Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 15 / Monday, January 25, 2016 / Notices 4061 

received by mail, email or verbally at 

the April 2, 2015, public meeting in 

Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Comments 

supporting the plan and preferred 

alternative were received from the 

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, 

Fisheries and Parks, Safari Club 

International, and Mississippi Wildlife. 

CCP Alternatives, Including Our 

Preferred Alternative 

We developed three alternatives for 

managing the refuge (Alternatives A, B, 

and C), with Alternative B, Minimally 

Developed Refuges, selected for 

implementation. As these are newer 

refuges authorized by Congress in 2004, 

the focus of this plan is to develop 

them. Therefore, our efforts over the 

next 15 years will be focused on land 

acquisition to build-out the refuges to 

their approved acquisition boundaries. 

Passive habitat protection and the 

addition of new resource lands 

beneficial to wildlife will help preserve 

habitat in perpetuity and to lessen 

fragmentation. This plan has the 

objective of providing sanctuary to 

migratory species as a group, not just 

priority waterfowl species. White-tailed 

deer management would continue 

through the Holt Collier NWR hunt 

program and eventually at Theodore 

Roosevelt NWR. Integrated damage 

control of invasive and nuisance species 

would lessen the negative effects on the 

refuges’ habitats. 

Another primary focus of the plan is 

to create a visitor services program to 

enhance environmental education and 

outreach efforts substantially and to 

reach larger numbers of residents, 

students, educators, and visitors. It 

places priority on wildlife-dependent 

uses, such as hunting, fishing and 

wildlife observation. Priority public 

uses, such as hunting, are allowed at 

Holt Collier NWR. At a time when 

sufficient land is amassed and resources 

are available to allow for ample public 

use opportunities, Theodore Roosevelt 

NWR would be opened to hunting. 

Public use would be phased into both 

refuges. Compatibility determinations 

are updated for the priority public uses 

and for research and monitoring. For 

both refuges, some commercial uses 

would be allowed under a Commercial 

Special Use Permit, including 

commercial photography, firewood 

gathering, timber harvest for forest 

management, and trapping. 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act 

of 2004 authorized construction of a 

Visitor Center to provide visitor services 

and to promote the Delta area’s natural 

resources and cultural heritage. Funding 

was appropriated in 2009, in the 

amount of $2.6 million for the building 

of the Theodore Roosevelt NWR Visitor 

Center. On February 11, 2015, a total of 

6.58 acres (originally proposed as 

approximately 5 acres) located off of 

Highway 61 in Sharkey County, 

Mississippi) was donated to the Service 

to construct a Visitor Center. A major 

focus of this plan and Service efforts 

will be to build and staff the Visitor 

Center. Since the location is secured for 

the Visitor Center, regular Service 

procedures will be followed for building 

design and construction. Staffing is 

proposed to run the Visitor Center, to 

provide environmental and interpretive 

programs, and to coordinate volunteers. 

Positions include a Park Ranger, 

Wildlife Refuge Manager and a 

Maintenance Worker. 

This CCP assumes a modest growth of 

refuge resources over its 15-year 

implementation period, with three new 

positions as new funding is available. 

Current partnerships would be 

maintained and new ones would be 

sought. Daily operation of the refuges 

will be guided by this CCP and through 

the implementation of nine projects and 

six step-down management plans as 

detailed in the CCP. 

Authority 

This notice is published under the 

authority of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System Improvement Act of 

1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.). 

Dated: November 10, 2015. 

Brett E. Hunter, 

Deputy Chief, National Wildlife Refuge 

System, Southeast Region. 

[FR Doc. 2016–01414 Filed 1–22–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R4–R–2015–N235]; 

[FXRS12650400000S3–123–FF04R02000] 

Cat Island 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 the final comprehensive 

conservation plan (CCP) and finding of 

no significant impact for the 

environmental assessment for Cat Island 

National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in West 

Feliciana Parish, 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: Lower 

Mississippi River NWR Complex, P.O. 

Box 217, Sibley, MS 39165. 

Alternatively, you may download the 

document from our Internet Site at 

http://southeast.fws.gov/planning under 

‘‘Final Documents.’’ 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jimmy Laurent, Project Leader, Lower 

Mississippi River NWR Complex, by 

telephone at (601) 442–6696 or by email 

at jimmy_laurent@fws.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

With this notice, we finalize the CCP 

process for Cat Island NWR. We started 

the process through a notice in the 

Federal Register on November 25, 2013 

(78 FR 70318). For more about the 

process, see that notice. 

Cat Island NWR was established in 

October 2000, as the 526th refuge in the 

National Wildlife Refuge System. It is 

located in West Feliciana Parish, 

Louisiana, near the town of St. 

Francisville, 25 miles north of Baton 

Rouge. Acquisition has occurred in 

stages, beginning in 2000 when The 

Nature Conservancy (TNC) of Louisiana 

made the first purchase of about 9,500 

acres of forested wetlands. That and 

subsequent acquisitions by TNC were 

purchased by the Service using both the 

Land and Water Conservation Fund and 

Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. 

Today, the refuge encompasses 10,473 

acres. The congressionally approved 

acquisition boundary encloses 36,500 

acres. 

Cat Island NWR was created by 

Congress through Public Law 106–369, 

which states: ‘‘The purposes for which 

the Refuge is established and shall be 

managed are: (1) To conserve, restore, 

and manage habitats as necessary to 

contribute to the migratory bird 

population goals and habitat objective 

[sic] as established through the Lower 

Mississippi Valley Joint Venture; (2) to 

conserve, restore, and manage the 

significant aquatic resource values 

associated with the area’s forested 

wetlands and to achieve the habitat 

objectives of the Mississippi River 

Aquatic Resources Management Plan; 

(3) to conserve, enhance, and restore the 

historic native bottomland community 

characteristics of the lower Mississippi 

alluvial valley and its associated fish, 

wildlife, and plant species; (4) to 

conserve, enhance, and restore habitat 

to maintain and assist in the recovery of 

endangered and threatened plants and 

animals; and (5) to encourage the use of 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
4062 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 15 / Monday, January 25, 2016 / Notices 

volunteers and facilitate partnerships 

among the United States Fish and 

Wildlife Service, local communities, 

conservation organizations, and other 

non-Federal entities to promote public 

awareness of the resources of the Refuge 

and the National Wildlife Refuge 

System and public participation in the 

conservation of those resources’’ (Cat 

Island NWR Establishment Act, 114 

Stat. 1418, October 27, 2000). 

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 1, 2015 (80 FR 24958). 

Copies of the Draft CCP/EA were posted 

at refuge headquarters and also were 

available for download at http://

www.fws.gov/southeast/planning/CCP/

cat-island.html. Over 100 letters with 

links to the draft comprehensive 

conservation plan and environmental 

assessment were distributed to local 

landowners, the public, and local, State, 

and Federal agencies. Three 

respondents, consisting of the Humane 

Society of the United States, the Jena 

Band of Choctaw Indians, and local 

citizens, submitted comments on the 

Draft CCP/EA by mail or email. 

CCP Alternatives, Including Our 

Preferred Alternative 

We developed three alternatives for 

managing the refuge (Alternatives A, B, 

and C), with Alternative B selected for 

implementation. This alternative will 

focus on managing the refuge’s natural 

resources to enhance habitats for 

priority species including waterfowl 

and other migratory birds, threatened 

and endangered species, species of 

concern, and resident fish and wildlife. 

Additionally, wildlife surveys would be 

conducted using established protocols 

to establish baseline habitat conditions, 

estimate wildlife population indices, 

determine responses to management 

actions, and contribute to larger scale 

biological assessments. Invasive exotic 

and nuisance species would be actively 

managed to minimize their impacts on 

refuge resources. Refuge forests would 

be actively managed to enhance wildlife 

habitat. Aquatic habitats on the refuge 

would be inventoried and assessed, and 

where feasible, access to them would be 

improved for recreational anglers. 

Refuge cultural resources would 

continue to be protected as they have 

been in the past. In addition, the refuge 

would seek funding to survey and 

catalog cultural resources on the refuge. 

Protection of cultural resources would 

be integrated into refuge planning at all 

levels, and management actions would 

be reviewed in order to avoid or 

mitigate impacts to cultural resources. 

Under the preferred alternative, 

public use would be more actively 

managed by refuge staff. Hunting and 

fishing would continue to be managed 

and made available with the active 

partnership of Louisiana Department of 

Wildlife and Fisheries. More law 

enforcement personnel hours would be 

allocated by the Service for Cat Island 

NWR. New partnerships with 

organizations interested in promoting 

nonconsumptive refuge use would be 

sought, and existing ones strengthened. 

In particular, environmental education 

opportunities would be enhanced by 

active participation of Service personnel 

with local schools and nonprofit 

organizations. 

Refuge infrastructure would be 

maintained as in the past. The refuge 

would seek to improve access via the 

main refuge road and various trails. 

Efforts would be made to provide access 

to the northeast section of the refuge, 

and access via Cat Island Road would be 

pursued. The refuge would hire or 

assign staff to the refuge. Staff may 

include one or more of the following: 

Refuge manager, volunteer coordinator, 

equipment operator, law enforcement 

officer, forester, and biologist. Any or all 

of these may be shared positions among 

refuges in the Lower Mississippi River 

Refuge Complex. Full staffing under this 

alternative is anticipated to be 1.5 to 2 

full-time employees. 

Authority 

This notice is published under the 

authority of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System Improvement Act of 

1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.). 

Dated: November 10, 2015. 

Brett E. Hunter, 

Deputy Chief, National Wildlife Refuge 

System Southeast Region. 

[FR Doc. 2016–01417 Filed 1–22–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Geological Survey 

[GX16EE000101000] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Request for Comment on 

Proposed Revisions to the United 

States Thoroughfare, Landmark and 

Postal Address Data Standard 

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments 

SUMMARY: The Federal Geographic Data 

Committee (FGDC) is conducting a 

public review of proposed revisions to 

the United States Thoroughfare, 

Landmark and Postal Address Data 

Standard (Address Data Standard). 

The primary purposes of the Address 

Data Standard are to develop content 

specifications for address information, 

provide classifications for different 

types of addresses, establish appropriate 

standards and measures for evaluation 

of address data quality, and support 

exchange of address data. The FGDC 

endorsed the Address Data Standard in 

2011, and numerous federal, state and 

local government agencies have since 

used it to manage their address data. 

Over the last five years, users and the 

authors identified a number of desirable 

minor corrections to the Address Data 

Standard. Additionally, the U.S. Census 

Bureau, as the maintenance authority 

for the Standard, has proposed adding a 

new Map Position element. 

Reviewers are requested to review and 

comment on the proposed revisions 

and/or submit additional comments on 

the Address Data Standard. 

The draft revision of the standard may 

be downloaded from: https://

www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/

FGDC-standards-projects/streetaddress/AddressDataStandardRevised. 

The change log lists proposed changes 

identified since publication of the 

Address Data Standard in 2011. These 

changes are reflected in the version of 

the standard posted for the 2015 

maintenance review and are subject to 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES