[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 83 (Friday, April 28, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24976-24977]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10683]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for 
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Wakulla, Jefferson, and Taylor 
Counties, Florida

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service intends to gather information necessary to prepare a 
comprehensive conservation plan and associated environmental documents 
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and implementing 
regulations to achieve the following:
    (1) Advise other agencies and the public of our intentions, and
    (2) To obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to 
include in the environmental documents.

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before June 27, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Address comments and requests for more information to the 
following: National Resource Planner, St. Marks National Wildlife 
Refuge, 7298 Coastal Highway, Crawfordville, Florida 32372, (850) 925-
1497.
    If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments by any one of 
several methods. You may mail comments to the above address. You may 
also comment via the Internet to the following address: Steven__ 
[email protected]. Please submit Internet comments as an ASCII file 
avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. 
Please also include your name and return address in your Internet 
message. If you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we 
have received your Internet message, contact us directly at St. Marks 
National Wildlife Refuge, at the above address. Finally, you may hand-
deliver comments to the Refuge Visitor Center at 1255 Lighthouse Road, 
St. Marks, Florida. 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 address from the rulemaking record, which we will 
honor to the extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances 
in which we would withhold from the rulemaking record a respondent's 
identity, as allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your name 
and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of 
your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We

[[Page 24977]]

will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of 
organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By Federal law, all lands within the 
National Wildlife Refuge System are to be managed in accordance with an 
approved comprehensive conservation plan. These plans will guide 
management decisions and identify refuge goals, long-range objectives, 
and strategies for achieving refuge purposes. The planning process will 
consider many elements, including habitat and wildlife management, 
habitat protection and acquisition, public use, and cultural resources. 
Public input into this planning process is essential. Plans will 
provide other agencies and the public with a clear understanding of the 
desired conditions for the refuge and how the Service will implement 
management strategies.
    The Service will solicit information from the public via open 
houses, meetings, and written comments. Special mailings, newspaper 
articles, and announcements will inform people in the general refuge 
area of the time and place of such opportunities for public 
involvement. Review of this project will be conducted in accordance 
with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 
as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), National Environmental Policy Act 
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), other appropriate Federal laws 
and regulations, including the National Wildlife Refuge System 
Improvement Act of 1997, Executive Order 12996, and Service policies 
and procedures for compliance with those regulations.
    We estimate that the draft environmental documents will be 
available in March 2002.

    Dated: April 20, 2000.
H. Dale Hall,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 00-10683 Filed 4-27-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M