[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 69 (Monday, April 11, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21379-21380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08252]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-IMR-GLAC- 19715; PPIMGLAC4G PPMPSAS1Z.YP0000]


Fisheries Management, Aquatics Restoration, and Climate Change 
Response Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, Glacier National Park, 
Montana

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) is preparing an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Fisheries

[[Page 21380]]

Management, Aquatics Restoration, and Climate Change Response Plan for 
Glacier National Park, Montana.

DATES: The NPS will accept comments from the public through May 11, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment 
online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/glac, and in the office of the 
Superintendent, Jeff Mow, Glacier National Park, 1 Going-to-the-Sun 
Road, West Glacier, Montana 59936.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Riddle, Chief of Planning and 
Compliance, Glacier National Park, P.O. Box 128, West Glacier, Montana 
59936; (406) 888-7898.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This planning effort will result in an 
integrated and adaptive plan that addresses long-term goals for 
managing, restoring, and protecting the park's native fish and aquatic 
resources. The EIS will address issues related to the conservation and 
restoration of native aquatic systems across the park, including 
ongoing losses of native fish populations (e.g., federally listed 
threatened bull trout and state listed westslope cutthroat trout) due 
to invasive non-native fish species; threats to native fish from 
climate change; opportunities to improve native aquatic ecosystem 
resilience and provide refugia for native fish from the effects of 
climate change; and impacts from fisheries management actions to 
wilderness character in the park's backcountry.
    The NPS proposed action includes the following elements: (1) The 
translocation of native fish to appropriate habitat; (2) the 
construction of additional fish passage barriers to prevent non-native 
fish from moving into native fish habitat; and (3) the removal of 
invasive non-native fish using mechanical (such as netting, trapping, 
angling, electrofishing) and chemical (poisonous substance used to kill 
fish; piscicide) methods, where appropriate. Following removal of non-
native fish, some waters may be repopulated with species native to the 
park while others would be left to recover to their historically 
fishless state. The proposed action will also evaluate the 
establishment of a fishing permit fee to help fund needed fishery 
restoration and conservation actions.
    The proposed action is the initial NPS proposal to address the 
purpose and need for taking action. It represents one alternative that 
will be considered during the EIS process. In addition to the proposed 
action, the NPS will consider a no-action alternative, an alternative 
that would include the same elements as the proposed action but use 
mechanical methods only to remove non-native fish, and an alternative 
that uses chemical methods only to remove non-native fish. The NPS will 
also consider other alternatives that are suggested during the scoping 
period, as appropriate. The NPS will not select an alternative for 
implementation until after a final EIS is completed.
    A scoping brochure will be available that describes the purpose and 
need for the plan, and the issues and alternatives identified to date. 
Copies may be obtained from Mary Riddle, Chief of Planning and 
Compliance, Glacier National Park, P.O. Box 128, West Glacier, Montana 
59936; (406) 888-7898. If you wish to comment on the scoping brochure 
or on any other issues associated with the EIS, you may submit your 
comments by any one of several methods. You may mail comments to 
Glacier National Park, Attn: Fisheries Management Plan, P.O. Box 128, 
West Glacier, Montana 59936; you may comment via the Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/glac you may hand-deliver comments to Glacier 
National Park Headquarters, West Glacier, Montana; and you may submit 
comments during public meetings that will be held during the comment 
period. Information on meeting dates, times, and locations will be 
included in the public scoping brochure and will also be available at: 
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/GLAC (click on the project link and then 
the ``meeting notices'' tab).
    Comments will not be accepted by fax, email, or in any other way 
than those specified above. Bulk comments in any format and hard copy 
and electronic comments that are submitted on behalf of others will not 
be accepted. Before including your address, phone number, email 
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you 
should be aware that your entire comment--including your personal 
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

    Dated: January 1, 2016.
Sue E. Masica,
Regional Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.

Editorial Note: This document was received for publication by the 
Office of the Federal Register on April 6, 2016.

[FR Doc. 2016-08252 Filed 4-8-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-CB-P