[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 18, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69388-69389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27267]
[[Page 69388]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R6-NWRS-2019-N167; FF06R0OP00-FXRS12610600000-201]
National Bison Range, MT; Availability of the Final Record of
Decision for the Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Final
Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of the final record of decision for the final
comprehensive conservation plan and final environmental impact
statement for the National Bison Range in Montana.
ADDRESSES: You may view or obtain copies of the final ROD, the final
CCP, final EIS, or other project information by any of the following
methods:
Agency Website: https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/refuges/nbrc.php.
Email: scoping_nbr@fws.gov. Include ``Request National
Bison Range final ROD'' in the subject line of your email message.
U.S. Mail: National Bison Range, 58355 Bison Range Road,
Moiese, MT 59824.
Local Libraries: The documents are available at the
libraries listed under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Coffman, Refuge Manager, at 406-
644-2211, x204 (phone), or amy_coffman@fws.gov (email), or Vanessa
Fields, Planning Team Leader, at 406-727-7400, x219 (phone), or
vanessa_fields@fws.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
With this notice, we finalize the comprehensive conservation plan
(CCP) and final environmental impact statement (EIS) process for the
National Bison Range in Montana (refuge, NBR). We published a notice of
intent (NOI) to develop a CCP and EIS, and a request for comments, in
the Federal Register on May 18, 2017 (82 FR 22843), which opened a
comment period until June 19, 2017. That NOI was a revision to an
earlier NOI we published on January 18, 2017 (82 FR 5597), which opened
a comment period that ended on February 17, 2017. After the scoping
period and the development of alternatives, a draft CCP and draft EIS
were made available for a 45-day public review and comment period,
which closed on May 20, 2019 (April 5, 2019, 84 FR 13662). A second NOA
was published in the Federal Register on September 6, 2019 (84 FR
46950), announcing publication of the final CCP and final EIS. The
review period ended October 7, 2019. For general background on the CCP
process and the NBR, please see the May 18, 2017, notice (82 FR 22844).
The primary planning area for this decision is the congressionally
designated boundary of the refuge, located in Sanders and Lake
Counties, Montana. The 18,800-acre NBR is located where three major
geographic features merge, Mission Valley, Mission Mountain Range, and
Jocko River Valley. The glacial history of the region has had a
pronounced influence on the soils and landforms. Grasslands dominate
the landscape at lower elevations, dotted with wetland and riparian
vegetation along seasonal drainages and around seeps and springs.
Mixed-conifer forest occurs at the upper elevations. The Jocko River
and Mission Creek form riparian and wetland corridors along the north
and south boundaries of the refuge. Invasive plant species are
recognized as an important factor affecting ecosystem function and
health on the refuge.
The NBR provides cover, food, water, and sufficient space for
numerous native wildlife species. The NBR supports a healthy population
of plains bison as well as populations of other native ungulates and a
variety of predators. The refuge also supports over 200 native bird
species. In addition to the federally threatened grizzly bear and bull
trout, there are 43 Montana species of concern that occur on the
refuge.
Although people have lived in the region for thousands of years,
relatively few cultural resource sites have been formally recorded on
the refuge. It is anticipated that a wide range of undocumented
cultural resource types are located on the NBR. These could include,
but would not be limited to, pre-contact and/or protohistoric open
camps, stone circles and alignments, cairns, lithic scatters, rock
shelters, trails and roads, drive-lines, kill (i.e., jump or pound)
sites, hunting blinds, eagle traps, fasting beds, and rock imagery, as
well as historic buildings and structures associated with the mission
and operation of the NBR.
Visitors come from all over the country and other parts of the
world to learn about NBR and enjoy a variety of wildlife-dependent
recreational activities. In 2017, NBR welcomed approximately 180,000
visitors. Annual visitation to the NBR is concentrated during spring
through fall, when the full length of the Red Sleep Mountain Drive is
open. Wildlife observation, photography, and hiking account for an
estimated 94 percent of visits to the NBR. NBR affects the economy
through the resident and nonresident visitor spending it generates, the
employment it supports, and the value it adds to the surrounding area.
National Environmental Policy Act
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40
CFR 1506.6(b)) requirements, this notice announces the availability of
the final ROD for the final CCP and final EIS for the National Bison
Range. We completed a thorough analysis of the environmental, social,
and economic considerations associated with our actions. The final ROD
documents our selection of Alternative C, the preferred alternative.
The CCP will guide us in managing and administering the National
Bison Range for the next 15 years. Alternative C, as we described in
the final EIS/ROD, is the foundation for the CCP.
CCP Alternatives and Selected Alternative
Our final CCP and final EIS (84 FR 46950, September 6, 2019)
addressed several issues. To address these, we developed and evaluated
the following alternatives:
Alternative A--No Action, which would continue all the
current management activities and maintain funding, infrastructure, all
current programs, and staffing at existing levels;
Alternative B, which emphasizes managing habitat and
wildlife populations, as well as NBR infrastructure and operations, to
provide quality wildlife-dependent opportunities for the public; and
Alternative C, which emphasizes maintaining and, where
feasible, enhancing ecological communities while recognizing ever-
changing environmental conditions.
After consideration of the more than 300 comments that we received
on the draft CCP and draft EIS, we selected Alternative C. It is the
alternative that best meets the purposes of the refuge, the mission of
the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the vision and management
goals set for the National Bison Range; and it adheres to Service
policies and guidelines. It considers the interests and perspectives of
many agencies, organizations, Tribes, and the public. Additionally, it
is the environmentally preferred alternative.
Alternative C emphasizes maintaining and, where feasible, enhancing
ecological communities while
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recognizing ever-changing environmental conditions. In cooperation with
our partners, the Service will develop and utilize a prioritization
framework to identify and define future conditions that will drive
management actions to build ecological community resiliency, promote
species and genetic diversity, and build sustainability in management
capacity and operations.
Under this alternative, the Service will seek to facilitate
collaborative, cooperative, and coordinated management of NBR with our
Federal, Tribal, State, local, public, and private partners. Where
possible, the refuge will participate in landscape-level management of
wildlife species, evaluate cross-boundary movements, and create
corridors conducive to wildlife migration and movement. The Service
will also seek ways to incorporate the expertise, resources, and
efforts of our partners to help facilitate the benefits of a broader
functioning landscape.
Public Availability of Documents
In addition to the methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain the
final ROD, the final CCP, and final EIS at the following public
libraries:
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Library Address Phone No.
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Flathead County Library........ 247 First Avenue East, 406-758-5820
Kalispell, Montana
59901.
Missoula Public Library........ 301 Main Street, 406-721-2665
Missoula, Montana
59802.
Plains Public Library.......... P.O. Box 399, Plains, 406-826-3101
Montana 59859.
Ronan City Library............. 203 Main Street SW, 406-676-3682
Ronan, Montana 59864.
North Lake County Public 2 First Avenue East, 406-883-8225
Library. Polson, Montana 59860.
St. Ignatius School--Community 76 Third Avenue, Saint 406-745-3811
Library. Ignatius, Montana
59865.
Bigfork Library................ 525 Electric Avenue, 406-837-6976
Bigfork, Montana 59911.
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Noreen Walsh,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-27267 Filed 12-17-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P