The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is seeking public comment on a draft environmental assessment (DEA) of a state proposal, "Piceance Property Exchange involving Lands and Water Rights owned by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Shell Frontier Oil and Gas, Inc." Public comments are welcome for a 30-day period, ending April 1, 2007.
The DEA was prepared by the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) and the Service and analyzes the CDOWs proposal to exchange several parcels of land and water rights within the Piceance State Wildlife Area (Piceance Parcels) with Shell Frontier Oil and Gas, Inc. for two parcels of land (Shell Parcels) which adjoin the Oak Ridge State Wildlife Area (SWA) in Rio Blanco County in northwestern Colorado. Acquisition of the Shell Parcels will allow the CDOW to address in-holding issues at Oak Ridge SWA and to more effectively manage for big game habitat and public access to hunting at Oak Ridge SWA. The exchange will also allow the CDOW to divest itself of properties and water rights at the Piceance SWA that no longer provide the habitat and recreation benefits that they provided when the properties were acquired. Both the Piceance SWA and Oak Ridge SWA were acquired by the Colorado Division of Wildlife with federal funding through the Pittman-Robertson Federal Assistance in Wildlife Restoration Act (PR), which is administered by the Service.
-9 Federal regulations require the State to the receive the approval of the Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, prior to the disposal or exchange of lands acquired through PR funding. Public comment on the proposal and the DEA will help the Service decide whether to approve the proposed exchange. The DEA contains detailed project information and is available online at http://www.fws.gov
