The National Park Service and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are actively soliciting input from the public regarding a preliminary Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) focused on assessing potential strategies for reintroducing grizzly bears to the North Cascades Ecosystem region.
As you know, Washington ranchers are already impacted by livestock predation caused by wolves and this problem will only be made worse with the inclusion of a second predator. Grizzly bears will threaten rural communities, and cost our ranchers dearly.
DATES:
The current comment period runs till November 13, 2023. We encourage WCA members to write about how this policy will impact their ranch and operations.
ADDRESSES:
Comment submission: To submit comments for consideration in development of the EIS, you may use any one of the following methods:
To provide electronic comments, click here.
Hard copy comments on the draft EIS can be submitted by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to:
Office of the Superintendent
Grizzly Restoration EIS
810 State Route 20
Sedro-Woolley WA
98284
Hard copy comments on the proposed 10(j) rule can be submitted by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to:
Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R1–ES–2023–0074
Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
MS: PRB/3W
5275 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church VA 22041–3803
Document availability:
Information regarding the public scoping process for the EIS and virtual public meetings is available for public review online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/NCEGrizzly;
or
by appointment in the Office of the Superintendent, 810 State Route 20, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 (360-854-7200, telephone); and in the Washington Fish and Wildlife Office, 500 Desmond Dr. SE, Lacey, WA 98503 (360-753-9440, telephone).
There are three public meeting opportunities on:
Virtual Public Meeting on Draft EIS and Proposed 10(j) Rule
Date: October 17, 2023
Time: 7:00PM-8:30PM
Location: Microsoft Teams Click here to access the webinar.
In-Person Public Meeting on Draft EIS and Proposed 10(j) Rule
Date: October 30, 2023
Time: 5:30PM-8:30PM
Location: Okanogan County Fairgrounds: Agriplex and Annex
175 Rodeo Trail Rd
Okanogan WA 98840
In-Person
Public Meeting on Draft EIS and Proposed 10(j) Rule
Date: November 1, 2023
Time: 5:30PM-8:30PM
Location: Currier Hall
500 Newhalem St
Newhalem WA 98283
For links to attend the public meetings, click here.
For full Federal Register information, click here.
Commentaires