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20 September 2006

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[Federal Register: September 20, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 182)]

[Notices]               

[Page 55012-55013]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr20se06-76]                         



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR



National Park Service



 

White-Tailed Deer Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement, 

Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC



AGENCY: National Park Service.



ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a White-tailed Deer Management Plan 

Environmental Impact Statement, Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC.



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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 

of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) is preparing a White-tailed 

Deer Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Rock 

Creek Park, Washington, DC. The purpose of this plan and EIS is to 

develop a deer management plan that supports long-term protection, 

preservation, and restoration of native vegetation and other natural 

and cultural resources within the park. A scoping brochure will be 

prepared that details the issues identified to date, and possible 

alternatives to be considered. Copies of the brochure may be obtained 

from Rock Creek Park Natural Resources Division or the NPS Web site 

(http://www.nps.gov/rocr).





DATES: The NPS will accept comments from the public for 60 days from 

the publication of this notice. In addition, public scoping meetings 

will be conducted at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center. Please check 

the local newspapers, the NPS Web site (http://www.nps.gov/rocr) or 



contact the Natural Resources Division, Rock Creek Park.



ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review and comment 

at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center, local public libraries, NPS Web 

site (http://www.nps.gov/rocr), and the Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov).





FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrienne A. Coleman, Superintendent, 

Rock Creek Park, 3545 Williamsburg Lane, NW., Washington, DC 20008, 

(202) 895-6000.



SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this plan and environmental 

impact statement is to develop a deer management plan that supports 

long-term protection, preservation, and restoration of native 

vegetation and other natural and cultural resources within the park. A 

deer management plan is needed at this time to address: the potential 

of deer becoming the dominant force in the park's ecosystem and 

adversely impacting native vegetation and other wildlife, excessive 

deer browse causing a decline in forest regeneration and impacting the 

existing shrubs and herbaceous species, deer impacts on cultural 

landscapes, and opportunities for coordinating management actions with 

other jurisdictional entities.



[[Page 55013]]



    There are a number of objectives for this plan. The plan would 

develop and implement informed, scientifically-based vegetation impact 

levels and corresponding measures of deer population size that would 

serve as a threshold for taking management actions. In addition, it 

would maintain, restore and promote the natural abundance, 

distribution, and diversity of native plant species by reducing 

excessive deer browsing, trampling, and non-native seed dispersal. The 

plan would allow for white-tailed deer populations within the park 

while protecting the natural abundance, distribution, and diversity of 

other native wildlife, including ground nesting birds, from the adverse 

effects of deer. The plan would also protect the habitat of rare plant 

and animal species from deer impacts. In addition, the protection of 

cultural landscapes and visitor safety conflicts with deer would also 

be addressed. Finally, an objective of the plan would be to call for 

the sharing of information regarding the role and management of white-

tailed deer among park staff, surrounding communities, the public, and 

other nearby governmental entities managing deer.

    Preliminary alternatives that will be considered to meet the 

purpose and need include: reproductive control, fencing of large park 

areas to exclude park deer, lethal reduction with and without firearms, 

limited capture and euthanasia, and a combination of these management 

strategies. The continuation of current management (no action 

alternative) will also be analyzed.

    Persons commenting on the purpose, need, objectives, preliminary 

alternatives, or any other issues associated with the plan, may submit 

comments by any one of several methods. To be most helpful to the 

scoping process, comments should be received within 60 days of the 

publication of this Notice of Intent. Comments may be mailed to Natural 

Resource Management, Rock Creek Park, 3545 Williamsburg Lane, NW., 

Washington, DC 20008. Comments may also be sent via the Internet at 

http://parkplanning.nps.gov. Please submit Internet comments as a text 



file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. 

Please put ``Deer Management'' in the subject line and include your 

name and return address in your Internet message. If commenters do not 

receive a receipt confirmation from the system, please contact the 

Natural Resources Division at (202) 895-6221. Comments may also be 

hand-delivered to Rock Creek Park Headquarters, 3545 Williamsburg Lane, 

NW., Washington, DC 20008.

    It is the NPS's practice to make comments, including names, home 

addresses, home phone numbers and e-mail addresses of respondents, 

available for public review. Individual respondents may request that we 

withhold their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if they wish us 

to consider withholding this information they must state this 

prominently at the beginning of their comments. In addition, they must 

present a rationale for withholding this information. This rationale 

must demonstrate that disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of privacy. Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. 

In the absence of exceptional, documentable circumstances, this 

information will be released. The NPS will always make submissions from 

organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 

themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 

businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

    If commenters wish to have names and/or addresses withheld and 

comment through the NPS Web site, it is still possible to receive 

additional information on the project in the future by filling in the 

name and address field and marking ``keep my contact information 

private'' where indicated. If commenters do not want to receive any 

additional information on the project in the future, they may type ``N/

A'' in the name and address field.



    Dated: August 4, 2006.

Joseph M. Lawler,

Regional Director, National Capital Region.

 [FR Doc. 06-7981 Filed 9-19-06; 8:45 am]



BILLING CODE 4312-34-P