North Cascades

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	The NPS is currently seeking public comment on the Draft Plan/EIS. The public comment process helps determine if the draft Plan/EIS is thorough, accurate and adequately addresses environmental issues. The public comment period officially began on May 27, 2005. It was shceduled to end on August 26, 2005. Superintendent Bill Paleck has decided to extend the comment period until September 15, 2005, to give the public more time to comment on the lengthy, complex document. Comments that have already been submitted need not be resubmitted. However, any additional comments will be welcomed, provided they are received by the deadline (or post marked if mailed). The National Park Service, in cooperation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, have prepared a draft Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement(Plan/Eis) for fishery management. The Plan/EIS addresses issues and management of natural mountain lakes within the Park Complex, including North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. The Plan/EIS presents and analyzes four alternatives for management of the mountain lakes fishery, including actions such as fish stocking and removal of reproducing, self-sustaining populations of fish. The decision-making process now underway will lead to one alternative becoming the final “Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan,” which will guide future actions for the next 15 years. For more information, please scroll through the links below. Public Comments The next phase of the EIS planning process is to solicit public comments. The public comment process helps determine if the draft Plan/EIS is thorough, accurate and adequately addresses environmental issues. The public comment period officially begins upon EPA publication of a Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register and requires a minimum of 60 calendar days. The draft Plan/EIS, is a large, complex document, so North Cascades’ Superintendent Bill Paleck has established a 90 calendar day review period to ensure the public has ample time to submit comments. You can review and comment on the Plan/EIS on-line at the NPS Planning Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website Click on the “Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan/EIS” link. The complete Plan/EIS is available here, and you can submit your comments on line using the website. Planning Environment and Public Comment If you would prefer to have a paper or CD copy of the Plan/EIS, please call the park at 360-856-5700 extension 351 or write to the Superintendent at the address below. If you would prefer to send written comments other than e-mail, fax them to 360-856-1934 or mail them to: Superintendent William F. Paleck ATTN: Draft Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan/EIS North Cascades National Park Service Complex 810 State Route 20 Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 Public Meetings During the week of July 25 (approx. 60 days after the start of the comment period), the NPS will hold public meetings at the following locations to receive input on the contents of the draft plan/EIS: Monday, July 25, 2005: Best Western Cottontree Inn, 2300 Market Street, Mount Vernon, WA Tuesday, July 26, 2005: Sheraton Bellevue Hotel, 100 112th Avenue N.E., Bellevue, WA Wednesday, July 27, 2005: The Mountaineers Headquarters, 300 Third Avenue West, Seattle, WA Thursday, July 28, 2005: Red Lion Hotel, 1225 North Wenatchee Avenue, Wenatchee, WA All meetings will follow the same format. The meetings will take place from 7-9 p.m. (the doors will open at 6:30). The NPS will give very brief welcoming remarks, then solicit public comments for the duration of the meeting. Each commenter will be given three minutes to speak. The three-minute timeframe will ensure that everyone who desires to speak will be able to do so. A court reporter will record all oral comments. For more information on the planning process, including the background and history of mountain lakes fishery management, please scroll through the links below. For additional information, please contact Roy Zipp, Natural Resources Specialist (roy_zipp@nps.gov; 360-873-4590 ext. 31). Public Scoping Report (PDF) Public Scoping Meetings Brochure (PDF). Public Meeting Handout (HTML) (PDF) News Releases North Cascades National Park Service Complex Seeks Comments on Fishery Management February 14, 2003 Administrative History of the Fish Stocking Controversy Mountain lakes fisheries management has been a contentious issue ever since North Cascades National Park Service Complex was established in 1968. Questions over NPS jurisdiction and management authority, conflicting policies between the state and the NPS, and lingering misperceptions on the part of various stakeholders have all contributed to the controversy. NPS Historian David Louter, Ph.D, has painstakingly researched and written the following paper that clarifies the administrative history of fisheries management in the Complex. We hope that it will help all interested parties understand the history of the fish stocking controversy and the challenges the NPS faces in securing a lasting resolution. (HTML) (PDF)   The Washington State Trail Blazers have also researched the administrative history of the fish stocking controversy and written a whitepaper entitled The Historical Case for Fish Stocking in the North Cascades National Park. At the request of the Trail Blazers (www.watrailblazers.org), and to meet the stated EIS objective of "Provid[ing] full and open access to available information to the public and interested parties", the paper is also available for downloading. (PDF) .   Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife As an outgrowth of the EIS planning process, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently completed their first comprehensive review and summary of the high lake fishery management program in North Cascades. The report documents current management practices and includes a comprehensive list of management recommendations for improving fishery management. Many of these management recommendations will be part of the Management Alternatives B and C in the Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan/Draft EIS. To view this comprehensive report, link to: WDFW (North Cascades National Park High Lakes Fishery Management Report) . Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently also completed their first comprehensive review and summary of the statewide high lake fishery management program. The report discusses the history, goals and unique aspects of high lakes fishery management, including angler participation and the economic value of the fishery. The report documents current management practices and includes a comprehensive list of research needs and management recommendations for improving fishery management across the state. To view this comprehensive report, link to: WDFW (Comprehensive Review and Summary of High Lakes Fishery Management Program). Ecological Research In the late 1980's the NPS realized that more information on the ecological effects of introduced fish was needed for management decisions. The following reports contain nearly twelve years of research into this very complex subject: "Ecological Effects of Stocked Trout in Naturally Fishless High-Elevation Lakes, North Cascades National Park Service Complex (March 1995)" (HTML) "Ecological Effects of Stocked Trout in Naturally Fishless High-Elevation Lakes, North Cascades National Park Service Complex: Phase II (April 1999)" (HTML) "Ecological Impact of Introduced Trout on Native Aquatic Communities in Mountain Lakes, North Cascades National Park Service Complex: Phase III Final Report (July 2002)" (HTML) (PDF) "Native Salamanders and Introduced Fish in Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks" (PDF) Fish, such as brook trout, have been introduced to naturally fishless mountain lakes and ponds for recreational purposes across the Pacific Northwest. The latest fact sheet from the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) of the U.S. Geological Survey, titled, "Native Salamanders and Introduced Fish: changing the nature of mountain lakes and ponds," highlights the impacts of introduced fish on native salamander populations and pond and lake ecosystems in Mount Rainier National Park and North Cascades National Park. The long-toed(Ambystoma macrodactlyum) and Northwestern (Ambystoma gracile) salamanders do not live together in the same lakes and ponds; therefore, the effects on salamander populations depend on the particular lakes into which fish were introduced. Fish prey on salamander larvae, replacing the salamanders at the top of the food chain. Additionally, fish prey upon organisms that live in bottom sediments and terrestrial insects that become stranded on the water's surface, altering the nutrient cycle of lakes. Salamander populations rebound once fish are removed from lakes and ponds. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Process The NEPA process is an objective analysis of a proposed action to determine the degree of its environmental and interrelated social and economic impacts on the human environment, alternatives and mitigation to reduce that impact. It also includes the full and candid presentation of the analysis to, and involvement of, the interested and affected public. An EIS is a detailed NEPA document that is prepared when a proposed action or alternatives have the potential for significant impact on the human environment. The Notice of Intent (HTML) (PDF) is a document submitted to the Federal Register stating that an EIS will be prepared. It describes the proposed action and alternatives, identifies a contact person in the NPS, and gives time, place, and descriptive details of the agency's proposed scoping process. (The deadline for public comments on the Notice of Intent was extended to April 18, 2003.)
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