On March 10, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a public comment period for a draft environmental assessment/restoration plan (EA/plan) to restore a portion of the Lake Superior basin in Wisconsin. This EA/plan would use funds received from settlement with Burlington Northern following a1992 train derailment and chemical spill into the Nemadji River near Superior, Wisconsin. The chemical spill killed fish and affected other natural resources. The draft EA/plan was announced as being available on the Service’s website and comments could be made in several formats. A court order issued on March 15, 2004 has made the Service’s internet sites and electronic mail connections unavailable for the immediate future. Printed copies of the EA/plan are still available at:
Tribal Office, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Tribal Office
Natural Resources Department
One Maple Street
Odanah, WisconsinTribal Office, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
88385 Pike Road, State Highway 13
Bayfield, WisconsinU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ashland Fishery Resource Office
2800 Lake Shore Drive East
Ashland, WisconsinU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Green Bay Ecological Services Field Office
2661 Scott Tower Drive
New Franken, Wisconsin
Copies of the draft EA/plan can also be obtained by contacting the Services Green Bay Ecological Services Field Office at (920) 866-1717. Comments on the draft may be sent to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Green Bay Ecological Services Field Office, 2661 Scott Tower Drive, New Franken, Wisconsin 54229. Comments may also be faxed to 920-866-1710. If anyone sent e-mail comments on or after March 15, 2004, they should resend comments via regular mail or facsimile. The closing date for commenting has been extended from April 12 to April 19, 2004 because of the problems. The Service apologizes for any inconvenience.
The draft EA/plan outlines a variety of alternatives that might be used to restore the site and associated wetland and coastal areas. The proposed alternative calls for preservation and restoration of equivalent aquatic habitat focusing on coastal and lakeplain wetlands within the Lake Superior basin in Wisconsin.
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 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 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 Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
