[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 195 (Friday, October 6, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59861-59862]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-25680]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Intent To Prepare Comprehensive Conservation Plans, and 
Conduct Biological, Public Use, and Wilderness Reviews for the Central 
Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The Complex Includes 
Yazoo Refuge in Washington County; Panther Swamp Refuge in Yazoo 
County; Hillside and Morgan Brake Refuges in Holmes County; and Mathews 
Brake Refuge in Leflore County

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Fish and Wildlife 
Service, Southeast Region, 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 within 60 days of this 
publication.

ADDRESSES: Address comments and requests for more information to the 
following:
    Ms. Laura Reid, Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 728 Yazoo Refuge Road, Hollandale, Mississippi 38748, (662) 
839-2638.
    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: 
Laura_Reidfws.gov. 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 the above 
address. 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 my 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 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. The plan 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 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.

[[Page 59862]]

    We estimate that the draft environmental documents will be 
available in January 2003.

    Dated: September 28, 2000
H. Dale Hall,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 00-25680 Filed 10-05-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M