The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a series of public hearings to be held across the country in April and May to seek public comments on its recently released draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on resident Canada goose management.
The draft EIS analyzes options for managing rapidly growing populations of nonmigratory, or resident, Canada geese in order to reduce and stabilize resident Canada goose populations, reduce conflicts with humans and minimize impacts to property and human health and safety.
"This EIS will determine our long-range management strategy for resident Canada geese, and we encourage the public to voice their concerns and help us improve it. The damage these geese cause is a growing nationwide problem, and everyone has a stake in seeing these conflicts reduced," said Service Director Steve Williams.
Under the proposed alternative identified in the draft Environmental Impact Statement, the Service would grant State wildlife agencies expanded authority to undertake approved population control strategies, such as nest and egg destruction, trapping and culling programs, and expanded hunting opportunities.
Aside from the proposed alternative, the EIS analyzes other alternatives, including continuing current management practices unchanged; implementing non-lethal methods such as harassment and habitat management designed to make areas less attractive to geese; expanded hunting opportunities; and creating various depredation orders allowing expanded lethal take of resident geese. A 90-day public comment period on the draft EIS will remain open until May 30, 2002.
Dates, locations and times of the public meetings follow:
Dallas, Texas - Monday, April 1 , 2002, 7 p.m.; Hyatt Regency Downtown, 300 Reunion Boulevard
Palatine, Illinois - Tuesday, April 23, 2002, 7 p.m.; Holiday Inn Express, 1550 E. Dundee Road
Waupun, Wisconsin - Wednesday, April 24, 2002, 7 p.m.; Waupun High School, 801 E. Lincoln
Franklin, Tennessee - Tuesday, May 7, 2002, 7 p.m.; Franklin Cool Springs Marriott, 700 Cool Springs Blvd.
Bloomington, Minnesota - Tuesday, May 14 , 2002, 7 p.m.; Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center, 3815 East 80th Street
Brookings, South Dakota - Wednesday, May 15 , 2002, 7 p.m.; Brookings Area Multiplex, 824 32nd Avenue
Richmond, Virginia - Monday, May 20 , 2002 7 p.m.; Comfort Inn Conference Center, 3200 W. Broad Street
Danbury, Connecticut - Tuesday, May 21, 2002, 7 p.m.; Holiday Inn, 80 town Road
North Brunswick, New Jersey - Wednesday, May 22 , 2002, 7 p.m.; Ramada Inn, 999 U.S. Route 1 South
Denver, Colorado - Wednesday, May 29 , 2002, 7 p.m.; Colorado Department of Wildlife, Northeast Region Service Center, Hunter Education Building, 6060 Broadway
Bellevue, Washington - Tuesday, May 30 , 2002, 7 p.m.; DoubleTree Hotel, 300 112th Avenue S.E.
The release of the draft environmental impact statement was announced in the March 1, 2002, Federal Register. The document is the result of a process that began in August 1999. Written comments concerning the draft EIS will be accepted through May 30, and should be addressed to the Chief, Division of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, ms 634 ARLSQ, 1849 C St., NW, Washington, D.C., 20240. Copies of the draft EIS are available at the same address, by calling the Service at 703-358-1714, or on the internet at http://migratorybirds.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 Services manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 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.
- FWS -
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
