[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 118 (Monday, June 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 34397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-13922]
[[Page 34397]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Environmental Impact Statement for Hunting on the Cape Cod
National Seashore
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) will prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) assessing current hunting policy and potential
alternative policies for effects on natural resources, user conflicts,
socioeconomics, and social aspects of the Cape Cod National Seashore
(CACO). The NPS will solicit public and agency comments regarding the
proposed alternatives and the preferred alternative. The NPS will
prepare a draft and a final EIS prior to preparing a Record of Decision
(ROD).
DATES: The NPS, in conjunction with an interdisciplinary team of
scientists, proposes the following general schedule to make the public
aware of the timing of the public commenting periods. Through June
2004, the NPS will conduct scoping meetings to solicit public and
regulatory agency comments, to inform the public of the EIS, and to
produce a final scoping report. Concurrently, the NPS and its
interdisciplinary team will conduct studies, some of which are ongoing,
to assess the consequences of the proposed alternatives. The NPS
anticipates issuing a draft EIS in December 2004 for further public and
agency comment during January-February 2005. Consideration of those
comments and the results of any additional studies will be used to
prepare a final EIS, which is anticipated to be issued in May 2005. A
ROD will be prepared documenting the NPS decision, which is scheduled
for August 2005.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Superintendent, Cape
Cod National Seashore, 99 Marconi Station Site Road, Wellfleet, MA
02667. Comments may also be electronically mailed to [email protected] (please note that there is an underscore ``--'' between
the first and last names). The draft and final EIS documents and the
ROD will be made available on the CACO Web site at http://www.nps.gov/caco/pphtml/documents.html. Comments and materials received are
available on request for public inspection, by appointment, during
normal business hours at the above address. The public is advised that
individual names and addresses may be included as part of the public
record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Finley, Chief of Natural
Resources Management (see address above) at 508-349-3785.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Regulatory and Management Background of Hunting in CACO
The legislation that created CACO (Pub. L. 87-126, Section 7c)
authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to permit hunting and to
prepare hunting regulations, subject to consultation with any other
government agency having authority over hunting activities.
Current Hunting Policy
Hunting has been a part of the fabric of life on Cape Cod for
years. Traditional hunting experiences include waterfowl, white-tailed
deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and small game hunting. Hunting for a
variety of species is allowed on CACO in conformance with federal,
state, and CACO regulationsand other migratory game bird hunting
regulations, while the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife
(MDFW) sets deer and small game hunting regulations. State regulations
restrict hunting and possession of a loaded weapon within 500 feet of
any building and within 150 feet of an established bicycle trail. Other
selected areas are closed to hunting for safety or ecological reasons.
All hunting is prohibited from March 1 through August 31 of each year.
Ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) are stocked by the MDFW in
selected areas on CACO for hunting. This stocking program has been
ongoing since the 1940's.
Hunting Policy and NEPA Compliance
The CACO hunting policy was challenged by some citizens' groups
regarding compliance with NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969). The general hunting program is ongoing, but the pheasant
stocking program was enjoined by court order. The effects of both of
these programs on ecological parameters, hunter use, and socioeconomics
will be studied and considered under a variety of alternatives during
the EIS process.
Proposed Action
The NPS is preparing an EIS and is in the process of soliciting
agency and public comments, completing several studies on the effects
of hunting on various parameters, and analyzing various proposed
hunting policy alternatives.
Possible Alternatives
The NPS will consider several alternatives regarding the hunting
policies at CACO. These alternatives will be determined through the
public and agency input or the scoping process. The No Action
alternative, retaining current hunting management practices, is a
requirement of NEPA and will be included in the EIS.
The Scoping Process
The hunting program at Cape Cod National Seashore has been the
subject of community discussion for some time. Aspects of hunting
programs have been evaluated in the park's General Management Plan
(GMP) and were subject to comment during the EIS for the GMP (1998).
The hunting program was challenged by citizens' groups, and this
challenge in court precipitated public comment and a public meeting
March 21, 2001. An information meeting was conducted on May 11, 2004,
where the community was informed about the park's hunting program. This
input will be carried forward in the public scoping and will be
considered as part of the public input.
The NPS and the interdisciplinary team will schedule one public
scoping meeting, which will be given advanced public notice. During
this meeting the public will have the opportunity to provide comments
on the proposed alternatives, studies, and NEPA process. The public
will also have the opportunity to hear from the NPS and the
interdisciplinary team regarding the purpose of the EIS, background
relating to the alternatives, the CACO mission statement, hunting
policy, cooperation with other agencies, and details of the ongoing
studies. Other informal meetings will be held during the public scoping
period to give the community the opportunity for more direct
interaction with NPS on the issue. These public scoping meetings will
be announced locally and in the Boston area through the news media and
on the park's Web site.
Authority
The EIS is being prepared to comply with NEPA (42 U.S.C.
4332(2)(C)) and regulations issued by the President's Council on
Environmental Quality (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508).
Dated: June 15, 2004.
Bernard C. Fagan,
Deputy Chief, National Park Service Office of Policy.
[FR Doc. 04-13922 Filed 6-18-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P