The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is holding eleven public scoping meetings during February, March, and April 2006, for the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) Proposed Land Exchange Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Doyon, Limited and the Service agreed in principle to provide Doyon title to 110,000 acres of Refuge lands that may hold developable oil and gas resources. In exchange, the Refuge would receive an equal-value amount of land currently owned by Doyon, within the Refuge boundaries, that has been identified as quality fish and wildlife habitat. The Service is preparing the EIS to evaluate the potential environmental and social effects that could occur as a result of the proposed land exchange.
The Service held public scoping meetings in Birch Creek (February 23), Central (February 24), Venetie (March 2), and Arctic Village (March 3).
Future public scoping meetings will be held between 2:00pm - 8:00pm (unless otherwise noted) in the following communities:
Community Date Meeting Location
Chalkyitsik March 22, 2006 Tribal Hall
Fort Yukon March 23, 2006 Tribal Hall
Beaver March 27, 2006 Tribal Hall
Stevens Village March 28, 2006 School Gymnasium
Circle March 29, 2006 Circle School
Fairbanks April 3, 2006 Noel Wien Library(3:00-8:00pm)
Anchorage April 4, 2006 USFWS Regional Office(3:00-8:00pm)
Meetings will be held in an open-house format. Attendees are invited to stop by and ask questions about the project and to provide comments on which issues should be addressed in the EIS, which project alternatives should be evaluated, and what concerns they have regarding the possible environmental and social effects of the proposed land exchange. These meetings are part of the Services scoping efforts for the EIS and the comments will be considered as we structure the EIS.
Public scoping comments will be accepted through April 15, 2006. Comments can be given verbally at the meetings; mailed to: Cyndie Wolfe, Project Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Road, MS-231, Anchorage, Alaska 99503; submitted on line at http://YukonFlatsEIS.ensr.com; or called in to the project telephone line at (888) 222-1802. Additional information is available from the Project Coordinator at (907) 786-3463 or on the web at:http://YukonFlatsEIS.ensr.com.
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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.
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For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
