[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 82 (Thursday, April 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22620-22621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-9949]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-R-2009-N236; 80230-1265-0000-S3]


Upper Klamath, Lower Klamath, Tule Lake, Bear Valley, and Clear 
Lake National Wildlife Refuges, Klamath County, OR, Siskiyou and Modoc 
Counties, CA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare 
a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for Upper Klamath, Lower Klamath, Tule Lake, Bear 
Valley, and Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges) located in 
Klamath County, Oregon, and Siskiyou and Modoc Counties, California. 
The Refuges are part of the Klamath Basin 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 June 28, 2010. We will hold public meetings to begin the CCP 
planning process; see Public Meetings under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for more information by any 
of the following methods.
    E-mail: [email protected]. Include ``Klamath Basin CCP'' in the 
subject line of the message.
    Fax: Attn: Michelle Barry, (530) 667-8337.
    U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Klamath Basin National 
Wildlife Refuge Complex, 4009 Hill Road, Tulelake, CA 96134.
    In-Person Drop off: You may drop off comments during regular 
business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at Klamath 
Basin National Wildlife Refuges, 4009 Hill Road, Tulelake, CA 96134. 
Additional information about the CCP planning process is available on 
the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Barry, Refuge Planner at 
(530) 667-2231.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction

    With this notice, we initiate our process for developing a CCP for 
Upper Klamath, Lower Klamath, Tule Lake, Bear Valley, and Clear Lake 
Refuges located in Klamath County, Oregon, and Siskiyou and Modoc 
Counties, California. 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 this refuge 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 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 and photography, and 
environmental education and interpretation. We will review and update 
the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with the Administration 
Act.
    Each unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System is 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, 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 
that will ensure the best possible approach to wildlife, plant, and 
habitat conservation, 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 Klamath Refuges.
    We will conduct the environmental review of this project 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.

Klamath Refuges

    Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge was established by President 
Calvin Coolidge in 1928 as a ``refuge and breeding ground for birds and 
wild animals'' (Executive Order 4851). The Refuge comprises 15,000 
acres, mostly freshwater hardstem-cattail marsh and open water, along 
with 30 acres of forested uplands. These habitats serve as excellent 
nesting and brood rearing areas for waterfowl and colonial nesting 
birds, including American white pelican and several heron species. Bald 
eagle and osprey nest nearby and can sometimes be seen fishing in 
refuge waters.
    The Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge was established by 
President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 as a ``preserve and breeding 
ground for native birds'' (Executive Order 924). Located in rural 
northeastern California and southern Oregon, Lower Klamath NWR was the 
nation's first waterfowl refuge. The Refuge, with a backdrop of 14,000-
foot Mount Shasta to the southwest, is listed in the National Register 
of Historic Places as both a National Historic Landmark and a National 
Natural Landmark. The 50,092-acre refuge is a varied mix of intensively 
managed shallow marshes, open water, grassy uplands, and croplands that 
provide feeding, resting, nesting, and brood-rearing habitat for 
waterfowl and other water birds. This refuge is one of the most 
biologically productive refuges within the Pacific Flyway.
    Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in the fertile and 
intensively farmed Tule Lake Basin of northeast California. It was 
established in 1928 by President Calvin Coolidge ``as a preserve and 
breeding ground for wild birds and animals'' (Executive Order 4975). 
This 39,116-acre refuge contains about 14,000 acres of open water and 
marsh surrounded by 8,000 acres of uplands and 17,000 acres of 
croplands.

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    Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1978 under 
the authority of the Endangered Species Act to protect a major night 
roost site for wintering bald eagles in Southern Oregon. The refuge 
consists of 4,200 acres, primarily of old growth ponderosa pine, 
incense cedar, and white and Douglas fir. Bear Valley National Wildlife 
Refuge also provides nesting habitat for several bald eagle pairs.
    Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established by President 
William Taft in 1911 as a ``preserve and breeding ground for native 
birds'' (Executive Order 1332). Located in northeastern California, the 
Refuge consists of approximately 20,000 acres of open water surrounded 
by over 26,000 acres of upland bunchgrass, low sagebrush, and juniper 
habitat. Small, rocky islands in the lake provide nesting sites for 
American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, and other colonial 
nesting birds.
    The Klamath Basin Refuges consist of a variety of habitats, 
including freshwater marshes, open water, grassy meadows, coniferous 
forests, sagebrush and juniper grasslands, agricultural lands, and 
rocky cliffs and slopes. These habitats support diverse and abundant 
populations of resident and migratory wildlife, with 433 species having 
been observed on or near the Refuges. In addition, each year the 
Refuges serve as a migratory stopover for about three-quarters of the 
Pacific Flyway waterfowl, with peak fall concentrations of over 1 
million birds.

Public Meetings

    We will give the public an opportunity to provide input on the 
scope of issues to consider in this planning process at public 
meetings. We will announce the dates, times, and locations of these 
meetings in local news media and on our Web site. You may also submit 
comments anytime during the planning process by mail, e-mail, or fax 
(see ADDRESSES). There will be additional opportunities to provide 
input once we have prepared a draft CCP.

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: April 21, 2010.
Ken McDermond,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento, 
California.
[FR Doc. 2010-9949 Filed 4-28-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P