[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 96 (Friday, May 17, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22434-22435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10311]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Notice of Intent To Issue Forest Order Closing the Mark Twain
National Forest, Missouri to Feral Swine Hunting
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service is giving
notice of its intent to close the Mark Twain National Forest to the
hunting of feral swine in advance of the public comment period for the
proposed closure. At the end of the notice of intent period, the Forest
Service will solicit public comments, as specified in this notice, on
the proposed forest order that would prohibit hunting of feral swine by
the public on the Mark Twain National Forest in support of interagency
efforts to eliminate feral swine across all land ownership in the State
of Missouri.
DATES: Notice of intent of the closure is being provided until May 24,
2019. Beginning on May 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, will solicit comments on the proposed forest order for
60 days. The solicitation for public comment will be posted on http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/mtnf/feralswine. The Mark Twain National Forest
also will hold a public listening session on June 18, 2019, to gather
public feedback on the proposed forest order.
ADDRESSES: The proposed forest order and the justification for the
forest order are available on the Forest Service websites http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/mtnf/feralswine.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Salveter, Public Services Staff
Officer, at 573-341-7466 or [email protected].
Individuals who use TDD may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at
1-800-877-8339, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including
holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Advance Notice and Public Comment Procedures
Section 4103 of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management,
and Recreation Act (Pub. L. 116-9) requires that the Secretary of
Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, provide
public notice and comment before permanently or temporarily closing any
National Forest System land to hunting, fishing, or recreational
shooting. Section 4103 applies to the proposed forest order closing the
Mark Twain National Forest to hunting of feral swine by the public. The
public notice and comment process in section 4103(b)(2) requires the
Secretary to publish a notice of intent, in the Federal Register, of
the proposed closure in advance of the public comment period for the
closure. This notice meets the requirement to publish a notice of
intent in the Federal Register in advance of the public comment period.
Following the notice of intent, section 4103(b)(2) requires an
opportunity for public comment. Because the proposed forest order would
permanently close the Mark Twain National Forest to hunting of feral
swine, the comment period must be not less than 60 days. Beginning on
May 24, 2019, the Forest Service will solicit comments on the proposed
forest order for 60 days. The solicitation for public comment will be
posted on http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/mtnf/feralswine.
Section 4103(b)(2) requires the Secretary to respond to the
comments received on the proposed forest order, explain how the
Secretary resolved any significant issues raised by the comments, and
show how the resolution led to the closure. The Forest Service will
respond to comments on the proposed forest order closing the Mark Twain
National Forest to hunting of feral swine by revising its justification
for the forest order, as needed, and posting the revised justification
on http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/mtnf/feralswine.
II. Background and Need for Forest Order
Feral swine are a harmful and destructive invasive species that are
well established in 47 Missouri counties, the majority of which fall
within the Mark Twain National Forest. The Mark Twain National Forest
has approximately 1.4 million acres that are threatened by feral swine.
Feral swine are highly adaptable animals and prolific breeders. They
are social animals that travel together in large groups called sounders
and have a home range of about 1,000 acres.
The hunting of feral swine on the Mark Twain National Forest
interferes with collaborative interagency efforts to eliminate feral
swine in Missouri. Government trappers employed in these efforts
identify home ranges and find
[[Page 22435]]
the best spot in that range to catch the entire sounder all at the same
time. Shooting at one or two swine or pursuing them with dogs will
cause the sounder (the entire group) to scatter, which makes trapping
the sounder all at the same time more difficult.
The Mark Twain National Forest Supervisor is proposing to issue a
forest order prohibiting the hunting of feral swine on the Forest.
Issuance of the forest order would respond to a request from the
Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to make policies consistent
across all lands in Missouri to halt the spread and resulting
environmental damage caused by feral swine. The State of Missouri feral
swine eradication program bans all taking, pursuing or releasing of
feral swine on lands owned, leased, or managed by the state. The
proposed closure order would align the management of National Forest
System lands with the eradication efforts of MDC and other federal
agencies, including USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The proposed forest order and the justification for the forest order
are available on the Forest Service websites http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/mtnf/feralswine.
Dated: May 13, 2019.
Frank R. Beum,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2019-10311 Filed 5-16-19; 8:45 am]
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