[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 176 (Thursday, September 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55814-55815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-19090]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2020-0081]
Joint Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Impact
Statement for Wildlife Damage Management in California
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
and proposed scope of study.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, working in coordination with the California
Department of Food and Agriculture, intends to prepare a joint
environmental impact report (EIR) and environmental impact statement
(EIS) analyzing alternatives for wildlife damage management in
California in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act
and the National Environmental Policy Act. This notice proposes issues
and alternatives for consideration in the joint EIR/EIS and requests
public comments to further delineate the scope of the alternatives,
environmental issues, and other issues of public concern to be
considered in the EIR/EIS.
DATES: Two virtual public scoping meetings will be held on October 13,
2020, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PST, and October 27, 2020, 5:30 p.m. to
8:30 p.m. PST. We will consider all comments that we receive on or
before November 10, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS web page: Go
to www.CaliforniaWDM.org.
Electronic Mail: Send electronic mail (email) to
comments@CaliforniaWDM.org.
At the virtual scoping meetings on October 13 and 27,
2020. Details for participation can be found at www.CaliforniaWDM.org.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS, ATTN: Scoping Comments,
2121 Broadway, P.O. Box 188797, Sacramento, CA 95818.
Supporting documents and any comments received on this topic may be
viewed at www.CaliforniaWDM.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Dennis Orthmeyer, USDA-APHIS-
Wildlife Services, 3419-A Arden Way, Sacramento, CA 95825; (916) 979-
2675; Dennis.L.Orthmeyer@usda.gov. Further information is also
available on the California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS web page
(see ADDRESSES above).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
California wildlife provides many positive ecological, cultural,
economic, and aesthetic benefits. However, some wildlife species are
involved in conflicts with humans, including damaging agricultural
resources and property, preying upon or harassing livestock, damaging
infrastructure, and threatening human health and safety. In certain
instances, wildlife species may impede efforts by wildlife management
agencies to protect and enhance natural resources. Wildlife may also
prey upon populations of threatened or endangered species or damage
habitat restoration efforts.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife
Services' California office (WS-California) provides Federal leadership
and expertise in managing wildlife conflicts in California to allow
people and wildlife to coexist. WS-California currently uses an
integrated approach to recommend and apply a range of legally available
nonlethal and lethal techniques for reducing wildlife damage and
conflicts. WS-California works to resolve bird and mammal conflicts
with agriculture, infrastructure, property, airport operations, and
threatened and endangered species protection. WS-California also works
to reduce conflicts with wildlife that threaten human health and
safety.
WS-California currently provides advice on wildlife damage
prevention and management, information on sources of wildlife damage
management materials, depredation investigations, training on the use
of damage management methods, and technical assistance. WS-California
also assists with implementation of wildlife damage management methods.
WS-California receives requests for assistance from the public, private
entities, other agencies and governmental bodies, and Native American
Tribes.
WS-California's wildlife damage management activities are
authorized and coordinated pursuant to Federal law (the Acts of March
2, 1931 (7 U.S.C. 8351-8352), as amended, and December 22, 1987 (7
U.S.C. 8353)), as well as memoranda of understanding and agreements
with various Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies and other
governmental bodies. WS-California conducts its actions in accordance
with applicable Federal, State, local, and Tribal laws, regulations,
species management plans, and land management plans.
WS-California has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to
develop a joint environmental review of both agencies' roles in
wildlife damage management in California.
Proposed Action
WS-California and CDFA are cooperating as joint lead agencies to
prepare an environmental impact report and environmental impact
statement (EIR/EIS) evaluating alternatives for both agencies'
involvement in managing wildlife damage and conflict in California. WS-
California will serve as the lead agency for the EIS portion of the
joint analysis. CDFA will serve as the lead agency for the EIR portion
of the joint analysis. This EIR/EIS is being developed in accordance
with the California Environmental Quality Act (California Public
Resources Code 21000 et seq., CEQA) and the National Environmental
Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., NEPA). In the EIS portion of the
combined report, WS-California intends to evaluate the environmental
impacts of managing wildlife damage and threats to agricultural
resources, property, natural resources, and human health and safety.
The scope of the analysis will include WS-California's cooperative
activities with Federal and State agencies, California counties,
Tribes, and local municipalities managing human-wildlife conflicts
caused by birds and mammals. Cooperative activities may include:
Reducing damage to agricultural resources;
Reducing damage to infrastructure and property;
Reducing wildlife strike hazards at airports;
Managing damage by invasive species;
Reducing threats to human health and safety associated
with wildlife; and
Protecting threatened and endangered species.
Once completed, the EIR/EIS will replace all of WS-California's
district level environmental assessments on wildlife damage management
in California.
Scoping
This notice opens a public scoping period for the EIR/EIS. Please
review the information in this notice and the supplemental information,
which may
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be viewed on the California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS web page
(see ADDRESSES above). Copies of supplemental information may be
requested from WS-California (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
above). You can also register online to receive notices regarding this
project at: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/subscriber/new.
WS-California is particularly interested in receiving comments
regarding biological, cultural, or ecological issues that the analysis
should address (see Environmental Issues for Consideration in the EIR/
EIS Analysis below). We also encourage comments that assist us in
further delineating the scope of alternatives, environmental impacts,
and other issues of public concern. To promote informed decision-
making, we especially encourage commenters to submit any scientific
data, studies, or research that you feel is relevant to the analysis.
Comments may be submitted electronically or by mail (see instructions
in ADDRESSES above) on or before November 10, 2020.
To facilitate public and agency involvement in the EIR/EIS process,
we will hold two public meetings during the scoping period on October
13 and October 27, 2020 (see DATES above). Due to current local and
State orders concerning COVID-19, the meetings will be virtual in
format. The scoping meetings will solicit input from the public and
interested public agencies regarding the scope of environmental impacts
to be addressed in the draft EIR/EIS.
Further information concerning the scoping process, including links
to attend the virtual scoping meetings, can be obtained through the
California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS web page (see ADDRESSES
above), or by contacting WS-California (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT above).
Alternatives
The EIS will consider a range of reasonable alternatives:
An alternative that continues WS-California's current
wildlife damage and conflict management activities (the no action
alternative);
Alternatives with restrictions on integrated wildlife
damage management to reduce environmental impacts (e.g., no use of
toxicants);
Alternatives that require varying levels of nonlethal
wildlife damage management; and
No WS-California involvement alternative.
Additional alternatives may be identified through the public
scoping process.
Environmental Issues for Consideration in the EIR/EIS Analysis
The primary purpose of the EIR/EIS is to analyze and disclose
environmental impacts of wildlife damage management activities
conducted throughout the State of California by WS-California, CDFA,
and California counties. WS-California, CDFA, and the cooperating
agencies have identified the following preliminary issues that will
drive the analysis of the alternatives in the EIS. The public is
encouraged to submit comments on these or other issues that should be
considered:
Impacts on wildlife populations;
Effects on nontarget animal populations including species
federally listed under the Endangered Species Act (61 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.);
Impacts on ecosystem processes (e.g., trophic cascades);
Impacts on Special Management Areas, including Wilderness
and Wilderness Study Areas;
Humaneness of methods;
Impacts of the alternatives on Native American culture and
resource uses; and
Risks and benefits to human and pet safety.
More information on CEQA-specific issues considered in the EIR
portion of the analysis can be found in CDFA's Notice of Preparation
available on the California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS web page
(see ADDRESSES above). After the comment period closes, WS-California
and CDFA will review and consider all comments received during the
comment period any other relevant information when developing the draft
EIR/EIS. Upon completion of the draft EIS/EIR, a document announcing
its availability and an opportunity to comment will be published in the
Federal Register.
Done in Washington, DC, this 24th day of August 2020.
Mark Davidson,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-19090 Filed 9-9-20; 8:45 am]
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