Public involvement is important to development of the EIS. Opportunities for public involvement included planning updates, news releases, this web site, the Draft EIS comment period, and the Final EIS review period. 

The "Scoping" Process

Scoping is the initial process by which the participating agencies solicit input from the public and interested agencies on the issues and effects of the EIS. Public scoping meetings were held at:  Oakland and Arcata, CA; Aberdeen and Olympia, WA; Astoria and Portland, OR. This information was presented at the meetings. We received comments on the proposed action (See Notice of Intent) during our 45-day Scoping Period (April 7 to May 22, 2003) through public meetings, mail, e-mail, fax, and phone. See Planning Update #1 for a summary of key issues identified during the scoping period.

The Draft EIS Comment Period

The Draft EIS was released on July 23, 2004. Written comments were accepted from July 23, 2004 to September 20, 2004. See Appendix J of the Final EIS to view comments and responses.

The Final EIS

The Final EIS was released for public review on January 14, 2005.

The Record of Decision was signed on November 21, 2006.

Mailing List

If you would like to be added to our mailing list or would like more information regarding this project, send us an email at cateeis@fws.gov.