15710 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices 

Assistance Grants; 97.039, Hazard Mitigation 

Grant Program.) 

R. David Paulison, 

Under Secretary for Federal Emergency 

Management and Director of FEMA. 

[FR Doc. E7–6074 Filed 3–30–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Federal Emergency Management 

Agency 

[FEMA–1684–DR] 

Pennsylvania; Amendment No. 1 to 

Notice of a Major Disaster Declaration 

AGENCY: Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice amends the notice 

of a major disaster declaration for the 

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 

(FEMA–1684–DR), dated February 23, 

2007, and related determinations. 

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 26, 2007. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Magda Ruiz, Recovery Division, Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, 

Washington, DC 20472, (202) 646–2705. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The notice 

of a major disaster declaration for the 

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is 

hereby amended to include the 

following area among those areas 

determined to have been adversely 

affected by the catastrophe declared a 

major disaster by the President in his 

declaration of February 23, 2007: 

Schuylkill County for Public Assistance. 

(The following Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Numbers (CFDA) are to be used 

for reporting and drawing funds: 97.030, 

Community Disaster Loans; 97.031, Cora 

Brown Fund Program; 97.032, Crisis 

Counseling; 97.033, Disaster Legal Services 

Program; 97.034, Disaster Unemployment 

Assistance (DUA); 97.046, Fire Management 

Assistance; 97.048, Individuals and 

Households Housing; 97.049, Individuals and 

Households Disaster Housing Operations; 

97.050 Individuals and Households 

Program—Other Needs, 97.036, Public 

Assistance Grants; 97.039, Hazard Mitigation 

Grant Program.) 

R. David Paulison, 

Under Secretary for Federal Emergency 

Management and Director of FEMA. 

[FR Doc. E7–6094 Filed 3–30–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Notice of Availability of Final 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan and 

Environmental Assessment for the 39 

North Dakota Limited-Interest National 

Wildlife Refuges 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service) announces that a 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan 

(CCP) for the 39 North Dakota Limitedinterest National Wildlife Refuges is 

available. This CCP, prepared pursuant 

to the National Wildlife Refuge System 

Improvement Act of 1997 and the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, describes how the Service intends 

to manage these 39 Refuges for the next 

15 years. 

ADDRESSES: A copy of the CCP may be 

obtained by writing to U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Division of Refuge 

Planning, 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 

300, Lakewood, CO 80228; or 

downloaded from http://mountainprairie.fws.gov/planning. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Laura King, Planning Team Leader, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, telephone 

701–724–3097; fax 701–724–3683; or email: laura_king@fws.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 39 

North Dakota Limited-interest National 

Wildlife Refuges are Appert Lake, 

Ardoch, Bone Hill, Brumba, Buffalo 

Lake, Camp Lake, Canfield Lake, 

Cottonwood Lake, Dakota Lake, Halfway Lake, Hiddenwood, Hobart, 

Hutchinson Lake, Johnson Lake, Lake 

George, Lake Otis, Lake Patricia, Lambs 

Lake, Little Goose, Lords Lake, Lost 

Lake, Maple River, Pleasant Lake, Pretty 

Rock, Rabb Lake, Rock Lake, Rose Lake, 

School Section Lake, Sheyenne Lake, 

Sibley Lake, Silver Lake, Snyder Lake, 

Springwater, Stoney Slough, Sunburst 

Lake, Tomahawk, Willow Lake, 

Wintering River, and Wood Lake 

National Wildlife Refuges. Each of these 

refuges started out in the 1930s as 

flowage and/or refuge easement lands. 

This was the era of droughts, 

depression, and declining waterfowl 

populations. This flowage and/or refuge 

easement program (program) was 

initiated by the Franklin D. Roosevelt 

administration to address these crises 

on private lands. Through these 

easements, the Service acquired the 

right to control hunting and trapping on 

the entire easement area, and impound, 

maintain, and control water levels, and 

control the uses that occur on that water 

or other main water bodies (such as 

rivers and lakes). The landowners of 

these easement lands retain all other 

rights including the right to farm, graze, 

build structures, etc. 

An additional status (beyond the 

existing flowage and/or refuge 

easements) was added in the late 1930s. 

Adjoining easement lands were 

combined and an approved acquisition 

boundary was designated resulting in 31 

new National Wildlife Refuges. These 

Refuges were established through 

separate Executive Orders signed by 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the 

purpose of ‘‘* * * refuge[s] and 

breeding ground[s] for migratory birds 

and other wildlife * * * .’’ Seven 

additional Refuges were established in 

1948 in the same manner but under the 

authority of the precursor to the Fish 

and Wildlife Coordination Act. Lake 

Otis, the remaining refuge, was 

established in the early 1970s as ‘‘* * * 

an inviolate sanctuary for migratory 

birds.’’ Combined, these Refuges 

encompass 47,296 acres, ranging in size 

from 160 acres (Half-way Lake) to 5,506 

acres (Rock Lake). Although these are 

National Wildlife Refuges in name, the 

language in the establishing authorities 

does not apply unless the lands are 

acquired by the Service. After 70 years, 

99 percent of the lands within the 

approved acquisition boundaries remain 

in private ownership; therefore, the 

original 1930s easement language 

remains the purpose for the majority of 

these refuges. Due to this fact, the 

Service has ‘‘limited-interest’’ in these 

refuges due to the restrictive 

management capabilities (as stated 

above) afforded by the easement. 

The Draft CCP and Environmental 

Assessment (EA) was made available to 

the public for a 60-day review and 

comment period following the 

announcement in the Federal Register 

on October 5, 2005 (70 FR 58232). The 

Draft CCP/EA identified and evaluated 

two alternatives for managing these 39 

Refuges for the next 15 years. 

Alternative A, the No Action 

Alternative, would have continued 

current management, which for the most 

part, has been minimal. Only minor 

improvements, such as repairs to water 

control structures on the 

impoundments, would continue under 

this alternative. No funding would be 

provided for this program, as in the 

past, and partnerships would be 

incidental to common interests and not 

actively pursued. Alternative B, the 

Preferred Alternative (Enhance the 

Program), first proposes that six 

Refuges, which have no potential to ever 

fully function as National Wildlife 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices 15711 

Refuges, be divested. These Refuges 

include Bone Hill, Camp Lake, 

Cottonwood Lake, Lake Patricia, 

Sheyenne Lake, and School Section 

Lake. This divestiture decision was 

based on the best available science and 

expert opinions, both by managers and 

biologists within the Service. This 

information was then evaluated by a 

divestiture model developed by a 

regional team. These six, for various 

reasons, were finally proposed for 

divestiture consideration. The 

justifications included State or other 

Federal agency ownership of the lands, 

extensive habitat loss, or lack of 

desirable habitat that would warrant 

such federal protection. This is the first 

step in the divestiture process. 

Implementation will require a proposal 

that will be sent to the Migratory Bird 

Conservation Commission for 

concurrence and then to Congress. No 

Refuge will be divested until an Act of 

Congress is signed. The remaining 33 

Refuges will be managed in cooperation 

with the current landowners. At a 

minimum, landowners will receive an 

annual newsletter describing 

opportunities for receiving additional 

compensation for added habitat 

protection. These Refuges will be given 

priority for such programs as grassland 

and wetland easements, while the 

Service actively works with other 

conservation partners on mutual 

interests on these Refuges. These lands 

will also be given additional 

consideration as projects are submitted 

for land acquisition dollars available to 

the region. In order to implement this 

part of the CCP, the managing stations 

will first prioritize their individual 

Refuges by developing a greater 

understanding of the habitat types that 

occur and which types need added 

protection. The CCP states that highest 

priority will be given to native prairie 

habitat on all Refuges. 

Under the preferred alternative, the 

Service will post all boundaries with a 

unique sign that will identify these 

refuges as private lands. As part of 

implementation, compatibility 

determinations (CD) will be completed 

for all proposed Service-controlled 

activities that occur on the uplands and 

water. These CDs could not be 

completed as part of the Final CCP. A 

significant part of implementation will 

be to work with over 200 landowners to 

determine their willingness to grant 

access for public use as the Service 

never acquired the right to control 

public access. Until the Service has 

worked out these negotiations, no CD 

can be completed. The Service will 

work with the State and willing 

landowners to determine if any 

additional public use opportunities are 

available including hunting, fishing, 

wildlife observation, wildlife 

photography, environmental education 

and interpretation. Trapping will 

continue on a permit-only basis for the 

purposes of protecting nesting migratory 

birds (including waterfowl and 

songbirds) and increase survival rates of 

young birds. Trappers will be required 

to provide annual reports of harvest and 

follow State regulations. 

The Service is furnishing this notice 

to advise other agencies and the public 

of the availability of the Final CCP, to 

provide information on the desired 

conditions for the North Dakota 

Limited-interest Refuges, and to detail 

how the Service will implement 

management strategies. Based on the 

review and evaluation of the 

information contained in the 

environmental assessment, the Regional 

Director has determined that 

implementation of the Final CCP does 

not constitute a major Federal action 

that would significantly affect the 

quality of the human environment 

within the meaning of Section 102(2)(c) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act. Therefore, an Environmental 

Impact Statement will not be prepared. 

Future site-specific proposals discussed 

in the Final CCP will be addressed in 

separate planning efforts with full 

public involvement. 

Dated: April 23, 2006. 

James Slack, 

Deputy Regional Director, Region 6, Denver, 

CO. 

Editorial Note: This document was 

received at the Office of the Federal Register 

on March 27, 2007. 

[FR Doc. E7–5884 Filed 3–30–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

Proclaiming Certain Lands as 

Reservation for the Jena Band of 

Choctaw Indians of Louisiana 

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Reservation 

Proclamation. 

SUMMARY: This notice informs the public 

that the Principal Deputy Assistant 

Secretary—Indian Affairs proclaimed 

approximately 63.52 acres, more or less, 

as the Jena Band of Choctaw Reservation 

for the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians of 

Louisiana (Jena Band). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben 

Burshia, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Division of Real Estate Services, Mail 

Stop 4639-MIB, 1849 C Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20240, Telephone (202) 

208–7737. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice is published in the exercise of 

authority delegated by the Secretary of 

the Interior to the Principal Deputy 

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs by 

part 209 of the Departmental Manual. 

A proclamation was issued, according 

with section 7 of the Act of June 18, 

1934 (48 Stat. 986; 25 U.S.C. 467), for 

the land described below. The land was 

proclaimed to be the Jena Band of 

Choctaw Reservation for the exclusive 

use of Indians on that reservation who 

are entitled to reside at the reservation 

by enrollment or tribal membership. 

Jena Band of Choctaw Indian 

Reservation 

Grant and LaSalle Parishes, Louisiana 

Parcel 1: No. 5 Pollock, Grant Parish, 

consisting of 40.49 acres, more or less. 

A certain piece, parcel or lot of ground 

together with all improvements thereon, 

rights, ways and privileges thereunto 

belonging or in any way appertaining, 

being, lying and situated in the 

northeast quarter of the southwest 

quarter of Section 5, Township 5 North, 

Range 1 West, Grant Parish, Louisiana; 

being more particularly described as 

follows, to wit: 

Commencing at a bolt and 3′′ iron pipe 

marking the southeast corner of the northeast 

quarter of the southwest quarter, Section 5, 

Township 5 North, Range 1 West; said corner 

also being the POINT OF BEGINNING of the 

tract to be described; thence proceed North 

89 degrees 38 minutes 42 seconds West, 

bearing assumed, a distance of 1328.33 feet 

to a 1⁄2′′ iron rod; thence turn right and 

proceed North 00 degrees 20 minutes 34 

seconds East, a distance of 1329.18 feet to a 

1⁄2′′ iron rod; thence turn right and proceed 

South 89 degrees 30 minutes 00 seconds East, 

a distance of 1329.11 feet to a 4′′ x 4′′ 

concrete post; thence turn right and proceed 

South 00 degrees 22 minutes 35 seconds 

West, a distance of 1325.81 feet to the POINT 

OF BEGINNING. 

The above described tract contains 

40.49 acres, more or less, and is more 

particularly indicated on Certificate of 

Survey by William J. Wood, Jr., dated 

February 8, 2001. 

Parcel 2: No. 6 Hennigan/Jena, La 

Salle Parish consisting of 14.67 acres, 

more or less. A certain piece, parcel or 

lot of ground together with all 

improvements thereon, rights, ways and 

privileges thereunto belonging or in any 

way appertaining, being, lying and 

situated in the Southeast Quarter of the 

Northwest Quarter and the Northeast 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with NOTICES