[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 173 (Friday, September 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72881-72882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20073]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R1-ES-2022-0074; ES11140100000-245-FF01E0000]
Record of Decision for the Barred Owl Management Strategy;
Washington, Oregon, and California
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; record of decision.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the
availability of a record of decision (ROD) for the final environmental
impact statement for the Barred Owl Management Strategy (strategy) in
Washington, Oregon, and California. With this notice, we also make
available the final strategy. The ROD documents the Service's decision
to select the preferred alternative to address the threat that the
nonnative and invasive barred owl (Strix varia) poses to the northern
spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) and the California spotted owl
(Strix occidentalis occidentalis).
ADDRESSES: You may obtain copies of the ROD and other documents
associated with the decision by any of the following methods:
Internet: https://www.regulations.gov (search for Docket
No. FWS-R1-ES-2022-0074) or at https://www.fws.gov/project/barred-owl-management.
Upon Request: You may request alternative formats of the
documents directly from the Service (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robin Bown, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Office, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, by telephone at 503-231-6923,
or by email at [email protected]. Individuals in the United States who
are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may
dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service)
announces the availability of its record of decision (ROD) for the
final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Barred Owl
Management Strategy (strategy) in Washington, Oregon, and California
developed in compliance with agency decision-making requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA).
Implementation of the selected strategy focuses on the removal of the
nonnative and invasive barred owl populations in identified management
areas in Washington, Oregon, and California. Where barred owls are in
the early stages of invasion, such as in the California spotted owl's
range, the strategy allows for removal of all barred owls in order to
prevent establishment of barred owl populations. The barred owl is
protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA; 16 U.S.C. 703-
712), which prohibits take of protected migratory bird species unless
authorized by the Service through permit or regulation (50 CFR 21.10).
This decision includes issuance of a Migratory Bird Special Purpose
permit under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).
[[Page 72882]]
Spotted owls are native to western North America. Competition from
barred owls (Strix varia) has been identified as a primary threat to
the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), which is listed
as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), as well as a threat to the persistence of California spotted owl
(Strix occidentalis occidentalis), which the Service has proposed for
listing (88 FR 11600; February 23, 2023). Barred owls, native to
eastern North America, began to expand their range around 1900 as a
likely result of European settlement. Barred owls are larger and more
aggressive than the northern spotted owl and the California spotted
owl. Upon reaching the Pacific Northwest, barred owls displaced spotted
owls from their historic territories. Without management of barred
owls, extirpation of northern spotted owls from major portions of their
historic range is likely in the near future. While barred owls have not
substantially impacted California spotted owl populations to date, the
establishment of a small barred owl population in the northern Sierra
Nevada mountains, and the history of the invasion and impacts on
northern spotted owls following such expansion, demonstrates that
barred owls are also a significant threat to the persistence of
California spotted owls. The purpose of this action is to reduce barred
owl populations to improve the survival and recovery of northern
spotted owls and to prevent declines in California spotted owls from
barred owl competition.
The Service published a notice of intent (NOI) in the Federal
Register to develop an EIS for this project on July 22, 2022 (87 FR
43886). The Service published a notice of availability (NOA) for the
draft EIS on November 17, 2023 (88 FR 80329) and published an NOA for
the final EIS on July 5, 2024 (89 FR 55647). The EIS analyzed the
environmental consequences of the preferred action (Alternative 2,
Management Strategy Implementation), a no action alternative, and four
alternatives to the preferred action outlining different management
frameworks for entities (Federal, State or Tribal government agencies,
or private landowners) to implement barred owl management. All action
alternatives included issuance of an MBTA Special Purpose permit for
management to reduce barred owl populations in areas within the
northern spotted owl's range and to prevent establishment of barred owl
populations within the California spotted owl's range.
We are advising the public of the availability of the ROD,
documenting the Service's decision to issue a Migratory Bird Special
Purpose permit pursuant to the MBTA under EIS, Alternative 2,
Management Strategy Implementation (Preferred Alternative). Alternative
2 combines three approaches to barred owl management within the
northern spotted owl's range and focuses on early detection and rapid
response in the California spotted owl's range. Alternative 2 best
accomplishes the purpose and need for action because it will allow for
rapid implementation of barred owl management on specific areas across
the range of the northern spotted owl in a manner that allows for a
swift reduction in barred owl numbers and the impact of barred owls
within these targeted management areas. The focus in Alternative 2 on
location and removal of all barred owls in the range of the California
spotted owl and associated invasion pathways will also limit the
invasion of barred owls and allow for removal of those individuals that
succeed in establishing territories in the subspecies' range.
The Service has prepared this ROD pursuant to the Council on
Environmental Quality's (CEQ's) implementing NEPA regulations at 40 CFR
parts 1500-1508, which became effective on May 20, 2022 (87 FR 23453;
April 20, 2022). Because the Service published a notice of intent (NOI)
to develop an EIS for this project on July 22, 2022, prior to the July
1, 2024, effective date for the Council on Environmental Quality's
updated NEPA regulations, the draft EIS, final EIS, and ROD were
prepared according to the 2022 regulations.
Authority
We provide this notice in accordance with the requirements of NEPA
and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1503.1 and 1506.6).
Hugh Morrison,
Regional Director, Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2024-20073 Filed 9-5-24; 8:45 am]
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