[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 2688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00636]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-IMR-YELL-14103; PPIMYELL82, PPMRSNR1Z.AM0000]


Remote Vaccination Program To Reduce the Prevalence of 
Brucellosis in Yellowstone Bison, Final Environmental Impact Statement, 
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 
U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service announces the availability 
of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Remote Vaccination 
Program to Reduce the Prevalence of Brucellosis in Yellowstone Bison, 
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

DATES: The National Park Service will execute a Record of Decision 
(ROD) no sooner than 30 days following publication by the Environmental 
Protection Agency of the Notice of Availability of the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement.

ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public inspection online 
at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/YELL, and at the Yellowstone Center for 
Resources, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190, 
telephone (307) 344-2203.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Carpenter or Rick Wallen, 
P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, telephone (307) 344-
2203, or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The document describes three management 
alternatives including a no-action alternative and the NPS preferred 
alternative. The anticipated environmental impacts of those 
alternatives are analyzed. The final document also includes responses 
to substantive comments from the public, from traditionally associated 
American Indian tribes, and from government agencies.
    Alternative A (No Action) describes the currently authorized 
syringe vaccination of calves and yearlings that are periodically 
captured at the park boundary. Alternative B describes a proposed 
action to continue the syringe vaccination program and add a field 
program to remotely vaccinate calves and yearlings using a pneumatic 
rifle to deliver an absorbable projectile with a vaccine payload to 
muscle tissue. Alternative C describes a program to continue the 
syringe vaccination action and add a field program to remotely 
vaccinate calves, yearlings, and adult females as is described in 
Alternative B.
    The National Park Service has identified Alternative A, No Action, 
as its preferred alternative based on substantial uncertainties 
associated with vaccine efficacy, delivery, duration of the vaccine-
induced protective immune response, diagnostics, and bison behavior, 
existing management flexibilities, and evaluation of public comments. 
Consistent with the 2000 Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP), the 
preferred alternative would continue hand-syringe vaccination of bison 
at capture facilities near the park boundary and conduct monitoring and 
research on the relationship between vaccine-induced immune responses 
and protection from clinical disease (e.g., abortions). Also, selective 
culling of potentially infectious bison based on age and diagnostic 
test results may be continued at capture facilities to reduce the 
number of abortions that maintain the disease. The preferred 
alternative would continue the adaptive management program, as 
described in the 2000 Record of Decision for the IBMP and subsequent 
adaptive management adjustments, to learn more about the disease 
brucellosis and answer uncertainties, as well as to develop or improve 
suppression techniques that could be used to facilitate effective 
outcomes, minimize adverse impacts, and lower operational costs of 
efforts to reduce brucellosis prevalence in the future.
    The National Park Service would also continue to work with other 
federal and state agencies, American Indian tribes, academic 
institutions, non-governmental organizations, and other interested 
parties to develop holistic management approaches, monitoring and 
research projects that could be conducted to improve the adaptive 
management decision process, and better vaccines, delivery methods, and 
diagnostics for reducing the prevalence of brucellosis in bison and elk 
and transmissions to cattle.

    Dated: October 31, 2013.
Laura E. Joss,
Acting Regional Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-00636 Filed 1-14-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-CB-P