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Piping Plover
Finding of No Significant Impact
Designation of Critical Habitat for the Northern Great Plains
Breeding Population of the Piping Plover
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is designating critical habitat for the
northern Great Plains breeding population of the piping plover (Charadrius
melodus) pursuant to section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended. The designation encompasses approximately
19 critical habitat units containing prairie alkali wetlands, inland and
reservoir lakes, totaling approximately 183,422 acres (74,228.4 hectares) and
portions of four rivers totaling approximately 1,207.5 river miles (1,943.3
kilometers) in the States of Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and
South Dakota. The designated critical habitat includes Federal, non-Federal, and
tribal lands.
The Service prepared an Environmental Assessment for the designation of critical
habitat for the northern Great Plains breeding population of the piping plover
which analyzed four alternatives, including: No Action, Designation as
Identified in the Final Rule, Essential Habitat Identified in the 1988 Great
Lakes and Northern Great Plains Piping Plover Recovery Plan, and Essential
Habitat Identified in the 1994 Technical/Agency Draft Revised Recovery Plan for
the Great Lakes and Northern Great Plains Piping Plover.
The designation has been coordinated with all interested and/or affected
parties. Parties contacted include the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land
Management, Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Natural Resource
Conservation Service, Federal Highway Administration, Farm Services Agency,
tribal, State, local government, and private interests.
A draft environmental assessment was distributed to all interested and/or
affected parties on
July 6, 2001, for a 45-day public comment period. This comment period was
extended from December 28, 2001, for 30 days and extended again on March 21,
2002, for another 60 days for
a total of 135 days. All comments received were analyzed and, where appropriate,
were incorporated into the final environmental assessment, final addendum to the
economic analysis and/or the Final Rule.
The proposed action is to designate critical habitat for the northern Great
Plains breeding population of the piping plover as identified in the final rule.
This alternative best meets the requirements of critical habitat designation as
defined in section 3 of the Endangered Species Act. This alternative provides
the specific areas within the geographic area occupied by the species, on which
are found those physical or biological features essential to the conservation of
the species. This alternative was selected after reviewing the previously
mentioned alternatives, the most recent and best scientific and commercial data
available, and all comments received during the comment periods for the proposed
rule and the draft environmental assessment. The proposed action best represents
the current state of science for this species and meets the critical habitat
definition. The designation is not expected to have any significant adverse
effects on wetlands and floodplains, or to the human environment.
Based on a review and evaluation of the information contained in the
environmental assessment, it is my determination that the designation of
critical habitat for the northern Great Plains breeding population of the piping
plover does not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the
quality of the human environment under the meaning of section 102(2)(c) of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (as amended). As such, an
environmental impact statement is not required.
/s/ Ralph O. Morgenweck
10/11/02
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Ralph O. Morgenweck
Date
Regional Director, Region 6
Birds in the Mountain
Prairie Region | FWS
Mountain-Prairie
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