[Federal Register: November 18, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 222)]
[Notices]
[Page 69985-69986]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18no05-69]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement on Resident
Canada Goose Management
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
[[Page 69986]]
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: This notice is to announce the availability of a Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on resident Canada goose
management. We published the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS) in March 2002. We considered over 2,700 public comments in
revising the document.
DATES: The public inspection period for the FEIS will last 30 days and
will end on December 19, 2005.
ADDRESSES: The document is available from the Division of Migratory
Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax
Drive, Mail Stop 4107--MBSP, Arlington, Virginia 22203-1610. It is also
available on the Division of Migratory Bird Management Web page at
http://migratorybirds.fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron W. Kokel, Division of Migratory
Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at 703-358-1967.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS evaluates alternative strategies to
reduce, manage, and control resident Canada goose populations in the
continental United States and to reduce goose-related damages. The
objective of the FEIS is to provide a regulatory mechanism that would
allow State and local agencies, other Federal agencies, and groups and
individuals to respond to damage complaints or damages by resident
Canada geese. The FEIS is a comprehensive programmatic plan intended to
guide and direct resident Canada goose population growth and management
activities in the conterminous United States. The FEIS analyzes seven
management alternatives: (1) No Action (Alternative A); (2) Increase
Use of Nonlethal Control and Management (excludes all permitted
activities) (Alternative B); (3) Increase Use of Nonlethal Control and
Management (continued permitting of those activities generally
considered nonlethal) (Alternative C); (4) Expanded Hunting Methods and
Opportunities (Alternative D); (5) Control and Depredation Order
Management (consisting of an Airport Control Order, a Nest and Egg
Depredation Order, an Agricultural Depredation Order, and a Public
Health Control Order) (Alternative E); (6) Integrated Damage Management
and Population Control (PROPOSED ACTION) (Alternative F); and (7)
General Depredation Order (Alternative G). Alternatives were analyzed
with regard to their potential impacts on resident Canada geese, other
wildlife species, natural resources, special status species,
socioeconomics, historical resources, and cultural resources.
Our proposed action (Alternative F) would establish a new
regulation with three main program components. The first component
would be targeted to address resident Canada goose depredation, damage,
and conflict management by authorizing or establishing specific
resident Canada goose Control and Depredation Orders. The second
component would be targeted to increase the sport harvest of resident
Canada geese by providing new regulatory options to State wildlife
management agencies and Tribal entities by authorizing the use of
additional hunting methods. The third component would consist of a new
regulation authorizing a resident Canada goose population control
program, or management take. Management take is defined as a special
management action that is needed to reduce certain wildlife populations
when traditional management programs are unsuccessful in preventing
overabundance of the population. The management take program would be
implemented under the authority of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to
reduce and stabilize resident Canada goose populations. The intent of
the program is to reduce resident Canada goose populations in order to
protect personal property and agricultural crops, protect other
interests from injury, resolve or prevent injury to people, property,
agricultural crops, or other interests from resident Canada geese, and
contribute to potential concerns about human health.
On March 1, 2002 (67 FR 9448), the Environmental Protection Agency
published a Notice of Availability of our DEIS. On March 7, 2002 (67 FR
10431), we published our own Notice of Availability of the DEIS. We
published a Notice of Meetings on the DEIS on March 26, 2002 (67 FR
13792). Initial comments were accepted until May 30, 2002. We
subsequently published another Notice of Availability reopening the
comment period on August 21, 2003 (68 FR 50546). Also on August 21,
2003, we published a proposed rule regarding control and management of
resident Canada goose populations (68 FR 50496). Comments were accepted
on both the DEIS and the proposed rule until October 20, 2003.
We received public comments on the DEIS from 2,657 private
individuals, 33 State wildlife resource agencies, 37 nongovernmental
organizations, 29 local governments, 5 Federal or State legislators, 4
Flyway Councils, 4 Federal agencies, 3 tribes, 3 businesses, and 2
State agricultural agencies. Of the 2,657 comments received from
private individuals, 56% opposed the preferred alternative and
supported only nonlethal control and management alternatives, while 40%
supported either the proposed alternative or a general depredation
order.
We modified the DEIS to respond to concerns and issues expressed by
individuals, agencies, and organizations. Most notably, we excluded
States in the Pacific Flyway from some of the available management
components and shifted implementation and responsibility on some of the
program components from the State to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. Our proposed action remains Alternative F. A Record of
Decision and final rule will be published after the inspection period
(see DATES section).
Dated: October 17, 2005.
Matt Hogan,
Deputy Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 05-22813 Filed 11-17-05; 8:45 am]
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