[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 5 (Friday, January 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1190-1191]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-97]
[[Page 1190]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-R-2010-N228; BAC-4311-K9-S3]
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, City of Virginia Beach, VA;
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No Significant
Impact for Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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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 (EA) for Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). In this
final CCP, we describe how we will manage this refuge for the next 15
years.
ADDRESSES: You may view or obtain copies of the final CCP and FONSI by
any of the following methods. You may request a hard copy or CD-ROM.
Agency Web Site: Download a copy of the document(s) at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/Back%20Bay/ccphome.html.
Electronic mail: [email protected]. Include ``Back Bay
Final CCP'' in the subject line of the message.
U.S. Postal Service: Thomas Bonetti, Natural Resource Planner, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035-
9589.
In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call 757-721-2412 to make an
appointment during regular business hours at Back Bay NWR, 4005
Sandpiper Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23456-4325.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jared Brandwein, Refuge Manager, Back
Bay NWR, 4005 Sandpiper Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23456-4325; phone:
757-721-2412; electronic mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we finalize the CCP process for Back Bay NWR. We
started this plan's development by publishing a notice in the Federal
Register (67 FR 30950; May 8, 2002), and then updating that notice (72
FR 8196, February 23, 2007). We released the draft CCP/EA to the
public, announcing and requesting comments in a notice of availability
in the Federal Register (75 FR 15721) on March 30, 2010.
Back Bay NWR, currently 9,035 acres, was established in 1938 by
Executive Order 7907 `` * * * as a Refuge and breeding ground for
migratory birds and other wildlife.'' Another of the refuge's primary
purposes for lands acquired under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act
is ``* * * use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management
purpose, for migratory birds.'' The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of
1986 also authorizes purchase of wetlands for the purpose of ``* * *
the conservation of the wetlands of the Nation in order to maintain the
public benefits they provide and to help fulfill international
obligations contained in various migratory bird treaties and
conventions,'' using money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
In 1939, presidential proclamation closed 4,600 acres of open bay
waters within the refuge boundary to the taking of migratory birds. The
refuge includes 5 miles of oceanfront beach, a 900-acre freshwater
impoundment complex, numerous bay islands, bottomland mixed forests,
old fields, and freshwater wetlands adjacent to Back Bay and its
tributary shorelines.
Although wildlife and habitat conservation come first on the
refuge, the public can enjoy excellent opportunities to observe and
photograph wildlife, fish, hunt, or participate in environmental
education and interpretation. Current visitor facilities are primarily
located in the eastern, barrier island portion of the refuge, where
annual visitation is greater than 100,000. Back Bay NWR provides scenic
trails, a visitor contact station, and, with advance scheduling, group
educational opportunities. Outdoor facilities are open daily, dawn to
dusk.
We announce our decision and the availability of the FONSI for the
final CCP for Back Bay NWR in accordance with National Environmental
Policy Act (40 CFR 1506.6(b)) requirements. We completed a thorough
analysis of impacts on the human environment, which we included in the
draft CCP/EA. The CCP will guide us in managing and administering Back
Bay NWR for the next 15 years. Alternative B, as we described in the
draft CCP/EA, is the foundation for the final CCP.
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 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.
CCP Alternatives, Including Selected Alternative
Our draft CCP/EA (75 FR 15721) addressed several key issues,
including ways to improve access and opportunities for public use while
ensuring the restoration and protection of priority resources, the
evaluation of wilderness characteristics of refuge lands, the role of
cooperative farming, and the management of invasive or nuisance species
on the refuge.
To address these issues and develop a plan based on the purposes
for establishing the refuge, and the vision and goals we identified,
three alternatives were evaluated in the EA. The alternatives have some
actions in common, such as encouraging research that benefits our
resource decisions, maintaining a proactive law enforcement program,
protecting cultural resources, continuing to acquire land from willing
sellers within our approved refuge boundary, and distributing refuge
revenue sharing payments to counties.
Other actions distinguish the alternatives. Alternative A, or the
``No Action Alternative,'' is defined by our current management
activities. It serves as the base-line against which to compare the
other two alternatives. Our habitat management and visitor services
programs would not change under this alternative. We would continue to
use the same tools and techniques, and not expand existing facilities.
Alternative B, the ``Service-preferred Alternative,'' reflects a
management emphasis on enhancing conservation of wildlife through
habitat management, as well as providing additional visitor
opportunities on the refuge. Some of the major strategies proposed
include: Opening up the forest canopy by selectively removing loblolly
pine, sweetgum, and red maple; withdrawing the 1974 wilderness
designation proposal for Long Island, Green Hills, and Landing Cove
(2,165 acres); developing a canoe/kayak trail on the
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west side of the refuge; expanding the deer hunt; developing new hiking
trails; and developing and designing a new headquarters/visitor contact
station.
Alternative C features additional management that aims to restore
(or mimic) natural ecosystem processes or functions to achieve refuge
purposes. Alternative C focuses on using management techniques that
would encourage forest growth and includes an increased focus toward
the previously proposed wilderness areas. Strategies proposed include
creating conditions that allow us to shift more resources from
intensive management of the refuge impoundment system to the
restoration of Back Bay-Currituck Sound. In addition, we propose to
develop and design a new headquarters/visitor contact station that
provides more office space than proposed for Alternative B; and we also
plan to work with partners to provide a shuttle service (for a fee)
from the new headquarters site to the barrier spit.
Comments
We solicited comments on the draft CCP/EA for Back Bay NWR from
March 30 to May 1, 2010 (75 FR 15721). We received comments from 162
individuals, organizations, and State and Federal agencies on our draft
plan via electronic mail, phone, and letters. All comments we received
were evaluated. A summary of those comments and our responses to them
is included as Appendix K in the CCP.
Selected Alternative
After considering the comments we received on our draft CCP/EA, we
have selected Alternative B for implementation. Alternative B comprises
the mix of actions that, in our professional judgment, works best
towards achieving refuge purposes, our vision and goals, and the goals
of other State and regional conservation plans. We also believe it most
effectively addresses the key issues raised during the planning
process. The basis of our decision is detailed in Appendix L of the
CCP.
Public Availability of Documents
You can view or obtain documents as indicated under ADDRESSES.
Dated: November 17, 2010.
Salvatore M. Amato,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Hadley, MA 01035.
[FR Doc. 2011-97 Filed 1-6-11; 8:45 am]
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