Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan; North Cascades National Park Service Complex; Whatcom, Skagit and Chelan Counties, WA; Notice of Availability, 30970-30972 [05-10729]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 31, 2005 / Notices
alternative also is evaluated. This
announcement provides public meeting
dates and locations, and corrects the
closing date for receipt of public
comments and the e-mail address for
electronic comments.
Written comments on the revised
draft plan and EIS must be received no
later than June 30, 2005. This corrects
the date published in the Federal
Register with the Notice of Availability
on April 26, 2005.
See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section for public meeting dates and
locations.
DATES:
Written comments on the
revised draft plan and EIS should be
submitted to the Superintendent, Denali
National Park and Preserve, Post Office
Box 9, Denali Park, Alaska 99755.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mike Tranel, Chief of Planning, Denali
National Park and Preserve. Telephone:
(907) 644–3611.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Meetings
The public meeting dates and
locations are as follows:
June 8. Cantwell Community Center.
Denali Highway. Cantwell, Alaska.
June 9. Alaska Public Lands
Information Center. 605 W. 4th Avenue,
Anchorage, Alaska.
June 13. Upper Susitna Valley Senior
Center. Helena Drive, Sunshine, Alaska.
June 14. Tri-Valley Community
Center. Healy Spur Road, Healy, Alaska.
June 15. Noel Wien Library. 1215
Cowles Street, Fairbanks, Alaska.
Each meeting will last from 5 p.m. to
8 p.m. and each will follow the same
format. There will be an opportunity for
informal explanation, discussion, and
individually recorded testimony from 5
p.m. until 6:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. there
will be a brief presentation followed by
a formal public hearing. All comments
recorded at these meetings will become
a part of the comment record.
Electronic Access and Filing Addresses
Submit electronic comments to
dena_bc_plan_comment@nps.gov. The
revised draft EIS may be viewed online
by following the Revised Draft
Backcountry Management Plan link on
the Denali homepage at https://
www.nps.gov/dena. Hard copies or CDs
of the Revised Draft Backcountry
Management Plan and General
Management Plan Amendment and EIS
are available by request from the
aforementioned address.
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Dated: May 12, 2005.
Marcia Blaszak,
Regional Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 05–10733 Filed 5–27–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–HT–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Mountain Lakes Fishery Management
Plan; North Cascades National Park
Service Complex; Whatcom, Skagit
and Chelan Counties, WA; Notice of
Availability
Summary: Pursuant to section 102(c)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91–190, as
amended), the National Park Service in
cooperation with the Washington State
Department of Fish and Wildlife has
prepared a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) and Mountain Lakes
Fishery Management Plan. The DEIS
identifies and evaluates four alternatives
for management of non-native fish in
the natural mountain lakes within North
Cascades National Park Service
Complex and the Stephen Mather
Wilderness. Appropriate mitigation
strategies are assessed, and an
‘‘environmentally preferred’’ alternative
is also identified. When approved, the
Mountain Lakes Fishery Management
Plan (Plan) will govern all fishery
management actions, including
potential removal of self-sustaining
populations of non-native fish and fish
stocking.
Background: The National Park
Service (NPS) manages North Cascades
National Park, Lake Chelan National
Recreation Area, and Ross Lake National
Recreation Area collectively as the
North Cascades National Park Service
Complex (hereafter referred to as ‘‘North
Cascades’’). The Congressionally
designated Stephen Mather Wilderness
covers ninety-three percent of North
Cascades. The rugged, wilderness
landscape of North Cascades contains
240 natural mountain lakes. The lakes
are naturally fishless due to impassable
topographic barriers. Though naturally
barren of fish, these lakes contain a rich
array of native aquatic life including
plankton, aquatic insects, frogs and
salamanders.
In the late 1800’s, settlers began
stocking lakes within the present-day
boundaries of North Cascades with
various species of non-native trout for
food and recreation. By the 20th
century, fish stocking was a routine lake
enhancement practice for the U.S.
Forest Service, various counties, and
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individuals. Then upon its inception in
1933, the Washington Department of
Game (WDG; now the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife, or
WDFW) assumed responsibility for
stocking mountain lakes throughout the
state to create and maintain a
recreational fishery. The state’s
involvement grew largely out of the
need to prevent haphazard stocking by
individuals without biological expertise.
With particular emphasis on systematic
assessment of fish species and stocking
rates, the WDG conducted the first high
lakes fisheries research and developed
many principles central to fisheries
management today.
After North Cascades was established
in 1968, a conflict over fish stocking
emerged between the NPS and WDFW.
The conflict was driven by fundamental
policy differences: NPS policies
prohibited stocking so as to protect
native ecosystems; WDFW policies
encouraged stocking to enhance
recreation. To reconcile the conflict and
foster cooperative management, the NPS
and WDFW entered into a fisheries
management agreement in 1988 with the
purpose of ‘‘establishing a mutually
agreed to list of lakes within the
boundaries of North Cascades National
Park which the department [would]
stock with fish as part of its fish
management program.’’ The agreement
identified 40 lakes for stocking and
specified that ‘‘research results [would]
be considered in future decisions’’.
Shortly thereafter, the NPS initiated a
long-term research effort through
Oregon State University to evaluate the
ecological effects of fish stocking on
native biota in mountain lakes. To
ensure objectivity and scientific merit,
an independent peer review panel of
subject matter experts was established
to evaluate research results. The final
phase of this research effort was
completed in July, 2002. The complete
research results are posted on the Plan/
DEIS Web site (https://www.nps.gov/
noca/highlakes.htm), however key
conclusions include:
• Lakes with high densities of selfsustaining (i.e., reproducing) trout
populations had significantly fewer
salamanders and zooplankton than
fishless lakes;
• There was no significant difference
in salamander or zooplankton
abundance between fishless lakes and
lakes with stocked (i.e., nonreproducing) fish;
• Native biota (e.g., salamanders,
zooplankton) appeared to be at greatest
risk in lakes with (1) relatively high
nitrogen concentrations, (2) relatively
warm water and (3) self-sustaining trout
populations present in high densities.
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 31, 2005 / Notices
These risk factors were found in six of
the 83 lakes studied.
Purpose and Need: The purpose of the
Plan/DEIS is to develop a
comprehensive management plan for
natural mountain lakes that conserves
native biological integrity and provides
a spectrum of recreational opportunities
and visitor experiences, including sport
fishing. The Plan/DEIS is needed to
resolve the long-standing debate and
conflicts over fish stocking in the
naturally fishless mountain lakes in
North Cascades.
In most NPS units, natural resources
(including lakes and fish) are managed
in accord with the Organic Act of 1916
and in concert with NPS management
policies which allow sport fishing
unless it is specifically prohibited. NPS
policies, however, prohibit fish stocking
in most NPS waters. In North Cascades,
fish have historically been managed by
a combination of agencies and user
groups. This is partly because the
enabling legislation for North Cascades
does not define angling activities that
would be allowed within its boundaries,
and partly because the area has a history
of fish management by WDFW and
affiliated sport fishing groups (whose
practices pre-date the 1968
establishment of North Cascades by
many years).
The lakes that are the focus of this
Plan/DEIS are the 91 mountain lakes
(out of 240 lakes) that were once
naturally fishless but have had some
history of fish stocking since the late
1800’s. Due to differences in missions
and policies between the NPS and
WDFW, the two agencies drafted a
Memorandum of Understanding in
1985, and a Supplemental Agreement in
1988 that established a mutually agreed
to list of lakes in the National Park
portion of the Complex that WDFW
would stock with fish as part of its fish
management program while further
studies into the ecological effects of
non-native fish in mountain lakes were
conducted. A long term research study
was then initiated. Before the research
could be completed, the North Cascades
Conservation Council challenged the
NPS in court on its decision to allow
fish stocking to continue or reproducing
populations of fish to remain. In a 1991
Consent Decree, the U.S. District Court
(Western District of Washington)
indicated the NPS should complete its
research and then ‘‘conduct a NEPA
[National Environmental Policy Act]
review of the fish stocking of naturally
fish-free lakes.’’ The research was
completed in July 2002 by a team that
included scientists from the U.S.
Geological Survey (Biological Resources
Division) and Oregon State University.
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This Plan/DEIS was initiated upon
completion of the research, and initiates
the conservation planning and
environmental impact analysis process
required by the 1991 Consent Decree.
Primary Issues: Key issues which
were addressed in preparing the DEIS/
Plan included:
• Predation and Competition. Nonnative fish have measurably changed
composition and abundance of native
aquatic organisms in some lakes, with
the most significant impacts caused by
reproducing populations of stocked fish
that have become self-sustaining.
• Hybridization with Native Fish.
Non-native fish are dispersing
downstream from some lakes and
hybridizing (i.e., interbreeding) with
native fish, which could harm bull trout
(federally Threatened), westslope
cutthroat trout and other native trout
populations.
• Conflicting Social/Wilderness
Values. Some stakeholders strongly
oppose the management of a non-native
fishery in national park/wilderness
lakes that were naturally fishless. Others
believe that the mountain lakes fishery
provides an unparalleled opportunity
for high lakes fishing that cannot be
duplicated elsewhere.
• Legislative ambiguity: The enabling
legislation and legislative history for
North Cascades are not clear with
respect to fish stocking, thus the NPS
believes an affirmative legislative
clarification from Congress would be
needed in order to justify continued fish
stocking in naturally fishless mountain
lakes in the North Cascades/Stephen
Mather Wilderness.
Proposed Plan and Alternatives: As
the proposed Mountain Lakes Fishery
Management Plan, Alternative B (the
‘‘agency preferred’’ alternative) would
implement an adaptive management
framework for allowing continued
stocking of select lakes with a history of
fish stocking. To minimize ecological
risks, sterile trout incapable of
reproducing would be stocked at low
densities to provide continued angling
opportunities. Self-sustaining
populations of trout would be removed
from all lakes (where feasible) using gillnets in combination with electrofishing,
spawning habitat exclusion, and
application of the piscicide antimycin.
Fishery management actions would be
monitored and evaluated to enable
adaptive management and ensure
conservation of biological integrity.
Implementation of this Alternative
would require affirmative clarification
from Congress regarding the
appropriateness of continued fish
stocking in the North Cascades/Stephen
Mather Wilderness.
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30971
Alternative A (the ‘‘No Action’’
alternative) provides a baseline for
analyzing and comparing the three
‘‘action’’ alternatives. Under this
alternative, fishery management actions
would continue in accord with the
terms and conditions of the 1988
Supplemental Agreement with the
WDFW. This agreement provides for
continued stocking of select lakes in
North Cascades National Park.
Continued implementation of this
alternative would require clarification
from Congress regarding the
appropriateness of continued fish
stocking in the North Cascades/Stephen
Mather Wilderness.
Alternative C would include
continued maintenance of the mountain
lakes sport fishery (i.e., fish stocking) in
select lakes in Ross Lake National
Recreation Area and Lake Chelan
National Recreation Area. Fish stocking
would be discontinued in North
Cascades National Park. Otherwise, the
adaptive management framework for
Alternative C would be similar to
Alternative B. Alternative C would
conform to NPS policies regarding fish
stocking in National Recreation Area
waters. However, Alternative C would
still require clarification from Congress
regarding the appropriateness of
continued fish stocking in the Stephen
Mather Wilderness.
Alternative D would discontinue fish
stocking in all mountain lakes in North
Cascades. This alternative would
establish a long-term goal of removing,
wherever feasible, self-sustaining
populations of non-native trout in
approximately 37 lakes using the
removal methods described for
Alternative B.
Scoping History: Public scoping
formally began on January 16, 2003,
with the Federal Register publication of
the Notice of Intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement. A
news release for the public scoping
meetings was sent on February 14, 2003
to 12 local and regional news media. A
public scoping brochure was mailed in
early March 2003 to a comprehensive
list of government agencies,
organizations, businesses, and
individuals. In late March 2003, the
NPS and WDFW held four public
scoping meetings in the surrounding
communities of Sedro-Woolley,
Wenatchee, Bellevue and Seattle. The
NPS received 248 comments during the
public scoping period, which formally
concluded on April 18, 2004. A public
scoping report is available on the park’s
project Web site: (https://www.nps.gov/
noca/highlakes.htm).
Comments and Public Meetings: The
public review and comment period will
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 31, 2005 / Notices
extend 90 days from the date the EPA
publishes its notice of filing of the Plan/
DEIS in the Federal Register.
Immediately upon confirmation, this
date will be announced on the park’s
project Web site. The Plan/DEIS will be
mailed directly to those who requested
copies during public scoping, and may
be downloaded from the project Web
site and on CD–ROM. Copies will also
be available for review at park
headquarters in Sedro-Woolley, the
main visitor center in Newhalem, and at
local and regional libraries. Printed or
CD–ROM copies may also be requested
by telephone (360) 856–5700 ext.351. In
addition, a Public Comment Newsletter
will be distributed. All comments must
be submitted in writing and postmarked
or transmitted not later than 90 days
from the date EPA publishes their notice
of filing. Responses should be addressed
to: Superintendent, Attn: Draft EIS/
Mountain Lakes Fishery Management
Plan, North Cascades National Park
Service Complex, 810 State Route 20,
Sedro Woolley, WA 98284. Reviewers
are encouraged to submit comments,
ideas or questions on-line at the PEPC
Web site (https://parkplanning.nps.gov);
search under park name for North
Cascades National Park to find the Plan/
EIS and an on-line comment form.
Written comments may also be faxed to
(360) 856–1934, or submitted at one of
the public meetings (see below).
Please note that names and addresses
of people who comment become part of
the public record. If individuals
commenting request that their name or/
and address be withheld from public
disclosure, it will be honored to the
extent allowable by law. Such requests
must be stated prominently in the
beginning of the comments. There also
may be circumstances wherein the NPS
will withhold from the administrative
record a respondent’s identity, as
allowable by law. As always: The NPS
will make available to public inspection
all submissions from organizations or
businesses and from persons identifying
themselves as representatives or
officials of organizations and
businesses; and, anonymous comments
may not be considered.
To facilitate exchange of information
and public understanding of the
proposal, the NPS in coordination with
the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife will host public meetings in
Sedro-Woolley, Wenatchee, and the
Seattle area. At this time several
meetings are expected to be held during
summer 2005—a schedule of confirmed
dates, locations and times will be
announced via the Public Comment
Newsletter, local and regional news
media, and the park’s project Web site;
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16:14 May 27, 2005
Jkt 205001
or may be obtained by telephone at
(360) 856–5700 ext.351.
Participants are strongly encouraged
to review the document prior to
attending a meeting. The
Superintendent of North Cascades and
planning team members, including
WDFW personnel will attend all
meetings. The format will be the same
for all meetings, and will include a brief
presentation on the essential elements
of the Plan/DEIS and a question and
answer period. Brief oral comments and
written comments will also be received.
All meeting locations will be accessible
for disabled persons, and a sign
language interpreter may be available
upon request with prior notice (please
contact the park as noted above).
Decision: Following careful
consideration of all comments received
on the Plan/DEIS, completion of the
Final Mountain Lakes Fishery
Management Plan/Final Environmental
Impact Statement is anticipated for
spring 2006 (actual timing will depend
upon the degree of public interest and
response from agencies and
organizations). Thereafter the Record of
Decision would be completed not
sooner than 30 days after the Final EIS
is distributed. As a delegated EIS, the
official responsible for the final decision
is the Regional Director, Pacific West
Region; subsequently, the official
responsible for implementation will be
the Superintendent, North Cascades
National Park Service Complex.
Dated: March 23, 2005.
Martha K. Leicester,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 05–10729 Filed 5–27–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
General Management Plan,
Environmental Impact Statement,
Wisconsin; Correction
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice of intent to prepare a
general management plan and
environmental impact statement for
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore,
Wisconsin; correction.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: In the September 3, 2004,
Federal Register, the National Park
Service (NPS) announced its intent to
prepare a general management plan and
environmental impact statement (GMP/
EIS) for Apostle Islands National
Lakeshore (APIS). After the scoping
period for the GMP/EIS ended, on
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December 8, 2004, Congress officially
designated wilderness in the park.
While wilderness management was
intended to be part of the proposed
planning process, the NPS will
incorporate the requirements of a
wilderness management plan into the
general management plan now that
Congress has made the official
designation.
CORRECTION: The APIS GMP/EIS will
incorporate all of the elements
necessary for a wilderness management
plan. This action will not change the
focus or scope of the GMP/EIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim
Nepstad, Chief of Planning and
Resource Management, Apostle Islands
National Lakeshore, Route 1, Box 4,
Bayfield, Wisconsin 54814. Telephone
715–779–3398, extension 102; e-mail:
jim_nepstad@nps.gov.
Dated: April 1, 2005.
Ernest Quintana,
Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 05–10731 Filed 5–27–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–97–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME,
Acadia National, Park Advisory
Commission; Notice of Meeting
Notice is hereby given in accordance
with the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (Pub. L. 92–463, 86 Stat. 770, 5
U.S.C. App. 1, Sec. 10), that the Acadia
National Park Advisory Commission
will hold a meeting on Monday, June 6,
2005.
The Commission was established
pursuant to Public Law 99–420, Sec.
103. The purpose of the Commission is
to consult with the Secretary of the
Interior, or his designee, on matters
relating to the management and
development of the park, including but
not limited to the acquisition of lands
and interests in lands (including
conservation easements on islands) and
termination of rights of use and
occupancy.
The meeting will convene at park
headquarters, McFarland Hill, Bar
Harbor, Maine, at 1 p.m. to consider the
following agenda:
1. Review and approval of minutes
from the meeting held February 7, 2005.
2. Committee reports:
—Land Conservation.
—Park Use.
—Science.
—Historic.
3. Old business.
4. Superintendent’s report.
E:\FR\FM\31MYN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 31, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30970-30972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10729]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Mountain Lakes Fishery
Management Plan; North Cascades National Park Service Complex; Whatcom,
Skagit and Chelan Counties, WA; Notice of Availability
Summary: Pursuant to section 102(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended), the National Park
Service in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Fish and
Wildlife has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and
Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan. The DEIS identifies and
evaluates four alternatives for management of non-native fish in the
natural mountain lakes within North Cascades National Park Service
Complex and the Stephen Mather Wilderness. Appropriate mitigation
strategies are assessed, and an ``environmentally preferred''
alternative is also identified. When approved, the Mountain Lakes
Fishery Management Plan (Plan) will govern all fishery management
actions, including potential removal of self-sustaining populations of
non-native fish and fish stocking.
Background: The National Park Service (NPS) manages North Cascades
National Park, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, and Ross Lake
National Recreation Area collectively as the North Cascades National
Park Service Complex (hereafter referred to as ``North Cascades''). The
Congressionally designated Stephen Mather Wilderness covers ninety-
three percent of North Cascades. The rugged, wilderness landscape of
North Cascades contains 240 natural mountain lakes. The lakes are
naturally fishless due to impassable topographic barriers. Though
naturally barren of fish, these lakes contain a rich array of native
aquatic life including plankton, aquatic insects, frogs and
salamanders.
In the late 1800's, settlers began stocking lakes within the
present-day boundaries of North Cascades with various species of non-
native trout for food and recreation. By the 20th century, fish
stocking was a routine lake enhancement practice for the U.S. Forest
Service, various counties, and individuals. Then upon its inception in
1933, the Washington Department of Game (WDG; now the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife, or WDFW) assumed responsibility for
stocking mountain lakes throughout the state to create and maintain a
recreational fishery. The state's involvement grew largely out of the
need to prevent haphazard stocking by individuals without biological
expertise. With particular emphasis on systematic assessment of fish
species and stocking rates, the WDG conducted the first high lakes
fisheries research and developed many principles central to fisheries
management today.
After North Cascades was established in 1968, a conflict over fish
stocking emerged between the NPS and WDFW. The conflict was driven by
fundamental policy differences: NPS policies prohibited stocking so as
to protect native ecosystems; WDFW policies encouraged stocking to
enhance recreation. To reconcile the conflict and foster cooperative
management, the NPS and WDFW entered into a fisheries management
agreement in 1988 with the purpose of ``establishing a mutually agreed
to list of lakes within the boundaries of North Cascades National Park
which the department [would] stock with fish as part of its fish
management program.'' The agreement identified 40 lakes for stocking
and specified that ``research results [would] be considered in future
decisions''.
Shortly thereafter, the NPS initiated a long-term research effort
through Oregon State University to evaluate the ecological effects of
fish stocking on native biota in mountain lakes. To ensure objectivity
and scientific merit, an independent peer review panel of subject
matter experts was established to evaluate research results. The final
phase of this research effort was completed in July, 2002. The complete
research results are posted on the Plan/DEIS Web site (https://
www.nps.gov/noca/highlakes.htm), however key conclusions include:
Lakes with high densities of self-sustaining (i.e.,
reproducing) trout populations had significantly fewer salamanders and
zooplankton than fishless lakes;
There was no significant difference in salamander or
zooplankton abundance between fishless lakes and lakes with stocked
(i.e., non-reproducing) fish;
Native biota (e.g., salamanders, zooplankton) appeared to
be at greatest risk in lakes with (1) relatively high nitrogen
concentrations, (2) relatively warm water and (3) self-sustaining trout
populations present in high densities.
[[Page 30971]]
These risk factors were found in six of the 83 lakes studied.
Purpose and Need: The purpose of the Plan/DEIS is to develop a
comprehensive management plan for natural mountain lakes that conserves
native biological integrity and provides a spectrum of recreational
opportunities and visitor experiences, including sport fishing. The
Plan/DEIS is needed to resolve the long-standing debate and conflicts
over fish stocking in the naturally fishless mountain lakes in North
Cascades.
In most NPS units, natural resources (including lakes and fish) are
managed in accord with the Organic Act of 1916 and in concert with NPS
management policies which allow sport fishing unless it is specifically
prohibited. NPS policies, however, prohibit fish stocking in most NPS
waters. In North Cascades, fish have historically been managed by a
combination of agencies and user groups. This is partly because the
enabling legislation for North Cascades does not define angling
activities that would be allowed within its boundaries, and partly
because the area has a history of fish management by WDFW and
affiliated sport fishing groups (whose practices pre-date the 1968
establishment of North Cascades by many years).
The lakes that are the focus of this Plan/DEIS are the 91 mountain
lakes (out of 240 lakes) that were once naturally fishless but have had
some history of fish stocking since the late 1800's. Due to differences
in missions and policies between the NPS and WDFW, the two agencies
drafted a Memorandum of Understanding in 1985, and a Supplemental
Agreement in 1988 that established a mutually agreed to list of lakes
in the National Park portion of the Complex that WDFW would stock with
fish as part of its fish management program while further studies into
the ecological effects of non-native fish in mountain lakes were
conducted. A long term research study was then initiated. Before the
research could be completed, the North Cascades Conservation Council
challenged the NPS in court on its decision to allow fish stocking to
continue or reproducing populations of fish to remain. In a 1991
Consent Decree, the U.S. District Court (Western District of
Washington) indicated the NPS should complete its research and then
``conduct a NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act] review of the fish
stocking of naturally fish-free lakes.'' The research was completed in
July 2002 by a team that included scientists from the U.S. Geological
Survey (Biological Resources Division) and Oregon State University.
This Plan/DEIS was initiated upon completion of the research, and
initiates the conservation planning and environmental impact analysis
process required by the 1991 Consent Decree.
Primary Issues: Key issues which were addressed in preparing the
DEIS/Plan included:
Predation and Competition. Non-native fish have measurably
changed composition and abundance of native aquatic organisms in some
lakes, with the most significant impacts caused by reproducing
populations of stocked fish that have become self-sustaining.
Hybridization with Native Fish. Non-native fish are
dispersing downstream from some lakes and hybridizing (i.e.,
interbreeding) with native fish, which could harm bull trout (federally
Threatened), westslope cutthroat trout and other native trout
populations.
Conflicting Social/Wilderness Values. Some stakeholders
strongly oppose the management of a non-native fishery in national
park/wilderness lakes that were naturally fishless. Others believe that
the mountain lakes fishery provides an unparalleled opportunity for
high lakes fishing that cannot be duplicated elsewhere.
Legislative ambiguity: The enabling legislation and
legislative history for North Cascades are not clear with respect to
fish stocking, thus the NPS believes an affirmative legislative
clarification from Congress would be needed in order to justify
continued fish stocking in naturally fishless mountain lakes in the
North Cascades/Stephen Mather Wilderness.
Proposed Plan and Alternatives: As the proposed Mountain Lakes
Fishery Management Plan, Alternative B (the ``agency preferred''
alternative) would implement an adaptive management framework for
allowing continued stocking of select lakes with a history of fish
stocking. To minimize ecological risks, sterile trout incapable of
reproducing would be stocked at low densities to provide continued
angling opportunities. Self-sustaining populations of trout would be
removed from all lakes (where feasible) using gill-nets in combination
with electrofishing, spawning habitat exclusion, and application of the
piscicide antimycin. Fishery management actions would be monitored and
evaluated to enable adaptive management and ensure conservation of
biological integrity. Implementation of this Alternative would require
affirmative clarification from Congress regarding the appropriateness
of continued fish stocking in the North Cascades/Stephen Mather
Wilderness.
Alternative A (the ``No Action'' alternative) provides a baseline
for analyzing and comparing the three ``action'' alternatives. Under
this alternative, fishery management actions would continue in accord
with the terms and conditions of the 1988 Supplemental Agreement with
the WDFW. This agreement provides for continued stocking of select
lakes in North Cascades National Park. Continued implementation of this
alternative would require clarification from Congress regarding the
appropriateness of continued fish stocking in the North Cascades/
Stephen Mather Wilderness.
Alternative C would include continued maintenance of the mountain
lakes sport fishery (i.e., fish stocking) in select lakes in Ross Lake
National Recreation Area and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Fish
stocking would be discontinued in North Cascades National Park.
Otherwise, the adaptive management framework for Alternative C would be
similar to Alternative B. Alternative C would conform to NPS policies
regarding fish stocking in National Recreation Area waters. However,
Alternative C would still require clarification from Congress regarding
the appropriateness of continued fish stocking in the Stephen Mather
Wilderness.
Alternative D would discontinue fish stocking in all mountain lakes
in North Cascades. This alternative would establish a long-term goal of
removing, wherever feasible, self-sustaining populations of non-native
trout in approximately 37 lakes using the removal methods described for
Alternative B.
Scoping History: Public scoping formally began on January 16, 2003,
with the Federal Register publication of the Notice of Intent to
prepare an environmental impact statement. A news release for the
public scoping meetings was sent on February 14, 2003 to 12 local and
regional news media. A public scoping brochure was mailed in early
March 2003 to a comprehensive list of government agencies,
organizations, businesses, and individuals. In late March 2003, the NPS
and WDFW held four public scoping meetings in the surrounding
communities of Sedro-Woolley, Wenatchee, Bellevue and Seattle. The NPS
received 248 comments during the public scoping period, which formally
concluded on April 18, 2004. A public scoping report is available on
the park's project Web site: (https://www.nps.gov/noca/highlakes.htm).
Comments and Public Meetings: The public review and comment period
will
[[Page 30972]]
extend 90 days from the date the EPA publishes its notice of filing of
the Plan/DEIS in the Federal Register. Immediately upon confirmation,
this date will be announced on the park's project Web site. The Plan/
DEIS will be mailed directly to those who requested copies during
public scoping, and may be downloaded from the project Web site and on
CD-ROM. Copies will also be available for review at park headquarters
in Sedro-Woolley, the main visitor center in Newhalem, and at local and
regional libraries. Printed or CD-ROM copies may also be requested by
telephone (360) 856-5700 ext.351. In addition, a Public Comment
Newsletter will be distributed. All comments must be submitted in
writing and postmarked or transmitted not later than 90 days from the
date EPA publishes their notice of filing. Responses should be
addressed to: Superintendent, Attn: Draft EIS/Mountain Lakes Fishery
Management Plan, North Cascades National Park Service Complex, 810
State Route 20, Sedro Woolley, WA 98284. Reviewers are encouraged to
submit comments, ideas or questions on-line at the PEPC Web site
(https://parkplanning.nps.gov); search under park name for North
Cascades National Park to find the Plan/EIS and an on-line comment
form. Written comments may also be faxed to (360) 856-1934, or
submitted at one of the public meetings (see below).
Please note that names and addresses of people who comment become
part of the public record. If individuals commenting request that their
name or/and address be withheld from public disclosure, it will be
honored to the extent allowable by law. Such requests must be stated
prominently in the beginning of the comments. There also may be
circumstances wherein the NPS will withhold from the administrative
record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. As always: The NPS
will make available to public inspection all submissions from
organizations or businesses and from persons identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations and businesses; and,
anonymous comments may not be considered.
To facilitate exchange of information and public understanding of
the proposal, the NPS in coordination with the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife will host public meetings in Sedro-Woolley,
Wenatchee, and the Seattle area. At this time several meetings are
expected to be held during summer 2005--a schedule of confirmed dates,
locations and times will be announced via the Public Comment
Newsletter, local and regional news media, and the park's project Web
site; or may be obtained by telephone at (360) 856-5700 ext.351.
Participants are strongly encouraged to review the document prior
to attending a meeting. The Superintendent of North Cascades and
planning team members, including WDFW personnel will attend all
meetings. The format will be the same for all meetings, and will
include a brief presentation on the essential elements of the Plan/DEIS
and a question and answer period. Brief oral comments and written
comments will also be received. All meeting locations will be
accessible for disabled persons, and a sign language interpreter may be
available upon request with prior notice (please contact the park as
noted above).
Decision: Following careful consideration of all comments received
on the Plan/DEIS, completion of the Final Mountain Lakes Fishery
Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement is anticipated for
spring 2006 (actual timing will depend upon the degree of public
interest and response from agencies and organizations). Thereafter the
Record of Decision would be completed not sooner than 30 days after the
Final EIS is distributed. As a delegated EIS, the official responsible
for the final decision is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region;
subsequently, the official responsible for implementation will be the
Superintendent, North Cascades National Park Service Complex.
Dated: March 23, 2005.
Martha K. Leicester,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 05-10729 Filed 5-27-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
