[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 46 (Wednesday, March 10, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11195-11196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5071]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-R-2009-N251; 40136-1265-0000-S3]


Central Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Arkansas

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability: final comprehensive conservation plan 
and finding of no significant impact.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of our final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and 
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental 
assessment for the Central Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) 
Complex, consisting of Bald Knob, Big Lake, Cache River, and Wapanocca 
National Wildlife Refuges. In the final CCP, we describe how we will 
manage the Central Arkansas NWR Complex over the next 15 years.

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the CCP by writing to: Mr. William 
R. Smith, Planning Team Leader, Central Arkansas National Wildlife 
Refuge Complex, 26320 Highway 33 South, Augusta, AR 72006. You may also 
access and download the document from the Service's Internet Web site: 
http://southeast.fws.gov/planning/ under ``Final Documents.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William R. Smith; telephone: 870/
347-2074; fax: 870/347-2908; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction

    With this notice, we finalize the CCP process for the Central 
Arkansas NWR Complex. We started this process through a notice in the 
Federal Register on January 3, 2007 (72 FR 142). For more about the 
process, please see that notice.
    The Central Arkansas NWR Complex is comprised of Bald Knob, Big 
Lake, Cache River, and Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuges. These four 
refuges are in eastern and central Arkansas and together encompass 
approximately 99,100 acres.
    Significant issues identified in the CCP include management of the 
following: (1) Waterfowl, other migratory birds, and other native 
wildlife species; (2) bottomland hardwood reforestation; (3) moist-soil 
impoundments and croplands; (4) water quality; (5) invasive species; 
(6) land acquisition; and (7) visitor services (e.g., hunting, fishing, 
wildlife observation, wildlife photography, environmental education and 
interpretation, access, and facilities).

Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge

    Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), near the town of Bald 
Knob in White County, Arkansas, was established in 1993 to protect and 
provide feeding and resting areas for migrating waterfowl, and now 
totals 16,100 acres of forested wetlands, moist-soil impoundments, and 
croplands. The refuge hosts one of the largest populations of wintering 
pintails in the State and is a crucial staging area for pintails 
migrating to the coastal areas of Louisiana and eastern Texas. The 
refuge has been named as an ``Important Birding Area'' by the Audubon 
Arkansas Board of Directors.

Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge

    Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), near the town of Manila in 
Mississippi County, Arkansas, was established in 1915 by executive 
order of President Woodrow Wilson, to serve as a reserve and breeding 
ground for native birds. The refuge encompasses 11,038 acres of lake 
and swamp habitats, including the 2,144-acre Big Lake Wilderness. Big 
Lake NWR provides important migratory bird habitat and is designated as 
a ``National Natural Landmark Area.'' The American Bird Conservancy 
also has listed the refuge as a ``Globally Important Bird Area.''

Cache River National Wildlife Refuge

    Cache River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), near the towns of 
Augusta and Brinkley, Arkansas, was established in 1986 to provide 
critical wintering habitat for waterfowl and other migratory and 
resident wildlife species. Cache River NWR presently encompasses 66,350 
acres of an approved land acquisition boundary of 185,574 acres within 
Jackson, Monroe, Prairie, and Woodruff Counties. Cache River NWR 
features some of the largest remaining tracts of bottomland hardwood 
forests within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, and is designated as a 
``Wetland of International Importance.'' Cache River NWR is noted as 
part of the most important wintering habitats for mallards in North 
America.

Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge

    Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is 20 miles northwest of 
Memphis, Tennessee, and near the town of Turrell, in Crittenden County, 
Arkansas. It was established in 1961 to provide a wintering area for 
migratory waterfowl, and presently encompasses 5,620 acres of 
agricultural land, grassland, bottomland hardwood forest, and flooded 
cypress/willow swamp. The refuge is important as a nesting area for 
resident wood ducks and provides significant habitat along the 
Mississippi River that is heavily used by migrating and wintering 
waterfowl. The American Bird Conservancy has listed the refuge as a 
``Continentally Important Bird Area.''

Alternatives, Including the Preferred Alternative

    A planning team comprised of Service personnel, State agency 
representatives, non-governmental organizations, and others developed 
three alternatives for managing the refuges over the next 15 years and 
chose Alternative C as the preferred alternative. A description of the 
three alternatives follows.

Alternative A--Maintain Current Management (No Action Alternative)

    Under Alternative A, the ``No Action'' alternative, management 
would not

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change from the current actions and direction. We would continue to 
restore, protect, and manage bottomland hardwood forests, wetlands, 
cropland units, moist-soil units, open water areas, grassland/scrub-
shrub areas, and the Big Lake Wilderness. We would continue to focus 
management activities on afforestation and reforestation, restoration 
of wetlands, invasive plants and nuisance animals, cooperative farming, 
inventorying and monitoring, and priority public uses (e.g., hunting, 
fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and environmental 
education and interpretation). We would acquire land from willing 
sellers, but only within the approved acquisition boundaries.

Alternative B--Minimal Management Alternative

    Under Alternative B, the ``Minimal Management'' alternative, we 
would undertake minimal wildlife, habitat, and infrastructure 
management. In this ``let nature take its course'' alternative, there 
would be no more active reforestation efforts, no moist-soil 
impoundments and croplands, and no more road, beaver dam, or invasive 
species management and maintenance programs. Natural succession would 
be allowed to proceed unchecked, providing for development of early 
stage or successional forest habitat on abandoned lands, and no 
silvicultural treatments in existing forest stands would be conducted. 
All refuges would implement a custodial or passive stewardship approach 
to management and would monitor natural succession and wildlife 
populations over time. Quality and quantity of habitats for wildlife 
would be expected to decline, along with wildlife use of these 
habitats. There would likely be reduced associated public use, because 
roadways and facilities would not be maintained and the quality of 
visitor services would diminish. There would be no change in the 
acreage or amount of waterfowl sanctuaries. We would acquire land from 
willing sellers, but only within the approved acquisition boundaries.

Alternative C--Enhanced Habitat Management and Public Use Programs 
(Preferred Alternative)

    By implementing Alternative C, the ``Preferred'' alternative, we 
will actively expand and improve habitat management and public use 
programs. We will intensify and enhance forest, moist-soil, scrub-
shrub, grassland, and aquatic management programs in order to increase 
benefits for waterfowl, shorebirds, water birds, other migratory birds, 
and other species of native wildlife. Hydrologic, wetland, and forest 
restoration projects will also be expanded. Invasive plant and animal 
control projects will be increased. A full range of programs involving 
inventorying, monitoring, and researching will be developed and 
implemented to enable adaptive management. Habitat conservation and 
restoration will continue and expand through land acquired from willing 
sellers, but boundary expansions will also be pursued. Environmental 
education and interpretive programs will be improved as part of a 
comprehensive visitor services program. Opportunities for hunting, 
fishing, and wildlife observation will be expanded, and law enforcement 
coverage will be increased for more effective protection of resources 
and visitors. Additional staff will be recruited, additional equipment 
will be acquired, and improved facilities will be installed to enable 
implementation of these projects and programs.

Background

    The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Administration Act), as amended by the National 
Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, 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 plan 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 Administration 
Act.

Comments

    We solicited comments on the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan 
and Environmental Assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for the Central Arkansas 
NWR Complex for 30 days, as announced in the Federal Register on August 
27, 2009 (74 FR 43716). A total of 24 individuals, representing 
landowners, citizens, conservation organizations, and State and Federal 
government agencies, attended 5 public meetings to discuss the Draft 
CCP/EA and 14 respondents provided comments. We reviewed all comments 
and have included them with our responses in the CCP.

Selected Alternative

    We selected Alternative C, the planning team's preferred 
alternative, as the most reasonable alternative to implement the CCP. 
Under Alternative C, habitat and public use management will be enhanced 
and expanded overall, providing additional or increased benefits to 
refuge resources and visitor services and greater fulfillment of refuge 
purposes. With the implementation of Alternative C, the capacity and 
capability of the refuges to better manage the habitat and wildlife 
resources and to provide visitor services will greatly increase 
compared to Alternatives A or B. The additions to staffing and 
improvements to facilities under Alternative C will enhance effective 
refuge administration and visitor services.

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

    Dated: December 15, 2009.
Patrick Leonard,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-5071 Filed 3-9-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P