[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 18, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69388-69389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27267]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R6-NWRS-2019-N167; FF06R0OP00-FXRS12610600000-201]


National Bison Range, MT; Availability of the Final Record of 
Decision for the Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the final record of decision for the final 
comprehensive conservation plan and final environmental impact 
statement for the National Bison Range in Montana.

ADDRESSES: You may view or obtain copies of the final ROD, the final 
CCP, final EIS, or other project information by any of the following 
methods:
     Agency Website: https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/refuges/nbrc.php.
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``Request National 
Bison Range final ROD'' in the subject line of your email message.
     U.S. Mail: National Bison Range, 58355 Bison Range Road, 
Moiese, MT 59824.
     Local Libraries: The documents are available at the 
libraries listed under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Coffman, Refuge Manager, at 406-
644-2211, x204 (phone), or [email protected] (email), or Vanessa 
Fields, Planning Team Leader, at 406-727-7400, x219 (phone), or 
[email protected] (email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction

    With this notice, we finalize the comprehensive conservation plan 
(CCP) and final environmental impact statement (EIS) process for the 
National Bison Range in Montana (refuge, NBR). We published a notice of 
intent (NOI) to develop a CCP and EIS, and a request for comments, in 
the Federal Register on May 18, 2017 (82 FR 22843), which opened a 
comment period until June 19, 2017. That NOI was a revision to an 
earlier NOI we published on January 18, 2017 (82 FR 5597), which opened 
a comment period that ended on February 17, 2017. After the scoping 
period and the development of alternatives, a draft CCP and draft EIS 
were made available for a 45-day public review and comment period, 
which closed on May 20, 2019 (April 5, 2019, 84 FR 13662). A second NOA 
was published in the Federal Register on September 6, 2019 (84 FR 
46950), announcing publication of the final CCP and final EIS. The 
review period ended October 7, 2019. For general background on the CCP 
process and the NBR, please see the May 18, 2017, notice (82 FR 22844).
    The primary planning area for this decision is the congressionally 
designated boundary of the refuge, located in Sanders and Lake 
Counties, Montana. The 18,800-acre NBR is located where three major 
geographic features merge, Mission Valley, Mission Mountain Range, and 
Jocko River Valley. The glacial history of the region has had a 
pronounced influence on the soils and landforms. Grasslands dominate 
the landscape at lower elevations, dotted with wetland and riparian 
vegetation along seasonal drainages and around seeps and springs. 
Mixed-conifer forest occurs at the upper elevations. The Jocko River 
and Mission Creek form riparian and wetland corridors along the north 
and south boundaries of the refuge. Invasive plant species are 
recognized as an important factor affecting ecosystem function and 
health on the refuge.
    The NBR provides cover, food, water, and sufficient space for 
numerous native wildlife species. The NBR supports a healthy population 
of plains bison as well as populations of other native ungulates and a 
variety of predators. The refuge also supports over 200 native bird 
species. In addition to the federally threatened grizzly bear and bull 
trout, there are 43 Montana species of concern that occur on the 
refuge.
    Although people have lived in the region for thousands of years, 
relatively few cultural resource sites have been formally recorded on 
the refuge. It is anticipated that a wide range of undocumented 
cultural resource types are located on the NBR. These could include, 
but would not be limited to, pre-contact and/or protohistoric open 
camps, stone circles and alignments, cairns, lithic scatters, rock 
shelters, trails and roads, drive-lines, kill (i.e., jump or pound) 
sites, hunting blinds, eagle traps, fasting beds, and rock imagery, as 
well as historic buildings and structures associated with the mission 
and operation of the NBR.
    Visitors come from all over the country and other parts of the 
world to learn about NBR and enjoy a variety of wildlife-dependent 
recreational activities. In 2017, NBR welcomed approximately 180,000 
visitors. Annual visitation to the NBR is concentrated during spring 
through fall, when the full length of the Red Sleep Mountain Drive is 
open. Wildlife observation, photography, and hiking account for an 
estimated 94 percent of visits to the NBR. NBR affects the economy 
through the resident and nonresident visitor spending it generates, the 
employment it supports, and the value it adds to the surrounding area.

National Environmental Policy Act

    In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40 
CFR 1506.6(b)) requirements, this notice announces the availability of 
the final ROD for the final CCP and final EIS for the National Bison 
Range. We completed a thorough analysis of the environmental, social, 
and economic considerations associated with our actions. The final ROD 
documents our selection of Alternative C, the preferred alternative.
    The CCP will guide us in managing and administering the National 
Bison Range for the next 15 years. Alternative C, as we described in 
the final EIS/ROD, is the foundation for the CCP.

CCP Alternatives and Selected Alternative

    Our final CCP and final EIS (84 FR 46950, September 6, 2019) 
addressed several issues. To address these, we developed and evaluated 
the following alternatives:
     Alternative A--No Action, which would continue all the 
current management activities and maintain funding, infrastructure, all 
current programs, and staffing at existing levels;
     Alternative B, which emphasizes managing habitat and 
wildlife populations, as well as NBR infrastructure and operations, to 
provide quality wildlife-dependent opportunities for the public; and
     Alternative C, which emphasizes maintaining and, where 
feasible, enhancing ecological communities while recognizing ever-
changing environmental conditions.
    After consideration of the more than 300 comments that we received 
on the draft CCP and draft EIS, we selected Alternative C. It is the 
alternative that best meets the purposes of the refuge, the mission of 
the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the vision and management 
goals set for the National Bison Range; and it adheres to Service 
policies and guidelines. It considers the interests and perspectives of 
many agencies, organizations, Tribes, and the public. Additionally, it 
is the environmentally preferred alternative.
    Alternative C emphasizes maintaining and, where feasible, enhancing 
ecological communities while

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recognizing ever-changing environmental conditions. In cooperation with 
our partners, the Service will develop and utilize a prioritization 
framework to identify and define future conditions that will drive 
management actions to build ecological community resiliency, promote 
species and genetic diversity, and build sustainability in management 
capacity and operations.
    Under this alternative, the Service will seek to facilitate 
collaborative, cooperative, and coordinated management of NBR with our 
Federal, Tribal, State, local, public, and private partners. Where 
possible, the refuge will participate in landscape-level management of 
wildlife species, evaluate cross-boundary movements, and create 
corridors conducive to wildlife migration and movement. The Service 
will also seek ways to incorporate the expertise, resources, and 
efforts of our partners to help facilitate the benefits of a broader 
functioning landscape.

Public Availability of Documents

    In addition to the methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain the 
final ROD, the final CCP, and final EIS at the following public 
libraries:

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            Library                      Address             Phone No.
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Flathead County Library........  247 First Avenue East,     406-758-5820
                                  Kalispell, Montana
                                  59901.
Missoula Public Library........  301 Main Street,           406-721-2665
                                  Missoula, Montana
                                  59802.
Plains Public Library..........  P.O. Box 399, Plains,      406-826-3101
                                  Montana 59859.
Ronan City Library.............  203 Main Street SW,        406-676-3682
                                  Ronan, Montana 59864.
North Lake County Public         2 First Avenue East,       406-883-8225
 Library.                         Polson, Montana 59860.
St. Ignatius School--Community   76 Third Avenue, Saint     406-745-3811
 Library.                         Ignatius, Montana
                                  59865.
Bigfork Library................  525 Electric Avenue,       406-837-6976
                                  Bigfork, Montana 59911.
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Noreen Walsh,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-27267 Filed 12-17-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P