Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 32 / Thursday, February 18, 2010 / Notices 7289 

observation and photography are the 

most popular activities. Our staffing and 

facilities would remain the same. Seven 

staff positions for the refuge complex 

would remain in place, and the 

headquarters would remain at the 

Sunderland Office. 

Alternative B (Enhanced Visitor Services 

and Habitat Diversity—the ServicePreferred Alternative) 

This alternative is the one we propose 

as the best way to manage this refuge 

over the next 15 years. It includes an 

array of management actions that, in our 

professional judgment, works best 

toward achieving the 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 that 

arose during the planning process. 

Similar to alternative A, under 

alternative B we would primarily allow 

natural processes to shape the refuge’s 

forest habitat and would continue to 

work with partners to complement the 

larger landscape for priority species 

through partnerships. We would 

conduct forest inventories every 10 to 

15 years to determine silvicultural 

prescriptions to encourage early 

successional forest habitat and pine 

regeneration, and to maintain the 

existing unique character of largediameter trees. A habitat management 

plan would be completed within 1 year 

of CCP approval. The current meadow 

would be expanded up to approximately 

3 acres, but not at the expense of mature 

forest habitat. A treatment schedule for 

maintaining the view to the lake from 

the Hay Estate house would be 

developed in partnership with The Fells 

and incorporate both scenic and wildlife 

habitat aspects that meet biological and 

cultural objectives for the area. 

We would continue to monitor refuge 

forests and wetlands for invasive plants 

and disease, and to treat them to the 

extent our funding allows. Protecting 

and enhancing riparian and wetlands 

habitat would be a priority, including 

the undeveloped Lake Sunapee 

shoreline, Beech Brook, fens, and vernal 

pools. We would also continue our 

monitoring and inventory program, but 

regularly evaluate the results to help us 

better understand the implications of 

our management actions and identify 

ways to improve their effectiveness. 

In addition to enhancing our existing 

programs in wildlife observation, 

photography, environmental education, 

and interpretation, we would open the 

refuge to fishing. We would also work 

with partners to accommodate hunting 

on their lands as part of a regional 

recreational program offering a diversity 

of wildlife-dependent public use 

opportunities. We would seek 

partnerships to help us achieve our 

enhanced and new programs, including 

assistance on interpretive trail 

construction and enhancements, and 

environmental education programs 

using the refuge as a living laboratory. 

The refuge would remain closed to 

hunting due to its small size and staffing 

constraints. We would also improve and 

expand access to the lake for freshwater 

fishing and enhance trails for 

environmentally sensitive stream 

crossings and access to additional 

habitats. If we can secure permanent 

funding, we would fill one new visitor 

services staff position to provide depth 

to our programs and achieve our goals 

and objectives. We also propose to 

collaborate with neighboring partner, 

The Fells, at their visitor contact 

facilities at the adjacent Fells gatehouse 

and parking lot to increase our visibility 

and improve public access to refuge 

land. 

Alternative C (Forest Management 

Emphasis) 

This alternative resembles Alternative 

B in its refuge administration and 

facilities, but differs in its habitat 

management intensity and visitor 

services programs. 

Under Alternative C, we would 

actively manage for mature upland 

forest, including silvicultural 

prescriptions such as thinning or soil 

scarification to promote regeneration 

success. Additional early successional 

forest habitat would be provided by 

expanding the existing meadow and 

creating new meadows, but not at the 

expense of mature forest habitat. The 

width of The Fells view to the lake 

would be expanded to provide 

additional habitat for wildlife 

dependent upon early successional 

habitat, and increase the view from the 

estate house. 

As in Alternative B, we would protect 

and enhance riparian and wetlands 

habitats as a priority. As in Alternative 

B, we would monitor and inventory our 

forests and wetlands for invasive plants 

and disease and treat them to the extent 

funding allows. Protecting and 

enhancing riparian and wetland habitats 

would also be a priority. Compared to 

Alternative B, we would conduct a more 

intensive, focused monitoring and 

inventory program designed to address 

more-specific questions about habitat 

quality and the response of wildlife 

populations. In the near-term, inventory 

and monitoring would be aimed 

specifically at documenting the species 

and habitat baseline conditions. 

Under Alternative C, our public use 

programs would accommodate 

additional access with enhanced trail 

conditions to allow people of all 

abilities to access and view the lake. 

This Alternative explores the possibility 

of accommodating hunting by 

determining the feasibility of a very 

limited hunt program in collaboration 

with our State partners. 

Public Meetings 

The public will have the opportunity 

to provide input at one public meeting 

in Newbury, New Hampshire. We will 

release mailings, news releases, and 

announcements electronically and 

provide information about opportunities 

for public review and comment on our 

Web site and in local newspapers, along 

with the contact information below. You 

can obtain the schedule from the 

planning team leader or project leader 

(see ADDRESSES). 

You may also submit comments 

anytime during the planning process by 

mail, electronic mail, or facsimile (see 

ADDRESSES). For specific information, 

including dates, times, and locations, 

contact the project leader (see 

ADDRESSES) or visit our Web site at 

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/ 

johnhay/ccphome.html. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comments, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made available to the public 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 8, 2010. 

Wendi Weber, 

Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, 

Massachusetts. 

[FR Doc. 2010–3053 Filed 2–17–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R3–R–2009–N243; 30136–1265–0000– 

S3] 

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, 

NE; Hamden Slough National Wildlife 

Refuge, MN; and Iowa Wetland 

Management District, IA 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES

7290 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 32 / Thursday, February 18, 2010 / Notices 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a 

comprehensive conservation plan and 

environmental assessment; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service) intends to 

gather information necessary to prepare 

a comprehensive conservation plan 

(CCP) and associated environmental 

documents for the Boyer Chute and 

Hamden Slough National Wildlife 

Refuges (NWRs) and the Iowa Wetland 

Management District (WMD). We 

furnish this notice in compliance with 

our CCP policy to advise other agencies 

and the public of our intentions, and to 

obtain suggestions and information on 

the scope of issues to be considered in 

the planning process. 

We also invite comments on 

archeological, historic, and traditional 

cultural sites in accordance with the 

National Historic Preservation Act. 

In addition, special mailings, 

newspaper articles, Internet postings, 

and other media announcements will 

inform people of the opportunities for 

written comments. 

ADDRESSES: Comments or requests for 

more information can be sent to the 

appropriate refuge at the following 

addresses: 

1. Attention: Refuge Manager, Boyer 

Chute National Wildlife Refuge, 3720 

Rivers Way, Fort Calhoun, NE 68023; 

2. Attention: Refuge Manager, 

Hamden Slough National Wildlife 

Refuge, 26624 N. Tower Road, Detroit 

Lakes, MN 56501; 

3. Attention: Refuge Manager, Iowa 

Wetland Management District, 1710 

360th Street, Titonka, IA 50480. 

You may also find information on the 

CCP planning process and submit 

comments electronically on the 

planning Web site http://www.fws.gov/ 

midwest/planning or you may e-mail 

comments to r3planning@fws.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom 

Cox, DeSoto NWR, 712–642–4121; Scott 

Kahan, Hamden Slough NWR, 218–847– 

4431; or George Maze, Iowa WMD, 515– 

928–2523. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With this 

notice, we initiate the CCP for the Boyer 

Chute NWR, with headquarters in Fort 

Calhoun, NE; the CCP for the Hamden 

Slough NWR, with headquarters in 

Detroit Lakes, MN; and the CCP for the 

Iowa WMD, with headquarters in 

Titonka, IA. 

Background 

The CCP Process 

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), requires us to develop a 

comprehensive conservation plan for 

each national wildlife refuge. Land 

parcels we manage within a Wetland 

Management District are also units of 

the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

The purpose in developing a 

comprehensive conservation plan 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, 

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, plans identify wildlifedependent recreational opportunities 

available to the public, including 

opportunities for hunting, fishing, 

wildlife observation, wildlife 

photography, and environmental 

education and interpretation. 

Each unit of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System, including each of these 

NWRs, is established with specific 

purposes. We use these purposes to 

develop and prioritize management 

goals and objectives within the National 

Wildlife Refuge System mission, and to 

guide which public uses will occur on 

these Refuges. The planning process is 

a way for us and the public to evaluate 

management goals and objectives for the 

best possible conservation efforts of this 

important wildlife habitat, while 

providing for wildlife-dependent 

recreation opportunities that are 

compatible with the Refuges’ 

establishing purposes and the mission 

of the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

We will conduct a comprehensive 

conservation planning process that will 

provide opportunity for Tribal, State, 

and local governments; agencies; 

organizations; and the public to 

participate in issue scoping and public 

comment for the future management of 

Boyer Chute NWR, Hamden Slough 

NWR, and Iowa WMD. We invite 

anyone interested to respond to the 

following two questions: 

1. What issues do you want to see 

addressed in the CCP? 

2. What improvements would you 

recommend for the Refuges or Wetland 

District? 

Responding to these two questions is 

optional; you are not required to 

provide information to us. Our Planning 

Team developed the questions to gather 

information about individual issues and 

ideas concerning these Refuges and 

Wetland District. Comments we receive 

will be used as part of the planning 

process; however, we will not reference 

individual comments in our reports or 

directly respond to them. 

We also invite comments on 

archeological, historic, and traditional 

cultural sites in accordance with the 

National Historic Preservation Act of 

1966 (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.). 

We will also give the public an 

opportunity to provide input at open 

houses. You can obtain a schedule of 

the open house events by contacting the 

Refuge Managers listed in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

The environmental review of these 

projects will be conducted in 

accordance with the requirements of the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

seq.); NEPA Regulations (40 CFR parts 

1500–1508); other appropriate Federal 

laws and regulations; and our policies 

and procedures for compliance with 

those regulations. 

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: December 14, 2009. 

Charles M. Wooley, 

Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Ft. Snelling, Minnesota. 

[FR Doc. 2010–3154 Filed 2–17–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLIDC00000.L16400000.BF0000.241A.0; 

4500012112] 

Notice of Public Meeting, Coeur 

d’Alene District Resource Advisory 

Council Meeting and Recreation 

Subcommittee Meeting; Idaho 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act (FLPMA), the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), and the 

Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

Act of 2004 (FLREA), the U.S. 

Department of the Interior, Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) Coeur d’Alene 

District Resource Advisory Council 

WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES