Final White-tailed Deer Management Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, Valley Forge National Historical Park, PA, 61699-61701 [E9-28060]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• National Park Service

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 226 (Wednesday, November 25, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61699-61701]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-28060]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Final White-tailed Deer Management Plan, Environmental Impact 
Statement, Valley Forge National Historical Park, PA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Final 
White-tailed Deer Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement 
for Valley Forge National Historical Park.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the National Park Service (NPS) 
announces the availability of the Record of Decision for the Final 
White-tailed Deer Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (Final 
plan/EIS) for Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania. The 
Regional Director, Northeast Region, has approved the Record of 
Decision for the Final plan/EIS, selecting Alternative D, Combined 
Lethal and Nonlethal Actions, which was described as the NPS preferred 
alternative in the Final plan/EIS, released to the public for the 
required 30-day no-action period beginning August 28, 2009 and ending 
September 28, 2009. The Record of Decision includes a statement of the 
decision made, synopses of other alternatives considered, the basis for 
the decision, a description of the environmentally preferred 
alternative, a finding on impairment of park resources and values, a 
description of consistency with Section 101(b) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act, a listing of measures to minimize 
environmental harm, and an overview of public involvement in the 
decision-making process. As soon as practicable, the National Park 
Service will begin to implement the selected alternative.
    Copies of the Record of Decision may be downloaded from the NPS 
Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) Web site (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/vafo) or a hardcopy may be obtained from the 
contact listed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristina M. Heister, Natural Resource 
Manager, Valley Forge National Historical Park, 1400 North Outer Line 
Drive, King of Prussia, PA 19406, (610) 783-0252, or online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/vafo.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Development of the Environmental Impact 
Statement for the White-tailed Deer Management Plan for Valley Forge 
National Historical Park was initiated in 2006, pursuant to the 2006 
House Appropriations Report (HR 109-465): ``The public has been patient 
as the NPS has worked through its process in regard to management of 
the over-abundance of white-tailed deer at the park. Within existing 
funds, NPS is directed to begin the environmental impact statement for 
deer management. The Committee expects that the plan will be funded 
fully so that it can be completed in fiscal year 2008. The Committee 
further expects that implementation of the selected action will begin 
immediately upon signing of the Record of Decision.''
    The purpose of the plan/EIS is to develop a white-tailed deer 
management strategy that supports long-term protection, preservation, 
and restoration of native vegetation and other natural and cultural 
resources while maintaining a deer population at Valley Forge NHP. 
Forest regeneration has been selected as the primary measure of plan 
success. Although other factors may affect forest regeneration, such as 
the forest canopy, nonnative invasive species, pests/disease, fire, and 
forest fragmentation, this plan focuses on the role and impact of 
white-tailed deer in the ecological environment, which has been 
documented through research and long-term monitoring at Valley Forge 
NHP. The secondary purpose of the plan/EIS is to provide appropriate 
response to chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal, neurological 
disease identified in free-ranging and captive mule deer, white-tailed 
deer, elk, and moose. CWD is not currently known to be present in the 
park or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; however, changes in the 
proximity of CWD to the park boundary and other risk factors have 
resulted in an elevated risk of CWD occurrence within the park; 
therefore, integration of CWD response into white-tailed deer 
management represents an effort on the part of the NPS to be proactive 
and fully prepared given the high level of risk of the park for 
exposure to and amplification of CWD.
    The following objectives related to deer management at Valley Forge 
NHP were developed for the plan.

Vegetation

     Protect arid promote restoration of the natural abundance, 
distribution, structure, and composition of native plant communities by 
reducing deer browsing.
     Reduce deer browsing pressure enough to promote tree and 
shrub regeneration that results in a diverse forest structure dominated 
by native species.
     Promote a mix of native herbaceous plant species and 
reduce the competitive advantage of invasive, nonnative plant species.

Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat

     Maintain a white-tailed deer population within the park 
that allows for protection and restoration of native plant communities.
     Protect and preserve other native wildlife species by 
promoting the restoration of native plant communities.
     Reduce the probability of occurrence, promote early 
detection, and reduce the probability of spread of chronic wasting 
disease.

Threatened, Endangered, and Special Status Species

     Protect and promote restoration of special status plant 
and animal species and their habitat.

Cultural Resources

     Protect the integrity of the cultural landscape, including 
the patterns of open versus wooded land, commemorative plantings, and 
vegetative screenings.
     Protect archeological resources by promoting the growth 
and maintenance of native vegetative cover and reducing trampling and 
soil erosion.

The NPS has selected Alternative D (Combined Lethal and Nonlethal 
Actions), which was described as the NPS preferred alternative in the 
Final

[[Page 61700]]

plan/ETS. The selected alternative continues current deer management 
actions, including vegetation and deer population monitoring, small 
fenced areas, roadkill removal, public education, coordination with the 
PGC, and CWD monitoring and response. In addition, the selected 
alternative includes two lethal actions (sharpshooting and capture and 
euthanasia in certain circumstances where sharpshooting is not 
appropriate) that will be used in combination to reduce deer population 
size and a non-lethal action (reproductive control) to maintain the 
deer population at the desired density. These actions will be conducted 
by qualified Federal employees or contractors. The selected alternative 
establishes a range of 31 to 35 deer per square mile as the initial 
deer density goal. This deer density is consistent with the density 
range reported in the scientific literature as necessary for adequate 
tree regeneration and reflects the documented deer density at the park 
in 1983, when habitat was considered in good condition. Up to four 
years will be required to reach this goal given the limited 
accessibility of some areas and increased difficulty in locating deer 
as the population size decreases.
    Forest regeneration has been selected as the primary measure of 
plan success; therefore, tree seedlings will be monitored to determine 
at what point the browsing impacts will warrant implementation of the 
management actions contained in the selected alternative. Because the 
goal is to manage for successful forest regeneration within the park 
and not for deer density, the selected alternative incorporates an 
adaptive management strategy to better manage based on the uncertainty 
concerning the impacts the change in deer population densities will 
have on vegetation recovery. The results of deer removal would be 
documented annually through monitoring of forest regeneration so that 
the number of deer to be removed could be adjusted based on the 
response of the vegetation to a lower deer density. If monitoring 
indicated that vegetation was not regenerating, management actions 
would be adjusted.
    By using an adaptive management approach, park managers will be 
able to change the timing or intensity of management treatments to 
better meet the goals of the plan as new information is obtained.
    The selected alternative includes measures to respond to detection 
of CWD. Should chronic wasting disease (CWD) be confirmed within five 
miles of the park boundary or the park falls within a State established 
CWD-containment zone then active lethal surveillance will be 
implemented (lethal removal of deer for the purposes of assessing 
disease presence, prevalence, and distribution). Portions of the plan 
related to CWD were prepared in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Game 
Commission.
    In addition to the selected alternative, two other action 
alternatives and the no action alternative were presented and analyzed 
in the Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statements.
    Alternative A (no action) would continue the existing deer 
management activities of monitoring deer population size and 
vegetation, small scale fencing of selected vegetation, removal of deer 
killed on roadways, public education, coordination with the 
Pennsylvania Game Commission, and continuation of limited CWD 
surveillance; no new deer management actions would be implemented.
    Alternative B, Combined Nonlethal Actions, would combine several 
non-lethal actions, including large-scale rotational fencing of 10% to 
15% of the park's forested area and reproductive control of does to 
gradually reduce deer population in the park. Chronic wasting disease 
surveillance would include live testing (via tonsillar biopsy) and 
removal of CWD-positive individuals.
    Alternative C, Combined Lethal Actions, would use qualified Federal 
employees or contractors to directly reduce the deer population in the 
park through sharpshooting and through capture and euthanasia, where 
appropriate. CWD response would include rapid reduction of the deer 
population to the target deer density and the potential for a one-time 
reduction action to not less than 10 deer per square mile through 
sharpshooting and through capture and euthanasia. These actions would 
be taken for the purposes of assessing disease presence, prevalence, 
and distribution. These actions may also minimize the likelihood of CWD 
becoming established, minimize the likelihood of amplification and 
spread if the disease is introduced, and promote elimination of CWD, if 
possible.
    To identify the selected alternative, the planning team ranked each 
alternative based on: (1) The ability to meet the individual plan 
objectives; and (2) the potential impacts on the environment. The 
rankings were added up to determine which alternative best met the 
objectives. Alternatives C and D were closely ranked in their ability 
to meet all of the objectives. The NPS also considered the safety of 
implementing each alternative in identifying the selected alternative. 
Under Alternative D, the time that shooting would occur in the park 
would be less than under Alternative C. Because Alternative D maintains 
the efficiency of Alternative C in meeting the plan objectives and 
further improves safety by reducing the time that sharpshooting 
activities would occur in the park, Alternative D was selected for 
implementation.
    The foreseeable environmental consequences of the selected 
alternative were fully assessed and documented in the Final plan/EIS. 
All practicable means to avoid and minimize environmental harm that 
could result from implementation of the selected alternative have been 
identified and incorporated into the selected alternative. After review 
of the potential environmental effects, the alternative selected for 
implementation will not impair park resources or values and will not 
violate the NPS Organic Act.
    This decision is the result of a public planning process that began 
in 2006. At different points in the development of the plan/EIS, the 
NPS provided information and updates via newsletters, news releases, 
public meetings, the park Web site, and briefings. A Notice of Intent 
to prepare an ETS was published in the Federal Register on September 7, 
2006, initiating a 90-day public scoping period between September 7, 
2006 and December 8, 2006. Two public scoping meetings were held to 
facilitate the public involvement process early in the planning stage 
and to obtain community feedback on the initial concepts for deer 
management at Valley Forge NHP. The results of public scoping were 
documented in a Public Comment Analysis Report which was provided for 
public review on the park Web site (https://www.nps.gov/vafo) and on 
PEPC (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/vafo).
    A Notice of Availability of the Draft White-tailed Deer Management 
Plan/EIS (Draft plan/EIS) for Valley Forge NHP was published in the 
Federal Register on December 19, 2008. The Draft plan/EIS was available 
for a 60-day public and agency review from December 19, 2008 through 
February 17, 2009. Copies of the document were distributed to 
individuals, agencies, organizations, and local libraries. Two public 
meetings were held in January, 2009. Comments received on the Draft 
plan/EIS related to general lethal reduction, objectives in taking 
action, and the preferred combined lethal and nonlethal alternative. 
The majority of these comments were nonsubstantive. Comments in support 
of Alternative D: Combined Lethal and Nonlethal Actions were the second 
most common

[[Page 61701]]

comment. Comments received on the Draft plan/EIS resulted in minor 
factual changes to the text, and an update of Appendix E: Review of 
White-tailed Deer Reproductive Control, with current literature, expert 
review and comments, and more detailed explanation of criteria for an 
acceptable chemical reproductive control agent. Associated sections of 
the Final plan/EIS were updated to reflect changes to Appendix E. A 
summary of public comments and NPS responses is contained in Appendix F 
of the Final plan/EIS. A Notice of Availability of the Final plan/EIS 
was published in the Federal Register on August 28, 2009. The 30-day 
no-action period ended on September 28, 2009.
    The official primarily responsible for implementing the updated 
General Management Plan is the Superintendent of Valley Forge National 
Historical Park.

Dennis R. Reidenbach,
Regional Director, Northeast Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. E9-28060 Filed 11-24-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE M