The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is seeking public comment on a draft Environmental Assessment that examines the cumulative impact of the public hunting program at the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge located in western Minnesota and northwestern Iowa.
This Environmental Assessment is part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service effort to review all public hunting programs on National Wildlife Refuges and Wetland Management Districts to ensure they fully comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The USFWS is evaluating the opening of most USFWS-owned units of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR to the hunting of white-tailed deer, wild turkey, most upland/small game species, and migratory game birds. The season dates will follow those seasons set by Minnesota and Iowa state laws. The EA examines two alternatives: (1) No Action - which will prohibit hunting on Northern Tallgrass Prairie Refuge lands; and, (2) The preferred alternative - opening most of the USFWS-owned units to the hunting of big game, small/upland game, and migratory game bird species.
Hunting was approved in the 1998 Interim Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR after a public review period. A Hunt Plan was approved in 2003 to open the lands to hunting in the 2003-2004 season. However, this second call for public review of the proposed hunting opportunities on the Refuge is the result of a U.S. District Court interim judgment stating that the USFWS did not adequately consider the cumulative impacts of opening numerous national wildlife refuges to hunting. This EA is being submitted to address these cumulative impacts and correct any existing NEPA deficiencies.
Public review and comment is a critical part of the policy development process. All comments received from the public are reviewed and considered before finalizing the Environmental Assessment. “I encourage all interested parties to review the Environmental Assessment, contact the refuge if they have any questions, and then provide us with any comments they feel are appropriate,” said Refuge Manager Alice Hanley.
Copies of the draft EA may be viewed at the Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR website at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/NorthernTallgrassPrairie/documents/NTGPHuntEA.pdf or obtained by calling (320) 273-2191 and requesting a paper copy.
Written comments on the EA will be accepted through April 17, 2007. Written comments should be submitted to Alice Hanley, Big Stone NWR, 44843 County Road 19, Odessa, MN 56276, and fax: (320) 273-2231 or alice_hanley @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 Service manages the 96-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 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.
