Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 185 / Monday, September 25, 2006 / Notices 55801 

and native riparian plant seedlings. 

Transplanting outside of the dormant 

period for elderberry shrubs, November 

16 to February 15, would increase the 

likelihood of adult beetles and larvae 

being killed or injured. Therefore, the 

Applicant has agreed to purchase 12 

additional habitat credits from the 

conservation bank (i.e., a total of 23 

credits) if the elderberry shrubs are 

transplanted during the active growing 

season. The Applicant’s Plan also 

describes measures and funding sources 

that ensure the elements of the Plan 

would be implemented in a timely 

manner, actions to be taken if 

unforeseen events occur, and other 

required elements. 

The Service’s proposed action 

consists of approving the Applicant’s 

Plan and issuance of an incidental take 

permit for the Applicant’s project. As 

required by the Act, the Applicant’s 

Plan also considered alternatives to the 

take considered under the proposed 

action. Under the No Action 

Alternative, no permit would be issued, 

the office buildings and parking lot 

would not be built, and no take would 

occur. Under the Reduced Take 

Alternative, the office buildings and 

parking lot would be built, but the size 

and scope would be reduced. This 

alternative would allow some elderberry 

shrubs to remain on the project site with 

fewer elderberry shrubs transplanted to 

the Service-approved conservation 

bank, thus reducing take below the level 

anticipated for the proposed action. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

As discussed in the EAS, the Service 

has made a preliminary determination 

that approval of the proposed Plan and 

issuance of the permit would qualify as 

a Categorical Exclusion under NEPA, as 

provided by Federal regulations (40 CFR 

1500.5(k), 1507.3(b)(2), 1508.4) and the 

Department of Interior Manual (516 DM 

2 and 516 DM8). The EAS found that 

the proposed Plan qualifies as a ‘‘loweffect’’ habitat conservation plan, as 

defined by the Service’s Habitat 

Conservation Planning Handbook 

(November 1996). Determination of loweffect habitat-conservation plans is 

based on the following criteria: (1) 

Implementation of the Plan would result 

in minor or negligible effects on 

federally listed, proposed, and 

candidate species and their habitats; (2) 

implementation of the Plan would result 

in minor or negligible effects on other 

environmental values or resources; (3) 

impacts of the Plan, considered together 

with the impacts of other past, present 

and reasonably foreseeable similarly 

situated projects would not result, over 

time, in cumulative effects to 

environmental values or resources 

which would be considered significant. 

Based upon the preliminary 

determinations in the EAS, the Service 

does not intend to prepare further NEPA 

documentation. The Service will 

consider public comments when making 

the final determination on whether to 

prepare an additional NEPA document 

on the proposed action. 

Public Review 

The Service provides this notice 

pursuant to section 10(c) of the Act and 

the NEPA public-involvement 

regulations (40 CFR 1500.1(b), 

1500.2(d), and 1506.6). The Service will 

evaluate the permit application, 

including the Plan, and comments 

submitted thereon to determine whether 

the application meets the requirements 

of section 10(a) of the Act. If the 

requirements are met, the Service will 

issue a permit to Mark III Engineering 

Contractors for the incidental take of the 

beetle during construction of the Offices 

at Parkshore. The Service will make the 

final permit decision no sooner than 30 

days from the date of this notice. 

Dated: September 19, 2006. 

David L. Harlow, 

Acting Field Supervisor, Sacramento Fish and 

Wildlife Office, Sacramento, California. 

[FR Doc. 06–8161 Filed 9–22–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Draft Comprehensive Conservation 

Plan and Environmental Assessment 

for Stone Lakes National Wildlife 

Refuge 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service) announces that a Draft 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan and 

Environmental Assessment (Draft CCP/ 

EA) for Stone Lakes National Wildlife 

Refuge (Refuge) is available for review 

and comment. Also available for review 

with the Draft CCP/EA are draft 

compatibility determinations for fishing; 

wildlife observation and photography; 

environmental education and 

interpretation; high-speed boating; 

recreational boating associated with 

hunting, fishing, wildlife observation 

and photography; research; plant 

gathering; and mosquito monitoring and 

control. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received at the address below by 

October 28, 2006. In addition, two 

public meetings will be held on October 

4 and October 5, 2006 from 7 p.m. to 9 

p.m. in California. 

ADDRESSES: For more information on 

obtaining documents and submitting 

comments, see ‘‘Review and Comment’’

under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. For 

public meeting location see ‘‘Public 

Meetings.’’

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom 

Harvey, Project Leader at the Stone 

Lakes NWR address under ‘‘Review and 

Comment’’ or David Bergendorf, Refuge 

Planner, at the CA/NV Refuge Planning 

Office address under ‘‘Review and 

Comment’’ or at (916) 414–6503 

(telephone). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Draft 

CCP/EA, prepared pursuant to the 

National Wildlife Refuge System 

Administration Act of 1966, as amended 

by the National Wildlife Refuge 

Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C 

668dd et seq.) as amended and the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321–4347) as 

amended, describes the Service’s 

proposal for managing the Refuge for the 

next 15 years. 

Review and Comment 

Copies of the Draft CCP/EA may be 

obtained by writing to the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Attn: David 

Bergendorf, CA/NV Refuge Planning 

Office, 2800 Cottage Way, W–1832, 

Sacramento, CA 95825–1846. Copies of 

the Draft CCP/EA may be viewed at this 

address or at Stone Lakes National 

Wildlife Refuge, 1624 Hood-Franklin 

Road, Elk Grove, CA 95758. The Draft 

CCP/EA will also be available for 

viewing and downloading online at 

http://www.fws.gov/stonelakes/ 

publicreview.htm. Printed documents 

will also be available for review at the 

following libraries: Sacramento Central 

Library, 828 I Street, Sacramento, CA 

95814; Arden-Dimick Library, 891 Watt 

Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95864; Belle 

Cooledge Library, 5600 South Land Park 

Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822; Elk Grove 

Library, 8962 Elk Grove Blvd., Elk 

Grove, CA 95624; Clarksburg Yolo 

County Library, 52915 Netherlands 

Road, Clarksburg, CA 95612; Colonial 

Heights Library, 4799 Stockton Blvd., 

Sacramento, CA 95820; Courtland 

Library Neighborhood Library, 170 

Primasing Avenue, Courtland, CA 

95615; and the Galt Branch Library 

(Marian O. Lawrence Library), 1000 

Caroline Avenue, Galt, CA 95632. 

Comments on the Draft CCP/EA 

should be addressed to: David 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
55802 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 185 / Monday, September 25, 2006 / Notices 

Bergendorf, Refuge Planner, 2800 

Cottage Way, W–1832, Sacramento, CA 

95825–1846. Comments may also be 

faxed to (916) 414–6497 or submitted 

via electronic mail to 

david_bergendorf@fws.gov. If submitting 

comments by fax, please address to 

Attn: David Bergendorf, re: Stone Lakes 

NWR CCP. If submitting electronic mail, 

please type ‘‘Stone Lakes NWR CCP’’ in 

the subject line. 

Public Meetings 

Our two public meetings will take 

place at the Elk Grove Community 

Services District, Administration 

Building, boardroom located at 8820 Elk 

Grove Blvd., Elk Grove, CA 95624. 

Background 

The Refuge was established in 1994 

under the authority of the Emergency 

Wetlands Resources Act of 1986, the 

Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, the 

Migratory Bird Conservation Act and 

the Endangered Species Act of 1973. 

The Refuge boundary encompasses 

17,600 acres; this includes a core Refuge 

area of about 9,000 acres and a 9,000- 

acre cooperative Wildlife Management 

Area that encompasses land managed by 

other agencies in concert with Refuge 

purposes. The Service actively manages 

about 6,000 acres. The Refuge is located 

in the Beach-Stone Lakes Basin within 

the Sacramento Valley in southwestern 

Sacramento County; it lies about 10 

miles south of the city of Sacramento, 

straddling Interstate 5 from the town of 

Freeport south to Lost Slough. 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The Service prepared the Stone Lakes 

NWR Draft CCP to guide management of 

wildlife, other natural resources, and 

public use on the Refuge for the next 15 

years. The CCP is flexible; it will be 

revised periodically to ensure that its 

goals, objectives, implementation 

strategies and timetables remain valid 

and appropriate. Major revisions require 

and provide a process for public 

involvement and National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

review, if needed. 

Alternatives 

The draft EA/CCP presents an 

evaluation of the environmental effects 

of three alternatives for managing the 

Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge 

for the next 15 years. The Service 

proposes to implement Alternative B, as 

described in the EA. Alternative B best 

achieves the Refuges’ purposes, vision, 

and goals; contributes to the Refuge 

System mission; addresses the 

significant issues and relevant 

mandates; and is consistent with 

principles of sound fish and wildlife 

management. This alternative is 

described in more detail in the CCP. 

There are many features of proposed 

Refuge management that are common to 

all three alternatives. Features common 

to all alternatives include ongoing 

coordination with the Sacramento/Yolo 

Mosquito and Vector Control District on 

mosquito control, ongoing weed 

management including coordination 

with the Stone Lakes Water Hyacinth 

Control Group, implementation of a 

hunt program, vernal pool management, 

boating access with a no-wake zone on 

all Refuge waters, and riparian habitat 

maintenance and restoration. There are 

also many features of each alternative 

that are distinct. 

Alternative A, the no action 

alternative, assumes no change from 

current management programs and is 

considered the baseline to compare 

other alternatives against. Under 

Alternative A, the primary management 

focus of the Refuge would continue to 

be providing habitat for migrating, 

wintering and nesting migratory and 

resident birds with an emphasis on 

waterbirds and endangered species by 

restoring and maintaining wetland, 

riparian woodland and grassland 

habitats, and valuable agricultural 

lands. The Refuge would continue to 

offer limited wildlife-dependent 

recreation, including volunteer 

participation in restoration, limited 

wildlife observation and photography, 

limited environmental education and 

interpretative programs, and hunting, 

with emphasis on youth and disabled 

hunters. 

Under Alternative B, the Refuge 

would continue its current focus of 

providing wintering habitat for 

migratory birds and management to 

benefit endangered species. 

Management programs for migratory 

birds and other Central Valley wildlife 

would be expanded and improved and 

public use opportunities would also be 

expanded. The number of units open to 

the public would increase from one to 

five. In addition, environmental 

education, interpretation, wildlife 

observation, wildlife photography, 

hunting, and fishing programs would be 

expanded. 

Under Alternative C, the Refuge 

would continue to focus on providing 

wintering habitat for migratory birds 

and managing for endangered species 

while placing a greater emphasis on 

historic conditions in management and 

habitat restoration activities. 

Opportunities for the six priority public 

uses: Hunting, fishing, wildlife 

observation and photography, 

environmental education and 

interpretation, would be expanded 

beyond both Alternatives A and B. 

Public Comments 

After the review and comment period 

ends for this Draft CCP/EA, comments 

will be analyzed by the Service and 

addressed in the Final CCP. All 

comments received from individuals, 

including names and addresses, become 

part of the official public record and 

may be released. Requests for such 

comments will be handled in 

accordance with the Freedom of 

Information Act, the Council on 

Environmental Quality’s NEPA 

regulations, and other Service and 

Departmental policies and procedures. 

Dated: July 31, 2006. 

Margaret T. Kolar, 

Acting Manager, California/Nevada 

Operations, Sacramento, California. 

[FR Doc. 06–8159 Filed 9–22–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[WY–920–1320–EL, WYW173097] 

Notice of Invitation for Coal 

Exploration License Application, 

Wyoming 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Invitation for Coal 

Exploration License Application, Ark 

Land Company, WYW173097, 

Wyoming. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 2(b) of the 

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as 

amended by section 4 of the Federal 

Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976, 

90 Stat. 1083, 30 U.S.C. 201 (b), and to 

the regulations adopted as 43 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) 3410, all 

interested qualified parties, as provided 

in 43 CFR 3472.1, are hereby invited to 

participate with Ark Land Company on 

a pro rata cost sharing basis in a 

program for the exploration of coal 

deposits owned by the United States of 

America in the following-described 

lands in Campbell County, Wyoming: 

T. 46 N., R. 70 W., 6th P.M., Wyoming, 

Sec. 18: Lots 7 through 10, 14 through 17; 

Sec. 19: Lots 7 through 10, 15 through 18; 

Sec. 30: Lots 5 through 20; 

Sec. 31: Lots 1, 5 through 19; 

Sec. 32: Lots 5 through 8, 11 through 14. 

Containing 2,274.14 acres, more or less. 

DATES: Any party electing to participate 

in this exploration program must send 

written notice to both the Bureau of 

Land Management and Ark Land 

Company, as provided in the ADDRESSES


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES