[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 197 (Thursday, October 13, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62113-62114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22284]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R6-NWRS-2022-N044; FF06R06000-FXRS1265066CCP0S2-123]


Establishment of Lost Trail Conservation Area, Montana

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (Service) has established the Lost Trail Conservation Area 
(LTCA), the 568th unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The 
Service established LTCA on July 13, 2022, with the purchase of a 
38,052-acre conservation easement in Flathead and Lincoln counties, 
Montana.

ADDRESSES: Information on LTCA, including a map depicting the approved 
conservation area boundary, is available at https://www.fws.gov/media/lost-trail-conservation-area-land-protection-plan-and-environmental-assessment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jamie Hanson, Conservation Planner, 
(720) 591-8458 or via U.S. mail at Division of Refuge Planning, USFWS, 
P.O. Box 25486, DFC, Denver, CO 80225. Individuals in the United States 
who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability 
may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications 
relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the 
relay services offered within their country to make international calls 
to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), have established the Lost Trail Conservation Area (LTCA), 
the 568th unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. We established 
LTCA on July 13, 2022, with the purchase of a 38,052-acre conservation 
easement in the northwestern part of Montana, in Flathead and Lincoln 
Counties. Conservation areas are National Wildlife Refuge System units 
that consist primarily or entirely of conservation easements on private 
lands. LTCA is unique in that it includes private timberland that has 
historically been open to the public on a voluntary basis. The 
establishment of this conservation area ensures that public 
recreational access to this land is maintained in perpetuity. LTCA will 
allow sustainable commercial timber harvests and provide wildlife-
dependent recreational opportunities such as hunting, fishing, hiking, 
and wildlife viewing.

Conservation Area

    LTCA's acquisition boundary delineates parcels where the Service 
may consider negotiations with willing sellers for easement 
acquisition. Conservation easements will protect critical, State-
identified wildlife corridors; guarantee public access for 
sportspersons and outdoor enthusiasts in perpetuity; and allow for 
sustainable timber harvest that supports the local economy in northwest 
Montana. The project protects crucial habitat and linkage corridors for 
federally listed species, including grizzly bear, Canada lynx, 
Spalding's catchfly, and other federal trust species. This land will 
also secure a vital migration corridor for elk and mule deer. Part of 
the Heart of the Salish Priority Area identified in the Montana Fish, 
Wildlife, and Parks' Secretarial Order 3362, ``State Action Plan for 
Big Game Winter Range and Migration Corridors,'' the land within the 
project area provides over 6,000 hunter-use days per year and is the 
core area of the most popular elk-hunting district in northwest 
Montana. LTCA will also support Department of the Interior Secretarial 
Orders 3347, ``Conservation Stewardship and Outdoor Recreation,'' and 
3356, ``Hunting, Fishing, Recreational Shooting, and Wildlife 
Conservation Opportunities and Coordination with States, Tribes, and 
Territories,'' by enhancing conservation stewardship; protecting 
outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans, including 
opportunities to hunt and fish; and supporting game species and their 
habitats for this generation and beyond.
    LTCA was funded by the Great American Outdoors Act and Land and 
Water Conservation Fund. The Service worked in partnership with the 
Trust for Public Land and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes 
(CSKT) to purchase the 38,052-acre conservation easement from 
continuing owner SPP Montana.

Public Involvement Process

    In order to provide the public an opportunity to engage in the 
planning process, and in compliance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Service prepared a 
draft environmental assessment (EA) that evaluated two alternatives and 
their potential impacts on the project area. The Service released the 
draft EA with a land protection plan on September 16, 2020, for a 30-
day

[[Page 62114]]

scoping, public review, and comment period.
    The Service coordinated closely with Montana Fish, Wildlife and 
Parks and Tribes that were potentially affected by the proposal. CSKT 
expressed their strong support for the project. The Service also 
reached out to the county commissioners for Lincoln and Flathead 
counties and received a letter of support from both counties.
    In early 2021, the Service released the final EA and land 
protection plan to authorize easement purchases from willing sellers 
within the LTCA. In developing the plan, the Service consulted with 
CSKT on prioritizing important wildlife habitat and its connection to 
their conserved lands, as well as with the State of Montana to connect 
landscape-level conservation efforts. Permanent easements on up to 
100,000 acres may be added within the project boundary.
    Based on the documentation contained in the EA, a finding of no 
significant impact was signed on November 20, 2020, for the authority 
to establish the LTCA.

Authorities

    The acquisition authorities for easement lands within the proposed 
LTCA boundary are the Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 715a-
r), the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act (16 U.S.C. 
718a-k), the Refuge Recreation Act (16 U.S.C. 460k-460k-4), the Land 
and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (54 U.S.C. 200301-200310), the 
Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a-j), and the National 
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.).

Anna Mu[ntilde]oz,
Deputy Regional Director, Mountain-Prairie Region.
[FR Doc. 2022-22284 Filed 10-12-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P