[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 239 (Friday, December 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 73900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29164]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-MWR-CUVA-16772; PPMWMWROW2/PMP00UP05.YP0000]


Notice of Availability of the Final White-Tailed Deer Management 
Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 
Ohio

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of 
the Final White-Tailed Deer Management Plan/Environmental Impact 
Statement (Plan/EIS), Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Park), Ohio.

DATES: The NPS will execute a Record of Decision (ROD) no sooner than 
30 days from the date of publication of the Notice of Availability of 
the Final Plan/EIS in the Federal Register by the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency.

ADDRESSES: A limited number of hard-copies of the Final Plan/EIS may be 
picked up in-person or may be obtained by making a request in writing 
to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville, Ohio 
44141. The document is also available on the internet at the NPS 
Planning, Environment, and Public Comment Web site at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/CUVAdeerplan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chief of the Resource Management 
Division, Lisa Petit, at the address above, or by telephone at (440) 
546-5970.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final Plan/EIS responds to, and 
incorporates as appropriate, agency and public comments received on the 
Draft Plan/EIS, which was available for public and agency review and 
comment from July 26 to September 24, 2013. Two public meetings were 
held during the 60-day comment period to gather input on the Draft 
Plan/EIS. Sixty eight pieces of correspondence were received during the 
public review period. Agency and public comments and NPS responses are 
provided in Appendix F of the Final Plan/EIS.
    The Final Plan/EIS considers four alternatives for the management 
of white-tailed deer at the Park. Under Alternative A (No Action), 
existing management actions would continue, including deer and 
vegetation monitoring, data management, and research. No new actions 
would occur to reduce the effects of deer overbrowsing. Alternative B 
(Combined Non-lethal Actions) would include all actions described under 
Alternative A and would incorporate a combination of nonlethal actions, 
including the construction of large-scale deer exclosures (fencing) for 
the purposes of forest regeneration. Nonsurgical reproductive control 
of does would be used to restrict population growth when this 
technology meets certain criteria. Alternative C (Lethal Actions) would 
also include all actions described under Alternative A, and would add 
lethal deer management actions to reduce the herd size, including 
direct reduction of the deer herd by sharpshooting with firearms or by 
implementing capture and euthanasia of individual deer in certain 
circumstances where sharpshooting would not be appropriate.
    Alternative D (Combined Lethal and Non-lethal Actions) is the NPS 
preferred alternative. Alternative D would include all actions 
described under Alternative A, and it would also incorporate a 
combination of lethal and nonlethal actions from Alternatives B and C. 
Sharpshooting and limited capture/euthanasia would be used initially to 
quickly reduce deer herd numbers. Then, population maintenance could be 
conducted either by nonsurgical reproductive control methods, if 
certain criteria are met, or by sharpshooting. Both of these population 
maintenance methods are retained as options in order to maintain 
maximum flexibility for future management.

    Dated: September 22, 2014.
Patricia S. Trap,
Acting Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2014-29164 Filed 12-11-14; 8:45 am]
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