Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 50 / Monday, March 16, 2015 / Notices 13603 

• According to final judgments of the 

Indian Claims Commission or the Court 

of Federal Claims, the land from which 

the Native American human remains 

were removed is the aboriginal land of 

The Tribes. 

• Treaties, Acts of Congress, or 

Executive Orders, indicate that the land 

from which the Native American human 

remains were removed is the aboriginal 

land of The Tribes. 

• Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the 

disposition of the human remains may 

be to The Tribes. 

Additional Requestors and Disposition 

Representatives of any Indian tribe or 

Native Hawaiian organization not 

identified in this notice that wish to 

request transfer of control of these 

human remains should submit a written 

request with information in support of 

the request to Dr. Nan Rothschild, 

Department of Anthropology, Columbia 

University, 1200 Amsterdam Ave., New 

York, NY 10027, telephone (212) 854– 

4977, email roth@columbia.edu, by 

April 15, 2015. After that date, if no 

additional requestors have come 

forward, transfer of control of the 

human remains to The Tribes may 

proceed. 

The Columbia University, Department 

of Anthropology, is responsible for The 

Tribes that this notice has been 

published. 

Dated: February 23, 2015. 

Melanie O’Brien, 

Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program. 

[FR Doc. 2015–05981 Filed 3–13–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[NPS–IMR–YELL–17104; PPWONRADE2, 

PMP00EI05.YP0000, 15XP103905] 

Environmental Impact Statement for a 

Management Plan for YellowstoneArea Bison 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The National Park Service 

(NPS) and the State of Montana (State) 

are serving as joint lead agencies in the 

preparation of an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) for a plan to manage a 

wild and migratory population of 

Yellowstone-area bison, while 

minimizing brucellosis transmission 

between these wild bison and livestock 

to the extent practicable. 

DATES: Interested individuals, 

organizations, and agencies are 

encouraged to provide written 

comments regarding the scope of issues 

and alternatives to be addressed in the 

EIS. The NPS and the State request that 

comments be submitted within the 90- 

day comment period, which begins on 

the date this Notice of Intent is 

published in the Federal Register. A 90- 

day comment period has been 

established to maximize the opportunity 

for agencies, members of the public and 

stakeholders to submit comments for 

consideration in this planning effort. 

The NPS and State intend to hold public 

scoping meetings on the EIS within the 

90-day comment period. Specific dates, 

times and locations of the public 

scoping meetings will be made available 

via a joint press release to local media, 

a public scoping brochure to be mailed 

or emailed to interested parties and on 

the NPS’s Planning, Environment and 

Public Comment (PEPC) Web site at 

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/

YellBisonPlan. The NPS and State will 

provide additional opportunities for the 

public to offer written comments upon 

publication of the draft plan/EIS. 

ADDRESSES: Information, including a 

copy of the public scoping brochure, 

will be available for public review 

online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/

YellBisonPlan. Limited copies of the 

brochure will also be available in the 

Mailroom at the park’s Administration 

Building in Mammoth Hot Springs, 

Yellowstone National Park, WY and by 

request. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Bison are 

currently managed under the 2000 

Interagency Bison Management Plan 

(IBMP) and subsequent adaptive 

management adjustments (Information 

available at www.ibmp.info). Because of 

new information and changed 

conditions since the 2000 IBMP, a new 

plan is being prepared, along with an 

environmental impact statement (EIS), 

pursuant to the National Environmental 

Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C). 

The purpose of the new plan/EIS is to 

conserve a wild and migratory 

population of Yellowstone-area bison, 

while minimizing brucellosis 

transmission between these wild bison 

and livestock to the extent practicable. 

The NPS will exercise decisionmaking authority on the EIS and its 

associated Record of Decision (ROD) for 

NPS actions within the boundary of 

Yellowstone National Park, and the 

State will exercise decision-making 

authority on the EIS and its associated 

ROD for actions on lands in Montana 

outside the park’s boundary for which 

the State has jurisdiction. The NPS and 

State will continue to implement the 

2000 IBMP, as adjusted, within and 

outside Yellowstone National Park 

through coordination with the other 

IBMP partners until a new decision is 

made through this planning process. 

The following range of preliminary 

draft alternative concepts has been 

developed for review and comment. The 

alternative concepts and management 

tools under consideration may change 

based upon input received during 

public scoping and throughout the 

development of the plan/EIS. 

• Alternative 1 (No-Action 

Alternative) would continue 

implementation of the 2000 IBMP, as 

adjusted. As part of the existing IBMP, 

this alternative focuses on reducing the 

risk of brucellosis transmission from 

bison to cattle by managing bison that 

leave Yellowstone National Park and 

enter the State of Montana. It also seeks 

to maintain Montana’s brucellosis-free 

status for domestic livestock. The 

population guideline for Yellowstonearea bison in the 2000 IBMP and under 

this alternative is 3,000 animals. 

• Alternative 2 (Minimize Human 

Intervention) would prioritize bison 

conservation and minimize human 

intervention in the management of 

Yellowstone-area bison. Bison 

abundance would primarily be 

regulated through public and treaty 

hunting on lands outside of the park in 

Montana, and natural processes. The 

maximum population limit of bison 

under this alternative would be based 

on estimates of food-limited carrying 

capacity (∼7,500 bison). Other wildlife 

management tools, such as habitat 

enhancement, could also be 

implemented. The risk of brucellosis 

transmission from bison to cattle would 

be managed through physical separation 

and limited hazing of bison back into 

the park. However, there would be no 

spring haze-back date for bison to be 

returned to the park. There would be no 

disease suppression efforts or research 

to improve suppression techniques in 

wildlife. 

• Alternative 3 (Limit Bison 

Migration into Montana) would focus on 

maintaining bison numbers below 3,000 

animals, the level at which large 

migrations would likely occur during 

winter months, thus limiting the 

number of bison that migrate out of the 

park and into the State of Montana. 

Brucellosis transmission would be 

minimized through population control, 

separation of bison and cattle and 

hazing of bison back into the park. In 

spring, bison would be hazed back into 

the park by May 1 along the northern 

park boundary and May 15 along the 

western park boundary. Public and 

treaty hunting would occur outside of 

the park. No brucellosis disease 


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13604 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 50 / Monday, March 16, 2015 / Notices 

suppression actions for wildlife would 

be implemented, but research would be 

conducted to investigate future disease 

suppression tools for cattle and wildlife. 

• Alternative 4 (Suppress Brucellosis 

Transmission) would prioritize the 

prevention of brucellosis transmission 

between bison and livestock through a 

variety of tools, including disease 

suppression techniques, as practicable. 

Suppression tools may include 

capturing bison at facilities inside or 

outside Yellowstone National Park, 

culling of likely infectious bison, 

vaccination of bison at capture facilities, 

sterilization of bison before shipment to 

terminal pastures and adjusting land use 

by cattle. The population guideline for 

Yellowstone-area bison under this 

alternative would be 3,000 animals and 

would include specific tolerance 

thresholds north and west of the park in 

the State of Montana. Bison outside of 

the park on adjacent lands in Montana 

would be managed within an 

established boundary to minimize 

disease transmission, while also 

considering private property and public 

safety concerns. Public and treaty 

hunting would occur outside of the 

park. 

• Alternative 5 (Tolerance in 

Montana Linked to Overall Bison 

Abundance) would seek to expand 

bison tolerance north and west of the 

park year-round within specific 

geographic boundaries (e.g. within the 

Gardiner Basin and up to the Taylor 

Fork drainage). The current interagency 

bison population management guideline 

of 3,000 bison would be maintained. 

Tolerance thresholds for bison outside 

of the park in the State of Montana 

would depend on the overall number of 

bison in the population, with tolerance 

for bison in Montana increasing as the 

population approaches the population 

guideline. There would be no haze-back 

dates, but the agencies would adhere to 

all other existing procedures in the 2000 

IBMP, as adjusted. Other wildlife 

management tools, such as those used to 

manage other wildlife species (e.g., 

habitat enhancement), could be 

implemented. Public and treaty hunting 

would occur outside of the park. No 

brucellosis disease suppression actions 

for wildlife would be implemented, but 

research would be conducted to 

investigate future disease suppression 

tools for cattle and wildlife. 

• Alternative 6 (Balance Bison 

Conservation and Brucellosis 

Transmission Risk) would allow for the 

total bison population to vary over time 

within a defined range (Objective = 

2,500–4,500 bison) and would also 

establish specific tolerance thresholds 

north and west of the park in the State 

of Montana. Habitat enhancement, 

longer tolerance in spring, or year-round 

tolerance for some bison in Montana 

could be implemented under this 

alternative. Tools such as hazing, public 

and treaty hunting and culling near the 

park boundary would be used to 

regulate population size and 

distribution, minimize brucellosis 

transmission from bison to cattle and 

protect property and human safety. No 

brucellosis disease suppression actions 

for wildlife would be implemented, but 

research would be conducted to 

investigate future disease suppression 

tools for cattle and wildlife. 

Under any proposed action 

alternative, the following would be 

implemented: (1) Yellowstone bison 

would be managed as wildlife in the 

park and within defined management 

areas in Montana, (2) public and treaty 

hunting of bison would occur outside of 

the park in Montana, (3) bison 

management actions would be 

implemented to protect private property 

and human safety, (4) a public 

engagement program would be 

implemented to facilitate the exchange 

of information between bison managers, 

scientists, and the public. 

If you wish to comment during the 90- 

day public comment period, you may 

use any one of several methods. The 

preferred method for submitting 

comments to the NPS and State of 

Montana is on the NPS PEPC Web site 

at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/

YellBisonPlan. You may also mail or 

hand-deliver your comments to the 

Superintendent, Yellowstone National 

Park, Bison Management Plan, P.O. Box 

168, Yellowstone National Park, 

Wyoming 82190. Comments will also be 

accepted during public meetings. 

Comments will not be accepted by fax, 

email, or any other way than those 

specified above. Bulk comments in any 

format (hard copy or electronic) 

submitted on behalf of others will not be 

accepted. Before including your 

address, phone number, email address, 

or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you can ask us in your comment to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Al 

Nash, Chief of Public Affairs, 

Yellowstone National Park, Bison 

Management Plan, P.O. Box 168, 

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 

82190, or by telephone at (307) 344– 

2015. 

Dated: January 22, 2015. 

Sue E. Masica, 

Regional Director, Intermountain Region, 

National Park Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–05962 Filed 3–13–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–CB–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–17723; 

PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000] 

Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural 

Items: Minnesota Historical Society, St. 

Paul, MN 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Minnesota Historical 

Society, in consultation with the 

appropriate Indian tribes or Native 

Hawaiian organizations, has determined 

that the cultural items listed in this 

notice meet the definition of sacred 

objects. Lineal descendants or 

representatives of any Indian tribe or 

Native Hawaiian organization not 

identified in this notice that wish to 

claim these cultural items should 

submit a written request to the 

Minnesota Historical Society. If no 

additional claimants come forward, 

transfer of control of the cultural items 

to the lineal descendants, Indian tribes, 

or Native Hawaiian organizations stated 

in this notice may proceed. 

DATES: Lineal descendants or 

representatives of any Indian tribe or 

Native Hawaiian organization not 

identified in this notice that wish to 

claim these cultural items should 

submit a written request with 

information in support of the claim to 

the Minnesota Historical Society at the 

address in this notice by April 15, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Leah Bowe, Minnesota 

Historical Society, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., 

St. Paul, MN 55102, telephone (651) 

259–3255, email leah.bowe@mnhs.org. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is 

here given in accordance with the 

Native American Graves Protection and 

Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 

3005, of the intent to repatriate cultural 

items under the control of the 

Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, 

MN, that meet the definition of sacred 

objects under 25 U.S.C. 3001. 

This notice is published as part of the 

National Park Service’s administrative 

responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 

U.S.C. 3003(d)(3). The determinations in 

this notice are the sole responsibility of 


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