[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 220 (Thursday, November 14, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 69018]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-28871]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
National Wildlife Refuge System; Big Game Guide Permits;
Solicitations and Extensions
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of solicitation of applications for refuge big game
guide permits and extension of existing refuge permits.
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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service is soliciting proposals to
conduct commercial big game guide services on National Wildlife Refuges
in Alaska for a 5-year period beginning in 2004. We are also providing
a 6-month extension of existing big game guide permits.
DATES: The application period opens November 14, 2002. Applications
must be received at the address indicated below by 4 p.m., Friday,
February 28, 2003.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tony Booth, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Division of Visitor Services and Communications, 1011 East
Tudor Road MS 235, Anchorage, Alaska, 99503; telephone (907) 786-3357;
e-mail [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting
proposals to conduct commercial big game guide services within
designated guide use areas in each of the National Wildlife Refuges in
Alaska. The Service will award special use permits to successful
applicants authorizing them to provide commercial guide services to the
public in specific refuge guide use areas for the period of January 1,
2004, through December 31, 2008. We will award the permits through a
competitive selection process in which qualified big game guides may
apply for specific refuge areas offered by the Service. Each
application or proposal will be evaluated and scored/ranked according
to evaluation criteria and selection factors developed by the Service.
The application period will begin on the date specified in the
DATES section near the beginning of this notice. We will send a letter
to all registered big game guides in the State of Alaska providing
information on the guide areas being offered and application
instructions. We are also publishing notices in Anchorage and Fairbanks
newspapers that provide general circulation in Alaska. Applications are
available to any interested party by calling or writing to the above
address. Applicants must postmark their proposals or hand deliver them
to the above address by Friday, February 28, 2003.
The Service is also providing notice that we are extending the
expiration date of existing Alaska National Wildlife Refuge big game
guide permits and the competitive guide selection process for 6 months.
This 6-month extension will put all permits on a calendar year cycle.
The big game guide permits currently in effect for the refuge use areas
being offered will expire on June 30, 2003. We are extending the
expiration date of these permits to December 31, 2003. We are moving
the effective date for new guide permits from July 1, 2003, to January
1, 2004.
The Service issued 12 big game guide permits under the competitive
selection process in 1999 to fill vacant guide use areas where we did
not renew permits. These permits are slated to expire on June 30, 2004.
This notice extends the terms of these permits to December 31, 2004, to
make them consistent with the calendar year cycle as well. The new
permit cycle will be consistent with most other State and Federal
licensing and permitting requirements for Alaska big game guides. The
State of Alaska Division of Occupational Licensing administers hunting
guide and transporter licenses on a calendar year basis.
The extension in the selection process was also necessary to allow
the Service to extend the public review period for the proposed
revisions of the evaluation factors and guidance that we will use to
score and rank guide applications. This was done in response to public
requests, and to provide a longer and more reasonable application
period for big game guide permits. The extension of the permitting
process will accommodate flexibility to extend the permit application
deadline further into the winter, well after the fall hunting season,
and thereby allow guides more reasonable time to prepare their
applications during the slower time of year for the guiding industry.
Alaska refuge permit regulations (50 CFR part 36.41(e)(10)) require
the Service to issue competitively awarded permits for 5-year terms
(except where permits are issued to fill vacancies occurring during a
scheduled award cycle). The regulations require the refuge manager to
renew the permits noncompetitively for 5 additional years, if the
permittee applies for the renewal, and has maintained a satisfactory
record of performance and complied with all applicable permit terms and
conditions. The regulations state that after one renewal the Service
will not extend or noncompetitively renew another permit. We are
providing 6-month extensions to all existing guide permits, in addition
to the 5-year renewals cited above. Therefore, the 6-month extensions
require a one time waiver of the Alaska refuge permit regulations.
Dated: August 29, 2002.
David B. Allen,
Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 02-28871 Filed 11-13-02; 8:45 am]
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