The two agencies will jointly appoint a blue ribbon review panel that will conduct an environmental assessment of Green River to evaluate the impacts of horseback field trials at the site. The process, to be conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act, will include public review and comment and is expected to be completed in 6 to 12 months.
The IDNR also intends to submit a new proposal for put-and-take pheasant hunting at Green River, in which the department, rather than a private concessioner, operates the program. The proposal will be forwarded to the Department of the Interiors Office of the Solicitor for review. The Solicitor will provide an opinion on whether the proposed activity is an eligible use of the property. Results of the Solicitors review may be available 90 to 120 days from the receipt of the IDNRs proposal.
Put-and-take pheasant hunting ended at Green River on January 4, 1999, and horseback field trials at the site ended March 31, 1999. At issue is whether the two activities can be conducted at Green River under Federal Aid regulations. Green River was acquired by the IDNR using funds made available through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, administered by the Service. Federal funds were first approved in 1938 for land acquisition at the now 2,565-acre site to provide prairie and wetland habitat for waterfowl grassland birds, and other wildlife.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprising more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations.
The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://www.fws.gov/r3pao/
