16002 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 66 / Wednesday, April 8, 2009 / Notices 

Dated: March 25, 2009. 

Noreen E. Walsh, 

Acting Regional Director, Denver, Colorado. 

[FR Doc. E9–7944 Filed 4–7–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R4–R–2009–N0041; 40136–1265– 

0000–S3] 

St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, 

Franklin and Gulf Counties, FL 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a 

comprehensive conservation plan and 

environmental assessment; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, intend to prepare a 

comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) 

and associated National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) documents for St. 

Vincent National Wildlife Refuge 

(NWR). We provide this notice in 

compliance with our CCP policy to 

advise other Federal and State agencies, 

Tribes, and the public of our intentions, 

and to obtain suggestions and 

information on the scope of issues to 

consider in the planning process. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, we 

must receive your written comments by 

May 8, 2009. Special mailings, 

newspaper articles, and other media 

announcements will be used to inform 

the public and State and local 

government agencies of the 

opportunities for input throughout the 

planning process. A public scoping 

meeting will be held early in the CCP 

development process. The date, time, 

and place for the meeting will be 

announced in the local media. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments, questions, 

and requests for information to: Monica 

Harris, Natural Resource Planner, St. 

Vincent NWR, P.O. Box 447, 

Apalachicola, FL 32329. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Monica Harris, Natural Resource 

Planner; telephone: 910/378–6689; email: monica_harris@fws.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

With this notice, we initiate our 

process for developing a CCP for St. 

Vincent NWR in Franklin and Gulf 

Counties, Florida. This notice complies 

with our CCP policy to (1) advise other 

Federal and State agencies, Tribes, and 

the public of our intention to conduct 

detailed planning on this refuge; and (2) 

obtain suggestions and information on 

the scope of issues to consider in the 

environmental document and during 

development of the CCP. 

Background 

The CCP Process 

The National Wildlife Refuge System 

Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 

668dd–668ee) (Improvement Act), 

which amended the National Wildlife 

Refuge System Administration Act of 

1966, requires us to develop a CCP for 

each refuge. The purpose for developing 

a CCP is to provide refuge managers 

with a 15-year strategy for achieving 

refuge purposes and contributing to 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 for 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 

Improvement Act. 

Each unit of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System was established for 

specific purposes. We use these 

purposes as the foundation for 

developing and prioritizing the 

management goals and objectives for 

each refuge within the National Wildlife 

Refuge System mission, and to 

determine how the public can use each 

refuge. The planning process is a way 

for us and the public to evaluate 

management goals and objectives for the 

best possible conservation approach to 

this important wildlife habitat, while 

providing for wildlife-dependent 

recreation opportunities that are 

compatible with the refuge’s 

establishing purposes and the mission 

of the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

Our CCP process provides 

participation opportunities for Tribal, 

State, and local governments; agencies; 

organizations; and the public. At this 

time we encourage input in the form of 

issues, concerns, ideas, and suggestions 

for the future management of St. 

Vincent NWR. 

We will conduct the environmental 

review of this project and develop an 

EA in accordance with the requirements 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); NEPA regulations 

(40 CFR parts 1500–1508); other 

appropriate Federal laws and 

regulations; and our policies and 

procedures for compliance with those 

laws and regulations. 

St. Vincent NWR, which encompasses 

12,490 acres, was established in 1968 as 

a waterfowl sanctuary. The primary 

feature of the refuge is the 4-mile-wide, 

9-mile-long, 12,358-acre barrier island 

known as St. Vincent Island. In 

addition, the refuge includes a 46-acre 

island known as Pig Island in St. Joseph 

Bay, as well as an 86-acre mainland 

tract of land known as 14-mile site, 

south of County Road 30A. Management 

activities focus on managing and 

conserving the natural barrier island 

and associated native plant and animal 

communities. St. Vincent NWR provides 

habitat for numerous fresh and marine 

water species and thousands of birds, 

including wading and water birds (e.g., 

herons, egrets, and wood storks), as well 

as shorebirds (e.g., snowy plovers, 

American oystercatchers, and red 

knots). Many neotropical migratory 

songbirds breed on the refuge and use 

it during migration. Since 1990, the 

refuge has supported the recovery of the 

endangered red wolf by providing St. 

Vincent Island as a propagation site. 

Other species, including deer, squirrel, 

raccoon, alligator, snake, and sea turtle, 

can be found on the refuge. 

Public Availability and Comments 

Before including your 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. 

Authority: This notice is published under 

the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System Improvement Act of 1997, Public 

Law 105–57. 

Dated: March 12, 2009. 

Cynthia K. Dohner, 

Acting Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. E9–7937 Filed 4–7–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 


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