65832 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 217 / Thursday, November 9, 2006 / Notices 

If we determine that all requirements 

are met, we will sign the Agreement and 

issue an enhancement of survival permit 

under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Act to 

TNC for the take of Oregon silverspot 

butterflies, incidental to otherwise 

lawful activities in accordance with the 

terms of the Agreement. This notice is 

provided pursuant to section 10(c) of 

the Act and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 

1506.6). 

Dated: November 3, 2006. 

Miel Corbett, 

Acting State Supervisor, Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, 

Portland, Oregon. 

[FR Doc. E6–18970 Filed 11–8–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Notice of Availability of the Draft 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan and 

Environmental Assessment for 

Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge in 

Cameron and Evangeline Parishes, LA 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability 

SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service 

announces that a Draft Comprehensive 

Conservation Plan and Environmental 

Assessment for Lacassine National 

Wildlife Refuge is available for 

distribution. This document was 

prepared pursuant to the National 

Wildlife Refuge System Administration 

Act of 1966, as amended, and the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969. The draft plan and environmental 

assessment describes the Service’s 

proposal for management of the refuge 

for 15 years. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received at the postal or electronic 

address listed below no later than 

December 11, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: To provide written 

comments or to obtain a copy of the 

draft plan and environmental 

assessment, please contact the Project 

Leader, Southwest Louisiana National 

Wildlife Refuge Complex, 1428 

Highway 27, Bell City, Louisiana 70630; 

Telephone: 337–598–2216. Comments 

may also be submitted via electronic 

mail to judy_mcclendon@fws.gov. The 

draft plan and environmental 

assessment may be accessed and 

downloaded from the Service’s Internet 

site http://southeast.fws.gov/planning/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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–66ee), requires the Service to 

develop a comprehensive conservation 

plan for each refuge. The purpose in 

developing a 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. 

Background: Lacassine National 

Wildlife Refuge is one of four refuges 

that makes up the Southwest Louisiana 

National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It is 

located at the edge of Grand Lake and 

15 miles from the Gulf of Mexico in 

Cameron and Evangeline Parishes in 

Louisiana. The 34,724-acre refuge is 

strategically located on the boundary of 

coastal marsh and agricultural habitats; 

as well as at the southern terminus of 

the Mississippi and Central Flyways, 

making the refuge critically important to 

migratory birds, especially wintering 

waterfowl. Habitat types and 

approximate acreage on the refuge 

include: 14,700 acres of fresh marsh; 

16,000 acres of impounded fresh marsh; 

1,048 acres of open water, 352 acres of 

forested wetlands, 348 acres of shrub 

wetlands; 1,109 acres of croplands (e.g., 

rice and fallow); 307 acres of early 

successional wetlands; and 334 acres of 

coastal prairie, plus roads, levees, etc. 

About 3,300 acres are set aside with 

wilderness designation. 

Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge 

was established on December 30, 1937, 

as Lacassine Migratory Waterfowl 

Refuge by the following: (1) Executive 

Order 7780 ‘‘as a Refuge and breeding 

ground for migratory birds and other 

wildlife,’’ and (2) the Migratory Bird 

Conservation Act ‘‘for use as an 

inviolate sanctuary, or any other 

management purpose, for migratory 

birds’’ (16 U.S.C. 715d). Additional 

lands were added to the refuge under 

the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 ‘‘for 

the development, advancement, 

management, conservation, and 

protection of fish and wildlife 

resources’’ [16 U.S.C. 742f(a)(4)] and 

‘‘for the benefit of the United States Fish 

and Wildlife Service in performing its 

activities and services’’ [16 U.S.C. 

742f(b)(1)]. 

Significant issues addressed in the 

draft plan and environmental 

assessment include: Migratory bird 

management; management for special 

habitats, such as the wilderness area, 

Lacassine Pool (i.e., freshwater 

impoundment), and prairie habitat; 

water management; management of oil 

and gas activities; access management 

for public use activities, including 

recreational freshwater sportfishing, 

fishing tournaments, and hunting; and 

protection of cultural resources. 

Also included in the draft plan and 

environmental assessment are 

compatibility determinations for the 

following: Berry picking (collecting 

berries, fruits, and nuts); environmental 

education and interpretation; 

recreational freshwater sportfishing; 

recreational freshwater sportfishing 

tournaments; recreational hunting; 

research and monitoring; wildlife 

observation and photography; 

commercial alligator harvests; 

commercial video and photography; 

commercially guided wildlife viewing, 

photography, environmental education, 

and interpretation; and cooperative 

farming. 

The Service developed three 

alternatives for management of the 

refuge and chose Alternative B as the 

proposed alternative. 

Alternative A represents no change 

from current management of the refuge. 

Under the ‘‘No Action’’ Alternative the 

refuge will remain at 34,724 acres in fee 

title, including Farm Service Agency 

transfer lands and the lease of the 652- 

acre Cameron Parish school section. 

With no action, marsh loss rates of at 

least 0.23 percent per year are 

anticipated (low to moderate loss) in the 

Mermentau River Basin; similar rates 

are expected in other areas of the refuge. 

The refuge will continue to manage 

impounded freshwater marsh (16,000 

acres), state-jurisdictional waterways 

(Lacassine Bayou and Mermentau 

River), ephemeral freshwater marsh 

(Streeter Canal and Duck Pond), and 

manage upland vegetation to benefit 

native plants. Acreages of different 

habitats will remain as they are now. 

About 3,300 acres south of the Gulf 

Intracoastal Waterway will continue to 

be formally designated as wilderness. 

Management at Lacassine Refuge will 

focus on biological monitoring, wildlife 

management, invasive plant 

management, moist-soil management, 

cooperative farming program 

management, and priority public use 

management, including hunting, fishing 

and environmental education. 

Alternative B is the Service’s 

proposed action to maximize refuge 

management capabilities in all 


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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 217 / Thursday, November 9, 2006 / Notices 65833 

programs. Under the proposed 

alternative, the refuge would pursue 

acquiring, from willing sellers, lands 

within its approved acquisition 

boundary. The 3,300-acre Wilderness 

Area would remain the same size. Gross 

habitat acreages (until approved 

acquisition boundary expansion occurs) 

would not change appreciably from 

those under Alternative A, but habitats 

in general would be managed more 

intensively. The refuge would also 

expand existing wildlife management 

programs including: Focus refuge 

management on improving and 

extending the value of Lacassine Pool as 

a waterfowl sanctuary through adaptive 

management and increased emphasis on 

research; provide additional waterfowl 

food by increasing early successional 

wetland acreage from 300 to 500 acres 

and expanding the farming program; 

pursue opportunities to reduce erosion 

to refuge marshes caused by commercial 

navigation, wind/wave action, other 

natural forces, and oil and gas industry 

traffic/activities. The refuge would 

evaluate the seasonality and habitat 

conditions for prescribed fire in 

Lacassine Pool and other refuge marshes 

to enhance habitat for migratory birds, 

fish, and other wildlife; seek support to 

control invasive plants in the 

Wilderness Area and refuge-wide using 

approved minimum tools; continue 

partnerships to manage and protect the 

334-acre coastal prairie on the Duralde 

Unit; improve quality hunting/fishing 

experiences; and manage oil and gas 

activities in accordance with Service 

policy. Under this alternative, levees 

would be constructed within Lacassine 

Pool, subdividing it into four units (Unit 

D, plus three additional units). This 

action would facilitate the management 

of the pool and lengthen its longevity by 

increasing the ability of refuge staff to 

dewater it, drawing it down to facilitate 

oxidation of accumulating organic 

sediments and more frequent use of 

prescribed fire. Thus, management 

could proceed unit-by-unit on a regular 

basis without having to impact the value 

of the entire pool to migratory birds and 

fisheries all at once. The six priority 

wildlife-dependent public uses would 

continue to be supported and in some 

cases would be expanded. This 

alternative would also strengthen the 

close working relationship in existence 

between the Service, the local 

community, conservation organizations, 

and the Louisiana Department of 

Wildlife and Fisheries. 

Under Alternative C, the refuge would 

remain at 34,724 acres but would 

refocus management priority to actively 

investigating and extending the life/ 

value of Lacassine Pool as a migratory 

waterfowl sanctuary. Due to 

sedimentation rates and constraints on 

water level management capabilities, 

the pool’s lifespan is limited and, if 

nothing is done, it would gradually lose 

its value to both migratory waterfowl 

and fish populations, eventually 

becoming a wet meadow rather than a 

marshy wetland characterized by a mix 

of open water and emergent vegetation. 

Other programs dealing either with nonpool areas of the refuge or non-habitat 

aspects of refuge management (i.e., 

cooperative farming, moist-soil 

management, upland vegetation 

management, visitor services and 

priority public uses) would be managed 

at a reduced level since refuge resources 

would be directed to the pool. Under 

this alternative, levees would be 

constructed within the pool, 

subdividing it into six units over the 

next 10–15 years. This action would 

facilitate the management of the pool 

and lengthen its longevity by increasing 

the ability of refuge staff to dewater it, 

drawing it down to facilitate oxidation 

of accumulating sediments and more 

beneficial use of prescribed fire. Thus, 

management could proceed unit-by-unit 

on a regular basis without having to 

impact the value of the entire pool to 

fisheries and migratory birds all at once. 

The Service believes that Alternative 

B will be the most effective one to 

contribute to the purpose for which the 

refuge was established and to the 

mission of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System. Implementation of the goals, 

objectives, and strategies of Alternative 

B will allow the refuge to maintain 

freshwater marsh and upland prairie 

habitat; serve as a critical resting area 

for waterfowl in a heavily hunted area; 

conserve, restore, and enhance diverse 

habitats for migratory and native 

wildlife species; maintain healthy and 

viable native fish and wildlife 

populations; provide opportunities for 

safe, quality, compatible, wildlifedependent public use and recreation; 

and protect cultural resources. 

After the review and comment period 

for the draft plan and environmental 

assessment, all comments will be 

analyzed and considered by the Service. 

All comments received from individuals 

on the draft plan and environmental 

assessment become part of the official 

public record. Requests for such 

comments will be handled in 

accordance with the Freedom of 

Information Act and other Service and 

Departmental policies and procedures. 

Authority: This notice is published under 

the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System Improvement Act of 1997, Pub. L. 

105–57. 

Dated: October 6, 2006. 

Cynthia K. Dohner, 

Acting Regional Director 

[FR Doc. 06–9135 Filed 11–8–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation 

and Enforcement 

Notice of Proposed Information 

Collection for 1029–0057 and 1029–

0087 

AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining 

Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

office of Surface Mining Reclamation 

and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing 

its intention to request approval for the 

collections of information under 30 CFR 

Part 882, Reclamation of private lands; 

and Form OSM–76, Abandoned Mine 

Land Problem Area Description form. 

These information collection activities 

were previously approved by the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB), and 

assigned clearance numbers 1029–0057 

and 1029–0087, respectively. 

DATES: Comments on the proposed 

information collection must be received 

by January 8, 2006, to be assured of 

consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to 

John A. Trelease, Office of Surface 

Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 

1951 Constitution Ave. NW., Room 202–

SIB, Washington, DC 20240. Comments 

may also be submitted electronically to 

jtrelease@osmre.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

request a copy of either information 

collection request, explanatory 

information and related forms, contact 

John A. Trelease, at (202) 208–2783. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) 

regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which 

implement provisions of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13), 

require that interested members of the 

public and affected agencies have an 

opportunity to comment on information 

collection and recordkeeping activities 

[see 5 CFR 1320.8 (d)]. This notice 

identifies information collections that 

OSM will be submitting to OMB for 

approval. These collections are 

contained in (1) 30 CFR Part 882, 

Reclamation on private lands; and (2) 

Form OSM–76, Abandoned Mine Land 

Problem Area Description form. OSM 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES