[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 194 (Friday, October 5, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 51274]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-24775]



[[Page 51273]]

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Part III





Department of the Interior





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Fish and Wildlife Service



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Notice of Availability; Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Light 
Goose Management

  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 194 / Friday, October 5, 2001 / 
Notices  

[[Page 51274]]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability; Draft Environmental Impact Statement on 
Light Goose Management

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has prepared a 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) which is available for 
public review. The DEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of 
several management alternatives for addressing problems associated with 
overabundant light goose populations. The analysis provided in the DEIS 
is intended to accomplish the following: inform the public of the 
proposed action and alternatives; address public comment received 
during the scoping period; and disclose the direct, indirect, and 
cumulative environmental effects of the proposed actions and each of 
the alternatives. The Service invites the public to comment on the 
DEIS.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS must be received on or before 
November 28, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the DEIS should be mailed to Chief, 
Division of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Department of the Interior, ms 634--ARLSQ, 1849 C Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20240. Copies of the DEIS can be downloaded from the 
Division of Migratory Bird Management web site at http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/issues/snowgse/tblcont.html. Comments on the 
DEIS should be sent to the above address. Alternatively, comments may 
be submitted electronically to the following address: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jon Andrew, Chief, Division of 
Migratory Bird Management, (703) 358-1714; or James Kelley (612) 713-
5409.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 13, 1999, a notice was published in 
the Federal Register (64 FR 26268) announcing that the Service intended 
to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement addressing problems 
associated with overabundant light goose populations. Comments were 
received and considered and are reflected in the DEIS made available 
for comment through this notice. This notice is provided pursuant to 
Fish and Wildlife Service regulations for implementing the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (40 CFR 1506.6).
    Several public hearings will be held throughout the country during 
the comment period to solicit oral comments from the public. The dates 
and locations of these hearings are yet to be determined. A notice of 
public meetings with the locations, dates, and times will be published 
in the Federal Register.
    In order to be considered, electronic submission of comments must 
include your name and postal mailing address; we will not consider 
anonymous comments. All comments received, including names and 
addresses, will become part of the public record. The public may 
inspect comments during normal business hours in Room 634--Arlington 
Square Building, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia. Requests 
for such comments will be handled in accordance with the Freedom of 
Information Act and the Council on Environmental Quality's National 
Environmental Policy Act regulations [40 CFR 1506.6(f)]. Our practice 
is to make comments available for public review during regular business 
hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home 
address from the record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by 
law. If a respondent wishes us to withhold his/her name and/or address, 
this must be stated prominently at the beginning of the comment.
    The DEIS evaluates four management alternatives to address habitat 
destruction and agricultural depredations caused by light geese on 
various breeding, migration, and wintering areas: (1) No Action or a 
continuation to manage light goose populations through existing 
wildlife management policies and practices (Alternative A); (2) modify 
harvest regulation options and refuge management (Alternative B) 
(PROPOSED); (3) implement direct agency control of light goose 
populations on migration and wintering areas in the U.S. (Alternative 
C); (4) seek direct light goose population control on breeding grounds 
in Canada (Alternative D). Our proposed alternative (Alternative B) 
modifies existing light goose hunting regulations to expand methods of 
take during normal hunting season frameworks. In addition, we propose 
to create a conservation order to allow take of light geese outside of 
normal hunting season frameworks. We would also modify management 
practices on certain National Wildlife Refuges to alter the 
availability of food and sanctuary to light geese.

    Dated: September 28, 2001.
Marshall P. Jones, Jr.,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 01-24775 Filed 10-4-01; 8:45 am]
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