[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7562-7563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1947]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Sherburne National 
Wildlife Refuge, Sherburne County, Minnesota

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces that the Final 
Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) is available for Sherburne 
National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota.
    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.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final CCP are available on compact disk or 
hard copy. You may access and download a copy via the planning Web site 
at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/sherburne/index.html or you may 
obtain a copy by writing to the following address: U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, 17076 293rd Ave., 
Zimmerman, MN 55398.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Sittauer, at (763) 389-3323.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 30,575-acre Sherburne National Wildlife 
is located in central Minnesota at the juncture of the northern boreal 
forest, the eastern deciduous forest, and the tallgrass prairie. It was 
established in 1965 under the general authority of the Migratory Bird 
Conservation Act of 1929 (16 U.S.C. 715d). The Refuge attracts over 230 
species of birds each year to its diverse habitats. Of these, over 120 
are known to nest in the area. The Refuge wetlands provide habitat for 
about 30 nesting pairs of Greater Sandhill Cranes and serve as a 
staging area for thousands of cranes during fall migration. During fall 
and spring migration, the Refuge wetlands also support thousands of 
waterfowl.
    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 CCPs is to 
provide refuge managers with a 15-year strategy for

[[Page 7563]]

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).
    Management of the refuge for the next 15 years will focus on: (1) 
Changes in the water impoundment system and upland management to create 
a diversity of wetland types and historic upland plant communities; (2) 
increased opportunities for all types of wildlife-dependent recreation; 
and (3) outreach, private lands, and partnership activities that will 
emphasize natural processes, including native habitat restoration and 
conservation, to form ecologically functioning connections to and from 
the Refuge.

    Dated: November 23, 2005.
Robyn Thorson,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ft. Snelling, 
Minnesota.
 [FR Doc. E6-1947 Filed 2-10-06; 8:45 am]
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