Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 24 / Friday, February 6, 2009 / Notices 6303 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R6–R–2008–N0331; 60138–1265– 

6CCP–S3] 

Final Comprehensive Conservation 

Plan for Nine Wetland Management 

Districts, North Dakota 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service) announces that the 

Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan 

(CCP) for nine Wetland Management 

Districts (Districts) is available. This 

final CCP describes how the Service 

intends to manage the Districts for the 

next 15 years. 

ADDRESSES: A copy of the CCP may be 

obtained by writing to U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Division of Refuge 

Planning, 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 

300, Lakewood, Colorado 80228; or by 

download from http://mountainprairie.fws.gov/planning. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Esperance, 303–236–4369 (phone); 303– 

236–4792 (fax); or 

john_esperance@fws.gov (e-mail). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The nine 

Districts are Devils Lake, Arrowwood, 

Audubon, Chase Lake, Crosby, J. Clark 

Salyer, Kulm, Lostwood, and Valley 

City Wetland Management Districts. 

The Districts are part of the National 

Wildlife Refuge System of the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service. The Districts were 

started as part of the Small Wetlands 

Acquisition Program in the 1950s to 

save wetlands from various threats, 

particularly drainage. The passage of 

Public Law 85–585 in August, 1958, 

amended the Migratory Bird Hunting 

and Conservation Stamp Act of 1934, 

allowing for the acquisition of 

waterfowl production areas and 

easements for waterfowl production. 

All nine of the Districts have a 

primary purpose to provide optimal 

habitat conditions for the needs of a 

suite of waterfowl and other migratory 

birds, and, to a lesser extent native, 

resident wildlife. 

To achieve goals and objectives, 

aggressive wetland and upland habitat 

management must be conducted. 

Wetland and upland habitats need to be 

protected and enhanced through 

management. Habitat protection needs 

to be evaluated through a priority 

system so that different means of 

protection, either through fee title or 

easements, can be evaluated. 

The draft CCP/EA was made available 

to the public for a 30-day review and 

comment period following the 

announcement in the Federal Register 

on August 19, 2008 (73 FR 48388). The 

draft CCP/EA identified and evaluated 

three alternatives for managing the 

refuges for the next 15 years. 

Alternative A, the No Action 

alternative, promotes a continuation of 

all aspects of the District’s current 

management. Staff would conduct 

monitoring, inventory, and research 

activities at their current level (i.e., 

limited, issue-driven research and 

limited avian and vegetative monitoring 

and inventory). Funding and staff levels 

would not change and programs would 

follow the same direction, emphasis, 

and intensity as they do at present. The 

current management of wildlife habitat 

and associated species on Districts 

Wetland Productions Areas (WPAs) are 

prioritized into high, medium, and low 

areas. Currently, only high priority 

Wetland Production Areas are receiving 

consistent management. All 

conservation easements are monitored 

by Service personnel; however, only the 

high priority easement violations are 

consistently enforced. Currently public 

use events and workshops with such 

groups as school districts, youth groups, 

and conservations groups are conducted 

on a multiyear rotation among Districts. 

Alternative B is the Service’s 

proposed action and basis for the CCP. 

This alternative will allow for enhanced 

wetland and upland management where 

warranted on District lands. 

Management objectives for various 

habitat types would be based on habitat 

preferences of groups of target species, 

such as waterfowl, migratory shore 

birds, grassland bird species and 

priority species. District staff will focus 

on high priority tracts and medium 

priority tracts. The District staff will 

implement compatible production 

enhancement techniques for targeted 

migratory bird populations. The District 

staff will maintain existing 

environmental education and public use 

programs, with additional waterfowl 

emphases. The Service proposes, at a 

future date, a new administration and 

visitor center for Audubon and Kulm 

WMD and additionally a new visitor 

contact station for Lostwood, Valley 

City, and Arrowwood Wetland 

Management District. 

In Alternative C, management by the 

District staff would be more intensive 

and widespread that targets native 

prairie/wetland complexes. District staff 

would seek out where restoration 

projects were expanded and where 

returning native grasslands to quality 

native prairie was a priority. This 

alternative would have the potential to 

provide additional management options 

to address habitat requirements and 

needs of specific groups of waterdependent birds (e.g., waterfowl and 

shorebirds). The staff would develop 

new environmental education and 

public use programs. The Service 

proposes, at a future date, a new 

administration and visitor center for 

Audubon and Kulm WMD and 

additionally, a new visitor contact 

station for Lostwood, Valley City, and 

Arrowwood Wetland Management 

District. 

The Service is furnishing this notice 

to advise other agencies and the public 

of the availability of the final CCP, to 

provide information on the desired 

conditions for the refuges, and to detail 

how the Service will implement 

management strategies. Based on the 

review and evaluation of the 

information contained in the EA, the 

Regional Director has determined that 

implementation of the final CCP does 

not constitute a major Federal action 

that would significantly affect the 

quality of the human environment 

within the meaning of Section 102(2)(c) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act. Therefore, an Environmental 

Impact Statement will not be prepared. 

Future site-specific proposals discussed 

in the final CCP will be addressed in 

separate planning efforts with full 

public involvement. 

Dated: February 2, 2009. 

Noreen E. Walsh, 

Deputy Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. E9–2542 Filed 2–5–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R4–ES–2009–N0024; 40120–1112– 

0000–F2] 

Receipt of Applications for the 

Amendment of Incidental Take Permits 

for Residential Construction in 

Charlotte County, FL 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit 

amendment application; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service) issued incidental take 

permits (permits) (TE136149–0, 

TE136150–0, TE136151–0, and 

TE136153–0), pursuant to section 

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

Act of 1973, as amended, for incidental 

take of the threatened Florida scrub-jay 

(Aphelocoma coerulescens) (scrub-jay) 

in Charlotte County, Florida to Peter 


dwashington3 on PROD1PC60 with NOTICES