[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 233 (Tuesday, December 4, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 63066]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29951]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Proposed Exchange of Lands on South Fox Island, MI

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior, lead; National Park 
Service, Interior, cooperating; Michigan Department of Natural 
Resources, cooperating.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (FWS) and the National Park Service (NPS) will discontinue all 
activities associated with developing an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) for a proposed exchange of lands on South Fox Island, Leelanau 
County, MI.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For the various agencies, the contacts 
are: Mr. Craig Czarnecki, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, East Lansing 
Field Office, 2651 Coolidge Road, Suite 101, East Lansing, MI 48823, 
telephone: (517) 351-8470, facsimile: (517) 351-1443; or Ms. Elyse 
LaForest, National Park Service, 15 State Street, Boston, MA 02109, 
telephone: (617) 223-5190, facsimile: (617) 223-5164; Mr. Doug 
Erickson, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division, 
P.O. Box 30444, Lansing, MI 48909-7944; telephone: (517) 335-4316, 
facsimile: (517) 373-6705.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The actions that were being evaluated by 
this EIS were: (1) The approval by FWS of the exchange of 313 acres, 
acquired by the State with Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration 
assistance, for lands with equal monetary and wildlife restoration 
values; (2) the approval by the NPS for the State to exchange 105 acres 
with NPS interest for private lands with equal or greater monetary and 
recreational value; and (3) the related exchange of 220 acres of 
unencumbered State-owned land for fee title and easements for private 
lands of equal value. We published a notice of intent to prepare the 
EIS in the May 16, 2001, Federal Register (66 FR 27154). That notice 
included further information on this proposed exchange of lands.
    The FWS and NPS have received a written request from the Michigan 
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to permanently discontinue 
efforts on development of the EIS to analyze the proposed exchange of 
land on South Fox Island, Leelanau County, MI, about 30 miles west 
northwest of Charlevoix, in Lake Michigan. Since the actions being 
considered were commenced at the request of the Michigan DNR, the FWS 
and NPS will honor the request to discontinue efforts on preparing the 
EIS as of this publication date. Any proposed exchange of land with FWS 
or NPS interest on South Fox Island is formally discontinued. Any 
future consideration of a similar land exchange would be a new action 
requiring the initiation of a new NEPA evaluation and appropriate 
compliance review. The Michigan DNR is presently considering a new 
proposal for a land trade of 218 acres of land that has no Federal 
interest. Such a proposal would not require Federal approval and would 
therefore not be subject to NEPA compliance.

    November 28, 2001.
Marvin E. Moriarty,
Acting Regional Director, Region 3, Fort Snelling, MN.
[FR Doc. 01-29951 Filed 12-3-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P