[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 119 (Tuesday, June 23, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29714-29715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-14566]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-R-2008-N0257; 20131-1265-2CCP-S3]


Texas Mid-Coast Refuge Complex, Brazoria and Matagorda Counties, 
TX

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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to 
prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and environmental 
assessment (EA) for the Texas Mid-Coast Refuge Complex (Complex). The 
Complex consists of the following refuges: Brazoria and San Bernard, 
located in Brazoria County, and Big Boggy in Matagorda County, Texas. 
Discontinuous refuge parcels and conservation easements, located 
primarily within the forested bottomlands of the Brazos River, San 
Bernard River, and Colorado River basins, in Brazoria, Wharton, and 
Fort Bend counties, are also part of the Complex. We provide this 
notice in compliance with our CCP policy to advise other Federal and 
State agencies, Tribes, and the public of our intentions, and to obtain 
suggestions and information on the scope of issues to consider in the 
planning process.

DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments 
by September 21, 2009. We will hold open house meetings during the 
scoping phase of the Draft CCP development process. We will announce 
the dates, times, and places for all meetings in the local media.

ADDRESSES: Comments, questions, and requests for more information 
regarding the planning process should be sent to: Carol Torrez, 
Biologist/Natural Resource Planner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Division of Planning, P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, NM 87103-1306. 
Comments may also be submitted via electronic mail to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Sanchez, Project Leader, 
Telephone: 979-964-4011; Fax: 979-964-4021, or Carol Torrez, Biologist/
Natural Resource Planner, Telephone: 505-248-6821, Fax: 505-248-6874.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Introduction

    With this notice, we initiate our process for developing a CCP for 
the Texas Mid-Coast Refuge Complex, which includes the following 
refuges: Brazoria and San Bernard, located in Brazoria County, and Big 
Boggy in Matagorda County, Texas. Discontinuous refuge parcels and 
conservation easements, located primarily within the forested 
bottomlands of the Brazos, San Bernard, and Colorado Rivers basins, are 
also part of the Complex.
    This notice complies with our CCP policy to (1) advise other 
Federal and State agencies, Tribes, and the public of our intention to 
conduct detailed planning on these Refuges, and (2) obtain suggestions 
and information on the scope of issues to consider in the environmental 
document and during development of the CCP.

Background

The CCP Process

    The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (16 
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Improvement Act), which amended the National 
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, requires us to 
develop a CCP for each National Wildlife Refuge. The purpose for 
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 our 
policies. In addition to outlining broad management direction on 
conserving wildlife and their habitats, CCPs identify wildlife-
dependent recreational opportunities available to the public, including 
opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife 
photography, and environmental education and interpretation. We will 
review and update the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with 
the Improvement Act.
    Each unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System was established 
for specific purposes. We use these purposes as the foundation for 
developing and prioritizing the management goals and objectives for 
each refuge within the National Wildlife Refuge System mission, and to 
determine how the public can use each refuge. The planning process is a 
way for us and the public to evaluate management goals and objectives 
for the best possible conservation approach to this important wildlife 
habitat, 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.
    Our CCP process provides participation opportunities for Tribal, 
State, and local governments; agencies; organizations; and the public. 
At this time we encourage input in the form of issues, concerns, ideas, 
and suggestions for the future management of the Complex. Special 
mailings, newspaper articles, and other media outlets will be used to 
announce opportunities for input throughout the planning process.
    We will conduct the EA in accordance with the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (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 laws and regulations.

Texas Mid-Coast Refuge Complex

    The Complex is located along the upper Texas Gulf Coast and 
consists of three refuges (Brazoria, San Bernard, and Big Boggy NWRs), 
and parcels and conservation easements located throughout the Columbia 
Bottomlands region. All three of the Refuges are comprised largely of 
coastal marsh with tidal interchange along the Gulf of Mexico and were 
originally established for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any 
other management purpose, for migratory birds. These coastal marsh 
communities grade inland into coastal prairie, which gives way to 
bottomland forests along the rivers and bayous. The CCP will provide 
other agencies and the public with a clear understanding of the desired 
conditions for the Complex, and how the Service will implement 
management strategies for the conservation and development of these 
natural resources.
    We estimate that the draft environmental documents will be

[[Page 29715]]

available in 2010 for public review and comment.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying 
information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: May 1, 2009.
Brian Millsap,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque, 
New Mexico.
[FR Doc. E9-14566 Filed 6-22-09; 8:45 am]
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