[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 2688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00636]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-IMR-YELL-14103; PPIMYELL82, PPMRSNR1Z.AM0000]
Remote Vaccination Program To Reduce the Prevalence of
Brucellosis in Yellowstone Bison, Final Environmental Impact Statement,
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42
U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service announces the availability
of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Remote Vaccination
Program to Reduce the Prevalence of Brucellosis in Yellowstone Bison,
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
DATES: The National Park Service will execute a Record of Decision
(ROD) no sooner than 30 days following publication by the Environmental
Protection Agency of the Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement.
ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public inspection online
at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/YELL, and at the Yellowstone Center for
Resources, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190,
telephone (307) 344-2203.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Carpenter or Rick Wallen,
P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, telephone (307) 344-
2203, or by email at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The document describes three management
alternatives including a no-action alternative and the NPS preferred
alternative. The anticipated environmental impacts of those
alternatives are analyzed. The final document also includes responses
to substantive comments from the public, from traditionally associated
American Indian tribes, and from government agencies.
Alternative A (No Action) describes the currently authorized
syringe vaccination of calves and yearlings that are periodically
captured at the park boundary. Alternative B describes a proposed
action to continue the syringe vaccination program and add a field
program to remotely vaccinate calves and yearlings using a pneumatic
rifle to deliver an absorbable projectile with a vaccine payload to
muscle tissue. Alternative C describes a program to continue the
syringe vaccination action and add a field program to remotely
vaccinate calves, yearlings, and adult females as is described in
Alternative B.
The National Park Service has identified Alternative A, No Action,
as its preferred alternative based on substantial uncertainties
associated with vaccine efficacy, delivery, duration of the vaccine-
induced protective immune response, diagnostics, and bison behavior,
existing management flexibilities, and evaluation of public comments.
Consistent with the 2000 Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP), the
preferred alternative would continue hand-syringe vaccination of bison
at capture facilities near the park boundary and conduct monitoring and
research on the relationship between vaccine-induced immune responses
and protection from clinical disease (e.g., abortions). Also, selective
culling of potentially infectious bison based on age and diagnostic
test results may be continued at capture facilities to reduce the
number of abortions that maintain the disease. The preferred
alternative would continue the adaptive management program, as
described in the 2000 Record of Decision for the IBMP and subsequent
adaptive management adjustments, to learn more about the disease
brucellosis and answer uncertainties, as well as to develop or improve
suppression techniques that could be used to facilitate effective
outcomes, minimize adverse impacts, and lower operational costs of
efforts to reduce brucellosis prevalence in the future.
The National Park Service would also continue to work with other
federal and state agencies, American Indian tribes, academic
institutions, non-governmental organizations, and other interested
parties to develop holistic management approaches, monitoring and
research projects that could be conducted to improve the adaptive
management decision process, and better vaccines, delivery methods, and
diagnostics for reducing the prevalence of brucellosis in bison and elk
and transmissions to cattle.
Dated: October 31, 2013.
Laura E. Joss,
Acting Regional Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-00636 Filed 1-14-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-CB-P