Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / Notices 18853 

Alternative A, Current Management 

(No Action) 

Alternative A is the no-action 

alternative, which represents the current 

management of the refuge. This 

alternative provides the baseline against 

which to compare the other alternatives. 

It also fulfills the requirement in the 

National Environmental Policy Act that 

a no-action alternative be addressed in 

the analysis process. 

Under alternative A, management 

activity currently conducted by the 

Service would remain the same. The 

Service would continue to manage and 

monitor refuge habitats at current levels. 

The Bitterroot River would continue to 

migrate through the refuge, eroding 

some levees and trails. Invasive species 

would be treated primarily with 

mechanical and chemical methods as 

resources become available. Water 

supply and management structures 

would be inadequate to properly 

manage many of the wetland 

impoundments. Cattail monocultures 

would be treated. The current staff of 

five would perform limited, issuedriven research and monitor only longterm wildlife and vegetation changes. 

Visitor services programs and facilities 

would be maintained or expanded as 

resources become available. Funding 

and staff levels would follow annual 

budget allocations provided for refuge 

operations on Service lands. 

Alternative B (Proposed Action) 

This alternative focuses on the 

expansion and restoration of native 

plant communities on the refuge, 

including grasslands, shrublands, and 

gallery and riverfront forests. Some 

areas that are currently part of wetland 

impoundments would be restored to 

native communities, including forest 

and shrubland. A significant focus of 

restoration proposals would be 

controlling invasive species and 

preventing further spread. Grasses and 

shrubs native to the uplands, including 

the alluvial fans, would begin to be 

restored to provide habitat for native 

wildlife, including grassland-dependent 

migratory birds. Some wetland 

impoundments and Service (nonpublic) 

roads would be removed or reduced in 

size to allow for river migration and to 

restore native gallery and riverfront 

forest for riparian-dependent wildlife. 

The remaining impoundments would be 

managed to mimic natural conditions 

for wetland-dependent migratory birds. 

The Service would expand and 

improve the refuge’s compatible 

wildlife-dependent public use 

programs, in particular the wildlife 

observation, environmental education, 

and interpretation programs. The visitor 

contact area would be expanded into a 

visitor center, with new displays and a 

combination conference room and 

environmental education classroom. 

New displays would be professionally 

planned and produced. The refuge 

would work with Ravalli County staff to 

designate the county road in the refuge 

as an auto tour route, which would 

include pulloffs and some form of 

interpretation. A seasonal hiking trail 

would be added, and current trails 

would be improved for wildlife 

observation and photography. 

Interpretation and environmental 

education programs would be 

expanded, using added staff and 

volunteers. All public use programs 

would provide visitors a consistent 

message about the purposes and values 

of the refuge and the mission of the 

Refuge System. The refuge staff would 

be expanded to include an assistant 

refuge manager, two biological science 

technicians (one full time and one 

career seasonal), and a visitor services 

specialist who would serve as a visitor 

center manager and volunteer 

coordinator. 

Increased research and monitoring, 

staff, funding, infrastructure, and 

partnerships would be required to 

accomplish the goals, objectives, and 

strategies associated with this 

alternative. Additional staff and funding 

would be added depending on the 

regional priorities for those funds 

allocated to the Service for management 

of lands and waters within the Refuge 

System. 

Alternative C 

Alternative C contains many of the 

elements found in alternative B related 

to expanding visitor service programs 

and facilities. However, habitat 

management would be focused on 

maintaining the wetland impoundments 

and attempting to restrict the 

movements of the Bitterroot River 

throughout the refuge. Habitat efforts 

would be primarily focused on 

providing waterfowl and other 

waterbird habitat. 

Public Meeting 

A public meeting, to be held at the 

refuge headquarters in Stevensville, MT, 

will be announced through the local 

media and the refuge’s Web site 

www.fws.gov/leemetcalf. 

Next Steps 

After this comment period ends, we 

will analyze the comments and address 

them in the form of a final CCP and 

NEPA finding. 

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: February 29, 2012. 

Matt Hogan, 

Acting Deputy Regional Director, MountainPrairie Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7398 Filed 3–27–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R2–R–2012–N019; 

FXRS12610200000S3–123–FF02R06000] 

Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, 

Liberty County, TX; Comprehensive 

Conservation Plan and Environmental 

Assessment 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 

availability of a draft comprehensive 

conservation plan (CCP) and an 

environmental assessment (EA) for 

Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge 

(Refuge, NWR), located approximately 

50 miles northeast of Houston, Texas, 

for public review and comment. The 

Draft CCP/EA describes our proposal for 

managing the refuge for the next 15 

years. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, please 

send your written comments by May 4, 

2012. We will announce upcoming 

public meetings in local news media. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

or requests for copies or more 

information by any of the following 

methods. You may request hard copies 

or a CD–ROM of the documents. Please 

contact Stuart Marcus, Refuge Manager, 

or Joseph Lujan, Natural Resource 

Planner. 

Email: Joseph_Lujan@fws.gov. Include 

‘‘Trinity River NWR draft CCP and EA’’ 

in the subject line of the message. 

Fax: Attn: Joseph Lujan, 505–248– 

6803. 

U.S. Mail: Joseph Lujan, Natural 

Resource Planner, U.S. Fish and 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
18854 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / Notices 

Wildlife Service, NWRS Division of 

Planning, P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, 

NM 87103. 

In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or 

Pickup: In-Person Drop-off: You may 

drop off comments during regular 

business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) at 

500 Gold Street SW., 4th Floor, Room. 

4305, Albuquerque, NM 87102. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stuart Marcus, Refuge Manager, Trinity 

River NWR, CCP—Project, P.O. Box 

10015, Liberty, TX 77575; phone: 936– 

336–9786; fax: 936–336–9847. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

With this notice, we continue the CCP 

process for the Trinity River NWR. We 

started this process through a notice in 

the Federal Register (72 FR 45059; 

August 10, 2007). 

The Trinity River NWR, which 

consists of over 25,000 acres, is located 

approximately 50 miles northeast of 

Houston, and 40 miles west of 

Beaumont Texas. The primary purpose 

of the refuge is to protect a remnant of 

the bottomland hardwood forest 

ecosystem along the Trinity River. The 

refuge was officially established on 

January 4, 1994, and continues to 

acquire, restore, and preserve 

bottomland hardwood forests. 

Background 

The CCP Process 

The National Wildlife Refuge System 

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

668dd–668ee) (Refuge 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 wildlife observation 

and photography, and environmental 

education and interpretation. We will 

review and update the CCP at least 

every 15 years in accordance with the 

Refuge Administration Act. 

Public Outreach 

Formal scoping began with 

publication of a notice of intent to 

prepare a comprehensive conservation 

plan and environmental assessment 

(EA) in the Federal Register on August 

10, 2007 (72 FR 45059). In September 

2008, a letter was sent to individuals at 

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 

(TPWD), formally inviting them to 

participate in the development of the 

CCP. We received input from TPWD in 

January 2009, and have continued to 

involve them throughout the planning 

process. Information sheets were sent to 

the public, and news releases were sent 

to a variety of media outlets. The news 

release also aired on KSHN 99.9 FM 

Radio in Liberty, Texas. Three public 

open house meetings were held from 

November 30 through December 2, 

2009. Additional written comments 

were received prior to these open house 

meetings. The meetings were held at 

three locations in the area, on three 

separate evenings. A variety of 

stakeholders contributed feedback at the 

open house meetings and via written 

comments; we used the feedback in 

development of the CCP. 

CCP Alternatives We Are Considering 

During the public scoping process 

with which we started work on this 

draft CCP, we, other governmental 

partners, Tribes, and the public, raised 

multiple issues. Our draft CCP 

addresses them. A full description of 

each alternative is in the EA. To address 

these issues, we developed and 

evaluated the following alternatives, 

summarized below. 

Alternatives A—No action alternative (current 

practices) 

B—Improved habitat management 

and public use alternative 

C—Optimal habitat management 

and public use (proposed action) alternative 

Issues 

Habitat and Wildlife Management Issues 

1. Native Flora/Fauna Conservation.Conserve/restore bottomland hardwood forests. Restore native 

flora; reintroduce native fauna; 

manage native nuisance flora/ 

fauna.

Same as Alternative A, plus use 

prescribed fire for resource management and initiate baseline 

monitoring for flora and fauna.

Same as Alternative B. 

2. Invasive Flora/Fauna 

Management.

Remove exotic and invasive flora/ 

fauna as resources permit; prevent reintroduction of exotic and 

invasive flora/fauna as resources 

permit.

Same as Alternative A, plus develop invasive species strike 

team and map ‘‘hotspots’’ to 

prioritize management efforts.

Same as Alternative B. 

3. Wetland Management ...... Maintain the integrity of water control structures/levees; conduct 

water-quality sampling and fish 

surveys.

Same as Alternative A, plus conduct small-scale restoration of 

hydrological flow at Champion 

Lake South unit.

Same as Alternative B. 

4. Land Acquisition ............... Acquire lands from willing sellers 

within the approved acquisition 

boundary on a case-by-case 

basis.

Update Trinity River Floodplain 

Habitat Stewardship Program and 

Land Protection Plan to update 

the acquisition boundary; assign 

refuge realty specialist to Trinity 

River NWR.

Same as Alternative B. 

5. Climate Change ............... Plant trees to sequester carbon; 

use ‘‘green’’ technologies wherever possible, and recycle.

Same as Alternative A, plus gather 

baseline inventory and monitoring 

data.

Same as Alternative B. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / Notices 18855 

Alternatives A—No action alternative (current 

practices) 

B—Improved habitat management 

and public use alternative 

C—Optimal habitat management 

and public use (proposed action) alternative 

6. Resource Protection ......... Assign refuge law enforcement officer to patrol 25,000 acres, 

backed up by opportunistic observations by other refuge staff.

Same as Alternative A, plus add patrols using other refuges’ law enforcement officers.Same as Alternative B, plus add an 

additional officer to patrol up to 

80,000 acres. 

Visitor Services Issues 

1. Hunting ............................. Designate units open to hunting by 

permit only, for big game, upland 

game, and waterfowl, as is currently the case in eight units.

Same as Alternative A, plus open 

one additional unit for big game 

hunting at Champion Lake South 

unit.

Same as Alternative B, plus open 

one additional unit for big game 

and upland game hunting at Palmetto unit. 

2. Fishing .............................. Direct visitors to Champion Lake 

and Pickett’s Bayou.

Same as Alternative A, plus direct 

visitors to McGuire and Silver 

Lake units when piers are developed.

Same as Alternative B, plus direct 

visitors to Brierwood unit once 

pier is developed. 

3. Wildlife Observation ......... Open refuge to wildlife observation; 

direct visitors to eight public use 

areas.

Same as Alternative A plus open 

one additional area at Champion 

Lake South unit.

Same as Alternative B, plus open 

one additional area at Palmetto 

unit. 

4. Wildlife Photography ........ Open refuge to photography; direct 

visitors to eight public use areas.

Same as Alternative A plus construct photo blind at Brierwood 

unit.

Same as Alternative B, plus construct photo blind at McGuire unit. 

5. Environmental Education Do not develop environmental education programs on the refuge.Develop off-refuge environmental 

education curricula, working with 

local schools to meet State requirements.

Same as Alternative B, plus develop on-refuge program, upon 

the completion of the educational 

facility at Champion Lake Public 

Use Area. 

6. Interpretation .................... The refuge hosts two on-refuge annual festivals, on Earth Day and 

on Free Family Fishing Day; host 

approximately six off-refuge annual events, such as county jubilee and various public speaking 

events.

Same as Alternative A, plus host 

approximately 10 additional offrefuge events, as requested; develop and provide self-guided interpretative materials at Champion Lake and Brierwood units.

Same as Alternative B, plus develop interpretive programs at visitor center; develop and provide 

kiosks in all areas with public use 

facilities. 

Facilities Issues 

1. Public Use Access ........... Allow vehicular on designated unpaved roads; allow walk-in-only 

access on eight designated units; 

allow boating access on Pickett’s 

Bayou and Champion Lake.

Same as Alternative A, plus improve road to McGuire Pond; establish canoe/kayak launch site at 

Brierwood unit.

Same as Alternative B, plus open 

trail at Champion Lake South 

unit. 

2. Public Use Facilities ......... Maintain current limited facilities at 

Champion Lake Public Use Area, 

including fishing pier, butterfly 

garden, parking, and portable toilet Seven other public use areas 

have only one parking lot and 

one photo blind each.

Rehabilitate the Lodge at Champion 

Lake Public Use Area, pave the 

road at Champion Lake Public 

Use Area, and construct fishing 

pier at McGuire unit.

Construct visitor center adjacent to 

headquarters; construct fishing 

piers at Brierwood unit; construct 

full-service bathroom at Champion Lake Public Use Area. 

3. Administrative Facilities .... Maintain refuge-owned headquarters and storage facility along 

FM 1011.

Construct a maintenance shop at 

Champion Lake equipment storage area.

Rehabilitate the two-room log cabin 

at Champion Lake for use for 

staff and volunteer offices. 

Public Availability of Documents 

In addition to using any methods in 

ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain 

documents at the following locations: 

• Trinity River NWR Headquarters 

Office, 601 FM 1011, Liberty, TX 77575, 

between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 

p.m., Monday through Friday. 

• Our Web site: http://www.fws.gov/

southwest/refuges/Plan/

publicinvolvement.html. 

• The following public libraries: 

Library Address Phone No. 

Liberty Municipal Library ............................................................... 1710 Sam Houston Ave., Liberty, TX 77575 ........... 936–336–8901 

Dayton Library ............................................................................... 307 W. Houston, Dayton, TX 77535 ....................... 936–258–7060 

Austin Memorial Library ................................................................ 220 S. Bonham, Cleveland, TX 77327 .................... 281–592–3920 

Tarkington Community Library ...................................................... 3032 FM 163 Rd., Cleveland, TX 77327 ................. 281–592–5136 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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