[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55012-55013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-7981]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


White-Tailed Deer Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement, 
Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC

AGENCY: National Park Service.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a White-tailed Deer Management Plan 
Environmental Impact Statement, Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) is preparing a White-tailed 
Deer Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Rock 
Creek Park, Washington, DC. The purpose of this plan and EIS is to 
develop a deer management plan that supports long-term protection, 
preservation, and restoration of native vegetation and other natural 
and cultural resources within the park. A scoping brochure will be 
prepared that details the issues identified to date, and possible 
alternatives to be considered. Copies of the brochure may be obtained 
from Rock Creek Park Natural Resources Division or the NPS Web site 
(http://www.nps.gov/rocr).

DATES: The NPS will accept comments from the public for 60 days from 
the publication of this notice. In addition, public scoping meetings 
will be conducted at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center. Please check 
the local newspapers, the NPS Web site (http://www.nps.gov/rocr) or 
contact the Natural Resources Division, Rock Creek Park.

ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment 
at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center, local public libraries, NPS Web 
site (http://www.nps.gov/rocr), and the Planning, Environment and 
Public Comment (PEPC) Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrienne A. Coleman, Superintendent, 
Rock Creek Park, 3545 Williamsburg Lane, NW., Washington, DC 20008, 
(202) 895-6000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this plan and environmental 
impact statement is to develop a deer management plan that supports 
long-term protection, preservation, and restoration of native 
vegetation and other natural and cultural resources within the park. A 
deer management plan is needed at this time to address: the potential 
of deer becoming the dominant force in the park's ecosystem and 
adversely impacting native vegetation and other wildlife, excessive 
deer browse causing a decline in forest regeneration and impacting the 
existing shrubs and herbaceous species, deer impacts on cultural 
landscapes, and opportunities for coordinating management actions with 
other jurisdictional entities.

[[Page 55013]]

    There are a number of objectives for this plan. The plan would 
develop and implement informed, scientifically-based vegetation impact 
levels and corresponding measures of deer population size that would 
serve as a threshold for taking management actions. In addition, it 
would maintain, restore and promote the natural abundance, 
distribution, and diversity of native plant species by reducing 
excessive deer browsing, trampling, and non-native seed dispersal. The 
plan would allow for white-tailed deer populations within the park 
while protecting the natural abundance, distribution, and diversity of 
other native wildlife, including ground nesting birds, from the adverse 
effects of deer. The plan would also protect the habitat of rare plant 
and animal species from deer impacts. In addition, the protection of 
cultural landscapes and visitor safety conflicts with deer would also 
be addressed. Finally, an objective of the plan would be to call for 
the sharing of information regarding the role and management of white-
tailed deer among park staff, surrounding communities, the public, and 
other nearby governmental entities managing deer.
    Preliminary alternatives that will be considered to meet the 
purpose and need include: reproductive control, fencing of large park 
areas to exclude park deer, lethal reduction with and without firearms, 
limited capture and euthanasia, and a combination of these management 
strategies. The continuation of current management (no action 
alternative) will also be analyzed.
    Persons commenting on the purpose, need, objectives, preliminary 
alternatives, or any other issues associated with the plan, may submit 
comments by any one of several methods. To be most helpful to the 
scoping process, comments should be received within 60 days of the 
publication of this Notice of Intent. Comments may be mailed to Natural 
Resource Management, Rock Creek Park, 3545 Williamsburg Lane, NW., 
Washington, DC 20008. Comments may also be sent via the Internet at 
http://parkplanning.nps.gov. Please submit Internet comments as a text 
file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. 
Please put ``Deer Management'' in the subject line and include your 
name and return address in your Internet message. If commenters do not 
receive a receipt confirmation from the system, please contact the 
Natural Resources Division at (202) 895-6221. Comments may also be 
hand-delivered to Rock Creek Park Headquarters, 3545 Williamsburg Lane, 
NW., Washington, DC 20008.
    It is the NPS's practice to make comments, including names, home 
addresses, home phone numbers and e-mail addresses of respondents, 
available for public review. Individual respondents may request that we 
withhold their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if they wish us 
to consider withholding this information they must state this 
prominently at the beginning of their comments. In addition, they must 
present a rationale for withholding this information. This rationale 
must demonstrate that disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted 
invasion of privacy. Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. 
In the absence of exceptional, documentable circumstances, this 
information will be released. The NPS will always make 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.
    If commenters wish to have names and/or addresses withheld and 
comment through the NPS Web site, it is still possible to receive 
additional information on the project in the future by filling in the 
name and address field and marking ``keep my contact information 
private'' where indicated. If commenters do not want to receive any 
additional information on the project in the future, they may type ``N/
A'' in the name and address field.

    Dated: August 4, 2006.
Joseph M. Lawler,
Regional Director, National Capital Region.
 [FR Doc. 06-7981 Filed 9-19-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-34-P