The Service and the DNR are interested in the publics opinion on the overall environmental effects of the DNRs activities that are funded under the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act and the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration programs administered by the Service. Specifically, this review is limited to the statewide cumulative and secondary effects of activities conducted through two grants which are funded under a comprehensive management plan. While this review is for the overall cumulative effects of the two grants, individual projects funded through these grants are reviewed separately for environmental compliance.
Projects funded through the two grants include efforts such as development of boat access sites on public waters, fish propagation and stocking, development of public piers, research, aquatic education, wildlife population and habitat management, habitat restoration, and maintenance of public use facilities, as well as other activities. Projects such as land acquisition and hunter education are funded through separate grants on a project by project basis, as opposed to a comprehensive management plan grant, and are not the focus of this review.
The two agencies are interested in learning whether there is a cumulative environmental impact or other effects that may prompt public interest or concern. The Service and the DNR are also interested in assessing public opinion about the processes used by the DNR to select and complete activities that receive federal funding.
If the Service decides that developing an Environmental Assessment is appropriate, a draft EA will be prepared and released for public comment.
Wisconsin receives about $7 million annually for wildlife restoration and about $7.5 million for fish restoration in federal funds for approved projects. Federal Aid funds for the Wildlife Restoration program are generated from excise taxes on sport hunting equipment including guns, ammunition, and archery gear . Federal Aid funds from the Sport Fish Restoration program are generated from excise taxes on fishing equipment and a sales tax on motor boat fuel. Revenues are then distributed each year by the Service through grants to state wildlife agencies for approved wildlife and sport fish restoration projects. Funds are generally used by states to purchase land for fish and wildlife management, to fund research programs, and for specific fish and wildlife restoration efforts.
More information on the Federal Aid program is available from the Services Regional Federal Aid Office at 612-713-5130. Comments on the current funding program in Wisconsin and the need for an Environmental Assessment may be directed to Mike Sweet or Fabian Romero, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Aid, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota, 55111. Electronic mail comments may also be submitted during the comment period to: wdnrgrants@fws.gov
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices 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 fish and wildlife agencies.
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