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Final Bison and Elk Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: February 2, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 22)]
[Notices]
[Page 5078-5080]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02fe07-83]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Final Bison and Elk Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park
Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, as lead agencies, announce
the fnal Bison and Elk Management Plan (Plan) and Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National
Park/John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway (Grand Teton National
Park) is available. The final Plan/EIS was prepared pursuant to the
National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended
(16 U.S.C. 668dd, et. seq.); the National Park Service Management
Policies of 2006; and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The
final Plan/EIS was prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); the
U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service; the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM); and the State of Wyoming Game and Fish Department
(WGFD). The final Plan/EIS describes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service's and the National Park Service's proposal for management of
the Jackson bison and elk populations within their respective
jurisdictions for 15 years, beginning at the issuance of a Record of
Decision (ROD) on the final Plan/EIS. The effects of six alternatives
for the management of bison and elk populations for the National Elk
Refuge and Grand Teton National Park are disclosed in the final Plan/EIS.

DATES: A ROD selecting the Preferred Alternative for implementation of
the Bison and Elk Management Plan will be signed by the Regional
Directors for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Region 6) and the
National Park Service (Intermountain Region) no sooner than 30 days
after the publication of this notice. March 5, 2007.

ADDRESSES: To review or obtain a copy of the final Plan/EIS, or to
review public comments and hearing testimony, see ``Document Review''
under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurie Shannon, Planning Team Leader,
Region 6, 134 Union Boulevard, Lakewood, Colorado 80028, 303-236-4317
(phone); 303-236-4792 (fax); laurie_shannon@fws.gov (e-mail).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton
National Park are located north of Jackson, Wyoming. Together with the
Bridger-Teton National Forest, they make up most of the southern half
of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The National Elk Refuge comprises
approximately 24,700 acres, Grand Teton National Park comprises 309,995
acres, and the John D. Rockefeller Jr., Memorial Parkway is
approximately 23,777 acres. The Jackson bison and elk herds make up one
of the largest concentrations of free-ranging ungulates in North
America. Currently, these herds number about 1,000 bison and 13,000
elk. The herds migrate across several jurisdictional boundaries,
including Grand Teton National Park and southern Yellowstone National
Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest, BLM resource areas, and State and
private lands, before they winter primarily on the National Elk Refuge.
Due to the wide range of authorities and interests, including
management of

[[Page 5079]]

resident wildlife by the State of Wyoming on many federal lands, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service have used
a cooperative approach to management planning involving all of the
associated federal agencies and the WGFD.
    A bison management plan (Jackson Bison Herd Long Term Management
Plan and Environmental Assessment) was developed by the National Park
Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with the
WGFD and the Bridger-Teton National Forest, and finalized in September
1996. In 1998, a lawsuit was brought by the Fund for Animals enjoining
most federal management actions proposed in the 1996 plan. The court
ruled that the destruction of bison on federal lands for population
control purposes could not be carried out until additional NEPA
compliance was completed for those actions. The court also directed
that additional NEPA compliance consider the effects on the Jackson
bison population of the supplemental winter-feeding of elk on the
National Elk Refuge.
    Significant issues addressed in the final Plan/EIS include: Bison
and elk populations and their ecology; restoration of habitat and
management of other species of wildlife; supplemental winter feeding
operations of bison and elk; disease prevalence and transmission;
recreational opportunities; cultural opportunities and western
traditions and lifestyles; commercial operations; and the local and
regional economy.
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service,
in cooperation with the WGFD and the other federal agencies, developed
six alternatives for the management of bison and elk. These
alternatives, as presented in the final Plan/EIS, include: Alternative
1--No Action; Alternative 2--Minimal Management of Habitat and
Populations, Support Migration; Alternative 3--Restore Habitat, Support
Migration, and Phase Back Supplemental Feeding; Alternative 4--
Adaptively Manage Habitat and Populations; Alternative 5--Restore
Habitat, Improve Forage, and Continue Supplemental Feeding; and
Alternative 6--Restore Habitat, Adaptively Manage Populations, and
Phase Out Supplemental Feeding.
    Alternative 4, the agencies' Preferred Alternative in the final
EIS, balances the major issues and stakeholder perspectives identified
during the planning process, with the purposes, missions, and
management policies of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the
National Park Service. Assuming the WGFD's herd objective of 11,000 had
been met, and that higher numbers of elk would use the winter range,
the agencies would recommend that approximately 5,000 elk and 500 bison
winter on the National Elk Refuge at the end of the first phase of
implementation. The elk hunt on the National Elk Refuge, and elk herd
reductions as needed in Grand Teton National Park would continue. A
public bison hunt would be instituted on the National Elk Refuge and
managed in accordance with the State of Wyoming licensing requirements
and an approved refuge hunting plan. As herd sizes and objectives were
achieved, further reductions in feeding or elk numbers could occur
based on established criteria developed in collaboration with WGFD.
    On July 21, 2005, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National
Park Service announced the availability of the draft Plan/EIS for
public review and comment in the Federal Register (70 FR 42089-42090).
During the public review period, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
the National Park Service held a series of public open houses and
formal hearings in Bozeman, Montana; Jackson, Wyoming; and Riverton,
Wyoming, to allow public input on the proposed management plan and its
alternatives. During the draft Plan/EIS comment period that occurred
from July 21, 2005 to November 7, 2005, the agencies received more than
11,900 comments from 241 individuals (public hearing testimony,
letters, and e-mails); 37 agencies or organizations; and 1,751 form
letters or petitions. Some of the significant changes from the draft
Plan/EIS that resulted from public comments include:
    1. For all alternatives, the inclusion of a statement clarifying
the desired conditions to be achieved by the end of 15-year plan. This
statement briefly describes what the agencies intend to accomplish by
implementing the plan. The goals of the plan, which include habitat
conservation, sustainable populations, numbers of elk and bison, and
disease management, would essentially remain the same with minor word
changes to the sustainable population goal for Grand Teton National
Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway.
    2. Modification of Alternative 4 (Preferred Alternative) to
emphasize adaptive management of habitat and populations. The agencies,
in cooperation with WGFD, would use existing conditions, trends, new
research findings, and other changing circumstances to provide the
basis for developing and implementing a dynamic framework for
decreasing the need for supplemental food on the National Elk Refuge.
As modified, Alternative 4 would not identify the number of years
supplemental feeding would occur, but instead would emphasize
achievement of the desired conditions by the end of the plan.
Alternative 4 would implement a phased approach to reducing feeding,
but would not dictate a timeline for phasing out or reducing feeding.
Following implementation of the first phase, approximately 5,000 elk
would be expected to winter on the refuge. As habitat objectives and
herd sizes were achieved, further reductions in feeding or elk numbers
could occur based on established criteria developed in collaboration
with WGFD.
    3. Target population for bison. Under Alternative 4, the agencies
would work cooperatively with WGFD to maintain and ensure a genetically
viable population of approximately 500 bison. The target bison population
in Alternative 6 was modified to be about 500 animals instead of 400.
    4. Modification of the bison hunt. Under Alternative 4, a public
bison hunt on the refuge would be used to reduce the bison population
to approximately 500 animals in accordance with the State of Wyoming
licensing regulations and an approved refuge hunting plan. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service could potentially allow for the removal of a
small number of bison by Native American tribes for ceremonial
purposes, but unlike Alternative 3 and 6, it would not specify that it
would be provided.
    5. Development of a framework and criteria to reduce feeding. A key
element of the modified Alternative 4 would be the development of a
framework, developed in collaboration with WGFD, that would identify
criteria necessary for progressively transitioning from intensive
supplemental winter feeding to greater reliance on free-standing forage
based on forage production, herd sizes, effective mitigation of bison-
elk-cattle mingling on private lands, winter distribution patterns of
elk and bison, prevalence of diseases, and public support.
    6. Mitigation of conflicts on adjacent lands. Alternative 4 would
adopt the mitigation components of Alternative 6 to work with private
and agency partners to minimize conflicts with adjacent landowners by
providing human and/or financial resources to manage co-mingling and
reduce crop depredation by elk and/or bison on private lands.
    7. Vaccination of elk and bison. Alternative 4, as modified, would

[[Page 5080]]

accommodate WGFD vaccination of elk and bison for brucellosis on the
refuge as long as it was logistically feasible and safe for wildlife.
    8. Public education component. Alternative 4 would include the
initiation of a public education effort to build understanding of
natural elk and bison behavior, ecology, distribution, disease
implications, and effects to other species.
    All substantive issues raised in the comments were addressed in the
final Plan/EIS. Responses to comments are included as a companion
document to the final Plan/EIS. Public comments and hearing testimony
are also available for review at the National Elk Refuge Headquarters,
675 East Broadway, Jackson, Wyoming 83001, during normal business
hours. All information provided voluntarily by mail, phone, or at
public meetings becomes part of the official public record (i.e.,
names, addresses, letters of comment, input recorded during meetings).
If requested under the Freedom of Information Act by a private citizen
or organization, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may provide copies
of such information.
    The environmental review of this project will be conducted in
accordance with the requirements of the NEPA Act of 1969, as amended
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); Council on Environmental Quality NEPA
Regulations); other appropriate Federal laws and regulations; Executive
Order 12996; the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of
1997; and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service policies and procedures for
compliance with those laws and regulations.

Document Review

Final Plan/EIS

    A copy of the final Plan/EIS may be obtained by writing to: Jackson
Bison and Elk Management Planning Office, P.O. Box 510, Jackson,
Wyoming 83001; by telephone: 307-733-9212; by e-mail: 
bisonelk_planning@fws.gov; or by download from the project Web site:
http://bisonandelkplan.fws.gov.
    The final Plan/EIS will be available for reading at the following
main branch libraries: State of Wyoming: Albany County--Laramie;
Fremont County--Dubois, Lander, and Riverton; Laramie County--Cheyenne;
Lincoln County--Afton; Park County--Cody; Natrona County--Casper;
Sheridan County--Sheridan; Sublette County--Pinedale and Big Piney;
Sweetwater County--Rock Springs; and Teton County--Jackson and Alta.
State of Idaho: Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Swan Valley and Victor. State of
Montana: Bozeman, Livingston, Missoula, and Ennis. State of Colorado:
Denver and Fort Collins. It will also be available at the following
colleges and universities: State of Wyoming: Casper College Library,
Casper; Central Wyoming College Library, Riverton; University of
Wyoming Library, Laramie; Northwest College Library, Powell; Sheridan
College Library, Sheridan; and Western Wyoming College Library, Rock
Springs. State of Montana: Montana State University Library, Bozeman;
and the University of Montana Library, Missoula. State of Idaho:
Albertsons Library, Boise State University, Boise; University of Idaho
Library, Moscow. State of Colorado: Colorado State University Library,
Fort Collins.

    Dated: November 9, 2006.
James J. Slack,
Deputy Regional Director, Region 6, Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. E7-1605 Filed 2-1-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

 
 

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