59764 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 

shall not interfere with any existing or 

future uses * * * in the operation and 

maintenance of the Denison Dam and 

Reservoir Project * * *.’’ Located in 

north-central Texas on the Big Mineral 

Arm of Lake Texoma, the 11,320 acre 

Refuge is comprised of uplands, 

farmland, marshland, and open water 

habitats. Management efforts focus on 

enhancing uplands and wetlands for 

migratory birds and other wildlife 

species. 

The Draft CCP/EA addresses a range 

of topics including habitat and wildlife 

management, public use opportunities, 

land acquisition, invasive species 

control, administration and staffing for 

the Refuge. The key Refuge issues and 

how they are addressed in the plan 

alternatives are summarized below. 

Alternative A is the current 

management, or what is currently 

offered at the Refuge. Alternative B is 

the proposed action. Alternative C 

would call for no active management on 

the Refuge. 

Public Use Activities: Alternative A: 

The public use program would remain 

at current levels and no new facilities 

would be developed on the Refuge. 

Alternative B: The public use program 

would increase and/or enhance 

educational and outreach activities, 

recreational opportunities, community 

involvement, and improve public use 

facilities. Alternative C: The public use 

program would be discontinued. 

Habitat Management: Alternative A: 

The Refuge would continue to maintain 

current level of wetland management 

activities. Alternative B: The Refuge will 

increase/expand habitat management 

activities for the benefit of wildlife 

species and for the enjoyment of the 

visiting public. Alternative C: Wetland 

areas would be allowed to dry up, 

forcing wildlife species to leave. 

Refuge Land and Boundary 

Protection: Alternative A: The Refuge 

would maintain limited outreach to 

private landowners. Alternative B: The 

Refuge will seek partnerships with 

landowners and organizations to 

enhance or protect desirable habitat 

through easements, agreements, etc. 

Alternative C: The Refuge would not 

seek easement or agreements with 

interested individuals. 

Comment Period: Please submit 

comments by November 28, 2005. 

Dated: October 6, 2005. 

H. Dale Hall, 

Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

[FR Doc. 05–20489 Filed 10–12–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife 

Refuge Complex 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the 

Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan 

and Environmental Assessment for the 

Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife 

Refuge Complex, which consists of five 

national wildlife refuges—Yazoo, 

Panther Swamp, Hillside, Morgan 

Brake, and Mathews Brake—as well as 

a number of smaller fee title properties 

and floodplain and conservation 

easements in the Mississippi Delta. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces that a 

Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan 

and Environmental Assessment for the 

Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife 

Refuge Complex are available for review 

and comment. The National Wildlife 

Refuge System Administration Act of 

1966, as amended by the National 

Wildlife Refuge System Improvement 

Act of 1997, requires the Service to 

develop a comprehensive conservation 

plan for each national wildlife refuge. 

The purpose in developing a 

comprehensive conservation plan is to 

provide refuge managers with a 15-year 

strategy 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 Service policies. In 

addition to outlining broad management 

direction on conserving wildlife and 

their habitats, the plan identifies 

wildlife-dependent recreational 

opportunities available to the public, 

including opportunities for hunting, 

fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife 

photography, and environmental 

education and interpretation. 

DATES: A meeting will be held to present 

the plan to the public. Mailings, 

newspaper articles, and posters will be 

the avenues to inform the public of the 

date and time for the meting. 

Individuals wishing to comment on the 

Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan 

and Environmental Assessment for the 

Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife 

Refuge Complex should do so within 45 

days following the date of this notice. 

ADDRESSES: Request for copies of the 

Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan 

and Environmental Assessment should 

be addressed to the Theodore Roosevelt 

National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 728 

Yazoo Refuge Road, Hollandale, 

Mississippi 38748; Telephone 662/839–

2638. The plan and environmental 

assessment may also be accessed and 

downloaded from the Service’s Internet 

Web site http://southeast.fws.gov/ 

planning/. Comments on the draft plan 

may be submitted to the above address 

or via electronic mail to 

mike_dawson@fws.gov. Please include 

your name and return address in your 

Internet message. Our practice is to 

make comments, including names and 

home addresses of respondents, 

available for public review during 

regular business hours. Individual 

respondents may request that we 

withhold their home addresses from the 

record, which we will honor to the 

extent allowable by law. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Significant issues addressed in the draft 

plan include: threatened and 

endangered species, waterfowl 

management, neotropical migratory 

birds, bottomland hardwood restoration, 

agriculture, visitor services, funding and 

staffing, cultural resources, land 

acquisition, and forest fragmentation. 

The Service developed four 

alternatives for managing the refuge 

complex and chose Alternative B as the 

preferred alternative. 

Alternatives 

Alternative A. No Action (Current 

Situation) 

Existing Complex management and 

public outreach practices would be 

favored under this alternative. All 

refuge management actions would be 

directed toward achieving the 

Complex’s primary purposes including 

(1) preserving wintering waterfowl 

habitat; (2) providing production habitat 

for wood ducks; and (3) meeting the 

habitat conservation goals of the North 

American Waterfowl Management Plan, 

all the while contributing to other 

national, regional, and state goals to 

protect and restore shorebirds, 

neotropical migratory breeding birds, 

woodcocks, and threatened and 

endangered species. Refuge 

management programs would continue 

to be developed and implemented with 

little baseline biological information. 

Active habitat management would be 

implemented through water level 

manipulations, moist-soil and cropland 

management, and reforestation designed 

to provide a diverse complex of habitats 

that meet the foraging, resting, and 

breeding requirements for a variety of 

species. Complex staff would continue 

to restore and maintain existing 

wetlands, open waters, grasslands, and 

bottomland hardwood forest habitats. 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 59765 

Land would be acquired from willing 

sellers within the current acquisition 

boundaries totaling 113,060 acres. 

Hunting and fishing would continue 

to be the major focuses of the Complex 

public use program, with no expansion 

of current opportunities. Current 

restrictions or prohibitions would 

remain. All-terrain vehicle use would 

continue at its current level, with little 

maintenance to existing trails. 

Environmental education and wildlife 

observation and photography would be 

accommodated on a case-by-case basis. 

Funding requests would continue in 

order to construct a Complex 

headquarters office/visitor contact area 

on Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge and 

to rehabilitate other existing facilities. 

Alternative B. Balanced Habitat and 

Public Use Emphasis (Preferred 

Alternative) 

The Service planning team has 

identified Alternative B as the preferred 

alternative. This alternative was 

developed based on public input and 

the best judgement of the planning 

team. The strategies presented in the 

draft comprehensive conservation plan 

were developed as a direct result of the 

selection of Alternative B. 

This alternative would promote a 

greater understanding of, and protection 

for, the fish, wildlife, and habitats of the 

Complex. It would promote quality and 

more evenly balanced recreational and 

educational programs for visitors. 

Hunting and fishing would continue 

with greater emphasis on the quality of 

the experience with more diverse 

opportunities, including those for youth 

and disabled hunters/anglers. Education 

and interpretation would be promoted 

through regular programs and 

partnerships with local schools. 

Wildlife observation and photography 

opportunities would be expanded, 

including trails, auto tours, photo 

blinds, and observation towers, 

highlighting refuge management 

programs and unique wildlife and 

habitats. All-terrain vehicle use for 

wildlife-dependent creation (e.g., 

hunting and fishing) would continue to 

provide access to remote portions of 

certain refuges. Trails to accommodate 

these vehicles would be evaluated for 

retention based on impacts to refuge 

resources, access, duplication, and other 

means of access. If possible, trails 

removed for these reasons would be 

rerouted if needed for hunter dispersal. 

A user fee and permit would be required 

for all-terrain vehicles to provide 

additional funds needed for the trail 

maintenance program. 

A visitor center and headquarters 

office would be constructed at Yazoo 

National Wildlife Refuge. Two new 

subheadquarters and visitor contact 

stations would be constructed at 

Panther Swamp and Morgan Brake 

National Wildlife Refuges. The new 

subheadquarters at Panther Swamp 

Refuge would be relocated off either 

Highway 49 or River Road, to provide 

greater visibility and access to the 

public. 

Reforestation efforts would focus on 

creating buffers along field edges to 

protect waterfowl and other waterbirds 

from disturbance, and define boundaries 

along adjacent private lands. As lands 

are acquired, they would be evaluated 

for their ability to contribute to stepdown habitat objectives (e.g., moist soil) 

and to interior forest habitat. 

Research studies on bottomland 

hardwood forest restorations would be 

fostered and partnerships developed 

with universities and other agencies, 

providing needed resources and 

experiment sites while meeting the 

needs of the complex’s reforestation 

programs. Research would also benefit 

efforts throughout the Lower 

Mississippi River Alluvial Valley to 

reforest large tracts of lands to meet the 

objectives set by the Lower Mississippi 

Joint Venture office to address the 

fulfillment of the Partners-in-Flight 

Plan. 

Additional staff and facilities would 

be added to accomplish objectives for 

establishing baseline data on refuge 

resources, managing habitats, providing 

opportunities and facilities for wildlife 

observation and photography, and 

providing educational programs that 

promote a greater understanding of the 

Complex’s purposes, issues, and 

resources, as well as the unique value of 

the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial 

Valley. 

Under this alternative, 125,511 acres 

of Complex lands (including refuges and 

Farmers Home Administration 

properties) would be protected, 

maintained, restored, and enhanced for 

resident wildlife, waterfowl, migratory 

nongame birds, and threatened and 

endangered species. A ‘‘Conservation 

Partners Focus Area’’ would be 

established to not only concentrate offrefuge resources, but for partnership 

opportunities and future boundary 

expansion studies to meet regional and 

national objectives. Extensive wildlife 

and plant censuses and inventory 

activities would be initiated to obtain 

the biological information needed to 

implement and monitor management 

programs on the Complex. All 

management actions would be directed 

toward achieving each refuge’s primary 

purposes, while contributing to other 

national, regional, and state goals. 

Active habitat management programs 

would include water level 

manipulations, moist-soil and cropland 

management, reforestation, and existing 

forest management, all designed to meet 

the foraging, resting, and breeding 

requirements for a variety of species, 

particularly migratory birds. An 

extensive system of levees, water 

control structures, and wells would be 

maintained and developed in an effort 

to mimic historic flooding regimes. 

As funding becomes available to 

either contract or conduct farming 

operations with Complex equipment 

and staff, acres in agricultural 

production would be reduced by at least 

half, depending upon the level of 

funding and yield. The majority of the 

acres would be converted to moist soil 

to meet habitat objectives and needs of 

wintering waterfowl and other 

waterbirds, and scrub/shrub and 

grassland habitats for neotropical 

migratory birds, woodcock, and upland 

game birds. Additional lands would be 

reforested, but due to the size and 

distribution of sites, would not be 

sufficient to meet any interior forest 

objectives. An assortment of step-down 

management plans would be created or 

updated to provide the specifics for the 

individual refuge programs. 

Under this alternative, the Complex 

would continue to seek, from willing 

sellers, acquisition of all inholdings 

within the present acquisition 

boundaries. Top priority would be lands 

which, if acquired, would address some 

critical issues related to habitat 

protection, access, and off-refuge 

impacts. Lands acquired as part of the 

Complex would be made available for 

compatible wildlife-dependent public 

recreation and environmental education 

opportunities. Equally important 

options to be used include: Corps of 

Engineers’ mitigation program; outreach 

and partnerships with adjacent 

landowners; hunt clubs; and the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service to use 

conservation easements, cooperative 

agreements, and federal programs, such 

as the Wetland Reserve Program, to link 

bottomland hardwood forest tracts and 

contribute to overall wildlife, soil, and 

water conservation benefits within the 

Lower Mississippi River Alluvial 

Valley. 

Alternative C. Public Use Emphasis 

This approach would place less 

emphasis on managing habitats, while 

allowing for significantly more public 

recreational uses. Any additional staff 

and resources would be directed 

towards allowing for more compatible 

public activities in all areas of the 

Complex. Additional moist soil, scrub/ 

59766 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 

shrub, forested lands, and grasslands 

would not be restored and managed. 

Moist-soil impoundments, currently 

managed for waterfowl and shorebirds, 

would be converted to fishing ponds for 

public use. Hunting seasons would be 

aligned with state regulations to allow 

for maximum use. All-terrain vehicle 

use would continue to disperse hunters, 

with additional funding used to 

maintain the maximum number of trails 

and roads for access. 

Auto tours, canoe trails, foot trails, 

and observation towers would be added 

for environmental education and 

watchable wildlife programs. Additional 

staff would be used for developing and 

presenting both on- and off-site outreach 

and interpretation programs. 

A visitor center and headquarters 

office would be constructed at Yazoo 

National Wildlife Refuge. Two new 

subheadquarters and visitor contact 

stations would be constructed at 

Panther Swamp and Morgan Brake 

Refuges. The new subheadquarters at 

Panther Swamp Refuge would be 

relocated off either Highway 49 or River 

Road, to provide greater visibility and 

access to the public. 

Land acquisition within the current 

acquisition boundary would continue 

with emphasis on those lands that could 

provide additional public use 

opportunities and greater access to 

current refuge lands by the public. 

Alternative D. Interior Forest Habitat 

Emphasis 

Under this alternative, all suitable 

Complex lands would be reforested in 

support of migratory birds and other 

wildlife dependent on interior forest 

habitats. Most refuge management 

actions would be directed toward 

creating and managing the largest 

amount of interior and corridor forest 

habitat (for Louisiana black bear, 

neotropical migratory songbirds, and 

other interior forest wildlife) and 

reducing forest fragmentation, while 

supporting the overall primary purposes 

for the Complex of preserving wintering 

habitat for mallards, pintails, and wood 

ducks, and providing production habitat 

for wood ducks and other migratory 

birds dependent on forested habitats. 

Other national, regional, and state goals 

to protect and restore shorebird, 

grassland, and scrub/shrub bird 

populations would be supported 

secondarily in habitats that were not 

suitable for reforestation. Step-down 

waterfowl objectives, established by the 

Lower Mississippi Joint Venture, in 

support of the North American 

Waterfowl Management Plan, for 

unharvested crops and moist soil would 

not be met. However, wintering 

waterfowl would potentially benefit 

from additional flooded timber habitat, 

including mast and invertebrate 

production. 

Open habitat for geese would not be 

maintained on Yazoo National Wildlife 

Refuge and farming would be 

eliminated throughout the Complex. 

Eliminating farming would eliminate 

goose use, maximize the amount of 

forests and forested corridor habitats, 

and minimize forest fragmentation. A 

forest management plan, designed to 

address this alternative’s primary goals 

by creating spatially and specifically 

diverse woodlands, would be developed 

and implemented. Quality wildlifedependent recreation activities (e.g., 

hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, 

and environmental education and 

interpretation) would be provided. An 

environmental education plan, 

incorporating aggressive and proactive 

promotion of on- and off-site programs, 

would be developed and implemented. 

Improvements would be made to 

interior and exterior roads to provide 

all-weather vehicular access to a broad 

segment of the public; however, existing 

and proposed roads and trails would be 

evaluated for their impacts on forest 

fragmentation. Wildlife observation 

sites/platforms; interpretive trails, 

boardwalks, and kiosks; and restrooms 

would be provided at specific sites to 

allow for fully accessible interpretation 

and environmental education programs. 

Fishing would be provided on Panther 

Swamp, Hillside, Morgan Brake, and 

Mathews Brake National Wildlife 

Refuges. 

Under this alternative, the complex 

would continue to seek, from willing 

sellers, acquisition of all inholdings 

within the present acquisition 

boundary. Highest priority would be 

given to those lands that may be 

reforested to contribute to the interior 

forest objectives. Lands would be made 

available for compatible wildlifedependent public recreation and 

environmental education opportunities. 

Additionally, the Complex would 

concentrate on all future off-refuge 

programs and partnerships within the 

‘‘Conservation Partners Focus Area,’’

with an emphasis on contributing to 

interior forest habitat. 

Authority: This notice is published under 

the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System Improvement Act of 1997, Public 

Law 105–57. 

Dated: April 7, 2005. 

Jacquelyn B. Parrish, 

Acting Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. 05–20491 Filed 10–12–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Receipt of an Application for an 

Incidental Take Permit for Sand Skinks 

and Bluetail Mole Skinks Resulting 

From the Proposed Construction of a 

Planned Unit Development in Polk 

County, FL 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Oakmont Grove Venture, 

L.L.C. (Applicant) requests an incidental 

take permit (ITP) pursuant to section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species 

Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The requested term 

of the ITP is nine years. The Applicant 

anticipates take of the threatened sand 

skink (Neoseps reynoldsi) and bluetail 

mole skink (Eumeces egregius lividus) 

incidental to the development of 

approximately 18.59 acres of sand skink 

habitat and the restoration, 

enhancement, and management of 71.14 

acres of sand skink habitat on-site 

associated with the construction of a 

planned unit development (project). 

Bluetail mole skinks have not been 

observed on the Oakmont project site, 

but they are known to share habitats 

occupied by sand skinks. Therefore, 

incidental take of the bluetail mole 

skink could occur in the same areas that 

are occupied by the sand skink. The 

proposed project would occur in 

Sections 3, 9, 10, and 15, Township 26 

South, Range 27 East, Polk County, 

Florida. 

The Applicant’s Habitat Conservation 

Plan (HCP) describes the mitigation and 

minimization measures proposed to 

address the effects of the project on the 

sand skink and bluetail mole skink. 

These measures are also outlined in the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 

below. We announce the availability of 

the ITP application, HCP, and 

Environmental Assessment (EA). Copies 

of the application, HCP, and EA may be 

obtained by making a request to the 

Southeast Regional Office (see 

ADDRESSES). Requests must be in writing 

to be processed. This notice is provided 

pursuant to section 10 of the Act and 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). 

DATES: Written comments on the ITP 

application, EA, and HCP should be 

sent to the Service’s Southeast Regional 

Office (see ADDRESSES) and should be 

received on or before December 12, 

2005. 

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review 

the ITP application, EA, and HCP may