[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 95 (Thursday, May 17, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27837-27838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9483]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge in Pope and Yell Counties, AR

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service.

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 Holla Bend 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 during the planning process.

DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments 
by June 18, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information to: Ben 
Mense, Refuge Manager, Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, 10448 Holla 
Bend Road, Dardanelle, AR 72834; Telephone: 479/229-4300; or 
electronically to: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With this notice, we initiate the process 
for developing a comprehensive conservation plan for Holla Bend 
National Wildlife Refuge in Dardanelle, AR.
    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. Sec.  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 to 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 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 the refuge's establishing purpose 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 management of the Holla Bend 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 the Holla Bend 
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 conduct the environmental review of this project in 
accordance

[[Page 27838]]

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 
1506.6(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.
    Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1957, under 
the Transfer of Real Property Act, as a result of a U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers navigation and flood control project. This 6,616-acre refuge 
is six miles south of Dardanelle, Arkansas, just off of State Highway 
155. The refuge lies along the Arkansas River and is bounded by an old 
oxbow that was created when the Corps of Engineers cut a channel 
through the bend in the river to promote navigation and flood control. 
The primary objectives of the refuge are to: (1) Provide habitat for 
migratory waterfowl; (2) provide habitat for endangered species; (3) 
provide habitat for resident wildlife; and (4) provide interpretation 
and recreation to the public.

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

    Dated: March 29, 2007.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
 [FR Doc. E7-9483 Filed 5-16-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P