[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 14, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57108-57109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28437]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Availability of Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and
Environmental Assessment for Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge,
Monterey County, California
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces that a Draft
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment (CCP/EA)
for Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) is available for
review and comment. This CCP/EA, prepared pursuant to the National
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 and the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, describes how the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service intends to manage the Refuge for the next 15 years.
Also available for review with the CCP/EA are draft compatibility
determinations for waterfowl hunting, surf fishing, wildlife
observation and photography, environmental education and
interpretation, research, and mosquito control.
DATES: Please submit comments on the Draft CCP/EA on or before December
14, 2001.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft CCP/EA should be addressed to: Mark
Pelz, Planning Team Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, CA/NV
Refuge Planning Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-1916, Sacramento, CA
95825. Comments may also be submitted via electronic mail to
[email protected]. Please type ``Salinas River NWR'' in the
subject line.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Pelz, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, California/Nevada Refuge Planning Office, Room W-1916, 2800
Cottage Way, Sacramento, California, 95825; (916) 414-6504; fax (916)
414-6512; or Ivette Loredo, Refuge Manager, Salinas River National
Wildlife Refuge, PO Box 524, Newark, CA 94560-0524; (510) 792-0222.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability of Documents
Copies of the Draft CCP/EA may be obtained by writing to U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Attn: Mark Pelz, California/Nevada Refuge
Planning Office, Room W-1916, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, California,
95825. Copies of the plan may be viewed at this address or at the San
Francisco Bay NWR Complex Headquarters, #1 Marshlands Road, Fremont,
California. The Draft CCP/EA will also be available for viewing and
download online at http://pacific.fws.gov/planning.
Background
The Salinas River Refuge encompasses 366 acres located 11 miles
north of Monterey, California, where the Salinas River empties into
Monterey Bay. The Refuge is part of the San Francisco Bay National
Wildlife Refuge Complex, which has its headquarters in Fremont,
California. Refuge lands include a range of terrestrial and aquatic
habitats, including coastal dunes and beach, grasslands, wetlands, and
riparian scrub. Because of its location within the Pacific Flyway, the
Refuge is used by a variety of migratory birds during breeding,
wintering, and migration periods. It also provides habitat for several
threatened and endangered species, including western snowy plover,
California brown pelican, Smith's blue butterfly, Monterey gilia,
[[Page 57109]]
and Monterey spineflower. Approximately 40 species that occur or are
suspected to occur on the Refuge are considered sensitive by Federal or
State agencies. Current recreational uses on the Refuge include
wildlife observation and photography, waterfowl hunting, and access to
surf fishing.
This Draft CCP/EA identifies and evaluates four alternatives for
managing Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge in Monterey County,
California for the next 15 years.
Under the No Action Alternative, the Refuge would continue to be
managed as it has been in the recent past (approximately the last ten
years). Existing recreational uses would continue. For example, the
Refuge would continue to provide limited hunting opportunities and surf
fishing access. Similarly, wildlife observation and photography would
occur on the Refuge. However, there would be no guided tours or docent
program and no facilities would be built or improved. Recreational use
would likely increase due to population growth in the area and a
greater awareness of the existence of the Refuge. The Refuge is
currently fenced along its southern boundary only. No new fencing would
be added under the No Action Alternative. Under the No Action
Alternative, resource management would include: removing and
controlling invasive plants; managing mammalian predators to reduce
predation on western snowy plovers; monitoring and managing snowy
plover; conducting limited species inventories; mowing grasslands;
planting native riparian trees and shrubs (mostly along the Salinas
River); and managing mosquitos. The Service would rely primarily on
partnerships with local and State agencies, organizations,
universities, and adjacent landowners to accomplish many of its
resource protection and monitoring goals. The level of staffing and
funding currently devoted to the Refuge would remain the same under
this alternative.
Under Alternative 2, the Refuge would focus exclusively on
protecting, enhancing, and restoring natural resources. The rationale
for this alternative is that there are few other public lands in the
Monterey Bay area whose primary mission is to protect endangered
species and other wildlife. The Refuge supports a regionally important
population of the western snowy plover, which is federally listed as
threatened. More intensive management of this snowy plover population
and control of public use may be required to increase the size of the
population and maintain its long-term viability on the Refuge. Under
this alternative, the Refuge would be closed to all public use except
guided tours offered by Service staff for wildlife observation,
photography, and environmental interpretation and education. The Refuge
would be fenced along most of its borders to prevent unauthorized
access. The beach below mean high water would remain open for public
use, including surf fishing, because the Refuge does not control lands
below mean high water. However, beach access through the Refuge would
be stopped; users would be permitted to access the beach only from the
public beaches adjacent to the Refuge. In addition, the Service would
pursue a long-term lease with the State Lands Commission to manage the
beach and tidelands below mean high water. Alternative 2 would redirect
most of the limited resources currently devoted to public use
management to support increasing the intensity of natural resources
management. All of the current resource management activities would
continue under this alternative. New management tools and techniques
would include: using prescribed fire to augment mowing and herbicide
use in the grassland/shrubland habitat; conducting comprehensive
inventories of all species on the Refuge; translocating problem avian
predators of the western snowy plover; and creating a Geographic
Information System (GIS) database to track vegetation and population
trends. Full implementation of this alternative would require increased
staffing and funding.
Alternative 3 represents the Service's preferred management
scenario/proposed action. Under Alternative 3, public use of the Refuge
would be improved but not substantially expanded. For example,
informational signs and interpretive exhibits would be installed on the
Refuge and a wheelchair-accessible trail to the Salinas River would be
constructed. In addition, the existing parking lot would be improved
(e.g., graded, paved, or covered with gravel). The area in which
seasonal waterfowl hunting is permitted would be reduced by
approximately 15 percent to protect roosting California brown pelicans.
All of the current management activities would continue under this
alternative. Some activities, such as special-status species
inventories, would be substantially expanded. New management tools and
techniques would include: using prescribed fire to augment mowing and
herbicide use in the grassland/shrubland habitat; conducting
inventories of all habitats on the Refuge; translocating problem avian
predators of the western snowy plover; and creating a GIS database to
track vegetation and population trends. In addition, the Service would
pursue a long-term lease with the State Lands Commission to manage the
beach and tidelands below mean high water. Full implementation of this
alternative would require increased staffing and funding.
Under Alternative 4, public use of the Refuge would be improved and
expanded. For example, informational signs and interpretive exhibits
would be installed on the Refuge, a wheelchair-accessible trail to the
Salinas River and to the beach (on a boardwalk) would be constructed,
hunting blinds would be built along the Salinas River, and a restroom
would be installed near the parking lot. In addition, the existing
parking lot and privately owned access road would be improved (e.g.,
paved or covered with gravel), greatly improving access to the Refuge,
particularly during the rainy season. The seasonal hunt area would be
reduced, as in Alternative 3. All of the current management activities
would continue under this alternative. New management tools and
techniques would include: using prescribed fire to augment mowing and
herbicide use in the grassland/shrubland habitat; conducting
inventories of all habitats on the Refuge; translocating problem avian
predators of the western snowy plover; and creating a GIS database to
track vegetation and population trends. In addition, the Service would
pursue a long-term lease with the State Lands Commission to manage the
beach and tidelands below mean high water. Full implementation of this
alternative and management of the expected increase in public use and
the potential conflicts between this use and protection of natural
resources would require substantially increased staffing and funding.
Dated: November 6, 2001.
Steve Thompson,
Acting Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office, Fish and Wildlife
Service, Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 01-28437 Filed 11-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P