27328 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 93 / Tuesday, May 15, 2007 / Notices 

continue to follow the current course of 

action. Private and commercial uses of 

the refuge would be likely unchanged. 

Currently 33 percent of the refuge is in 

Moderate Management and 67 percent 

of the Refuge is in Minimal 

Management. 

When the original plan was 

developed in 1987 two areas of 

Moderate Management were delineated, 

roughly corresponding to two major 

river drainages within the refuge. This 

was to allow more intensive habitat 

management activities to occur (e.g. 

water level management and 

mechanical manipulation of habitat). 

Though originally thought to be 

important to enhance the abundance of 

subsistence resources, subsequent 

studies showed that this level of 

manipulation was not needed. That 

aspect of the plan was never 

implemented. 

Alternative A would continue to 

protect and maintain the existing 

wildlife values, natural diversity, and 

ecological integrity of the refuge. 

Human disturbances to fish and wildlife 

habitats and populations would be 

minimal except, potentially, in 

Moderate Management areas. Public 

uses of the refuge employing existing 

access methods would continue to be 

allowed. Opportunities to pursue 

traditional subsistence activities, and 

recreational hunting, fishing, and other 

wildlife-dependent activities, would be 

maintained. Opportunities to pursue 

research would be maintained. 

Alternative B would convert all refuge 

lands now in Moderate Management to 

Minimal Management and incorporate 

the new policies and guidelines for 

refuges in Alaska. Management of the 

refuge would generally continue to 

follow the current course of action but 

would adopt a vision statement and set 

of goals developed in response to public 

scoping, that would implement low 

impact management. 

Alternative B was designed to 

maintain the natural, unaltered 

character and ecological integrity of the 

refuge with little evidence of humancaused change. Disturbance to resources 

as a result of public uses, economic 

activities, and facilities would be 

minimized. Habitats would be allowed 

to change and function through natural 

processes. Because activities that could 

have been allowed under Moderate 

Management in the 1987 Plan were 

never implemented, the public would 

see little or no change under Alternative 

B despite the removal of areas from the 

Moderate Management category. 

Alternative C (the preferred 

alternative) would convert a portion of 

the refuge lands now in Moderate 

Management, in the center of the refuge, 

to Minimal Management and would 

incorporate the new policies and 

guidelines for refuges in Alaska. With 

this change, 85 percent of the refuge 

would be in Minimal Management and 

15 percent of the refuge would remain 

in Moderate Management. The areas 

remaining in Moderate Management are 

adjacent to private lands near the 

Koyukuk River in the northwestern 

portion of the refuge. Management 

activities would generally continue as 

with Alternative A. 

Lands in Minimal Management would 

be managed to maintain their natural 

unaltered character and ecological 

integrity with little evidence of humancaused change. Moderate Management 

could allow some small-scale changes in 

the environment that do not disrupt 

natural processes. Though there may be 

signs of human activity, the natural 

landscape would remain the dominant 

feature. Moderate Management would 

allow more habitat manipulation than 

would Minimal Management, and 

permanent facilities may be constructed. 

It was anticipated that this flexibility 

may be needed due to the proximity of 

these areas to private lands, the river, 

and overland transportation routes. 

Public availability of comments: 

Before including your name, 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: May 8, 2007. 

Thomas O. Melius, 

Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Anchorage, Alaska. 

[FR Doc. E7–9281 Filed 5–14–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge 

Complex, South Dakota 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare 

comprehensive conservation plan and 

environmental assessment; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: This notice advises that 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 Lake 

Andes National Wildlife Refuge 

Complex (Complex), South Dakota. 

The Service is furnishing this notice 

in compliance with Service CCP policy 

to advise other agencies and the public 

of its intentions and to obtain 

suggestions and information on the 

scope of issues to be considered in the 

planning process. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

received by June 14, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for 

more information regarding the 

Complex should be sent to Bernardo 

Garza, Planning Team Leader, Division 

of Refuge Planning, 134 Union 

Boulevard, Suite 300, Lakewood, CO 

80228. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bernardo Garza, 303–236–4377, or John 

F. Esperance, 303–236–4369. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Service has initiated the CCP for the 

Complex with headquarters in Lake 

Andes, South Dakota. 

Each unit of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System, including this Complex, 

has specific purposes for which it was 

established. Those purposes are used to 

develop and prioritize management 

goals and objectives within the National 

Wildlife Refuge System mission and to 

guide which public uses will occur on 

the Complex. The planning process is a 

way for the Service 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 

each national wildlife refuge and 

wetland management district’s 

establishing purposes and the mission 

of the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

The Complex is made up of three 

separate entities: Lake Andes National 

Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Lake Andes 

Wetland Management District (WMD), 

and Karl E. Mundt NWR. Lake Andes 

NWR was established in 1936 to 

preserve an important piece of habitat 

for waterfowl and other water birds. The 

Lake Andes WMD was formed in the 

1960s to protect wetland and grassland 

habitat that is critical to our nation’s 

duck population. In 1967, the Service 

identified an area that was supporting 

almost 300 endangered bald eagles each 

winter; this area became the Karl E. 

Mundt NWR. Hunting and wildlife 

observation are the two most prevalent 

public uses on the Complex. 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC62 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 93 / Tuesday, May 15, 2007 / Notices 27329 

The Service 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. The Service is 

requesting input for issues, concerns, 

ideas, and suggestions for the future 

management of the Complex. Anyone 

interested in providing input is invited 

to respond to the following questions. 

(1) What problems or issues do you 

want to see addressed in the CCP? 

(2) What improvements would you 

recommend for the Complex? 

The Service has provided the above 

questions for your optional use; you are 

not required to provide information to 

the Service. The planning team 

developed these questions to facilitate 

finding out more information about 

individual issues and ideas concerning 

these three units of the National 

Wildlife Refuge System. Comments 

received by the planning team will be 

used as part of the planning process; 

individual comments will not be 

referenced in our reports or responded 

to directly. 

An opportunity will be given to the 

public to provide input at open houses 

to scope issues and concerns (schedules 

can be obtained from the planning team 

leader at the above address). Comments 

may also be submitted anytime during 

the planning process by writing to the 

above address. All information provided 

voluntarily by mail, phone, or at public 

meetings becomes part of the official 

public record (i.e., names, addresses, 

letters of comment, input recorded 

during meetings). If requested under the 

Freedom of Information Act by a private 

citizen or organization, the Service may 

provide informational copies. 

The environmental review of this 

project will be conducted in accordance 

with the requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 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 Service 

policies and procedures for compliance 

with those regulations. All comments 

received from individuals on Service 

Environmental Assessments and 

Environmental Impact Statements 

become part of the official public 

record. Requests for such comments will 

be handled in accordance with the 

Freedom of Information Act, NEPA (40 

CFR 1506.6(f)), and other Departmental 

and Service policies and procedures. 

Dated: September 19, 2006. 

James J. Slack, 

Deputy Regional Director, Region 6, Denver, 

Colorado. 

Editorial Note: This document was 

received at the Office of the Federal Register 

on May 10, 2007. 

[FR Doc. E7–9278 Filed 5–14–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, 

Alaska 

AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to revise the 

comprehensive conservation plan and 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement for Yukon Delta National 

Wildlife Refuge. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service, we), will be 

developing a revised Comprehensive 

Conservation Plan (CCP) and 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for Yukon Delta National Wildlife 

Refuge (Refuge). We will use local 

announcements, special mailings, 

newspaper articles, the Internet, and 

other media announcements to inform 

people of opportunities to provide input 

throughout the planning process. We 

will hold public meetings in 

communities within the Refuge during 

preparation of the revised plan. We will 

visit each of the 36 occupied 

communities within the Refuge 

boundary as we revise this plan. 

DATES: Please provide written comments 

on the scope of the CCP revision by 

January 31, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Address comments, 

questions, and requests for further 

information to: Peter Wikoff, Planning 

Team Leader, Division of Conservation 

Planning and Policy, 1011 East Tudor 

Rd., MS–231, Anchorage, AK 99503. 

Comments may be faxed to (907) 786–

3965, or sent via electronic mail to 

YukonDelta_planning@fws.gov. 

Additional information about the Refuge 

is available on the Internet at: http:// 

alaska.fws.gov/nwr/planning/ 

ydpol.htm. 

FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter 

Wikoff, Planning Team Leader, phone 

(907) 786–3837 or Mikel Haase, 

Planning Team Leader, phone (907) 

786–3402. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Established by the Alaska National 

Interest Lands Conservation Act (94 

Stat. 2371) in 1980 (ANILCA), Yukon 

Delta National Wildlife Refuge is the 

second largest Refuge in the National 

Wildlife Refuge System. Stretching east 

for 300 miles from Nunivak Island in 

the Bering Sea to the village of Aniak, 

the Refuge spans more than 19 million 

acres. The two largest rivers in Alaska, 

the Yukon and the Kuskokwim, flow 

through the Refuge creating a delta 

which covers about 70% of the Refuge. 

This broad, flat area is less than 100 feet 

in elevation and covered by countless 

lakes and ponds. Flooding is common 

along rivers and lowlands. Wetlands, 

lakes, ponds, streams, inlets, bays, and 

coastal areas support an extremely 

varied community of fish and wildlife 

including one of the largest aggregations 

of water birds in North America. Each 

year over one million ducks, half a 

million geese and millions of shorebirds 

use the Refuge for both breeding and 

staging. The Refuge is also home to 

significant salmon fisheries. 

Thirty-six occupied communities lie 

within the Refuge boundaries. Alaskan 

Native peoples have occupied the region 

for close to 10,000 years and their lives 

and culture are intertwined with the 

Refuge. Local Native corporations own 

vast tracts of lands within the Refuge. 

Refuge purposes include: (1) 

Conserving fish and wildlife 

populations and habitats in their natural 

diversity, including, but not limited to, 

shorebirds, seabirds, whistling swans, 

emperor, white-fronted and Canada 

geese, black brant and other migratory 

birds, salmon, muskox, and marine 

mammals; (2) fulfilling international 

treaty obligations of the United States 

with respect to fish and wildlife and 

their habitats; (3) providing, in a manner 

consistent with purposes (1) and (2) 

above, the opportunity for continued 

subsistence use by local residents; and 

(4) ensuring, to the maximum extent 

practicable and in a manner consistent 

with purpose (1) above, water quality 

and necessary water quantity within the 

Refuge. 

We furnish this notice in accordance 

with the ANILCA, the National Wildlife 

Refuge System Administration Act as 

amended by the National Wildlife 

Refuge System Improvement Act of 

1997 (16 U.S. C. 668dd-688ee), the 

regulations implementing the National 

Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 

1500–1508), and Service policies. 

These laws and policies require all 

lands within the National Wildlife 

Refuge System to be managed in 

accordance with an approved CCP 

which articulates a 15 year plan for 

managing a Refuge and identifies Refuge 

goals and objectives. During the CCP 

process, we will consider many 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC62 with NOTICES