Date: March 13, 2017
Contact: Denise Shultz, (360) 854-7302
Contact: Ann Froschauer, (360) 753-4370
Sedro Woolley, Wash. – The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will extend the public comment period regarding the proposed alternatives for the restoration of grizzly bears to the North Cascades Ecosystem by 45 days, through April 28, 2017. The agencies received several requests for an extension to the comment period from members of the public and local elected officials.
The goal of the public comment period is to gather comments regarding the draft EIS; public comments received on the draft EIS will be evaluated and considered in the identification of the preferred alternative, which will be published in the Final EIS.
The alternatives analyzed in this draft EIS include a “no-action” alternative, plus three action alternatives that would seek to restore a reproducing population of approximately 200 bears through the capture and release of grizzly bears into the North Cascades Ecosystem. The alternatives were developed by a planning team with input from the public, local, state and federal agencies, and the scientific community.
The public is invited to view the draft EIS and submit written comments through April 28, 2017, online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/grizzlydeis or via regular mail or hand delivery at: Superintendent’s Office, North Cascades National Park Service Complex, 810 State Route 20, Sedro Woolley, WA 98284
Actions proposed on National Forest System lands under the draft EIS are subject to the USDA Forest Service’s pre-decisional objection process. This comment period constitutes the opportunity to establish eligibility to object to the Forest Service’s draft decision under the regulations at 36 CFR 218. For more information on this process, visit: https://www.fs.fed.us/emc/applit/includes/20160531Final218ObjectionBrochure.pdf
The grizzly bear was listed as a threatened species in the contiguous United States in 1975. The species was listed as endangered by the state of Washington in 1980.
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information, visit www.fws.gov/pacific/, or connect with us through any of these channels: www.facebook.com/USFWSPacific, www.tumblr.com/blog/usfwspacific, www.flickr.com/photos/usfwspacific/, or https://twitter.com/USFWSPacific/.
