2015-2016 Refuge-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations
Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 112 (Thursday, June 11, 2015)
Federal Register Volume 80, Number 112 (Thursday, June 11, 2015)
Proposed Rules
Pages 33341-33396
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2015-13831
Page 33341
Vol. 80
Thursday,
No. 112
June 11, 2015
Part II
Department of the Interior
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Fish and Wildlife Service
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50 CFR Part 32
2015-2016 Refuge-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations; Proposed Rules
Page 33342
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 32
Docket No. FWS-HQ-NWRS-2015-0029; FXRS12650900000-156-FF09R20000
RIN 1018-BA57
2015-2016 Refuge-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, propose to add 1 national wildlife refuge (NWR or refuge) to the list of areas open for hunting, add 4 NWRs to the list of areas open for fishing, increase the hunting activities available at 16 other NWRs, increase fishing opportunities at 1 NWR, and add pertinent refuge-specific regulations for other NWRs that pertain to migratory game bird hunting, upland game hunting, big game hunting, and sport fishing for the 2015-2016 season.
DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before July 13, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for Docket No. FWS-HQ-NWRS-2015-
0029, which is the docket number for this rulemaking. On the resulting screen, find the correct document and submit a comment by clicking on ``Comment Now!''
By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-HQ-NWRS-2015-0029, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-
3803.
We will not accept email or faxes. We will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any personal information you provide us (see the Request for Comments section, below, for more information). For information on specific refuges' public use programs and the conditions that apply to them or for copies of compatibility determinations for any refuge(s), contact individual programs at the addresses/phone numbers given in Available Information for Specific Refuges under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Salem, (703) 358-2397.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 closes NWRs in all States except Alaska to all uses until opened. The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) may open refuge areas to any use, including hunting and/or sport fishing, upon a determination that such uses are compatible with the purposes of the refuge and National Wildlife Refuge System mission. The action also must be in accordance with provisions of all laws applicable to the areas, developed in coordination with the appropriate State fish and wildlife agency(ies), consistent with the principles of sound fish and wildlife management and administration, and otherwise in the public interest. These requirements ensure that we maintain the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of the Refuge System for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
We annually review refuge hunting and sport fishing programs to determine whether to include additional refuges or whether individual refuge regulations governing existing programs need modifications. Changing environmental conditions, State and Federal regulations, and other factors affecting fish and wildlife populations and habitat may warrant modifications to refuge-specific regulations to ensure the continued compatibility of hunting and sport fishing programs and to ensure that these programs will not materially interfere with or detract from the fulfillment of refuge purposes or the Refuge System's mission.
Provisions governing hunting and sport fishing on refuges are in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 32 (50 CFR part 32). We regulate hunting and sport fishing on refuges to:
Ensure compatibility with refuge purpose(s);
Properly manage fish and wildlife resource(s);
Protect other refuge values;
Ensure refuge visitor safety; and
Provide opportunities for quality fish- and wildlife-
dependent recreation.
On many refuges where we decide to allow hunting and sport fishing, our general policy of adopting regulations identical to State hunting and sport fishing regulations is adequate in meeting these objectives. On other refuges, we must supplement State regulations with more-
restrictive Federal regulations to ensure that we meet our management responsibilities, as outlined in the Statutory Authority section, below. We issue refuge-specific hunting and sport fishing regulations when we open wildlife refuges to migratory game bird hunting, upland game hunting, big game hunting, or sport fishing. These regulations may list the wildlife species that you may hunt or fish, seasons, bag or creel (container for carrying fish) limits, methods of hunting or sport fishing, descriptions of areas open to hunting or sport fishing, and other provisions as appropriate. You may find previously issued refuge-
specific regulations for hunting and sport fishing in 50 CFR part 32. In this rulemaking, we are also proposing to standardize and clarify the language of existing regulations.
Statutory Authority
The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 Improvement Act) (Administration Act), and the Refuge Recreation Act of 1962 (16 U.S.C. 460k-460k-4) (Recreation Act) govern the administration and public use of refuges.
Amendments enacted by the Improvement Act built upon the Administration Act in a manner that provides an ``organic act'' for the Refuge System, similar to organic acts that exist for other public Federal lands. The Improvement Act serves to ensure that we effectively manage the Refuge System as a national network of lands, waters, and interests for the protection and conservation of our Nation's wildlife resources. The Administration Act states first and foremost that we focus our Refuge System mission on conservation of fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats. The Improvement Act requires the Secretary, before allowing a new use of a refuge, or before expanding, renewing, or extending an existing use of a refuge, to determine that the use is compatible with the purpose for which the refuge was established and the mission of the Refuge System. The Improvement Act established as the policy of the United States that wildlife-dependent recreation, when compatible, is a legitimate and appropriate public use of the Refuge System, through which the American public can develop an appreciation for fish and wildlife. The Improvement Act established six wildlife-dependent recreational uses as the priority general public uses of the Refuge System. These uses are: Hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation.
The Recreation Act authorizes the Secretary to administer areas within the Refuge System for public recreation as an appropriate incidental or secondary use only to the extent that doing so is practicable and not inconsistent with the primary purpose(s) for which
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Congress and the Service established the areas. The Recreation Act requires that any recreational use of refuge lands be compatible with the primary purpose(s) for which we established the refuge and not inconsistent with other previously authorized operations.
The Administration Act and Recreation Act also authorize the Secretary to issue regulations to carry out the purposes of the Acts and regulate uses.
We develop specific management plans for each refuge prior to opening it to hunting or sport fishing. In many cases, we develop refuge-specific regulations to ensure the compatibility of the programs with the purpose(s) for which we established the refuge and the Refuge System mission. We ensure initial compliance with the Administration Act and the Recreation Act for hunting and sport fishing on newly acquired refuges through an interim determination of compatibility made at or near the time of acquisition. These regulations ensure that we make the determinations required by these acts prior to adding refuges to the lists of areas open to hunting and sport fishing in 50 CFR part 32. We ensure continued compliance by the development of comprehensive conservation plans, specific plans, and by annual review of hunting and sport fishing programs and regulations.
Amendments to Existing Regulations
This document proposes to codify in the Code of Federal Regulations all of the Service's hunting and/or sport fishing regulations that we would update since the last time we published a rule amending these regulations (79 FR 14809; March 17, 2014) and that are applicable at Refuge System units previously opened to hunting and/or sport fishing. We propose this to better inform the general public of the regulations at each refuge, to increase understanding and compliance with these regulations, and to make enforcement of these regulations more efficient. In addition to now finding these regulations in 50 CFR part 32, visitors to our refuges may find them reiterated in literature distributed by each refuge or posted on signs.
We cross-reference a number of existing regulations in 50 CFR parts 26, 27, 28, and 32 to assist hunting and sport fishing visitors with understanding safety and other legal requirements on refuges. This redundancy is deliberate, with the intention of improving safety and compliance in our hunting and sport fishing programs.
Table 1--Changes for 2015-2016 Hunting/Fishing Season
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Refuge/Region (*) State Migratory bird hunting Upland game hunting Big game hunting Sport fishing
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Ardoch NWR (6)..................... North Dakota.......... Closed................ Closed............... Closed............... A.
Bayou Cocodrie NWR (4)............. Louisiana............. Already open.......... C.................... C/D.................. Already open.
Great River NWR (3)................ Illinois and Missouri. Already open.......... C.................... C.................... Already Open.
Lake Alice NWR (6)................. North Dakota.......... Already open.......... Already open......... Already open......... B.
Merritt Island NWR (4)............. Florida............... Already open.......... Closed............... B.................... Already open.
Mingo NWR (3)...................... Missouri.............. Already open.......... Already open......... D.................... Already open.
Minnesota Valley NWR (3)........... Minnesota............. Already open.......... D.................... Already open......... Already open.
Missisquoi NWR (5)................. Vermont............... C/D................... C/D.................. C/D.................. Already open.
Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR (3). Iowa and Minnesota.... C/D................... C/D.................. C/D.................. Closed.
Patoka River NWR and Management Indiana............... C..................... C.................... C.................... C.
Area (3).
Prime Hook NWR (5)................. Delaware.............. C..................... C/D.................. C.................... Already open.
Rose Lake NWR (6).................. North Dakota.......... Closed................ Closed............... Closed............... A.
Sacramento River NWR (8)........... California............ Already open.......... Already open......... C/D.................. Already open.
St. Marks NWR (4).................. Florida............... Already open.......... C.................... C.................... Already open.
Seney NWR (3)...................... Michigan.............. C..................... C.................... C.................... Already open.
Silver Lake NWR (6)................ North Dakota.......... Closed................ Closed............... Closed............... A.
Swan Lake NWR (3).................. Missouri.............. C/D................... C/D.................. C/D.................. Already open.
Tualatin River NWR (1)............. Oregon................ A..................... Closed............... Closed............... Closed.
Two Rivers NWR (3)................. Illinois and Missouri. C..................... Already Open......... C.................... Already open.
Wallkill River NWR (5)............. New Jersey and New Already open.......... B.................... C/D.................. Already open.
York.
William L. Finley NWR (1).......... Oregon................ Closed................ Closed............... D.................... Closed.
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Key:
* number in () refers to the Region as explained in the preamble to this proposed rule for additional information regarding refuge specific regulations.
A = New refuge opened.
B = New activity on a refuge previously open to other activities.
C = Refuge already open to activity, but added new lands/waters or modified areas open to hunting or fishing.
D = Refuge already open to activity but added new species to hunt.
The changes for the 2015-16 hunting/fishing season noted in the chart above are each based on a complete administrative record which, among other detailed documentation, also includes a hunt plan, a compatibility determination, and the appropriate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) analysis, all of which were the subject of a public review and comment process. These documents are available upon request.
Fish Advisory
For health reasons, anglers should review and follow State-issued consumption advisories before enjoying recreational sport fishing opportunities on Service-managed waters. You can find information about current fish consumption advisories on the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/.
Plain Language Mandate
In this proposed rule, we propose some of the revisions to the individual
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refuge units to comply with a Presidential mandate to use plain language in regulations; as such, these particular revisions do not modify the substance of the previous regulations. These types of changes include using ``you'' to refer to the reader and ``we'' to refer to the Refuge System, using the word ``allow'' instead of ``permit'' when we do not require the use of a permit for an activity, and using active voice (i.e., ``We restrict entry into the refuge'' vs. ``Entry into the refuge is restricted'').
Request for Comments
You may submit comment and materials on this proposed rule by any one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section. We will not accept comments sent by email or fax or to an address not listed in the ADDRESSES section. We will not consider hand-delivered comments that we do not receive, or mailed comments that are not postmarked, by the date specified in the DATES section.
We will post your entire comment on http://www.regulations.gov. Before including personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that we may make your entire comment--including your personal identifying information--publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. We will post all hardcopy comments on http://www.regulations.gov.
Public Comment
Department of the Interior policy is, whenever practicable, to afford the public a meaningful opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process. The process of opening refuges is done in stages, with the fundamental work being performed on the ground at the refuge and in the community where the program is administered. In these stages, the public is given other opportunities to comment, for example, on the comprehensive conservation plans and the compatibility determinations. The second stage is this document, when we publish the proposed rule in the Federal Register for additional comment, commonly for a 30-day comment period.
There is nothing contained in this proposed rule outside the scope of the annual review process where we determine whether individual refuges need modifications, deletions, or additions made to them. We make every attempt to collect all of the proposals from the refuges nationwide and process them expeditiously to maximize the time available for public review. We believe that a 30-day comment period, through the broader publication following the earlier public involvement, gives the public sufficient time to comment and allows us to establish hunting and fishing programs in time for the upcoming seasons. Many of these rules would also relieve restrictions and allow the public to participate in recreational activities on a number of refuges. In addition, in order to continue to provide for previously authorized hunting opportunities while at the same time providing for adequate resource protection, we must be timely in providing modifications to certain hunting programs on some refuges.
We considered providing a 60-day, rather than a 30-day, comment period. However, we determined that an additional 30-day delay in processing these refuge-specific hunting and sport fishing regulations would hinder the effective planning and administration of our hunting and sport fishing programs. Such a delay would jeopardize enacting amendments to hunting and sport fishing programs in time for implementation this year and/or early next year, or shorten the duration of these programs.
Even after issuance of a final rule, we accept comments, suggestions, and concerns for consideration for any appropriate subsequent rulemaking.
When finalized, we will incorporate these regulations into 50 CFR part 32. Part 32 contains general provisions and refuge-specific regulations for hunting and sport fishing on refuges.
Clarity of This Rule
Executive Orders 12866 and 12988 and the Presidential Memorandum of June 1, 1998, require us to write all rules in plain language. This means that each rule we publish must:
(a) Be logically organized;
(b) Use the active voice to address readers directly;
(c) Use clear language rather than jargon;
(d) Be divided into short sections and sentences; and
(e) Use lists and tables wherever possible.
If you feel that we have not met these requirements, send us comments by one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section. To better help us revise the rule, your comments should be as specific as possible. For example, you should tell us the numbers of the sections or paragraphs that are unclearly written, which sections or sentences are too long, the sections where you feel lists or tables would be useful, etc.
Regulatory Planning and Review (Executive Orders 12866 and 13563)
Executive Order 12866 provides that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) will review all significant rules. OIRA has determined that this rule is not significant.
Executive Order 13563 reaffirms the principles of E.O. 12866 while calling for improvements in the nation's regulatory system to promote predictability, to reduce uncertainty, and to use the best, most innovative, and least burdensome tools for achieving regulatory ends. The executive order directs agencies to consider regulatory approaches that reduce burdens and maintain flexibility and freedom of choice for the public where these approaches are relevant, feasible, and consistent with regulatory objectives. E.O. 13563 emphasizes further that regulations must be based on the best available science and that the rulemaking process must allow for public participation and an open exchange of ideas. We have developed this rule in a manner consistent with these requirements.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act SBREFA of 1996) (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), whenever a Federal agency is required to publish a notice of rulemaking for any proposed or final rule, it must prepare and make available for public comment a regulatory flexibility analysis that describes the effect of the rule on small entities (i.e., small businesses, small organizations, and small government jurisdictions). However, no regulatory flexibility analysis is required if the head of an agency certifies that the rule would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. Thus, for a regulatory flexibility analysis to be required, impacts must exceed a threshold for ``significant impact'' and a threshold for a ``substantial number of small entities.'' See 5 U.S.C. 605(b). SBREFA amended the Regulatory Flexibility Act to require Federal agencies to provide a statement of the factual basis for certifying that a rule would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
This proposed rule adds 1 NWR to the list of refuges open to hunting and increases hunting activities on 16 additional NWRs. It adds 4 NWRs to the list of refuges open to fishing and increases fishing activities at 1 additional NWR. As a result, visitor use
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for wildlife-dependent recreation on these NWRs will change. If the refuges establishing new programs were a pure addition to the current supply of such activities, it would mean an estimated increase of 16,266 user days (one person per day participating in a recreational opportunity, Table 2). Because the participation trend is flat in these activities since 1991, this increase in supply will most likely be offset by other sites losing participants. Therefore, this is likely to be a substitute site for the activity and not necessarily an increase in participation rates for the activity.
Table 2--Estimated Change in Recreation Opportunities in 2015/2016
Dollars in thousands
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Additional Additional
Refuge days expenditures
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Ardoch.................................. 150 $6.2
Bayou Cocodrie.......................... 60 2.3
Great River............................. 185 7.2
Lake Alice.............................. 6,442 266.7
Merritt Island.......................... 1,350 52.5
Mingo................................... 0 ..............
Minnesota Valley........................ 64 2.5
Missisquoi.............................. 665 25.9
Northern Tallgrass Prairie.............. 125 4.9
Patoka River............................ 1,112 45.5
Prime Hook.............................. 336 13.1
Rose Lake............................... 502 20.8
Sacramento River........................ 250 9.7
St. Marks............................... 1,000 38.9
Seney................................... 0 ..............
Silver Lake............................. 2,244 92.9
Swan Lake............................... 1,320 51.4
Tualatin River.......................... 224 8.7
Two Rivers.............................. 195 7.6
Wallkill River.......................... 30 1.2
William L. Finley....................... 12 0.5
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Total............................... 16,266 658.5
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To the extent visitors spend time and money in the area of the refuge that they would not have spent there anyway, they contribute new income to the regional economy and benefit local businesses. Due to the unavailability of site-specific expenditure data, we use the national estimates from the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation to identify expenditures for food and lodging, transportation, and other incidental expenses. Using the average expenditures for these categories with the maximum expected additional participation of the Refuge System yields approximately $658,500 in recreation-related expenditures (Table 2). By having ripple effects throughout the economy, these direct expenditures are only part of the economic impact of these recreational activities. Using a national impact multiplier for hunting activities (2.27) derived from the report ``Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation'' and for fishing activities (2.40) derived from the report ``Sportfishing in America'' yields a total economic impact of approximately $1.55 million (2014 dollars) (Southwick Associates, Inc., 2012). Using a local impact multiplier would yield more accurate and smaller results. However, we employed the national impact multiplier due to the difficulty in developing local multipliers for each specific region.
Since we know that most of the fishing and hunting occurs within 100 miles of a participant's residence, then it is unlikely that most of this spending would be ``new'' money coming into a local economy; therefore, this spending would be offset with a decrease in some other sector of the local economy. The net gain to the local economies would be no more than $1.55 million, and most likely considerably less. Since 80 percent of the participants travel less than 100 miles to engage in hunting and fishing activities, their spending patterns would not add new money into the local economy and, therefore, the real impact would be on the order of about $310,000 annually.
Small businesses within the retail trade industry (such as hotels, gas stations, taxidermy shops, bait and tackle shops, and similar businesses) may be impacted from some increased or decreased refuge visitation. A large percentage of these retail trade establishments in the local communities around NWRs qualify as small businesses (Table 3). We expect that the incremental recreational changes will be scattered, and so we do not expect that the rule will have a significant economic effect on a substantial number of small entities in any region or nationally. As noted previously, we expect approximately $310,000 to be spent in total in the refuges' local economies. The maximum increase at most would be less than one-tenth of 1 percent for local retail trade spending (Table 3).
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Table 3--Comparative Expenditures for Retail Trade Associated With Additional Refuge Visitation for 2015/2016
Thousands, 2014 dollars
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Estimated
Retail trade in maximum addition Addition as % of Establishments Establ. with
