18856 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / Notices 

Submitting Comments/Issues for 

Comment 

We consider comments substantive if 

they: 

• Question, with reasonable basis, the 

accuracy of the information in the 

document; 

• Question, with reasonable basis, the 

adequacy of the environmental 

assessment (EA); 

• Present reasonable alternatives 

other than those presented in the EA; 

and/or 

• Provide new or additional 

information relevant to the assessment. 

Next Steps 

After this comment period ends, we 

will analyze the comments and address 

them in the form of a final CCP and 

finding of no significant impact. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email 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: January 31, 2012. 

Joy E. Nicholopoulos, 

Acting, Regional Director, Southwest Region. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7400 Filed 3–27–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R4–R–2011–N–170; 40136–1265– 

0000–S3] 

Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, 

LA; Final Comprehensive 

Conservation Plan and Finding of No 

Significant Impact for Environmental 

Assessment 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service), announce the 

availability of our final comprehensive 

conservation plan (CCP) and finding of 

no significant impact (FONSI) for the 

environmental assessment for 

Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge 

(NWR) in St. Martin and Iberville 

Parishes, Louisiana. In the final CCP, we 

describe how we will manage this 

refuge for the next 15 years. 

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of 

the CCP by writing to: Mr. Daniel 

Breaux, Southeast Louisiana National 

Wildlife Refuge Complex, Bayou 

Lacombe Centre, 61389 Highway 434, 

Lacombe, LA 70445. Alternatively, you 

may download the document from our 

Internet Site: http://southeast.fws.gov/ 

planning/ under ‘‘Final Documents.’’ 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Daniel Breaux, at 985/882–2030 

(telephone), 985/882–9133 (fax), or 

Daniel_breaux@fws.gov (email). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

With this notice, we finalize the CCP 

process for Atchafalaya NWR. We 

started this process through a notice in 

the Federal Register on January 9, 2009 

(74 FR 915). For more about the refuge, 

see that notice. 

Atchafalaya NWR is one of eight 

refuges managed as part of the Southeast 

Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge 

Complex (Complex). Atchafalaya NWR 

is located in the lower Atchafalaya 

Basin Floodway System. Atchafalaya 

NWR is bounded on the north by U.S. 

Highway 190, on the south by Interstate 

10, on the west by the Atchafalaya 

River, and on the east by the East 

Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee. 

Atchafalaya NWR was established in 

1986, when 15,255 acres were 

purchased from the Iberville Land 

Company, as directed by Public Law 

98–548. The Louisiana Department of 

Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 

have also purchased fee title land 

adjacent to and within the Atchafalaya 

NWR, which brings the current acreage 

to approximately 44,000. The USACE 

has authority to purchase additional 

lands within the Atchafalaya Basin 

Floodway System. 

Approximately 12 percent of the 

refuge is inundated open water, with 

isolated cypress trees and willow 

stands. Bottomland hardwood forest is 

the primary habitat. 

Background 

The CCP Process 

The National Wildlife Refuge System 

Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 

668dd–668ee) (Administration Act), as 

amended by the National Wildlife 

Refuge System Improvement Act of 

1997, requires us to develop a CCP for 

each national wildlife refuge. The 

purpose for developing a CCP is to 

provide refuge managers with a 15-year 

plan 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 our policies. In 

addition to outlining broad management 

direction on conserving wildlife and 

their habitats, CCPs identify wildlifedependent recreational opportunities 

available to the public, including 

opportunities for hunting, fishing, 

wildlife observation, wildlife 

photography, and environmental 

education and interpretation. We will 

review and update the CCP at least 

every 15 years in accordance with the 

Administration Act. 

Comments 

We made copies of the Draft CCP/EA 

available for a 30-day public review and 

comment period via a Federal Register 

notice on May 24, 2011 (76 FR 30190). 

A news release was sent out to four 

local, state, and regional newspapers, 

six online media outlets, and two local 

radio networks. Copies of the Draft CCP/ 

EA were posted at refuge headquarters 

and on the Service’s Internet Web site 

and more than 100 copies were 

distributed to local landowners; the 

general public; and local, state, and 

federal agencies. Respondents 

representing the following submitted 

comments: LDWF; Louisiana 

Department of Culture, Recreation, and 

Tourism; Jena Band of Choctaw Indians; 

National Park Service; Audubon 

Society; Friends of the Atchafalaya; The 

Nature Conservancy; Gulf Restoration 

Network; Atchafalaya Basinkeeper; 

Louisiana Crawfish Producers 

Association—West; Sierra Club—Delta 

Chapter; Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper; 

Louisiana Environmental Action 

Network; and local citizens. 

Selected Alternative 

The Draft CCP/EA identified and 

evaluated three alternatives for 

managing the refuge over the next 15 

years. After considering the comments 

we received and based on the 

professional judgment of the planning 

team, we selected Alternative B for 

implementation. Alternative B best 

signifies the vision, goals, and purposes 

of the refuge. Under Alternative B, 

emphasis will be on restoring and 

improving the resources needed for 

wildlife and habitat management and 

providing appropriate and compatible 

wildlife-dependent public use 

opportunities, while addressing key 

issues and refuge mandates. 

The compatibility determinations for 

(1) Wildlife observation/photography; 

(2) recreational fishing; (3) recreational 

hunting; (4) environmental education 

and interpretation; (5) walking, hiking, 

and jogging; (6) forest management; (7) 

scientific research; (8) kayaking, 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / Notices 18857 

canoeing, and paddling; (9) all-terrain 

vehicle use; (10) bicycling; and (11) 

boating are also available within the 

CCP. 

Alternative B will focus on 

augmenting wildlife and habitat 

management to identify, conserve, and 

restore populations of native fish and 

wildlife species, with an emphasis on 

migratory birds and threatened and 

endangered species. This objective will 

partially be accomplished by increased 

monitoring of waterfowl, other 

migratory and resident birds, and 

endemic species, in order to assess and 

adapt management strategies and 

actions. Additionally, information gaps 

will be addressed by the initiation of 

baseline surveying, periodic monitoring, 

and ultimately adding adaptive habitat 

management. 

Habitat management programs for 

impoundments, greentree reservoir, 

wetlands, open waters, forested habitats, 

scrub/shrub habitat, grasslands, and 

open lands will be reevaluated, and 

step-down management plans will be 

developed to meet the foraging, nesting, 

and breeding requirements of priority 

species. Additionally, monitoring and 

adaptive habitat management will be 

implemented to potentially counteract 

the impacts associated with long-term 

climate change and sea level rise. 

The control of invasive and exotic 

plant species will be more aggressively 

managed by implementing a 

management plan, completing a 

baseline inventory, supporting research, 

and controlling with strategic 

mechanical and chemical means. 

Additionally, the Complex will utilize 

this management plan and monitoring 

to enhance efforts to control/remove 

invasive, exotic, and/or nuisance 

wildlife on the refuge. 

Alternative B will enhance our visitor 

services opportunities by: (1) Improving 

the quality of fishing opportunities; (2) 

implementing an environmental 

education program component that 

utilizes volunteers and local schools as 

partners; (3) enhancing wildlife viewing 

and photography opportunities by 

implementing blinds, a swamp trail 

boardwalk, and additional observational 

areas; (4) developing and implementing 

a visitor services management plan, (5) 

working with partners to develop a 

Complex visitor center, including a law 

enforcement office and maintenance 

facility with an attached visitor contact 

station; and (6) enhancing personal 

interpretive and outreach opportunities. 

Volunteer programs and friends groups 

also would be expanded to enhance all 

aspects of management and to increase 

resource availability. 

In addition to the enforcement of all 

Federal and State laws to protect 

archaeological and historical sites, we 

will identify and develop a plan to 

protect all known sites. The 

development of an onsite office for law 

enforcement officers will not only better 

provide security for these resources, but 

will also ensure visitor safety and public 

compliance with refuge regulations. 

Land acquisitions within the 

approved acquisition boundary will be 

based on the importance of the habitat 

for wildlife, management, and access. 

Alternative B also will develop a 

preliminary land protection proposal to 

achieve a congressionally authorized 

refuge boundary expansion of 

approximately 17,000 acres within the 

Atchafalaya Basin Floodplain to 

improve buffer conditions, contribute to 

biological objectives, close gaps between 

existing tracts, and improve public 

access. Administration plans will stress 

the need for increased maintenance of 

existing infrastructure and construction 

of new facilities. Funding for new 

construction projects will be balanced 

between habitat management and public 

use needs. Additional staff will be 

required to accomplish the goals of this 

alternative. Personnel priorities will 

include adding a visitor services 

specialist, assistant manager, biological 

technician, forestry technician, 

maintenance worker, and law 

enforcement officer to the staff. The 

increased budget and staffing levels will 

better enable us to meet the obligations 

of wildlife stewardship, habitat 

management, and public use. 

Authority 

This notice is published under the 

authority of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System Improvement Act of 

1997, Public Law 105–57. 

Dated: September 27, 2011. 

Mark J. Musaus, 

Acting Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7403 Filed 3–27–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R4–ES–2012–N063; 40120–1112– 

0000–F2] 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

and Record of Decision for Alabama 

Beach Mouse General Conservation 

Plan for Incidental Take on the Fort 

Morgan Peninsula, Baldwin County, AL 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Service), announces the availability of 

a final environmental impact statement 

(EIS), which analyzes the environmental 

impacts associated with issuing, in 

accordance with the proposed General 

Conservation plan (GCP), incidental 

take permits requested under the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), 

as amended, for take of Alabama beach 

mouse (Peromyscus polionotus 

ammobates). For record of decision 

(ROD) availability, see DATES. 

DATES: The ROD will be available no 

sooner than April 27, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Documents and other 

information submitted with the 

applications are available for review, 

subject to the requirements of the 

Privacy Act and Freedom of Information 

Act, by any party who submits a written 

request for a copy of such documents to 

either of the following offices within 30 

days of the date of publication of this 

notice: David Dell, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, 1875 Century 

Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 

30345; or Field Supervisor, Fish and 

Wildlife Service, 1208–B Main Street, 

Daphne, AL 36526. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

David Dell, Regional HCP Coordinator 

(See ADDRESSES), telephone: (404) 679– 

7313; or Ms. Shannon Holbrook, Field 

Office Project Manager, at the Daphne 

Field Office (See ADDRESSES), telephone: 

(251) 441–5871. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final 

EIS analyzes the consequences of the 

proposed action, take of the Alabama 

beach mouse incidental to construction 

of up to 500 single-family developments 

potentially affecting an estimated total 

of 75 acres of Alabama beach mouse 

habitat, and alternatives to the proposed 

action. Individual land owners who 

would need incidental take permits 

(ITP) for single-family developments, 

and whose development proposal fits 

within limits evaluated in the GCP, 

could apply for ITPs using the GCP 

provisions instead of producing their 

own habitat conservation plans. The 

GCP evaluates issuance of ITPs with up 

to 50-year terms under section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.). The GCP describes the mitigation 

and minimization measures proposed to 

address the effects on the species. On 

August 9, 2011, we published a notice 

of availability for a draft EIS (76 FR 

48879) for a 90-day public comment 

period. For ROD availability, see DATES. 

The EIS analyzes the preferred 

alternative, as well as a full range of 

reasonable alternatives, and the 


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