[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 94 (Wednesday, May 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27585-27586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9405]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in South Louisiana

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan 
and environmental assessment; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, intend to gather 
information necessary to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan and 
associated environmental documents for Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife 
Refuge. We furnish this notice in compliance with our comprehensive 
conservation planning policy to advise other agencies and the public of 
our intentions, and to obtain suggestions and information on the scope 
of issues to be considered in the planning process.

DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments 
by June 15, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information to: 
Charlotte Parker, Natural Resource Planner, Southeast Louisiana 
National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 61389 Highway 434, Lacombe, Louisiana 
70445; Telephone: 985/882-2000; or electronically to: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With this notice, we initiate the process 
for developing a comprehensive conservation plan for Bayou Sauvage 
National Wildlife Refuge in New Orleans, Louisiana.
    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), requires the Service to develop a 
comprehensive conservation plan for each national wildlife refuge. The 
purpose in developing a comprehensive conservation plan 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

[[Page 27586]]

addition to outlining broad management direction on conserving wildlife 
and their habitats, plans identify wildlife-dependent recreational 
opportunities available to the public, including opportunities for 
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and 
environmental education and interpretation.
    We establish each unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System with 
specific purposes. We use these purposes to develop and prioritize 
management goals and objectives within the National Wildlife Refuge 
System mission, and to guide which public uses will occur on these 
refuges. The planning process is a way for us and the public to 
evaluate management goals and objectives for the best possible 
conservation efforts of these important wildlife habitats, while 
providing for wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities that are 
compatible with each refuge's establishing purposes and the mission of 
the National Wildlife Refuge System.
    We will conduct a comprehensive conservation planning process that 
will provide opportunity for Tribal, State, and local governments; 
agencies; organizations; and the public to participate in issue scoping 
and public comment. We request input for issues, concerns, ideas, and 
suggestions for the management of Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife 
Refuge. We invite anyone interested to respond to the following two 
questions:
    1. What problems or issues do you want to see addressed in the 
comprehensive conservation plan?
    2. What improvements would you recommend for Bayou Sauvage National 
Wildlife Refuge?
    We have provided the above questions for your optional use; you are 
not required to provide information to us. Our Planning Team developed 
these questions to gather information about individual issues and ideas 
concerning this refuge. Our Planning Team will use comments it receives 
as part of the planning process; however, we will not reference 
individual comments in our reports or directly respond to them.
    We will also give the public an opportunity to provide input at a 
public scoping meeting to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the 
development phase of the plan. This event will be advertised through 
local media outlets. You may also submit comments anytime during the 
planning process by writing to the address in the ADDRESSES section. 
All information provided voluntarily by mail, phone, or at the public 
meeting becomes part of our official record (i.e., names, addresses, 
letters of comment, input recorded during meeting).
    We will conduct the environmental review of this project in 
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); NEPA Regulations (40 
CFR parts 1500-1508); other appropriate Federal laws and regulations; 
and our policies and procedures for compliance with those regulations. 
All comments we receive on our environmental assessment become part of 
the official public record. We will handle requests for such comments 
in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, NEPA [40 CFR Sec.  
506.6(f)], and other Departmental and Service policies and procedures. 
When we receive a request, we generally will provide comment letters 
with the names and addresses of the individuals who wrote the comments.
    Bayou Sauvage Refuge was established in 1990. Consisting of 22,770 
acres and situated within the city limits of New Orleans, it is the 
Nation's largest urban wildlife refuge. Objectives of the refuge are 
to: enhance populations of migratory, shore, and wading birds; 
encourage natural diversity of fish and wildlife species; protect 
threatened and endangered plants and animals; protect archaeological 
resources; provide for scientific research and environmental education 
with emphasis on wetlands; and provide opportunities for fish and 
wildlife-dependent recreation in an urban setting.

    Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the 
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law 
105-57.

    Dated: March 7, 2007.
Jacquelyn B. Parrish,
Acting Regional Director.
 [FR Doc. E7-9405 Filed 5-15-07; 8:45 am]
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