[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 65 (Monday, April 6, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16819-16820]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8553]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Reduction of the Mid-Continent Lesser Snow Goose Population
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's
(hereinafter Service) intent to review aspects of the migratory bird
regulations pertaining to the mid-continent lesser snow goose (MCLSG)
population. The Service intends for this review to lead to proposed
changes in the migratory bird regulations that would result in reducing
the MCLSG population from over 3 million birds to a more sustainable
population of approximately 1.5 million birds over the next few years.
The reduction appears necessary to reverse the damage by these geese on
the Arctic ecosystem which also provides important nesting habitat for
many other species of migratory birds, some of which are species of
management concern. Population reduction will also decrease the
likelihood of avian disease outbreaks, such as avian cholera, that
sometimes are associated with extremely high concentrations of
waterfowl. The Service has attempted to curb the population growth of
MCLSG through habitat management, expansion and liberalization of
existing seasons, and increases in bag and possession limits. However,
the population continues to grow and the geese continue to rapidly
degrade their breeding habitats. Proposed regulatory measures, along
with possible changes in the Service's habitat management strategies
for MCLSG, may be the first of several phases needed to reduce the
MCLSG population. Any subsequent proposals will be noticed in the
Federal Register and will be subject to compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act, as appropriate. As part of the first phase,
the Service will prepare an Environmental Assessment for public review
to evaluate migratory bird regulatory alternatives for reducing the
MCLSG population. The Service invites public comment and suggestions on
possible options.
DATES: Written comments are requested by June 5, 1998.
ADDRESSES: The public may submit written comments to the Chief, Office
of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Department of the Interior, ms 634__ARLSQ, 1849 C Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20240.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Paul R. Schmidt, Chief, Office of
Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department
of the Interior, (703) 358-1714.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ``Migratory Birds'' are defined in 50 CFR
10.12 as meaning any bird, irrespective of its origin in the wild or in
captivity, which belongs to the species listed in 10.13, for the
purposes of protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (Act) (16
U.S.C. 703-712). Snow geese (Anser caerulescens) are among the species
listed.
Mid-continent lesser snow geese (MCLSG) breed in the arctic and
subarctic regions of Canada, specifically along the west coast of
Hudson and James Bays and the southern portions of Baffin and South
Hampton Islands. Beginning in late August, they migrate southward over
the Canadian boreal forests and along the Central and western
Mississippi flyways to their wintering grounds spanning across Texas,
Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and New Mexico and into the
northern States of Mexico. During migration, these geese stage at sites
along the Central and Mississippi flyways such as the Rainwater Basin
Wetland Management District in Nebraska and De Soto National Wildlife
Refuge on the Iowa-Nebraska border.
The MCLSG population has increased in the last 30 years from an
estimated 900,000 birds in 1969 to over 3 million birds in 1996 and the
population continues to grow at an annual rate of 5 percent (Abraham et
al. 1996). Due to this high growth rate, virtually unlimited food
resources in the lower 48 United States and prairie Canada, and a
decline in overall mortality in the last 30 years, the MCLSG population
has become a threat to itself and to other migratory bird species.
MCLSG are destroying arctic and subarctic breeding
[[Page 16820]]
habitats used by many other species to the point of desertification,
soil salinization, and depletion of vegetative communities (Abraham and
Jefferies 1997). The Service believes that the MCLSG population exceeds
sustainable levels for their arctic and subarctic breeding habitats,
and the population must be reduced to approximately 1.5 million birds
to bring the population to within long-term management objective levels
(Central/Mississippi Flyway Councils 1982). The Service is also
concerned that avian cholera, a highly contagious and deadly disease,
could be transmitted to other migratory birds that stage with large
concentrations of MCLSG during spring and fall migration.
The Service has attempted to curb the population growth of MCLSG
through habitat management, expansion and liberalization of existing
seasons, and increases in bag and possession limits, however, the
population continues to grow and the geese continue to rapidly degrade
their breeding habitats. Over the last year, the Service has consulted
with various scientific and conservation organizations in the United
States and Canada and has worked in coordination with the Canadian
Wildlife Service to bring all available scientific information
regarding MCLSG to decision makers.
Under the Act, the Secretary of the Interior has the responsibility
for setting appropriate regulations for the take of migratory birds,
with due regard for maintaining such populations in a healthy state and
at satisfactory levels. As a first step in determining whether and how
to reduce the MCLSG population to healthy and sustainable levels, the
Service will examine various migratory bird regulatory alternatives and
their impacts in an Environmental Assessment, a draft of which will be
made available for public review.
Along with the Service's review of regulatory alternatives, the
Service will develop habitat management strategies to contribute to a
reduction in the MCLSG population. When developed, any proposals will
be subject to compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, as
appropriate.
Literature Cited
Abraham, K.F., and R.L. Jefferies. 1997. High goose populations:
causes, impacts, and implications. Pages 7-72 in B.D.J. Batt (editor).
Arctic Ecosystems in Peril: Report of the Arctic Goose Habitat Working
Group. Arctic Goose Joint Venture Special Publication. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. and Canadian Wildlife Service,
Ottawa, Ontario.
Abraham, K.F., R.L. Jefferies, R.F. Rockwell, and C.D. MacInnes.
1996. Why are there so many white geese in North America? Pages 79-92
in J. Ratti (editor). Proceedings of the 7th International Waterfowl
Symposium. Ducks Unlimited, Memphis, Tennessee.
Central and Mississippi Flyway Councils. 1982. Management
guidelines for mid-continent snow geese in Wildfowl Management
Guidelines. 22 pages.
Dated: March 26, 1998.
Donald J. Barry,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 98-8553 Filed 4-3-98; 8:45 am]
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