[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 218 (Monday, November 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68190-68192]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24717]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Fish and Wildlife Service

[PPWONRADE2, PMP00EI05.YP0000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare North Cascades Ecosystem Grizzly Bear 
Restoration Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, Washington

AGENCIES: National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (FWS) are jointly preparing an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) for the North Cascades Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan to 
determine how to restore the grizzly bear to the North Cascades 
ecosystem (NCE), a portion of its historical range. As part of the 
planning and EIS process, the NPS and the FWS will evaluate various 
approaches for the restoration of a grizzly bear population to the NCE. 
Action is needed to restore grizzly bears to the NCE because they are 
functionally extirpated from the ecosystem, and restoration there will 
contribute to overall grizzly bear recovery.

DATES: All comments must be received or postmarked by December 14, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Comment submission: To submit comments for consideration in 
development of the EIS, you may use any one of the following methods:
     Agency website: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/NCEGrizzly.
     U.S. mail: Office of the Superintendent, 810 State Route 
20, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284; or Washington Fish and Wildlife Office, 
500 Desmond Dr. SE, Lacey, WA 98503.
    Document availability: Information regarding the public scoping 
process for the EIS and virtual public meetings is available for public 
review online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/NCEGrizzly; or, by 
appointment in the Office of the Superintendent, 810 State Route 20, 
Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 (360-854-7200, telephone); and in the 
Washington Fish and Wildlife Office, 500 Desmond Dr. SE, Lacey, WA 
98503 (360-753-9440, telephone).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Denise Shultz, Public Information 
Officer, North Cascades National Park Service Complex, 810 State Route 
20, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 (360-854-7200; [email protected]), or 
Andrew LaValle, Public Affairs Specialist, Washington Fish and Wildlife 
Office, 500 Desmond Dr. SE, Lacey, WA 98503 ([email protected]).

[[Page 68191]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need

    Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; see 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), the NPS and the FWS are 
jointly preparing an NCE Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan and EIS. The 
purpose of the Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan is to determine how to 
restore the grizzly bear to the NCE, a portion of its historical range.
    Action is needed at this time to:
     Restore grizzly bears to the NCE because they are 
functionally extirpated from the ecosystem.
     Contribute to the restoration of biodiversity of the 
ecosystem for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future 
generations of people.
     Enhance the probability of long-term survival of grizzly 
bears in the NCE and thereby contribute to overall grizzly bear 
recovery.
     Support the recovery of the grizzly bear to the point 
where it can be removed from the Federal List of Endangered and 
Threatened Wildlife.

Preliminary Proposed Action and Alternatives

    As part of the planning and EIS process, the NPS and FWS will 
evaluate various approaches for the restoration of a grizzly bear 
population to the NCE. Preliminary alternatives to be considered in the 
EIS are described in greater detail below.

Actions Common to All Action Alternatives

    All the action alternatives would seek to restore a self-sustaining 
population through the capture and release of grizzly bears into the 
NCE. Each of the action alternatives would involve several of the same 
elements, including a similar approach for the capture, release, and 
monitoring of grizzly bears; enhanced public education and outreach; 
guidelines for management actions to respond to human--grizzly bear 
conflicts; improved sanitation on public lands; additional releases of 
grizzly bears to replace individuals lost to mortality; access 
management; and habitat management.

No Action Alternative--Existing Management

    Under the no action alternative, existing management practices 
would be followed, and no new management actions would be implemented. 
Existing management actions would continue to be focused on improved 
sanitation, poaching control, motorized access management, outreach and 
educational programs to provide information about grizzly bears and 
grizzly bear recovery to the public, and research and monitoring to 
determine grizzly bear presence, distribution, habitat, and home 
ranges.

Proposed Action--Restoration as an Experimental Population Under the 
ESA

    Under the proposed action, the NPS and the FWS would capture bears 
from source populations in either interior British Columbia or the 
Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem. Approximately 3 to 7 captured 
grizzly bears would be released into the NCE each year over roughly 5 
to 10 years, with a goal of establishing an initial population of 25 
grizzly bears. After the initial population of 25 grizzly bears has 
been reached, an adaptive management phase would allow additional bears 
to be released into the ecosystem over time to address mortality, 
population and demographic trends, genetic limitations, and 
distribution or to adjust the population's sex ratio to improve 
reproductive success. The proposed action is expected to result in a 
population of approximately 200 grizzly bears within 60 to 100 years.
    The proposed action would also include a proposal to designate the 
reintroduced grizzly bears in the NCE as an experimental population 
under section 10(j) of the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.). An experimental population is a group of reintroduced 
plants or animals that is geographically isolated from other 
populations of the species. Experimental populations must contribute to 
a species' recovery and may include special protective regulations 
under the ESA. Designation of grizzly bears released into the NCE as an 
experimental population would allow the FWS to specify protective 
regulations to provide greater management flexibility (e.g., relocation 
or removal) in the event of human--grizzly bear conflict situations.

Other Potential Alternatives

    Additional alternatives may be analyzed in the EIS. Potential 
additional alternatives include restoring the NCE grizzly population 
without an experimental population designation, as well as varying the 
number and frequency of grizzly bear releases into the NCE to achieve 
the restoration goal in a shorter or longer time period.

Summary of Expected Impacts

    The proposed action is expected to result in restoration of a 
grizzly bear population in the NCE. Expected impacts from 
implementation of grizzly bear restoration actions include potential 
environmental impacts on wildlife and fish (including grizzly bears), 
wilderness, visitor use and recreational experience, public and 
employee safety, socioeconomics, and ethnographic resources.

Anticipated Permits and Authorizations

    The NPS and the FWS will comply with the ESA for potential impacts 
to threatened and endangered species. If a decision is made to pursue 
rulemaking, the FWS will lead the experimental population rulemaking 
process. The NPS and the FWS will use and coordinate the NEPA public 
scoping process to help fulfill the public involvement requirements 
under the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 306108) as 
provided in title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at Sec.  
800.2(d)(3). The information about historic and cultural resources 
within the area potentially affected by the alternatives will assist 
the NPS and the FWS in identifying and evaluating impacts to such 
resources, and consulting with affected Indian Tribes and the State 
Historic Preservation Officer(s).

Schedule for the Decision-Making Process

     Agencies have 2 years from the date of the issuance of the 
notice of intent to the date a record of decision is signed to complete 
an EIS (40 CFR 1501.10).
     The NPS and the FWS expect to make the draft EIS available 
to the public in the summer of 2023.
     After public review and comment, the NPS and the FWS 
expect to make the final EIS available to the public in the spring of 
2024.
     The NPS and the FWS would issue a record of decision after 
the final EIS in accordance with the applicable timeframes under 40 CFR 
1506.11.

Public Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the EIS. The NPS and the FWS will host virtual 
public scoping meetings. During the virtual public scoping meetings, 
the NPS and the FWS will present information pertinent to the EIS and 
allow the public to ask questions regarding the scope of issues and 
alternatives that should be considered when preparing the EIS. While 
the NPS and the FWS will not solicit oral comments at these virtual 
public meetings, written comments may be submitted at any time during 
the scoping process. See ADDRESSES, above, and Submitting Comments, 
below, for more information. Details regarding the

[[Page 68192]]

exact dates and times of these virtual public scoping meetings will be 
announced on the project website (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/NCEGrizzly) and through local and regional media. The virtual public 
scoping meetings will also be announced through email notification to 
individuals and organizations, press release, and social media.
    The NPS and FWS will also seek to engage directly with Tribes. 
Consistent with Executive Order 13175, the NPS and FWS welcome Tribal 
input and are available to engage in meaningful government-to-
government consultation with Tribes at their request.
    The NPS and the FWS previously proposed to restore grizzly bears to 
the NCE and produced a draft EIS for public review and comment in 2017 
(82 FR 4416, January 13, 2017). Public comments that were provided 
during that prior EIS process will also inform this new EIS and the 
development of alternatives.

Reasonable Accommodations

    Persons needing reasonable accommodations to attend and participate 
in the virtual public scoping meetings should contact Denise Shultz 
(NPS) or Andrew LaValle (FWS) using one of the methods listed in FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT as soon as possible. To allow sufficient 
time to process requests, please make contact no later than 1 week 
before the desired virtual public meeting.

Request for Identification of Potential Alternatives, Information, and 
Analyses Relevant to the Proposed Action

    The NPS and the FWS request comments concerning the scope of the 
analysis, identification of potential alternatives, and information and 
analyses relevant to the planning process. The NPS and the FWS will 
consider these comments in developing the draft EIS. Specifically, the 
NPS and the FWS are seeking information on:
     Potential effects that the alternatives could have on 
other aspects of the human environment, including ecological, 
aesthetic, historic, cultural, economic, social, environmental justice, 
or health effects;
     Other possible reasonable alternatives that the NPS and 
the FWS should consider, including additional or alternative avoidance, 
minimization, and mitigation measures;
     Approaches for managing reintroduced grizzly bears, 
particularly in regard to potential conflicts with human activities; 
and
     Other information relevant to grizzly bear restoration and 
its impacts on the human environment.

Submitting Comments

    If you wish to comment, you may submit comments by one of the 
methods listed above in ADDRESSES. Comments will not be accepted by 
fax, email, or by any method other than those specified above. Bulk 
comments in any format (hard copy or electronic) submitted on behalf of 
others will not be accepted. Comments must be provided by the close of 
the comment period and should clearly articulate the submitter's 
concerns and contentions.

Public Availability of Comments

    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. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and 
considered.

Decision Makers

    The decision makers are the NPS Regional Director for Interior 
Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12 and the FWS Regional Director for the Pacific 
Region.

Frank Lands,
Regional Director, Interior Regions 8, 9, 10, & 12, National Park 
Service.
Nanette Seto,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-24717 Filed 11-10-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P