The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and the Tuscola County Road Commission, invites the public to review and comment on a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the reconstruction of 2 1/2 miles of Hurds Corner Road from Frankford Road to Deckerville Road in Wells and Ellington Townships.
Expansion of the road will require the purchase of a 5.37 acre easement of the Deford State Game Area from the MDNR.
The draft EA evaluates three alternatives; two action alternatives would allow the Road Commission to obtain an easement from the MDNR to move forward with construction. One alternative includes mitigation measures for the affected MDNR property. Another alternative allows for the easement without mitigation measures.
The third alternative, the “no action” alternative required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), evaluates leaving the road in the current condition.
Hurds Corner Road is part of a road system designated to receive state and federal funds for improvements. Currently the 2 1/2 miles of Hurds Corner Road proposed for reconstruction are a class B road of secondary gravel. Travel is restricted on this portion during frost seasons.
To be eligible for funding, the County Road Commission must establish a 100-foot right of way along Hurds Corner Road, as required by state law. To meet this requirement the commission has asked the MDNR for an easement along its property in the Deford State Game Area in order to increase the existing right of way from the current 66 feet to 100 feet.
The easement would also allow for the correct width in right of way and the realignment of Hurds Corner Road at the township line.
With the reconstruction, this section of roadway would be reclassified as a Special Designated All-Season Route, completing a 22 *-mile route through Tuscola County that would allow year-round class A load limits for the transport of agricultural and commercial commodities.
Funds to purchase the Deford Game Area were obtained in part through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Service permission is also necessary for any land disposal.
The draft EA is available on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Website at jon_parker@fws.gov> no later than September 7, 2004.
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, 64 fishery resources 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 and Native American tribal 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.
