21798 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 70 / Wednesday, April 11, 2012 / Notices acres in Tulare County in the foothills increase some visitor services, and viewing and downloading online at: of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. These consider the feasibility of providing http://www.fws.gov/hoppermountain/. three refuges in the Hopper Mountain wildlife-dependent recreation on the Comments on the Draft CCP/EA NWR Complex (Complex) in southern Refuge. The Refuge would remain should be addressed to Sandy Osborn California were created under the closed to the public. (see ADDRESSES). authority of the Federal Endangered At the end of the review and comment Alternatives for Bitter Creek NWR Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 period for this Draft CCP/EA, comments U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), primarily to restore Under Alternative B (preferred will be analyzed by the Service and the endangered California condor alternative), the Service would increase addressed in the Final CCP/EA. Before population to its native range. Due to condor management and support including your address, phone number, the sensitivity of the California condor actions, install a 1,000-square-foot email address, or other personal recovery activities, the Refuges are condor treatment facility, and collect identifying information in your currently closed to the public except for baseline data on Refuge resources with comment, you should be aware that Service-led tours and volunteer emphasis on special status species. The your entire comment—including your activities. Through this CCP process, we Service would also use grazing and personal identifying information—may will determine whether any areas of the other methods to improve habitat be made publicly available at any time. refuges can be made available to the quality to support special status San While you can ask us in your comment public for wildlife-dependent Joaquin Valley wildlife, and restore to withhold your personal identifying recreational opportunities. some springs and drainages. We would information from public review, we also expand visitor services by opening Alternatives cannot guarantee that we will be able to a new interpretive trail, and developing do so. The Draft CCP/EA identifies and a new Refuge administrative office, evaluates three alternatives for visitor station, and condor observation Alexandra Pitts, managing Hopper Mountain, Bitter point. Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Creek, and Blue Ridge National Wildlife Under Alternative C for Bitter Creek Region, Sacramento, California. Refuges for the next 15 years. The NWR the Service would improve and [FR Doc. 2012–8659 Filed 4–10–12; 8:45 am] alternative that appears to best meet the expand current management by BILLING CODE 4310–55–P Refuges’ purposes is identified as the increasing some condor management preferred alternative. The preferred and support actions; restoring more alternative is identified based on the habitat to support special status species; DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR analysis presented in the Draft CCP/EA, managing invasive plants without using Fish and Wildlife Service which may be modified following the pesticides; restoring more springs and completion of the public comment drainages; and expanding outreach, period based on comments received interpretation, and visitor and volunteer [FWS–R9–IA–2011–0087; 96300–1671–0000 FY12–R4] from other agencies, Tribal opportunities. governments, nongovernmental Conference of the Parties to the organizations, or individuals. Alternatives for Blue Ridge NWR Convention on International Trade in Under Alternative A (no action Under Alternative B (preferred alternative) for each of the three refuges, Endangered Species of Wild Fauna alternative) the Service would improve and Flora (CITES); Sixteenth Regular the Service would continue to manage current management by increasing the Refuges as we have in the recent Meeting: Taxa Being Considered for condor management activities, Amendments to the CITES Appendices past. There would be continued collecting baseline data for special maintenance of facilities and support of status species, and adding volunteer AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Condor Recovery Program opportunities. Portions of the Refuge Interior. (Recovery Program) activities. The three would be opened to the public. ACTION: Notice. Refuges would remain closed to the Under Alternative C for Blue Ridge public. NWR the Service would increase some SUMMARY: The United States, as a Party Alternatives for Hopper Mountain condor management actions, but to a to the Convention on International NWR lesser extent than Alternative B, and Trade in Endangered Species of Wild work with partners to increase some Fauna and Flora (CITES), may propose Under Alternative B (preferred guided visitor and volunteer amendments to the CITES Appendices alternative), the Service would increase opportunities. The Refuge would remain for consideration at meetings of the condor management and support closed to the public. Conference of the Parties. The sixteenth actions; collect baseline data for Refuge Public Meetings regular meeting of the Conference of the resources with emphasis on special Parties to CITES (CoP16) is tentatively status species; improve management of The locations, dates, and times of scheduled to be held in Thailand, all habitat types on the Refuge; and public meetings will be listed in a March 3–15, 2013. With this notice, we increase outreach, and Service-guided planning update distributed to the describe proposed amendments to the visitor and volunteer opportunities. The project mailing list and posted on the CITES Appendices (species proposals) Refuge would remain closed to the refuge planning Web site at http://www. that the United States might submit for public. fws.gov/hoppermountain/. consideration at CoP16 and invite your Under Alternative C for Hopper Review and Comment comments and information on these Mountain NWR, the Service would proposals. increase some condor management and Copies of the Draft CCP/EA may be support actions, expand baseline data obtained by writing to Sandy Osborn DATES: We will consider written collection, manage invasive plants (see ADDRESSES). Copies of the Draft information and comments we receive without using pesticides, increase CCP/EA may be viewed at the same by June 11, 2012. habitat protection and enhancement of address and local libraries. The Draft ADDRESSES: You may submit comments select black walnut and oak woodlands, CCP/EA will also be available for pertaining to species proposals for VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:14 Apr 10, 2012 Jkt 226001 PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\11APN1.SGM 11APN1 wreier-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 70 / Wednesday, April 11, 2012 / Notices 21799 consideration at CoP16 by one of the Secretariat’s Web site at http:// Recommendations for Species following methods: www.cites.org/eng/app/2011/E- Proposals for the United States To Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// Dec22.pdf. Currently, 175 countries, Consider Submitting for CoP16 www.regulations.gov. Follow the including the United States, are Parties instructions for submitting comments In our Federal Register notice of June to CITES. The Convention calls for 14, 2011 (76 FR 34746), we requested on Docket No. FWS–R9–IA–2011–0087. meetings of the Conference of the U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public information and recommendations on Parties, held every 2 to 3 years, at which potential species proposals for the Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R9– the Parties review its implementation, IA–2011–0087; Division of Policy and United States to consider submitting for make provisions enabling the CITES consideration at CoP16. We received Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Secretariat in Switzerland to carry out Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, recommendations from the following its functions, consider amendments to organizations for possible proposals MS 2042–PDM; Arlington, VA 22203. the lists of species in Appendices I and We will not consider comments sent involving 92 taxa (3 families, 13 genera, II, consider reports presented by the and 76 individual species) and 2 general by email or fax or to an address not Secretariat, and make recommendations listed in the ADDRESSES section. We will groups (Asian freshwater turtles and for the improved effectiveness of CITES. post all comments on http:// tortoises and native Hawaiian Any country that is a Party to CITES www.regulations.gov. This generally sandalwood species): the American may propose amendments to means that we will post any personal Herbal Products Association; Animal information you provide us. If you Appendices I and II, as well as Welfare Institute; Bush Warriors; Center submit a comment via http:// resolutions, decisions, and agenda items for Biological Diversity; International www.regulations.gov, your entire for consideration by all the Parties. Fund for Animal Welfare; International comment—including any personal This is our third in a series of Federal Union for Conservation of Nature identifying information—will be posted Register notices that, together with an (IUCN) Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle on the Web site. If you submit a announced public meeting, provide you Specialist Group; Oceana; Pew hardcopy comment that includes with an opportunity to participate in the Environment Group; Shark Advocates International; Species Survival Network; personal identifying information, you development of the U.S. negotiating United