58232 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 192 / Wednesday, October 5, 2005 / Notices 

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL: 

Paper records serving as input 

documents to the DOI LEARN system 

will be maintained in accordance with 

the General Records Schedule (GRS–1, 

item 29), which prescribes that they be 

destroyed when 5 years old, or when 

superseded or obsolete, whichever is 

sooner, unless covered by other 

applicable records schedules. Electronic 

records maintained in the DOI LEARN 

system will be maintained for 65 years 

after separation of the individual 

receiving training from affiliation with 

the Department, in accordance with 

item 3150 of a new Office of the 

Secretary (OS) records schedule which 

is being drafted to cover the system. 

Paper and electronic records generated 

by the DOI LEARN system will also be 

maintained in accordance with item 

3150 of the OS records schedule, unless 

covered by other applicable records 

schedules. 

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS: 

(1) The system manager of the data 

contained within the DOI LEARN 

system is the Chief, Office of Human 

Resources, Department of the Interior, 

Main Interior Building, 1849 C Street, 

NW., Washington, DC 20240. 

Communications to the system manager 

should be addressed to the attention of 

the LMS Project Lead; and (2) the 

system manager for the physical 

location and the hardware housing the 

data is the Director, E-Training 

Initiative, Office of Personnel 

Management, 1900 E Street, NW., Room 

3326, Washington, DC 20415. 

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE: 

An individual requesting notification 

of the existence of records on himself or 

herself should address his/her request to 

the system manager whose address is 

provided in (1) from the ‘‘System 

Manager’’ section above. The request 

must be in writing, signed by the 

requester, and include the requester’s 

full name and address, and social 

security number. (See 43 CFR 2.60.) 

RECORDS ACCESS PROCEDURES: 

An individual requesting access to 

records maintained on him or herself 

should address his/her request to the 

system manager whose address is 

provided in (1) from the ‘‘System 

Manager’’ section above. The request 

must be in writing, signed by the 

requester, and include the requester’s 

full name and address, and social 

security number. The request envelope 

and letter should be clearly marked 

‘‘PRIVACY ACT REQUEST FOR 

ACCESS.’’ (See 43 CFR 2.63.) 

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES: 

An individual requesting amendment 

of a record maintained on him or herself 

should address his/her request to the 

system manager whose address is 

provided in (1) from the ‘‘System 

Manager’’ section above. The individual 

requesting the amendment must provide 

their full name and social security 

number. The request must be in writing 

and signed by the requester. (See 43 

CFR 2.71.) 

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES: 

Information on Interior employees is 

provided from the existing 

Departmental Federal Personnel and 

Payroll System (FPPS) or directly from 

employees in communication with data 

entry personnel when the scheduled 

routine import has not yet added the 

employee information to the system. 

Information from non-DOI employees 

and other individuals registering for 

training through DOI LEARN is 

provided directly by the individuals in 

question using paper and electronic 

forms. 

EXEMPTIONS CLAIMED FOR THE SYSTEM: 

None. 

[FR Doc. 05–19919 Filed 10–4–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–RK–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Notice of Availability of Draft 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan 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 

combined Draft Comprehensive 

Conservation Plan (CCP) and 

Environmental Assessment (EA) for the 

39 North Dakota Limited-Interest 

National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges) is 

available. This CCP, prepared pursuant 

to the National Wildlife Refuge System 

Improvement Act of 1997 (Improvement 

Act) and the National Environmental 

Policy Act of 1969, describes how the 

Service intends to manage these 

Limited-Interest Refuges for the next 15 

years. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received at the postal or electronic 

address listed below on or before 

December 5, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Please provide written 

comments to Laura King, Planning 

Team Leader, Division of Refuge 

Planning, Branch of Comprehensive 

Conservation Planning, c/o Tewaukon 

National Wildlife Refuge, 9754 1431⁄2

Avenue, SE., Cayuga, ND 58013, or 

electronically to laura_king@fws.gov. A 

copy of the Draft CCP and EA may be 

obtained by writing to Linda Kelly, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of 

Refuge Planning, Box 25486, Denver, 

Colorado 80225–0486; or downloaded 

from http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/ 

planning. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Laura King, Planning Team Leader, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, c/o 

Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge, 

9754 1431⁄2 Avenue, SE., Cayuga, ND 

58013; telephone: 701–724–3598, 

extension 14; fax: 701–724–3683; or 

e-mail: laura_king@fws.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Refuges encompass 47,296 limitedinterest acres within the boundaries of 

39 individual National Wildlife Refuges 

(NWR). These refuges include: Appert 

Lake; Ardoch; Bone Hill; Brumba; 

Buffalo Lake; Camp Lake; Canfield Lake; 

Cottonwood; Dakota Lake; Half Way 

Lake; Hiddenwood; Hobart Lake; 

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. 

These Refuges range in size from 160 

acres (Half Way Lake NWR) to 5,506 

acres (Rock Lake NWR). The approved 

acquisition boundaries for these 

Refuges, established in the 1930s and 

1940s under the authority of Executive 

Orders and other conservation laws, 

total 54,140 acres. Six different North 

Dakota Managing Stations are 

responsible for these Refuges, including 

Arrowwood NWR Complex, Audubon 

NWR Complex District, Devils Lake 

WMD, J. Clark Salyer NWR Complex, 

Kulm WMD, and Long Lake NWR 

Complex. Most of these Refuges, except 

for two, Lake Patricia NWR and Pretty 

Rock NWR, are located east of the 

Missouri River. All Refuges have an 

overriding purpose of providing habitat 

for migratory birds, particularly 

waterfowl. No staff or funding is 

dedicated to these Refuges. Historically, 

management has been incidental to the 

Managing Station’s other funded 

programs. 

Limited-Interest Refuges began in the 

1930s, in response to the crises of that 

time including drought, depression, and 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 192 / Wednesday, October 5, 2005 / Notices 58233 

declining waterfowl populations. 

Beginning in 1935, dozens of refuge 

and/or flowage easements were signed 

by the State and private landowners. 

These Limited-Interest Refuges, most 

perpetual, were established for the 

purposes of (1) water conservation, (2) 

drought relief, and (3) migratory bird 

and wildlife conservation purposes. 

Funds poured into the surrounding 

communities as people went back to 

work, through the Work Progress/Project 

Administration (WPA) and Civilian 

Conservation Corps (CCC), building the 

structures needed to impound and 

control water levels. This reliable water 

source was not only critical to wildlife, 

but to the livelihood of the landowners 

and their farming operations. 

Although most were perpetually 

protected, a new status was given to 

these lands in the late 1930s and 1940s. 

Lands in close proximity were 

combined, establishing an approved 

acquisition boundary, and designated as 

Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (later 

changed to National Wildlife Refuge) 

under the authorities of Executive 

Orders and various conservation laws. 

To this day, 93 percent of the lands 

covered by these Limited-Interest 

Refuges remain in private ownership, 

while 99 percent of the lands within the 

approved acquisition boundary are 

privately owned. This fact makes these 

Refuges unique among the more than 

545 NWRs. 

The habitat and value of these Refuges 

vary, but most have a water feature, 

such as a lake, impoundment, or river, 

associated with the Refuge, over which 

the Service holds a senior water right. 

Many have been developed, some 

extensively, and most are used for 

farming and/or recreation. 

Many of these Limited-Interest 

Refuges have played a vital role in the 

recovery and protection of water 

resources and the waterfowl and other 

wildlife that depend on these areas. 

However, each Refuge needed to be reevaluated to determine which can truly 

function as a NWR, as prescribed in the 

Improvement Act. 

One of the first steps in this planning 

process was defining which rights the 

Service acquired through these 

agreements. To accomplish this, each 

agreement and dozens of historical 

records, including correspondence, 

news releases, and published reports, 

were reviewed by the planning team. 

From this documentation, it was 

determined that the Service has the 

right to regulate hunting and trapping, 

and the uses and management of the 

main body of water over which the 

Service has a water right. These uses 

would include, but are not limited to: 

fishing, boating, swimming, and water 

skiing. The Service will not regulate 

access to these private lands, upland 

development, and uses of naturally 

occurring wetlands. Even though these 

areas are valuable for wildlife, there is 

no evidence the Service intended to 

regulate these uses. Many of these 

Refuges had extensive developments on 

them before they were established. 

Again, these Limited-Interest Refuges 

were established for economic and 

preservation reasons. 

No approved guidelines have ever 

been developed for managing these 

Refuges. This combined with the 

limited management options, as 

described in the previous paragraph, led 

the Service to develop a more 

programmatic plan, rather than a plan 

for each Refuge. These factors also 

resulted in the evaluation of only two 

alternatives, the No Action (Current 

Management) and the Proposed Action 

(Enhance the Program). Alternative A, 

the No Action alternative, proposes 

continuation of current management 

programs. Alternative B (Proposed 

Action) emphasizes replacement or 

maintenance of water management 

structures, within the guidelines of the 

agreement and water rights. It also 

emphasizes developing a strong 

partnership with the landowners, 

through the development of a structured 

program that would ensure an open 

dialogue necessary to address 

landowner issues, while providing them 

information on the program. In 

particular, they would receive updated 

information on Service programs that 

may provide them additional 

compensation for added habitat 

protections. Landowners would be 

given full control over whether they 

choose to participate in these programs. 

Landowners have a right to refuse 

access to the general public. Although 

there are a few Refuges where Servicemanaged visitor services programs 

occur, most of these Refuges have 

remained closed for 70 years. Under this 

alternative, current visitor services 

programs would continue, if they 

remain compatible and there is a 

continued demand. The Service will 

also work with the State and interested 

landowners to develop additional 

recreational opportunities on the 

remaining Refuges. These opportunities 

may include wildlife observation and 

photography, environmental education 

and interpretation, hunting, and fishing. 

Again, the landowners would have the 

right to refuse access; however, if a 

program is acceptable to the landowners 

and found compatible, it must be made 

available to the general public. There 

may be limitations placed on this use, 

such as limited seasons and number of 

users, but no person may be denied the 

opportunity to participate. Although 

these are private lands, they are NWRs 

and subject to the same rules contained 

in the Code of Federal Regulations for 

visitor services programs. 

A significant part of this process was 

determining the value of each Refuge to 

wildlife and its ability to function as a 

NWR as defined in the Improvement 

Act. From this process, six Refuges are 

being proposed for consideration for 

divestiture including: Bone Hill, Camp 

Lake, Cottonwood Lake, Lake Patricia, 

Sheyenne Lake, and School Section 

Lake. Factors considered included the 

level of development for recreation and 

commercial uses and resulting loss of 

biodiversity and land ownership 

patterns. It was determined that these 

Refuges no longer fulfill the purpose for 

which they were established. For 

example, Camp Lake currently has 238 

cabins surrounding the lake, while Bone 

Hill has extensive farming and 

commercial uses occurring, including 

an elk farm and fertilizer plant. 

Cottonwood Lake has also seen 

extensive development and significant 

loss of biodiversity. Lake Patricia, 

Sheyenne Lake, and School Section 

Lake were once covered by easements 

signed by the State. These easements 

were unique in that they were 

revocable. The State has since exercised 

this option and has assumed 

management of these lands and waters. 

In some cases, the Service only controls 

parts of the main body of water. All 

surrounding lands are managed by the 

State for wildlife habitat. The State 

would assume management of these 

waters as well, should the Service divest 

these Refuges. The actual divestiture 

process for all six Refuges would be 

carried out once this plan is approved. 

The Proposed Action for the 

remaining 33 Refuges would be 

addressed as a program. The six 

Managing Stations would evaluate and 

prioritize their Refuges, using primarily 

Habitat and Population Evaluation 

Team data resources, for added habitat 

protections. Highest priority would be 

given to those Refuges that contain 

native prairie habitat. Landowners 

would be provided informational 

newsletters about compensated habitat 

protection programs available. 

Participation in these programs would 

be voluntary and future opportunities 

would be provided at least annually 

thereafter. The Service would also 

cooperate with other conservation 

partners to develop programs that 

would meet common goals that support 

and enhance this program. 

58234 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 192 / Wednesday, October 5, 2005 / Notices 

The Proposed Action was selected 

because it best meets the purposes and 

goals of these Refuges, as well as the 

goals of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System. It also ensures the landowners’

rights are protected while giving them 

opportunities for added compensation. 

The Proposed Action will benefit 

federally listed species, shore birds, 

migrating and nesting waterfowl, and 

neotropical migrants, along with 

improving water habitat management 

and preservation. Compatible 

recreational opportunities may be 

provided if access is granted by willing 

landowners, and the resources are 

available to manage that use. This will 

result in widespread educational 

opportunities to teach the public, 

students, and future partners about the 

values, benefits, and goals of the 

National Wildlife Refuge System in 

North Dakota and the Nation. 

Dated: June 22, 2005. 

Mary G. Henry, 

Acting Regional Director, Region 6, Denver, 

CO. 

[FR Doc. 05–19937 Filed 10–4–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Receipt of Applications for Permit 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of applications 

for permit. 

SUMMARY: The public is invited to 

comment on the following applications 

to conduct certain activities with 

endangered species and marine 

mammals. 

DATES: Written data, comments or 

requests must be received by November 

4, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Documents and other 

information submitted with these 

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 

within 30 days of the date of publication 

of this notice to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Division of Management 

Authority, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, 

Room 700, Arlington, Virginia 22203; 

fax 703/358–2281. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Division of Management Authority, 

telephone 703/358–2104. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Endangered Species 

The public is invited to comment on 

the following application(s) for a permit 

to conduct certain activities with 

endangered species. This notice is 

provided pursuant to section 10(c) of 

the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

Written data, comments, or requests for 

copies of these complete applications 

should be submitted to the Director 

(address above). 

Applicant: Peregrine Fund, Boise, 

Idaho, PRT–819573. 

The applicant requests renewal of a 

permit to import harpy eagle (Harpia 

harpyja) samples (blood, tissue, and 

DNA), and to export/re-export live birds 

as part of an on-going conservation 

project which enhances the survival of 

the species. This notification covers 

activities to be conducted by the 

applicant over a five-year period. 

Applicant: Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane 

Recovery Plan Coordinator, U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, Region 2, 

Austwell, TX, PRT–013808. 

The applicant requests renewal of a 

permit to import captive-bred/captivehatched and wild live specimens, 

captive-bred/wild collected viable eggs, 

biological samples from captive-bred/ 

wild specimens, and salvaged materials 

from captive-bred/wild specimens of 

whooping cranes (Grus americana) from 

Canada, for completion of identified 

tasks and objectives mandated under the 

Whooping Crane Recovery Plan. Salvage 

materials may include, but are not 

limited to, whole or partial specimens, 

feathers, eggs and egg shell fragments. 

This notification covers activities to be 

conducted by the applicant over a fiveyear period. 

Applicant: Kimberly A. Vinette Herrin, 

D.V.M., Canton, GA, PRT–108865. 

The applicant requests a permit to 

import biological samples from wild 

hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys 

imbricata) for the purpose of scientific 

research. Samples will be collected 

opportunistically from live sea turtles 

and will be used for analyses of the 

immune function of oviductal 

secretions. This notification covers 

activities to be conducted by the 

applicant over a five-year period. 

Endangered Marine Mammals and 

Marine Mammals 

The public is invited to comment on 

the following applications for a permit 

to conduct certain activities with 

endangered marine mammals and 

marine mammals. The applications 

were submitted to satisfy requirements 

of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, 

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and 

the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 

1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et 

seq.), and the regulations governing 

endangered species (50 CFR part 17) 

and marine mammals (50 CFR part 18). 

Written data, comments, or requests for 

copies of the complete applications or 

requests for a public hearing on these 

applications should be submitted to the 

Director (address above). Anyone 

requesting a hearing should give 

specific reasons why a hearing would be 

appropriate. The holding of such a 

hearing is at the discretion of the 

Director. 

Applicant: Wildlife Trust Inc., St. 

Petersburg, FL, PRT–107933. 

The applicant requests a permit to 

capture, re-capture, hold, sample, tag, 

photograph and incidentally harass 

West Indian manatees (Trichechus 

manatus) for the purpose of scientific 

research to assess wild populations to 

better understand habitat requirements, 

population distribution, behavior, and 

threats from human interactions. This 

notification covers activities to be 

conducted by the applicant over a fiveyear period. 

Concurrent with the publication of 

this notice in the Federal Register, the 

Division of Management Authority is 

forwarding copies of the above 

applications to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and the Committee of 

Scientific Advisors for their review. 

Applicant: Scott L. Koelzer, Three 

Forks, MT, PRT–106766. 

The applicant requests a permit to 

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus) 

sport hunted from the Northern Beaufort 

Sea polar bear population in Canada for 

personal, noncommercial use. 

Dated: September 9, 2005. 

Monica Farris, 

Senior Permit Biologist, Branch of Permits, 

Division of Management Authority. 

[FR Doc. 05–19966 Filed 10–4–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Receipt of Applications for Permit 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of applications 

for permit. 

SUMMARY: The public is invited to 

comment on the following applications 

to conduct certain activities with 

endangered species and/or marine 

mammals.