Federal Register: January 27, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 18)
DOCID: FR Doc E6-1024
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
NOTICE: NOTICES
ACTION: Comprehensive conservation plans; availability, etc.:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice of decision and availability of the Finding of No Significant Impact and Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Steigerwald Lake, Franz Lake, and Pierce National Wildlife Refuges, Located in Clark County and Skamania County, WA
DATES: The Final CCP and FONSI are available now. The FONSI was signed on August 26, 2005. Implementation of the Final CCP may begin immediately.
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has prepared a Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan (Final CCP) and related Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Steigerwald Lake, Franz Lake, and Pierce National Wildlife Refuges (Gorge Refuges). The Gorge Refuges are located in southwest Washington within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The Final CCP was prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act, as amended, and in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and its implementing regulations. The Service's Regional Director for the Pacific Region has considered a reasonable range of management alternatives and has selected Alternative B of the CCP for managing the Gorge Refuges for the next 15 years.
SUMMARY:
Steigerwalk Lake, Franz Lake, and Pierce National Wildlife Refuges, WA,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
The Gorge Refuges are located in Skamania and Clark Counties, Washington, in the Columbia River Gorge downstream of Bonneville Dam. The administration center for these Refuges is the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Complex, located 25 miles northwest of Steigerwald Lake Refuge. Planning for the Gorge Refuges occurred simultaneously because: the Refuges are located in close proximity to one another within the Columbia River floodplain; many of the same issues and management opportunities occur at all three Refuges; and they are all part of the lower Columbia River ecosystem.
The Gorge Refuges are part of the National Wildlife Refuge System
(NWRS) administered by the Service. It is Service policy to have all
lands within the NWRS managed in accordance with an approved CCP. The
CCP guides management decisions and identifies refuge goals, longrange
objectives, and strategies for achieving refuge purposes. During the
planning process for the Gorge Refuges' CCP, many elements were considered, including habitat and wildlife
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management, habitat protection and acquisition, public and recreational
uses, and cultural resources. Public input during this planning process
was considered in the development of the CCP. The notice of
availability of the Draft CCP for a 30day public review and comment
period was published in the Federal Register on August 20, 2004 (69 FR
51706). The Draft CCP identified and evaluated three alternatives for
managing the Refuges. The Service received 18 comment letters on the
Draft CCP. The comments received were incorporated, when appropriate, and responded to in the Final CCP.
With the management program described in detail in the Final CCP, the Service will focus on restoring and maintaining biological diversity with particular emphasis on the conservation targets identified in the Final CCP. The Service will continue management of existing wetlands and restore and enhance emergent wetlands on the Gorge Refuges to increase native moist soil plant composition. Approximately 191 acres of managed grasslands will be maintained to support populations of wintering Canada geese. Riparian bottomland forests, riparian scrubshrub, and native oak communities will be expanded and restored to support conservation targets. Inventory, monitoring, and research will increase on the Gorge Refuges. Working with partners, the Service will seek to remove barriers to fish passage within Gibbons Creek, Indian Mary Creek, and Hardy Creek watersheds. The Service will participate in ongoing efforts to clean up Gibbons Creek and prevent contaminants from entering Steigerwald Lake Refuge. The Service will work with partners to secure additional wetland habitat and develop a waterfowl hunt program that is compatible and consistent with the establishing purpose and goals for Steigerwald Lake Refuge. Opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography and environmental education and interpretation will increase, and the Service will officially open the portion of the Columbia Dike Trail on Steigerwald Lake Refuge to bicycling, horseback riding, jogging, and leashed pets.
The Service is furnishing this notice to advise other agencies and
the public of the availability of the Final CCP, to provide information
on the desired conditions for the Gorge Refuges, and to detail how the
Service will implement management strategies. Based on the review and
evaluation of the information contained in the environmental
assessment, the Regional Director has determined that implementation of
the Final CCP does not constitute a major Federal action that would
significantly affect the quality of the human environment within the
meaning of Section 102(2)(c) of the NEPA. Therefore, an Environmental
Impact Statement will not be prepared. Future sitespecific proposals
discussed in the Final CCP will be addressed in separate planning efforts with full public involvement.
Dated: January 20, 2006.
Cynthia U. Barry,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. E61024 Filed 12606; 8:45 am]
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