SOUTHWESTERN-NEWS-RELEASE: Kaibab National Forest Information

["Banks, Jacqueline C -FS" <jcbanks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Grand Canyon News Release

Release date:           Immediate

 

Contact(s):            Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski
  

Phone number(s):  (928) 638-7958 

           

                               

 

National Park Service Seeks Public Input on a Bison Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Grand Canyon National Park

 

Grand Canyon, AZ – The National Park Service (NPS) is pleased to announce the latest step to manage the impacts of bison on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP). After meeting with cooperators Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)--over the last several months, the NPS will initiate public scoping later this week for a bison management plan and environmental impact statement (EIS) to be prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

 

A herd of bison was brought to the Grand Canyon region in the early 1900s and has been managed since 1950 by the AGFD in the House Rock Wildlife Area (HRWA) on the Kaibab National Forest through an interagency agreement with the USFS.

 

During the late 1990s, the bison began “pioneering” up to the top of the Kaibab Plateau and into GCNP.  A combination of public hunt pressure, drought and fire, and reduced forage quality in House Rock Valley during the 1990s may have contributed to the bison moving through Saddle Mountain Wilderness and onto the higher elevations of the Kaibab Plateau. Over the past several years, very few bison have returned to HRWA and most now spend a majority of their time inside the park, with many not leaving GCNP. 

 

Since 2008, a workgroup consisting of staff from GCNP, AGFD, and USFS has been addressing research needs related to impacts of the bison herd on GCNP resources, and potential management tools, as well as administrative and operational challenges of long-term cooperative management. Also in 2008, the Department of the Interior (DOI) chartered a Bison Conservation Initiative to improve bison management amongst its various bureaus, including the National Park Service. These efforts are ongoing and NPS is now initiating development of a long-term, coordinated approach to manage the current and future impacts of bison on natural and cultural resources of GCNP while supporting AGFD, USFS and BLM goals for management of a free-ranging bison population outside the park.

 

“Stakeholder input is a central and critical part of this planning process,” stated Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga. “We look forward to engaging interested members of the public, other agencies, tribes, and organizations to get their ideas. We appreciate the on-going collaboration of the U.S. Forest Service, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and look forward to working with the Bureau of Land Management as we work through this process.”

 

The first opportunity for such involvement will be during a 60-day public scoping period beginning when the Notice of Intent is published in the Federal Register later this week. Scoping will provide the public and other interested parties the opportunity to participate early in identifying the range of issues to be considered when the NPS studies the potential environmental impacts of managing bison in the park; to identify topics and concerns that should be addressed in the EIS; and to bring forward any new information that NPS may not be aware of that would be useful in preparing the plan and EIS.

 

The NPS will host three in-person open house meetings during this comment period, as follows:

 

Monday, April 28, 2014

Kanab Middle School

690 S. Cowboy Way
Kanab, UT 84741

6:00-8:00 p.m.

 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

High Country Conference Center

201 W. Butler Ave
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

6:00-8:00 p.m.

 

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Arizona Game and Fish Department

Eagle Room
5000 W. Black Canyon Boulevard

Phoenix, AZ 85086

6:00-8:00 p.m.

 

The NPS also plans to hold two informational web-based meetings the week after the in-person open houses.

 

The first informational meeting will be held on May 6, from 4 pm to 6 pm Pacific time. The second meeting will be held on May 7, from 6 pm to 8 pm Pacific Time. Both meetings will start with a presentation and be followed by a question and answer session.

 

Space is limited at both Webinars, so individuals are encouraged to reserve a Webinar seat early. Registration Information is as follows:

 

May 6, 2014

 

Time:  4 pm to 6 pm PDT

Title:                     Public Scoping Webinar for Grand Canyon National Park Bison Management Plan EIS

Register at:          https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/272848057

 

 

May 7, 2014

 

Time:  6 pm to 8 pm PDT

Title:                     Public Scoping Webinar for Grand Canyon National Park Bison Management Plan EIS

Register at:          https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/484241881

After registering for one of the Webinars, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.   System requirements are listed below.   PC-based attendees: Required Windows® 8, 7, Vista, or 2003 Server   Mac®-based attendees: Required Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer   Mobile attendees: Required: IPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet

 

Please check the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/grca_bison_eis, as more information about the bison management plan and EIS, public scoping, and public meetings will be posted on this site as it becomes available.

 

Interested parties will be able to submit scoping comments either electronically on the PEPC web site (the preferred method of receiving comments); via U.S. Postal Service at Grand Canyon National Park, PO Box 129, Attn: Bison Management Plan EIS, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023; or at one of the in-person public meetings the NPS will be holding during the 60-day scoping period. Public comments will not be accepted during the web-based meetings; rather participants will be directed to the PEPC web site to enter their comments.

 

-NPS-

 

 

Public Affairs Office

Grand Canyon National Park

Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski

Acting Public Affairs Officer 

928-638-7958

 

 

 

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