[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 81 (Thursday, April 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22058-22059]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8498]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish 
Refuge, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

[[Page 22059]]


ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces that the Draft 
Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) is available for Upper Mississippi River National 
Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
    The CCP was prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge 
System Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife 
Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969. Goals and objectives in the CCP describe how the 
agency intends to manage the refuge over the next 15 years.

DATES: Comments on the Draft CCP/EIS must be received on or before 
August 31, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Draft CCP are available on compact disk or 
hard copy. You may access and download a copy via the planning Web 
site: (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/uppermiss/index.html) or you 
may obtain a copy by writing to the following address: U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Division of Conservation Planning, Bishop Henry 
Whipple Federal Building, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 
55111.
    All comments should be addressed to Upper Mississippi National 
Wildlife and Fish Refuge, Attention: CCP Comment, 51 East 4th Street, 
Room 101, Winona, Minnesota 55987, or direct e-mail to 
[email protected]. Comments may also be submitted through the 
Service's regional Web site at: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don Hultman at (507) 452-4232.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Upper Mississippi River National 
Wildlife and Fish Refuge encompasses 240,000 acres along 261 miles of 
Mississippi River floodplain in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and 
Illinois. The Refuge was established by Congress in 1924 to provide a 
refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds, fish, other wildlife, 
and plants. The Refuge is perhaps the most important corridor of 
habitat in the central United States due to its species diversity and 
abundance, and it is the most visited refuge in the United States with 
3.7 million annual visitors.
    The focus of the CCP over the next 15 years will be on safeguarding 
existing habitat; enhancing floodplain habitat in partnership with the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the states; increasing the abundance 
of fish and wildlife; improving wildlife-dependent recreation 
opportunities such as hunting, fishing, and wildlife observation; 
ensuring that traditional non-wildlife-dependent recreation remains 
compatible with the mission of the refuge system and the purposes of 
the refuge; and improving staffing and infrastructure capability.
    The EIS evaluates four alternatives: (1) No action or current 
direction; (2) wildlife focus; (3) public use focus; and (4) wildlife 
and integrated public use focus (preferred). The alternatives differ 
mainly in the level of effort and resources given to fish and wildlife 
and habitat management and public use opportunities and programs. Under 
the preferred alternative all current recreational uses would continue, 
although the location, season of use, and means of use could change.
    The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as 
amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 
(16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee et seq) requires the Service to develop a CCP 
for each National Wildlife Refuge. The purpose in developing a CCP is 
to provide refuge managers with a 15-year strategy for achieving refuge 
purposes and contributing toward the mission of the National Wildlife 
Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife 
management, conservation, legal mandates, and Service policies. In 
addition to outlining broad management direction for conserving 
wildlife and their habitats, the CCP identifies wildlife-dependent 
recreational opportunities available to the public, including 
opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and 
photography, and environmental education and interpretation. We will 
review and update these CCPs at least every 15 years in accordance with 
the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as 
amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, 
and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-
4370d).

    Dated: March 7, 2005.
Charles M. Wooley,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ft. Snelling, 
Minnesota.
[FR Doc. 05-8498 Filed 4-27-05; 8:45 am]
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