[Federal Register: May 21, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 98)]
[Notices]
[Page 27840-27841]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21my03-63]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft Comprehensive Conservation
Plan and Environmental Assessment for Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge
located in Noxubee, Oktibbeha, and Winston Counties, Mississippi.
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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces that a Draft
Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment for
Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge are available for review and comment.
These documents have been prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife
Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, and describe the Service's proposal for managing
the refuge over the next 15 years. Proposed goals for the refuge
include:
[sbull] Perpetuating a diversity of high quality, more natural-like
communities as habitats for trust and resident species;
[sbull] Continuing to protect, maintain, and enhance native plant
and animal species;
[sbull] Improving conditions for fish, wildlife, habitats, special
management areas, and wilderness through the use of current land
protection programs, laws, policies, and partnerships;
[sbull] Developing recreation and education opportunities that
promote fish and wildlife conservation consistent with the Service's
mission and policies, and the purpose for which the refuge was
established;
[sbull] Protecting the cultural resources of the refuge; and
[sbull] Developing and maintaining a comprehensive refuge facility
responsive to supporting the management of fish and wildlife resources,
and the safety and experience of refuge visitors.
Also available for review are the draft compatibility
determinations for recreational hunting, recreational fishing, wildlife
observation and photography, environmental education and
interpretation, forest habitat management, haying, and research and
collections.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to adopt and implement a comprehensive
conservation plan for the refuge that best achieves the refuge's
purpose, vision, and goals; contributes to the National Wildlife Refuge
System mission; addresses the significant issues and relevant mandates;
and is consistent with principles of sound fish and wildlife
management. The Service analyzed three alternatives for future
management of the refuge and chose Alternative 2, as the one to best
achieve all of these elements.
Alternatives
The draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental
assessment evaluates the three alternatives for managing the refuge
over the next 15 years. These alternatives are briefly described as
follows:
Alternative I represents the status quo; e.g., no changes from
current management of the refuge. The refuge would continue with its
existing forest management plan that emphasizes older age classes of
trees and late successional wildlife communities. Waters and wetlands
would be managed under current policies. Cultural resources would be
protected at current levels.
Under Alternative 2, the Service's proposed action, wildlife and
habitat would be managed with emphasis on old growth forest
communities, and increasing emphasis on education and recreation
programs. Refuge programs provide the public with an opportunity to
learn about, enjoy, and appreciate fish and wildlife. these programs
include hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and
environmental education and interpretation. Deer hunting opportunities
would continue in order to manage the population, and small game and
waterfowl hunting opportunities would continue as well. Game fish
populations at Bluff and Loakfoma lakes would be maintained to support
an annual average of 13,000 angler-use days through natural
reproduction, habitat management, regulated harvest, and stocking when
appropriate. Under this alternative, the refuge would seek to maintain
and improve overlooks, boardwalks and trails, and provide special
guided and education program tours each season, with an objective of
increasing interpretation activities to at least 15 events annually.
The refuge would coordinate with the local school district and others
to share expertise, host meetings at the environmental education
center, refuge outdoor classroom, and off-site locations to support
15,000 students annually. This alternative emphasizes providing habitat
for forest nesting birds dependent on mature hardwood forests and
adequate habitat for resident and migratory waterfowl. Current
partnerships that assist the refuge in accomplishing its conservation
objectives would continue under this alternative, as would coordination
with the Service's private lands' biologist to implement the Partners
for Fish and Wildlife Program with local landowners and other
conservation groups. Communication with local landowners and community
groups would continue in order to promote wildlife conservation. A
comprehensive cultural resources' survey would be conducted, and
protection and interpretation of cultural resources would be improved.
Alternative 3 emphasizes providing early successional forest
habitat and increases in certain education and recreation programs.
Forest management of pine and pine/hardwood forests would be directed
towards providing old growth adequate to support the refuge's goal for
the redcockaded woodpecker, and for providing early successional
habitat for neotropical migratory birds and certain game
[[Page 27841]]
species. Management of the hardwood forest would also be directed
towards providing early successional habitat.
Actions Common to All Alternatives
All three alternatives share the following management concepts and
techniques for achieving the goals of the refuge:
[sbull] Restoring native habitats;
[sbull] Establishing, maintaining, and improving partnerships with
landowners and local, state, and federal agencies and organizations;
[sbull] Coordinating management actions with local and state land
and resource management agencies;
[sbull] Monitoring breeding red-cockaded woodpecker populations in
partnership with others;
[sbull] Removing non-native invasive plants;
[sbull] Encouraging scientific research on the refuge; and
[sbull] Exploring expansion of the refuge boundary.
DATES: A meeting will be held at the refuge's education center to
present the plan to the public. Mailings, newspaper articles, and
postings on the refuge website will be the avenues to inform the public
of the date and time for this meeting. Individuals wishing to comment
on the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental
Assessment for Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge should do so within 60
days following the date of this notice. Public comments were requested,
considered, and incorporated throughout the planning process in
numerous ways. Public outreach has included public scoping meetings,
technical workgroups, planning updates and a Federal Register notice.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and
Environmental Assessment should be addressed to Refuge Manager, Noxubee
National Wildlife Refuge, 224 Office Road, Brooksville, Mississippi
39739. Comments may also be submitted via electronic mail to
Noxubee@fws.gov. If you wish to submit comments by electronic mail,
please submit them as an ASCII file, avoiding the use of special
characters and any form of encryption. Please include your name and
return address to your Internet message. If you do not receive a
confirmation from the system that we have received your Internet
message, contact us at the phone number or address listed in this
notice. Our practice is to make comments, including names and home
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular
business hours. Individuals respondents may request that we withhold
their home addresses from the record, which we will honor to the extent
allowable by law.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, located in
east-central Mississippi, consists of 47,959 acres, of which 42,500
acres are in bottomland hardwood, upland hardwood, mixed pine/hardwood,
and pine forests. These forests support a variety of upland species
including turkey, deer, and quail. The endangered red-cockaded
woodpecker is found in the refuge's old-growth pine habitat. Many
neotropical bird species benefit from refuge forests. Greentree
reservoirs, natural ponds, and man-made impoundments provide important
habitat for other migratory birds, as well as wintering habitat for
waterfowl and bald eagles.
Annually, more than 150,000 visitors participate in refuge
activities, including fishing, hunting, hiking, wildlife photography,
wildlife observation, and environmental education and interpretation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Refuge Manager, Noxubee National
Wildlife Refuge at 662/323-5548; fax 662/323-5806, or by writing to the
Refuge Manager at the above address.
Authority: This notice is published under the authority of the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law
105-57.
Dated: May 14, 2003.
J. Mitch King,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 03-12710 Filed 5-20-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M