[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 155 (Friday, August 11, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46239-46240]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-13132]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Receipt of Endangered Species Recovery Permit Application and 
Environmental Analysis on This Permit Application

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt and intent: request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The State of Oregon has applied for an enhancement of 
propagation or survival permit to conduct certain activities with gray 
wolves (Canis lupus) pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA). In addition, pursuant to the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), this notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service ``we'' or ``Service'') intends to conduct an 
environmental analysis (environmental assessment or environmental 
impact statement) for Oregon's permit application. We solicit comments 
from the public and from local, State, and Federal agencies on both the 
permit request and the environmental analysis.

DATES: We must receive your comments on this permit application and 
environmental analysis on or before September 11, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Written data or comments should be submitted to the Chief, 
Endangered Species, Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 911 NE. 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232-4181 (fax: 503-
231-6243). Please refer to the permit number or ``Oregon Wolf Permit 
Analysis'' when submitting comments. All comments received, including 
names and addresses, will become part of the official administrative 
record and may be made available to the public.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Documents and other information 
submitted with this application or associated with this analysis are 
available for review, subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act 
and Freedom of Information Act, by any party who submits a written 
request for a copy of such documents to the address above (telephone: 
503-231-2063). Please refer to the application's permit number or 
``Oregon Wolf Permit Analysis'' when requesting copies of documents.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Permit No. TE-122636

    Applicant: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)
    The applicant has submitted an application for an ESA 10(a)(1)(A) 
recovery permit authorizing harassment, relocation, and lethal take of 
gray wolves in Oregon for the purpose of enhancing their recovery, 
pursuant to the State of Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan 
(December 2005) developed in consultation with the Service. This plan 
provides guidelines for a coordinated and effective response to 
anticipated situations that may arise as gray wolves migrate into 
Oregon from adjacent States. ODFW proposes to implement proactive 
strategies and conduct non-lethal control actions to reduce and/or 
resolve wolf-livestock conflicts and human safety concerns. If non-
lethal efforts are unsuccessful and

[[Page 46240]]

livestock depredations continue, ODFW requests authorization for 
employees to conduct lethal control of wolves. Under the ODFW proposal, 
young-of-the-year (juveniles) captured before October 1, and any 
lactating females, would be released or relocated rather than killed. 
No lethal take by private landowners would be authorized by this 
permit.
    Currently, the ODFW is authorized through their section 6 
Cooperative Agreement under the ESA to conduct non-lethal gray wolf 
management actions in Oregon for this species, which is Federally 
listed as endangered. These actions include trapping, collaring, taking 
blood and hair samples, harassing, and other forms of take that are not 
reasonably expected to result in the death or permanent disabling of a 
wolf.
    A practical, responsive management program is essential to 
enhancing survival of the wolf in the wild (Service 1987; Service 1994; 
Service 1999). The program must respond to wolf-livestock conflicts, 
while promoting wolf recovery objectives. If issued, Oregon's permit 
would provide standards for: (a) Determining problem wolf status 
(including investigative procedures and criteria), (b) conducting wolf 
control actions, and (c) disposition of problem wolves.
    In addition to evaluation under the ESA, we are analyzing issuance 
of this permit under NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). Some environmental 
impacts of wolf management were analyzed in our 1988 Environmental 
Action Memorandum on the Interim Wolf Control Plan for the Northern 
Rocky Mountains and the 1999 Evaluation and Recommended Modifications 
to it. Our environmental analysis for ODFW's permit application will 
include changes in the gray wolf's population status since 1999 and 
other issues specific to Oregon.
    Under NEPA, a reasonable range of alternatives to a proposed 
project must be developed and considered in our environmental review, 
along with a no-action alternative. Our NEPA evaluation will evaluate 
the potential impacts of alternatives for wolf conservation actions in 
Oregon. Management actions would be developed to conserve wolf 
populations and to protect livestock and pets. An alternative will be 
selected and a permit decision made after completion of all required 
analyses and consideration of all comments received in response to this 
Notice.
    Any wolves existing in Oregon would likely be due to range 
expansion of the northern Rocky Mountains wolf population. However, the 
State of Oregon has established its own wolf population objectives. 
These population objectives are documented in the Oregon Wolf 
Conservation and Management Plan, which can be found at: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/. The ODFW permit application can be found 
at: http://www.fws.gov/pacific/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/default.htm. 
    Additional information about wolf recovery and conservation in the 
northwestern United States, including control of problem wolves, can be 
found in various reports at: http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/. 

Public Comments Solicited

    We solicit public review and comment on this ESA recovery permit 
application and related NEPA environmental review. Our practice is to 
make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, 
available for public review during regular business hours. Individual 
respondents may request that we withhold their home addresses from the 
record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There also 
may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the record a 
respondent's identity, to the extent allowable by law. If you wish us 
to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently 
at the beginning of your comment, but you should be aware that we may 
be required to disclose your name and address pursuant to the Freedom 
of Information Act. Moreover, we will not consider anonymous comments. 
We will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of 
organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their 
entirety. Comments and materials received will be available for public 
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above 
address.

Authority

    This document is published under the authority of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

    Dated: June 19, 2006.
David J. Wesley,
Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
 [FR Doc. E6-13132 Filed 8-10-06; 8:45 am]
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