[Federal Register: March 31, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 61)] [Notices] [Page 15372-15373] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr31mr99-83] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service Notice of Availability (NOA) of a Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Proposed Expansion of the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Missouri ACTION: Notice of Availability. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that a Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Proposed Expansion of the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Missouri will be available for public review beginning March 30, 1999. Comments and suggestions are invited. DATES: Comments may be submitted until May 3, 1999, and will be considered during preparation of the Record of Decision. [[Page 15373]] ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to: Ms. Judy McClendon, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 24385 State Highway 51, Puxico, Missouri 63960. Telephone: Toll-free 800/686-8339; or 573/222-6001. Individuals with speech or hearing impairments may call the Missouri Relay Services at 800/735-2966 (TTY). Fax: 573/222-6150. E-Mail: R3planning@fws.gov or judy__mcclendon@fws.mail.gov FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy McClendon at the address, phone number, or E-Mail above. Individuals wishing copies of this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for review should immediately contact the above individual. Copies of the EIS or Summary have been sent to all agencies and individuals who participated in the scoping process and to all others who have already requested copies. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Ms. Judy McClendon, Wildlife Biologist, is the primary author of this document. The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Department of the Interior, has prepared a final EIS on the proposal to expand the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Missouri from its currently authorized 16,628 acres to a total of 60,000 acres. The Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge expansion would be accomplished by acquiring from willing sellers an additional 43,372 acres along the 20-county Missouri River floodplain from Kansas City, Missouri, to St. Louis, Missouri, and the lower 10 miles of major tributaries. Acquisition could include methods such as fee title purchase, easements or agreements with landowners, partnerships, or donations. Selection criteria, such as willing sellers, presence of remnant floodplain ecosystems, and potential ecosystem restoration capabilities, will be used to determine specific sites for acquisition. Management goals of the Big Muddy project are to restore acquired acreage to a natural floodplain condition which could include restoring bottomland forests, improve and restore wetland values, improve fishery and wildlife resources, and provide additional public use areas for fish and wildlife dependent recreation. This action is designed to preserve and restore the natural river floodplain ecosystem, allow for management of viable and diverse fish and wildlife habitats, and provide for compatible fish and wildlife dependent recreation. The major alternatives under consideration that were analyzed and evaluated during planning are: (A) No Action. The Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge would not be expanded beyond the currently authorized 16,628 acres. This acreage figure amounts to 2.7 percent of the 800,000 acre floodplain in this reach of the Missouri River and is insufficient to protect the health of the Missouri River floodplain ecosystem; (B) Expand the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge to 60,000 acres by acquisition of 43,372 acres dispersed along the Missouri River corridor from its confluence with the Kansas River, near Kansas City, to its confluence with the Mississippi River, near St. Louis, Missouri. Expansion under Alternative B (Preferred) would allow approximately 8 percent of riverine habitat losses of the Missouri River and its floodplain from Kansas City to St. Louis, Missouri to be restored. This amount of floodplain ecosystem preservation, along with a combined 30,000 acres to be acquired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Missouri Department of Conservation, will equal about 12 percent of the subject floodplain. Natural resource managers in the Midwest recommend preserving 10 to 20 percent of the floodplain. Three other alternatives were considered but not analyzed. They include: (C) seek permanent protection of fish, wildlife, and habitats through cooperative agreements with landowners and other agencies with no acquisition of lands; (D) encourage private land programs to preserve or restore fish, wildlife, and their habitats without further acquisition; and (E) acquire the entire Missouri River floodplain from Kansas City to St. Louis, Missouri, about 800,000 acres. Alternatives, C, D, And E were rejected because they did not have the capacity to address the Service's mandated responsibilities, did not provide permanent resource protection and restoration opportunities, failed to meet the purpose and need for which the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was established, or were considered to be impractical and cost-prohibitive. Other governmental agencies and members of the general public contributed to the planning and evaluation of the proposal and to the preparation of the EIS. The Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS was published in the Federal Register on November 28, 1995. Public open house meetings to receive comments on the Draft EIS were held in five locations in November 1997; a 90-day public comment period began in November 1997, and closed February 17, 1998. Over 500 comments were received and considered during preparation of the Final EIS. The Service gave presentations to county officials, conservation groups, other interested parties and the media, and informed the public through intermittent distribution of the Big Muddy Update. The Service's mailing list has over 1,800 names. All comments received by May 3, 1999, will be considered in preparation of the Record of Decision for this proposed action. Dated: March 22, 1999. William F. Hartwig, Regional Director. [FR Doc. 99-7870 Filed 3-30-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-M