[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 88 (Friday, May 8, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 21717]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-10765]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Final Environmental Impact Statement: Mountain Lakes Fisheries 
Management Plan; North Cascades National Park Complex, Skagit and 
Whatcom Counties, WA; Notice of Approval of Record of Decision

    Summary: Pursuant to Sec.  102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended) and the regulations 
promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR Part 
1505.2), the Department of the Interior, National Park Service has 
prepared and approved a Record of Decision for the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Mountain Lakes Fisheries Management 
Plan, prepared pursuant to a 1991 Consent Decree between the North 
Cascades Conservation Council and the National Park Service. The FEIS 
and Draft EIS were prepared in cooperation with the Washington 
Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The requisite no-action ``wait 
period'' was initiated July 18, 2008, with the Environmental Protection 
Agency's notification of the filing of the FEIS published in the 
Federal Register.
    Decision: North Cascades National Park Complex, in concert with the 
WDFW, will undertake a suite of actions necessary to conserve native 
biological integrity, while providing for a spectrum of recreational 
opportunities, including sport fishing and wilderness visitor 
experience. Key steps for successfully implementing the selected 
alternative (Management Alternative B as detailed in the FEIS) include 
but are not limited to:
     Lakes which are currently fishless will remain so in the 
future;
     High densities of reproducing fish will be removed from up 
to 27 lakes;
     Stocking will continue in up to 42 lakes, with a long-term 
goal of utilizing only fish incapable of reproducing and establishing 
self-sustaining populations; and
     Long term monitoring of the status of native species, 
including amphibians and benthic macro vertebrates, will be maintained.
    Implementation of Management Alternative B requires authorization 
from Congress that fish stocking is appropriate within North Cascades 
National Park Complex. In addition to the selected alternative, the 
Draft EIS and FEIS also assessed the foreseeable environmental 
consequences a No Action alternative and two additional ``action'' 
alternatives. As documented in the Draft EIS and FEIS, Management 
Alternative D was deemed to be the ``environmentally preferred'' course 
of action.
    Copies: Interested parties desiring to review the Record of 
Decision may obtain a copy by contacting the Superintendent, North 
Cascades National Park Complex, 810 State Route 20, Sedro Woolley, 
Washington, CA 98284 or via telephone request at (360) 854-7300.

    Dated: December 10, 2008.
George J. Turnbull,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.

    Editorial Note: This document was received in the Office of the 
Federal Register on May 5, 2009.
[FR Doc. E9-10765 Filed 5-7-09; 8:45 am]
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