61064 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 200 / Tuesday, October 17, 2006 / Notices 

between Houston, Texas, and the 

Louisiana state line in Chambers, 

Jefferson, and Galveston Counties, 

Texas. All four refuges include the 

Migratory Bird Conservation Act as a 

primary authority and purpose. 

Moody NWR was established in 1961 

and today consists of a conservation 

easement on approximately 3,516 acres 

of coastal marsh. Anahuac NWR was 

established in 1963 and contains 34,339 

acres of coastal marsh and adjoining 

uplands in fee title ownership. 

McFaddin NWR was established in 1980 

and is 58,861 acres of primarily coastal 

marsh in a mix of fee title and 

conservation easements. Texas Point 

NWR was established in 1979 and 

consists of 8,952 acres of coastal marsh 

in fee title ownership. 

The integrated EIS contains two sets 

of alternatives addressing two separate 

but related Federal Actions: (1) Refuge 

management alternatives for 

development of a CCP for the Complex, 

and (2) alternatives for expansion of the 

refuge acquisition boundaries. 

Five refuge management alternatives 

are proposed and evaluated for the 

Refuge Complex. The first management 

alternative is the ‘‘No Action’’

alternative, required by NEPA, which 

would continue the current refuge 

management activities. Current habitat 

management activities include (1) water 

management; (2) wetland, prairie, and 

woodlot restoration; (3) moist soil 

management units; (4) cooperative rice 

farming; (5) fire management; (6) 

controlled livestock grazing; and (7) 

exotic/invasive species management. 

The second management alternative 

emphasizes intensifying management of 

wetland habitats for waterfowl, 

shorebirds, wading birds, and other 

wetland-dependent migratory birds. The 

third management alternative 

emphasizes native habitat restoration 

and addressing threats from coastal land 

loss, altered hydrology, exotic species, 

and contaminants. The fourth 

management alternative, the Service’s 

preferred alternative, emphasizes an 

integrated management approach 

combining (1) expanded habitat 

management and restoration programs, 

(2) new research and wildlife 

population monitoring, and (3) 

increased efforts to address major 

threats to ecosystem health. The fifth 

management alternative emphasizes a 

passive management approach. All five 

of these refuge management alternatives 

make wildlife-dependent recreational 

opportunities available to the public, 

including opportunities for hunting, 

fishing, wildlife observation and 

photography, and environmental 

education and interpretation. 

Four refuge boundary expansion 

alternatives are proposed and evaluated. 

The first expansion alternative is the 

‘‘No Action’’ alternative, required by 

NEPA, which would retain the current 

refuge acquisition boundaries. The 

second expansion alternative would 

expand the refuge boundary for Moody 

NWR by 5,050 acres; for Anahuac NWR 

by 20,500 acres; for McFaddin NWR by 

7,190 acres; and for Texas Point NWR 

by 850 acres. The total expansion of 

33,590 acres continues the historic focus 

on land acquisition primarily in coastal 

marsh and adjacent agricultural 

uplands. The third expansion 

alternative, the Service’s preferred 

alternative, would expand the refuge 

boundary for Moody NWR by 7,920 

acres; for Anahuac NWR by 47,750 

acres; for McFaddin NWR by 7,190 

acres; and for Texas Point NWR by 

1,400 acres. The total expansion of 

64,260 acres includes all of the coastal 

marsh and adjacent agricultural uplands 

from the second expansion alternative 

plus two important areas of native 

coastal prairie. The fourth expansion 

alternative would expand the refuge 

boundary for Moody NWR by 7,920 

acres, for Anahuac NWR by 64,910, for 

McFaddin NWR by 29,890 acres, and for 

Texas Point NWR by 1,400 acres. The 

total expansion of 104,120 acres 

includes all of the lands in the third 

expansion alternative along with a large 

freshwater marsh north of the current 

McFaddin NWR and a near-coast 

bottomland hardwood area important to 

neotropical migratory birds. Lands 

acquired in the future would be 

managed according to the strategies 

contained in the Service’s preferred 

management alternative. 

Public Meetings: The Service will 

hold at least two public meetings in 

Chambers and Jefferson Counties, Texas, 

30 days after publication of this notice 

to present the draft document, answer 

questions, and receive formal public 

comments. Notice of the meetings will 

be posted in local newspapers and other 

media outlets and given through special 

mailings to individuals and 

organizations that have expressed 

interest in this planning effort. 

Editorial note: This document was received 

at the Office of the Federal Register October 

11, 2006. 

Dated: April 3, 2006. 

Geoffrey L. Haskett, 

Acting, Regional Director, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service,Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

[FR Doc. E6–17087 Filed 10–16–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Geological Survey 

Scientific Earthquake Studies Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Public Law 106–

503, the Scientific Earthquake Studies 

Advisory Committee (SESAC) will hold 

its fourteenth meeting. The meeting 

location is the Albuquerque 

Seismological Laboratory, 10002 Isleta 

Road, SE, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico 

87117. The Committee is comprised of 

members from academia, industry, and 

State government. The Committee shall 

advise the Director of the U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS) on matters 

relating to the USGS’s participation in 

the National Earthquake Hazards 

Reduction Program. 

The Committee will provide guidance 

on the USGS’s contributions to the 

Global Seismographic Network and 

report preparation. 

Meetings of the Scientific Earthquake 

Studies Advisory Committee are open to 

the public. 

DATES: October 30, 2006, commencing at 

9 a.m. and adjourning at noon on 

October 31, 2006. 

Contact: Dr. David Applegate, U.S. 

Geological Survey, MS 905, 12201 

Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 

20192, (703) 648–6714, 

applegate@usgs.gov. 

Dated: October 2, 2006. 

Rama Kotra, 

Acting Associate Director for Geology. 

[FR Doc. 06–8716 Filed 10–16–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4311–AM–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[WY–060–1320–EL, WYW163340] 

Notice of Intent (NOI) To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and Notice of Public Meeting on a 

Federal Coal Lease Application Filed 

by the Antelope Coal Company in the 

Decertified Powder River Federal Coal 

Production Region, Wyoming 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent and notice of 

public hearing. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102 (2) 

(C) of the National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, 

the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 


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