA Oil and 

Gas Lease Sale 213 all blocks and partial 

blocks listed in the document ‘‘List of 

Blocks Available for Leasing’’ included 

in the Final NOS 213 Package. All of 

these blocks are shown on the following 

leasing maps and Official Protraction 

Diagrams (OPD’s): 

Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Maps—Louisiana Map Numbers 1 Through 12 

(These 30 maps sell for $2.00 each) 

LA1 ................................................................................................ West Cameron Area (Revised November 1, 2000). 

LA1A ............................................................................................. West Cameron Area, West Addition (Revised February 28, 2007). 

LA1B .............................................................................................. West Cameron Area, South Addition (Revised February 28, 2007). 

LA2 ................................................................................................ East Cameron Area (Revised November 1, 2000). 

LA2A ............................................................................................. East Cameron Area, South Addition (Revised November 1, 2000). 

LA3 ................................................................................................ Vermilion Area (Revised November 1, 2000). 

LA3A ............................................................................................. South Marsh Island Area (Revised November 1, 2000). 

LA3B .............................................................................................. Vermilion Area, South Addition (Revised November 1, 2000). 

LA3C .............................................................................................. South Marsh Island Area, South Addition (Revised November 1, 2000). 


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