[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 28, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58635-58636]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-28918]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Notice of Intent To prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Acquisition of Lands for the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife
Refuge in Counties Adjacent to the Missouri River From the Confluence
of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers Near Kansas City, Missouri, to the
Confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers Near St. Louis,
Missouri
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) intends to gather information necessary to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the acquisition of lands for
the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (refuge) in Missouri.
Public ``open house'' meetings will be held. Dates, times, and
locations of the open house scoping meetings will be published in local
media in advance.
This notice is being furnished as required by the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Regulations (40 CFR 1501.7) to obtain
suggestions and information from other agencies and the public on the
scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. Comments and participation
in this scoping process are solicited.
DATES: Written comments should be received by March 27, 1996. Public
open house meetings will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. as
follows:
January 8, 1996, Park Place Hotel, 1601 Universal, Kansas City,
Missouri 64120.
January 9, 1996, Marshall Inn, Highway 65 Bypass, Marshall, Missouri
65340.
January 10, 1996, Capitol Plaza Hotel, 415 West McCarty, Jefferson
City, Missouri 65101.
January 11, 1996, Jaycees Hall, City park, Washington and 11th Streets,
Hermann, Missouri 65041.
January 12, 1996, The Heart of St. Charles Banquet Center, 1400 South
5th Street, St. Charles, Missouri 63301.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
J.C. Bryant, Project Leader, Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife
Refuge, 4200 New Haven Road, Columbia, Missouri 65201-9643; Telephone
1-800-611-1826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: R. Wayne Weier, Wildlife Biologist, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, 24385 State Highway 51, Puxico, Missouri
63960 is the primary author of this document.
Proposed Action
The Service proposes to acquire 60,000 acres, more or less, of
Missouri River floodplain land at multiple sites along the Kansas City
to St. Louis reach (Map 1) for management as a unit of the National
Wildlife Refuge System. The project area encompasses River Miles 367 to
0 and includes the lower 10 miles of tributary streams and rivers. Land
would be acquired from willing sellers through fee less, easement, or
other property transfer arrangements. The project would involve less
than ten percent of the floodplain in this river reach if the entire
acreage were acquired.
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Map. 1. Study area for proposed land acquisition.
Purpose of Action
The purpose of the proposed action is to contribute to the
Service's resource responsibilities, as stated in the Service's mission
statement, through protection, restoration, and management of Missouri
River floodplain lands in the benefit of fish, wildlife, and their
habitats and to provide for compatible public use.
Need for Action
The action is proposed to meet Service stewardship mandates for
interjurisdictional fish, migratory birds, and threatened and
endangered species. Channelization and floodplain development have led
to the loss of over 500,000 acres of aquatic and terrestrial habitat in
the Lower Missouri River floodplain (between Sioux City, Iowa, and St.
Louis, Missouri) since 1912. Consequently, native fish and wildlife
resources dependent upon the river and its associated floodplain have
declined dramatically. Land acquisition and habitat restoration would
benefit a diversity of fish and wildlife resources, including native
river fishes, birds such as waterfowl, shorebirds, and passerine birds,
and advance the recovery of Federally-listed threatened and endangered
species.
Related Actions of Other Agencies
Acquisition of lands and rights to lands under existing Service
authorities would complement other floodplain land acquisition being
done along this reach of the Missouri River by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Missouri
Department of Conservation, and the Federal Emergency Management
Agency. Depending on agency missions, these acquisitions are being made
to restore Missouri River habitats, contribute to the river's floodway,
or to alleviate past or future flood damage.
Alternatives
Alternatives for the Service to pursue restoration of the Missouri
River ecosystem to benefit fish and wildlife include: (1) Acquiring
appropriate ownership interest in floodplain lands and managing those
lands as Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge--a unit of the
National Wildlife Refuge System, (2) non-acquisition methods, such as
private lands initiatives or public information thrusts, and (3) no
action. These alternatives, along with others identified during the
scoping process, may or may not be examined in detail in the EIS.
Issues
The following would be likely issues under the Service's proposed
action: (1) Floodplain land use: Agricultural uses of acquired lands
would mostly cease. Forest and wetland habitat, and areas available for
outdoor recreation, would increase. Acquired lands would no longer be
available to others for purchase. New or expanded transportation and
utility systems across refuge land could be authorized through Service
issuance of right-of-way permits. (2) Fish and wildlife: The river
eventually would reconnect to its floodplain on the refuge, restoring
floodplain habitats and functions to the benefit of fish and wildlife,
including Federally-listed threatened and endangered species. (3)
Economics: Both pluses and minuses would occur. On acquired lands,
economic returns from agriculture would mostly cease, while returns
from outdoor recreation would likely increase. Long-term, increases in
economic returns from commercial fishing and timber harvest could be
possible. Little impact on commercial navigation is expected. (4)
Drainage and flooding: Previously established drainage across the
refuge would continue. The Missouri River would have a larger floodway
in certain areas. (5) Levee and drainage districts: The Service would
develop cooperative agreements with levee and drainage districts as
required to address specific needs, including levee and drainage system
maintenance. (6) County tax revenues: Lands and Service acquired in fee
title would be removed from county tax rolls; tax revenue losses would
be offset by annual payments to those counties through the Refuge
Revenue Sharing Act. (7) Taxes associated with transfer of title: On
accreted lands, or for long-term ownerships, capital gains taxes could
be so high as to deter land sales by certain owners who would otherwise
be willing to sell.
Other Information
The environmental review of this proposal will be conducted in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.), NEPA regulations (40
CFR 1500-1508), other appropriate Federal regulations, and Service
procedures for compliance with those regulations.
We estimate the Draft EIS will be available to the public by Fall,
1996.
Dated: October 27, 1995.
Marvin E. Moriarty,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 95-28918 Filed 11-27-95; 8:45 am]
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