The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on a draft generic Environmental Assessment (EA) that proposes a method to review land trades that involve state-owned land acquired and managed with federal fish and wildlife management funds. Such trades might include boundary correction of state properties, or public purposes such as road realignments, airport expansion or construction of utility rights-of-way. The draft EA covers eight states in the Service’s Midwest Region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.
The draft EA considers three alternatives by which states might conduct such land exchanges. The preferred alternative is to use the streamlined process of developing a document assessing nine conditions for each proposed land exchange involving federal fish and wildlife management funds. The conditions in the document would be tiered from the generic EA, including a project-specific public comment period.
If these conditions are met, further assessment would not be needed. If any of the conditions are not met, then a separate Environmental Assessment would be needed for each proposed trade.
The nine conditions include:
1. land proposed for exchange does not qualify for an existing categorical exclusion;
2. the exchange would correct land boundary problems or would serve a public need;
3. the area to be exchanged is limited to 3 acres or 1 percent of the total area, whichever is greater, up to 25 acres;
4. there are no other reasonable or prudent alternatives to the proposed exchange;
5. impacts to remaining wildlife areas would be minor or temporary;
6. there would be no impacts to other state facilities funded under the Federal Aid program, such as buildings or shooting ranges;
7. the exchange would be for land of equal or greater monetary and wildlife value, or for funds to acquire land of equal value;
8. the exchange would not result in negative impacts to protected species, historic or cultural resources, wetlands or floodplains; and
9. the public would be informed of the proposed action and substantial opposition or controversy does not exist.
Each land exchange conducted under this plan would include a comment period so that anyone interested in or potentially affected by the proposed trade would be given details of the proposed trade and an opportunity to comment. Comment periods will be conducted by the individual states in Region 3 using their own internal procedures for such actions.
Other alternatives outlined in the draft Environmental Assessment include denial of any proposed land trades involving state lands purchased with Federal Aid funds; and a “no action” alternative that involves developing a separate Environmental Assessment for each proposed trade.
The deadline to provide comment on the draft Environmental Assessment is February 9, 2004. Written comments may be sent to the address or fax number below. Electronic mail comments should be submitted to fw3_genericea@fws.gov Persons wishing to review the document may obtain a copy by writing, telephoning, or faxing: Dick Tolbers, Division of Federal Aid, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111; telephone 612-713-5147; fax 612-713-5290. The draft EA is also available at http://midwest.fws.gov/nepa
The Federal Aid in Fish and Wildlife Management Programs administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provide federal funding to states for land acquisition and other projects to enhance fish and wildlife populations. Funds are generated through excise taxes on some sport hunting and fishing equipment and on motorboat fuel. The Service distributes revenues each year through grants to state fish and wildlife agencies for approved management projects.
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 542 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 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.
