25286 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 88 / Friday, May 7, 2010 / Notices 

refuge. The planning process is a way 

for us and the public to evaluate 

management goals and objectives that 

will ensure the best possible approach 

to wildlife, plant, and habitat 

conservation, while providing for 

wildlife-dependent recreation 

opportunities that are compatible with 

each refuge’s establishing purposes and 

the mission of the NWRS. 

Our CCP process provides 

participation opportunities for Tribal, 

State, and local governments, 

conservation organizations, and the 

public. At this time, we encourage input 

in the form of issues, concerns, ideas, 

and suggestions for the future 

management of John Heinz 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. 

John Heinz NWR 

Under legislation passed by Congress 

in 1972, authorization was given to the 

Secretary of the Interior to acquire 1,200 

acres to preserve Tinicum Marsh and 

establish a ‘‘Tinicum National 

Environmental Center.’’ The 

Congressional mandate set forth for the 

refuge was to preserve, restore, and 

enhance habitat; provide opportunities 

for the public to study wildlife in its 

natural habitat; and to promote 

environmental education. In November 

1991, in a bill sponsored by 

Congressman Curt Weldon (R–PA), the 

name of the refuge was changed to John 

Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at 

Tinicum to honor the late Senator who 

helped preserve Tinicum Marsh. 

The refuge protects five varied 

habitats: Freshwater tidal marsh, 

impounded water, woods, meadow, and 

field. The 200 acres of freshwater tidal 

marsh represents approximately 80 

percent of Pennsylvania’s remaining 

coastal wetlands. The refuge is an 

important stopover for migratory birds 

along the Atlantic Flyway, and provides 

breeding habitat for several State-listed 

threatened and endangered species. It 

has over 10 miles of trails, and visitors 

can actually pass through, or by, most 

of the habitats using these trails. 

John Heinz NWR is the most urban 

refuge managed by the Service. Over 

100,000 visitors come to the refuge each 

year, and the refuge’s urban setting 

provides unique opportunities for 

public education and involvement. To 

better address these opportunities and 

promote environmental education, the 

refuge completed construction on the 

Cusano Environmental Education 

Center in 2001. 

The mission of the Cusano 

Environmental Education Center is to 

demonstrate, within an urban setting, 

the importance of the natural world to 

the quality of human life and to inspire 

visitors to become responsible stewards 

of the environment. 

Scoping: Preliminary Issues, 

Concerns, and Opportunities. The 

planning team has identified some 

preliminary issues, concerns, and 

opportunities to address in the CCP. We 

list below the categories for issues we 

have identified. During public scoping, 

we expect additional issues may be 

raised. 

(1) Ecoregional or ecosystemwide 

issues, such as climate change, regional 

land conservation, and protection of 

water quality throughout the Delaware 

River estuary; 

(2) Biological program issues, such as 

habitat and species management needs, 

protection, restoration, monitoring, 

inventories, and research; 

(3) Public use program issues, such as 

the breadth and quality of programs, 

public access, user conflicts, and use 

impacts on natural resources; 

(4) Infrastructure and staffing issues, 

such as appropriateness of facilities, 

safety, accessibility, and additional 

staffing needs; 

(5) Community relations and outreach 

issues and opportunities, such as 

tourism, and local economic impacts; 

and 

(6) Coordination and communication 

issues and opportunities with other 

environmental educators, and Federal, 

State, and Tribal Governments, and with 

non-governmental conservation 

partners. 

Public Meetings 

We will give the public an 

opportunity to provide input at a public 

meeting. You can obtain the schedule 

from the refuge manager (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). You 

may also send comments anytime 

during the planning process by mail, 

electronic mail, or facsimile (see 

ADDRESSES). There will be additional 

opportunities to provide public input 

once we have prepared a draft CCP. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, electronic 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. 

Dated: March 29, 2010. 

Richard O. Bennett, 

Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, MA 

01035. 

[FR Doc. 2010–10819 Filed 5–6–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R5–R–2010–N018; BAC–4311–K9 S3] 

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, 

Seneca, Wayne, and Cayuga Counties, 

NY 

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 (Service), intend to 

prepare a comprehensive conservation 

plan (CCP) and environmental 

assessment (EA) for Montezuma 

National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in 

Seneca, Wayne, and Cayuga Counties, 

New York. We provide this notice in 

compliance with our CCP policy to 

advise other Federal and State agencies, 

Tribal Governments, and the public of 

our intentions, and to obtain suggestions 

and information on the scope of issues 

to consider in the planning process. We 

are also announcing public meetings 

and requesting public comments. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, please 

send your written comments by June 30, 

2010. We will announce opportunities 

for public input in local news media 

throughout the CCP process. 

ADDRESSES: Send your comments or 

requests for more information by any of 

the following methods: 

Electronic mail: 

northeastplanning@fws.gov. Include 

‘‘Montezuma NWR CCP’’ in the subject 

line of the message. 

Facsimile: Attention: Nancy 

McGarigal, 413–253–8468. 

U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, 

Hadley, MA 01035. 

In-Person Drop-off: You may drop off 

comments during regular business hours 

at Montezuma NWR, 3395 U.S. Route 20 

East, Seneca Falls, NY 13148–9423. 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 88 / Friday, May 7, 2010 / Notices 25287 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom 

Jasikoff, Refuge Manager, Montezuma 

NWR, 3395 U.S. 20 East, Seneca Falls, 

NY 13148–9423; phone: (315) 568–5987; 

electronic mail: tom_jasikoff@fws.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

With this notice, we initiate our 

process for developing a CCP for 

Montezuma NWR in Seneca, Wayne, 

and Cayuga Counties, New York. This 

notice complies with our CCP policy to 

(1) advise other Federal and State 

agencies, Tribal Governments, 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 

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 

(NWRS), 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 and photography, 

and environmental education and 

interpretation. We will review and 

update the CCP at least every 15 years 

in accordance with the Administration 

Act. 

Each unit of the NWRS 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 NWRS 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 that 

will ensure the best possible approach 

to wildlife, plant, and habitat 

conservation, while providing for 

wildlife-dependent recreation 

opportunities that are compatible with 

each refuge’s establishing purposes and 

the mission of the NWRS. 

Our CCP process provides 

participation opportunities for Tribal, 

State, and local governments, 

conservation organizations, and the 

public. At this time, we encourage input 

in the form of issues, concerns, ideas, 

and suggestions for the future 

management of Montezuma 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. 

Montezuma NWR 

Montezuma NWR was established as 

a refuge in 1938 primarily in recognition 

of its importance as a stopover area for 

migratory birds and other wildlife. The 

refuge provides resting, feeding, and 

nesting habitat for waterfowl and other 

migratory birds and is located in the 

middle of one of the most active 

migratory bird pathways in the Atlantic 

Flyway. Over 1,000,000 migrating geese 

and ducks, and one of the largest 

concentrations of migrating shorebirds 

in New York, are observed each year. 

Located at the north end of Cayuga Lake 

in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, 

Montezuma NWR consists of 9,073 

acres. 

Refuge habitats are very diverse. They 

consist of approximately 4,700 acres of 

freshwater wetlands in 16 

impoundments; 1,646 acres in 

floodplain forest; 360 acres in cropland; 

700 acres in early or mid-successional 

forest; 584 acres in grassland, 157 acres 

in canals, river, or dikes, and the 

remainder in roads, trails and other 

infrastructure. 

Montezuma NWR hosts over 150,000 

visitors annually. Popular activities 

include driving on the 3-mile auto tour, 

observing and photographing nature on 

the 5.5 miles of walking trails, and 

hunting, fishing, or participating in the 

many educational and interpretive 

programs. The refuge visitor center, 

open from April 1 to November 30 each 

year, is a popular destination for visitors 

to the area. 

Scoping: Preliminary Issues, Concerns, 

and Opportunities 

The planning team is in the process 

of identifying preliminary issues, 

concerns, and opportunities to address 

in the CCP. We list below the categories 

for issues we have identified. During 

public scoping, we expect additional 

issues may be raised. 

(1) Ecoregional or ecosystemwide 

issues, such as climate change, regional 

land conservation, and the protection of 

water quality throughout the West 

Oswego River watershed; 

(2) Biological program issues, such as 

habitat and species management needs, 

protection, restoration, monitoring, 

inventories, and research; 

(3) Public-use program issues, such as 

the breadth and quality of programs, 

public access, user conflicts, and use 

impacts on natural resources; 

(4) Infrastructure and staffing issues, 

such as appropriateness of facilities, 

safety, accessibility, and additional 

staffing needs; 

(5) Community relations and outreach 

issues and opportunities, such as 

tourism and local economic impacts; 

and 

(6) Coordination and communication 

issues and opportunities with Federal, 

State, and Tribal Governments, and with 

non-governmental conservation 

partners. 

Public Meetings 

We will give the public an 

opportunity to provide input at a public 

meeting. You can obtain the schedule 

from the planning team leader or refuge 

manager (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT). You may also send comments 

anytime during the planning process by 

mail, electronic mail, or facsimile (see 

ADDRESSES). There will be additional 

opportunities to provide public input 

once we have prepared a draft CCP. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, electronic 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. 

Dated: March 26, 2010. 

James G. Geiger, 

Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–10822 Filed 5–6–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M 


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