Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Rat Eradication From Four Uninhabited Aleutian Islands; Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, AK, 77538-77539 [2024-21714]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
77538
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 184 / Monday, September 23, 2024 / Notices
(4) Ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on those
who are to respond; including through
the use of appropriate automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of responses.
HUD encourages interested parties to
submit comment in response to these
questions.
C. Authority
Section 3507 of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C.
chapter 35.
Jeffrey D. Little,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office
of Housing.
[FR Doc. 2024–21668 Filed 9–20–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R7–NWRS–2024–0032;
FXRS126107ISLAN–245–FF07R02000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
Rat Eradication From Four Uninhabited
Aleutian Islands; Alaska Maritime
National Wildlife Refuge, AK
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
We, the Fish and Wildlife
Service, intend to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS)
for a proposed project to eradicate
nonnative rats from four uninhabited
islands (Amchitka, Attu, Great Sitkin,
and Kiska Islands) located in the Alaska
Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service is a cooperating agency on the
EIS. We invite comments for
consideration in establishing the scope
and content of the EIS from the public
and local, State, Tribal, and Federal
agencies.
SUMMARY:
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
DATES:
Submitting comments: We must
receive written data or comments by
November 7, 2024.
Public meeting: The Service will hold
a public scoping meeting in Anchorage,
Alaska. A virtual participation option
will also be available. If you wish to
participate virtually, contact the person
in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT no
later than two days prior to the meeting.
The date, time, and location of the
meeting will be announced through
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:50 Sep 20, 2024
Jkt 262001
local media and social media, and on
the project website (https://
www.fws.gov/ratfreealeutians).
ADDRESSES: You may submit scoping
comments by any one of the following
methods:
• In-person: At the public scoping
meeting, you may submit written
comments to Service personnel or to the
court reporter monitoring the meeting
and typing up a record.
• Online: https://
www.regulations.gov. Search for and
submit comments on Docket No. FWS–
R7–NWRS–2024–0032.
• U.S. mail: Public Comments
Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R7–
NWRS–2024–0032; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W; 5275
Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041–
3803.
For more information, see ‘‘Public
Comment Procedures’’ under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Steve Delehanty, Refuge Manager, via
telephone at 907–226–4627, via email at
steve_delehanty@fws.gov, or via U.S.
mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife
Refuge, 95 Sterling Highway, Homer,
AK, 99603. Please also visit the project
website at https://www.fws.gov/
aleutianrateis. Individuals in the United
States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may
dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to
access telecommunications relay
services. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the
Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
intend to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA; 42 U.S.C 4321 et seq.), the
Council on Environmental Quality’s
regulations for implementing NEPA (40
CFR parts 1500–1508), and the
Department of the Interior’s NEPA
regulations (43 CFR part 46) for a
proposed project to eradicate nonnative
rats from four uninhabited islands
(Amchitka, Attu, Great Sitkin, and Kiska
Islands) located in the Alaska Maritime
National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). The
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) is a cooperating agency
on the EIS. We invite comments from
the public and local, State, Tribal, and
Federal agencies on the scope of the
analysis, potential alternatives, and
identification of relevant information,
studies, and analyses.
PO 00000
Frm 00068
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Purpose and Need for the Proposed
Action
The purpose of the proposed action is
to eradicate nonnative rats from
Amchitka, Attu, Great Sitkin, and Kiska
Islands in the Aleutian archipelago, in
order to eliminate their impacts on
native species and to restore natural
island ecosystems. Nonnative rats occur
on these four uninhabited islands,
where they have impacted native
wildlife populations and altered natural
ecosystem function.
The Refuge encompasses over 1.9
million hectares and several thousand
coastal islands in Alaska. The long-term
management strategies for the Refuge
are guided by its record of decision for
its Final Comprehensive Conservation
Plan/Environmental Impact Statement
and Wilderness Review (plan) (FWS
1988). The wildlife management goal of
the selected management alternative in
the plan is to protect existing fish and
wildlife populations and habitats,
restore endangered and other species to
natural levels, and increase
opportunities for wildlife viewing and
other nonconsumptive uses. One of the
strategies identified to meet this goal is
the eradication of introduced predators
and rodents. Many Refuge islands have
had accidental and intentional
introductions of nonendemic mammals
(e.g., Arctic and red fox, ground
squirrel, Norway rat, house mouse,
caribou, reindeer, cattle, and Arctic and
European hare). Although new
introductions are prohibited, accidental
introductions, particularly of rodents,
are still of great concern.
Action is needed because rats have
invaded at least 12 large islands in the
Aleutian Island archipelago, including
Amchitka, Attu, Great Sitkin, and Kiska
Islands, and the diversity and numbers
of breeding birds are conspicuously low
on islands with established populations
of introduced rats, which is consistent
with worldwide observations of the
devastating direct impacts of introduced
rats on seabirds. Most of the Aleutian
Islands lying within the Refuge provide
important breeding habitat for seabirds,
including many bird species for which
the Aleutians provide a substantial
portion of their worldwide range. Ratcaused modifications to other
components of the island ecosystems
(e.g., other birds, plants, and
invertebrates) are also evident.
The restoration of Aleutian
ecosystems through eradications of
introduced predators has long been
identified as a management priority for
the Refuge. Introduced foxes have been
removed from over 40 islands in the
Aleutians, while Norway rats have been
E:\FR\FM\23SEN1.SGM
23SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 184 / Monday, September 23, 2024 / Notices
successfully eradicated from 1. In 2008,
the Refuge and partner organizations
demonstrated that Norway rats could be
successfully eradicated from Hawadax
Island, and that the eradication could
have a positive impact on native
wildlife communities.
Post-eradication monitoring found
significant recoveries of terrestrial birds
and shorebirds, and the initial
recolonization or recovery of marine
birds 5 years after eradication. Intertidal
ecosystem recovery was also
documented 11 years post-eradication.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Proposed Action and Possible
Alternatives
The Service intends to eradicate
nonnative rats from four uninhabited
islands in the Refuge. The islands are
remote, and eradication efforts would be
undertaken one single island at a time,
with years between efforts on each
island. The Service is currently
considering four preliminary
alternatives and a no-action alternative.
The Service will identify a preferred
alternative in the final EIS. The
following alternatives are preliminary
and may be revised based on public
input and internal considerations.
• Alternative 1: The no-action
alternative, in which nonnative rats
remain on islands.
• Alternative 2: This alternative
proposes rat eradication primarily using
bait pellets containing the rodenticide
brodifacoum.
• Alternative 3: This alternative
proposes rat eradication primarily using
bait pellets containing the rodenticide
diphacinone.
• Alternative 4: This alternative
analyzes rat eradication using emerging
genetic biocontrol technology to limit
propagation or survival.
• Alternative 5: This alternative
analyzes rat eradication primarily using
bait pellets containing the rodenticide
norbormide.
Summary of Expected Impacts
The overall impact of the proposed
action of eradicating nonnative rats is
anticipated to have a beneficial effect on
the islands’ ecosystems. However, the
EIS analysis will focus on the potential
significant impacts of each alternative.
The Service anticipates impacts to occur
to, but not be limited to, the following
resources from any or all of the
proposed alternatives:
• Access to public lands
• Air quality and climate
• Aquatic and marine environments,
including anadromous and nonanadromous fish and invertebrate
species
• Cultural and historical resources
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:57 Sep 20, 2024
Jkt 262001
•
•
•
•
•
•
Designated Wilderness
Endangered Species Act-listed species
Marine mammals
Migratory birds, including bald eagles
Public health and safety
Socioeconomics, including impacts to
subsistence and recreational fisheries
• Water quality
Anticipated Permits and Authorities
The proposed action may require the
following permits or approvals:
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Wildlife Nuisance permit
• Alaska Department of Natural
Resources Fish Habitat permit
• Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
section 14(h)(1) private land
permission
• Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
permit
• Clean Water Act permit
• Endangered Species Act section 7
consultation
• Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act section 3 pesticide
labels
• Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries
Conservation Act consultations for
essential fish habitat
• Marine Mammal Protection Act
authorization
• Migratory Bird Treaty Act
• Pesticide Use Proposal
• State Historic Preservation Office
section 106 consultation under the
National Historic Preservation Act
• Water Pollution Control Act of 1948,
as amended, National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System permit
Schedule for the Decision-Making
Process
The Service will review and consider
comments received during scoping and
incorporate substantive comments while
writing the draft EIS. The Service
anticipates completion of the draft EIS
in spring 2026, at which time we will
publish a Federal Register notice of
availability requesting public
comments. We will also hold a public
meeting on the draft EIS. We anticipate
making the final EIS available to the
public in fall 2026. In accordance with
40 CFR 1506.10, a record of decision
shall not be made or issued for a
minimum of 30 days after the
publication of the final EIS.
Public Comment Procedures
Public Availability of Comments
If you submit a comment at https://
www.regulations.gov, your entire
comment, including any personal
identifying information, will be posted
on the website. If you submit a
hardcopy comment that includes
PO 00000
Frm 00069
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
77539
personal identifying information, such
as your address, phone number, or
email address, you should be aware that
your entire comment, including your
personal identifying information, may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your hardcopy
comment to withhold your personal
identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
How To Request Reasonable
Accommodations
For assistance at a scoping meeting,
please contact the point of contact in
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Information regarding this project will
be made available in alternate formats
upon request.
Socheata Lor,
Acting Regional Director, Alaska Region.
[FR Doc. 2024–21714 Filed 9–20–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_AZ_FRN_MO4500182907]
Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey;
Arizona
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of official filing.
AGENCY:
The plats of survey of the
following described land were officially
filed in the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), Arizona State Office, Phoenix,
Arizona on the dates indicated. The
surveys announced in this notice are
necessary for the management of lands
administered by the agency indicated.
ADDRESSES: These plats will be available
for inspection in the Arizona State
Office, Bureau of Land Management,
One North Central Avenue, Suite 800,
Phoenix, Arizona 85004–4427. Protests
of any of these surveys should be sent
to the Arizona State Director at the
above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Geoffrey A. Graham, Chief Cadastral
Surveyor of Arizona; (602) 417–9558;
ggraham@blm.gov. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 7–1–1 to leave a
message or question for the above
individual. The FRS is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. You will
receive a reply during normal business
hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\23SEN1.SGM
23SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77538-77539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21714]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R7-NWRS-2024-0032; FXRS126107ISLAN-245-FF07R02000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Rat Eradication From Four Uninhabited Aleutian Islands; Alaska Maritime
National Wildlife Refuge, AK
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, intend to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) for a proposed project to
eradicate nonnative rats from four uninhabited islands (Amchitka, Attu,
Great Sitkin, and Kiska Islands) located in the Alaska Maritime
National Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service is a cooperating agency on the EIS.
We invite comments for consideration in establishing the scope and
content of the EIS from the public and local, State, Tribal, and
Federal agencies.
DATES:
Submitting comments: We must receive written data or comments by
November 7, 2024.
Public meeting: The Service will hold a public scoping meeting in
Anchorage, Alaska. A virtual participation option will also be
available. If you wish to participate virtually, contact the person in
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT no later than two days prior to the
meeting. The date, time, and location of the meeting will be announced
through local media and social media, and on the project website
(https://www.fws.gov/ratfreealeutians).
ADDRESSES: You may submit scoping comments by any one of the following
methods:
In-person: At the public scoping meeting, you may submit
written comments to Service personnel or to the court reporter
monitoring the meeting and typing up a record.
Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and submit
comments on Docket No. FWS-R7-NWRS-2024-0032.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R7-NWRS-2024-0032; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W; 5275
Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
For more information, see ``Public Comment Procedures'' under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Delehanty, Refuge Manager, via
telephone at 907-226-4627, via email at [email protected], or via
U.S. mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Maritime National
Wildlife Refuge, 95 Sterling Highway, Homer, AK, 99603. Please also
visit the project website at https://www.fws.gov/aleutianrateis.
Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in
the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
intend to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) pursuant to
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C 4321 et seq.),
the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations for implementing
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the Department of the Interior's
NEPA regulations (43 CFR part 46) for a proposed project to eradicate
nonnative rats from four uninhabited islands (Amchitka, Attu, Great
Sitkin, and Kiska Islands) located in the Alaska Maritime National
Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is a cooperating agency on
the EIS. We invite comments from the public and local, State, Tribal,
and Federal agencies on the scope of the analysis, potential
alternatives, and identification of relevant information, studies, and
analyses.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose of the proposed action is to eradicate nonnative rats
from Amchitka, Attu, Great Sitkin, and Kiska Islands in the Aleutian
archipelago, in order to eliminate their impacts on native species and
to restore natural island ecosystems. Nonnative rats occur on these
four uninhabited islands, where they have impacted native wildlife
populations and altered natural ecosystem function.
The Refuge encompasses over 1.9 million hectares and several
thousand coastal islands in Alaska. The long-term management strategies
for the Refuge are guided by its record of decision for its Final
Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Impact Statement and
Wilderness Review (plan) (FWS 1988). The wildlife management goal of
the selected management alternative in the plan is to protect existing
fish and wildlife populations and habitats, restore endangered and
other species to natural levels, and increase opportunities for
wildlife viewing and other nonconsumptive uses. One of the strategies
identified to meet this goal is the eradication of introduced predators
and rodents. Many Refuge islands have had accidental and intentional
introductions of nonendemic mammals (e.g., Arctic and red fox, ground
squirrel, Norway rat, house mouse, caribou, reindeer, cattle, and
Arctic and European hare). Although new introductions are prohibited,
accidental introductions, particularly of rodents, are still of great
concern.
Action is needed because rats have invaded at least 12 large
islands in the Aleutian Island archipelago, including Amchitka, Attu,
Great Sitkin, and Kiska Islands, and the diversity and numbers of
breeding birds are conspicuously low on islands with established
populations of introduced rats, which is consistent with worldwide
observations of the devastating direct impacts of introduced rats on
seabirds. Most of the Aleutian Islands lying within the Refuge provide
important breeding habitat for seabirds, including many bird species
for which the Aleutians provide a substantial portion of their
worldwide range. Rat-caused modifications to other components of the
island ecosystems (e.g., other birds, plants, and invertebrates) are
also evident.
The restoration of Aleutian ecosystems through eradications of
introduced predators has long been identified as a management priority
for the Refuge. Introduced foxes have been removed from over 40 islands
in the Aleutians, while Norway rats have been
[[Page 77539]]
successfully eradicated from 1. In 2008, the Refuge and partner
organizations demonstrated that Norway rats could be successfully
eradicated from Hawadax Island, and that the eradication could have a
positive impact on native wildlife communities.
Post-eradication monitoring found significant recoveries of
terrestrial birds and shorebirds, and the initial recolonization or
recovery of marine birds 5 years after eradication. Intertidal
ecosystem recovery was also documented 11 years post-eradication.
Proposed Action and Possible Alternatives
The Service intends to eradicate nonnative rats from four
uninhabited islands in the Refuge. The islands are remote, and
eradication efforts would be undertaken one single island at a time,
with years between efforts on each island. The Service is currently
considering four preliminary alternatives and a no-action alternative.
The Service will identify a preferred alternative in the final EIS. The
following alternatives are preliminary and may be revised based on
public input and internal considerations.
Alternative 1: The no-action alternative, in which
nonnative rats remain on islands.
Alternative 2: This alternative proposes rat eradication
primarily using bait pellets containing the rodenticide brodifacoum.
Alternative 3: This alternative proposes rat eradication
primarily using bait pellets containing the rodenticide diphacinone.
Alternative 4: This alternative analyzes rat eradication
using emerging genetic biocontrol technology to limit propagation or
survival.
Alternative 5: This alternative analyzes rat eradication
primarily using bait pellets containing the rodenticide norbormide.
Summary of Expected Impacts
The overall impact of the proposed action of eradicating nonnative
rats is anticipated to have a beneficial effect on the islands'
ecosystems. However, the EIS analysis will focus on the potential
significant impacts of each alternative. The Service anticipates
impacts to occur to, but not be limited to, the following resources
from any or all of the proposed alternatives:
Access to public lands
Air quality and climate
Aquatic and marine environments, including anadromous and non-
anadromous fish and invertebrate species
Cultural and historical resources
Designated Wilderness
Endangered Species Act-listed species
Marine mammals
Migratory birds, including bald eagles
Public health and safety
Socioeconomics, including impacts to subsistence and
recreational fisheries
Water quality
Anticipated Permits and Authorities
The proposed action may require the following permits or approvals:
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Nuisance permit
Alaska Department of Natural Resources Fish Habitat permit
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act section 14(h)(1) private
land permission
Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act permit
Clean Water Act permit
Endangered Species Act section 7 consultation
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act section 3
pesticide labels
Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Act consultations for
essential fish habitat
Marine Mammal Protection Act authorization
Migratory Bird Treaty Act
Pesticide Use Proposal
State Historic Preservation Office section 106 consultation
under the National Historic Preservation Act
Water Pollution Control Act of 1948, as amended, National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
The Service will review and consider comments received during
scoping and incorporate substantive comments while writing the draft
EIS. The Service anticipates completion of the draft EIS in spring
2026, at which time we will publish a Federal Register notice of
availability requesting public comments. We will also hold a public
meeting on the draft EIS. We anticipate making the final EIS available
to the public in fall 2026. In accordance with 40 CFR 1506.10, a record
of decision shall not be made or issued for a minimum of 30 days after
the publication of the final EIS.
Public Comment Procedures
Public Availability of Comments
If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire
comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted
on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal
identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email
address, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your
personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any
time. While you can ask us in your hardcopy comment to withhold your
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
How To Request Reasonable Accommodations
For assistance at a scoping meeting, please contact the point of
contact in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Information regarding this
project will be made available in alternate formats upon request.
Socheata Lor,
Acting Regional Director, Alaska Region.
[FR Doc. 2024-21714 Filed 9-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
