Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2001 / Notices 27933

Done in Washington, DC, this 16th day of

May 2001.

Craig A. Reed,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 01–12694 Filed 5–18–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 01–013–2]

Protection of Sunflowers from RedWinged Blackbirds in North Dakota,

South Dakota, and Minnesota

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent and initiation of

scoping.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public

that the Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service’s Wildlife Services

program intends to prepare an

environmental impact statement for a

project to protect sunflowers from redwinged blackbird damage. The

environmental impact statement will

analyze the potential environmental

effects of reducing blackbird damage to

ripening sunflowers in North Dakota,

South Dakota, and Minnesota. We are

also requesting comments from the

public, including affected Federal, State,

and local agencies, any affected Indian

tribe, and any other interested persons

concerning issues that should be

addressed in the environmental impact

statement. The information received in

response to this notice, as well as the

information we received in response to

our March 2001 notice on this subject,

will be considered during the

development of the environmental

impact statement that will be prepared

in accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act.

DATES: We invite you to comment on

this notice of intent. We will consider

all comments that we receive by June

20, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Please send four copies of

your comment (an original and three

copies) to: Docket No. 01–013–2,

Regulatory Analysis and Development,

PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River

Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–

1238.

Please state that your comment refers

to Docket No. 01–013–2.

You may read any comments that we

receive on this docket in our reading

room. The reading room is located in

room 1141 of the USDA South Building,

14th Street and Independence Avenue

SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading

room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, except

holidays. To be sure someone is there to

help you, please call (202) 690–2817

before coming.

APHIS documents published in the

Federal Register, and related

information, including the names of

organizations and individuals who have

commented on APHIS dockets, are

available on the Internet at http://

www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/

webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Phil Mastrangelo, State Director,

Wildlife Services, APHIS, USDA, 2110

Miriam Circle, Suite A, Bismarck, ND

58501–2502; phone (701) 250–4405.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Wildlife

Services (WS) of the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

provides technical and operational

assistance to entities who request

assistance in reducing damage, in this

case to sunflower producers. WS loans

damage abatement equipment (e.g.,

propane cannons, pyrotechnics),

conducts training workshops, provides

informational leaflets on damage

management and sources of damage

abatement tools, and, in the case of

blackbird damage to sunflowers,

conducts roost management programs to

disperse blackbirds from sunflower

production areas.

Approximately 80 percent of

sunflower production in the United

States occurs in North Dakota, South

Dakota, and Minnesota. Sunflower

production in these States has increased

from 1 million kg in the early 1960’s to

about 1.5 billion kg, valued at $315

million, in 1999. However, increased

production of sunflowers has been

hampered by increasing blackbird

populations, and resultant damage.

Esophageal contents of red-winged

blackbirds collected in late summer and

fall reveal that 93 percent of the males

and 86 percent of the females had eaten

sunflower seeds, which comprised 69

percent and 57 percent of the male and

female diets, respectively.

Damage surveys conducted in

sunflower production areas in North

Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota

indicate that overall loss is generally 1

to 2 percent of the crop. If all producers

received less than 2 percent damage,

there would be little concern for damage

caused by blackbirds. However, damage

is not equally distributed, can be severe

for some producers, and is fairly

consistent from year-to-year within a

locality. Research has been conducted

throughout the northern Great Plains to

estimate the amount of damage birds

have caused to ripening sunflower

crops. Sunflower damage assessments

for North Dakota, South Dakota, and

Minnesota showed an estimated loss of

$5.1 million in 1979 and $7.9 million in

1980. More recent quantitative bird

damage surveys were conducted from

1996 to 1998 in Stutsman and Pierce

Counties in North Dakota and Brown

and Clark Counties in South Dakota.

Assuming damage in these four counties

is representative of the damage in

sunflower growing areas in North

Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota,

sunflower producers in these States lost

about $8.26 million annually to

blackbirds.

Sunflower growers and Government

agencies have used both lethal and

nonlethal techniques to reduce redwinged blackbird damage to ripening

sunflowers. The goal of nonlethal

methods is to decrease the availability

or attractiveness of the crop to

blackbirds or to disperse the birds so

that damage is not concentrated in any

given area. Examples of nonlethal

methods include altering farming

practices, using audio and visual

frightening devices, growing birdresistant sunflowers, increasing weed

control in fields, and growing decoy

crops. Additionally, research has shown

that opening dense cattail stands, which

are traditional roost sites for blackbirds,

aids in dispersing blackbirds from

nearby sunflower crops. To date,

nonlethal blackbird damage

management initiatives have been

somewhat effective in reducing

blackbird damage to unharvested

sunflowers, but have not alleviated the

problem for all sunflower growers.

Proposed Program

WS is proposing to implement a

blackbird damage management program

on private lands when requested in

North Dakota, South Dakota, or

Minnesota. The management approach

would employ the use of nonlethal and

lethal techniques to reduce red-winged

blackbird damage to sunflowers.

Sunflower damage and blackbird

populations would be monitored to

determine if the management

techniques are reducing damage, if there

is an effect on blackbird populations, or

if additional methods or modification of

implemented methods should occur.

Nonlethal Techniques

Under the proposed management

program, WS would continue to employ

the use of the nonlethal control methods

described earlier in this document. WS

would also continue to conduct roost

management programs to disperse redVerDate 11<MAY>2000 12:37 May 18, 2001 Jkt 194001 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\21MYN1.SGM pfrm08 PsN: 21MYN1
27934 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 98 / Monday, May 21, 2001 / Notices

winged blackbirds away from sunflower

production areas. Roost management

activities involve the treatment of cattail

stands larger than 10 acres with

glyphosate herbicide. Effective

management of cattail stands can

disperse blackbirds from traditional

roosting sites that are often in close

proximity to sunflower crops.

Lethal Techniques

Under the proposed management

program, WS would employ the use of

2 percent DRC–1339-treated brown rice

at red-winged blackbird staging areas in

the spring to reduce breeding

populations and subsequent damage to

ripening sunflowers in the fall. DRC–

1339 baiting would occur on not more

than 50 acres in harvested fields near

red-winged blackbird staging areas in

east-central South Dakota and target not

more than 2 million red-winged

blackbirds annually. The baiting areas

would be determined based on the most

current red-winged blackbird roost site

distribution and the areas where redwinged blackbirds stage. Baiting areas

and sites would be determined through

field observations by trained personnel,

and DRC–1339-treated bait would not be

distributed until risks to nontarget

species were evaluated.

Prior EPA-Authorized Use of DRC–1339

The avian toxicant DRC–1339 (3-

Chloro-p-toluidine hydrochloride) has

been used to reduce blackbird

populations causing agricultural damage

in Louisiana, North Dakota, South

Dakota, and Texas under Section 24C of

the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and

Rodenticide Act. In February 1995, the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

granted a Section 3 label for

‘‘Compound DRC–1339 Concentrate

Staging Areas’’ for bird control in

noncrop staging areas associated with

red-winged blackbird roosts. The

Section 24C label for ‘‘Compound DRC–

1339 Concentrate ND and SD’’ is still in

effect for North Dakota because this

label allows a broader use pattern,

including baiting within ripening

sunflower fields during late summer.

Scoping Process

The initial step in the process of

developing an environmental impact

statement (EIS) is scoping. Scoping

includes solicitation of public

involvement in the form of either

written or oral comments, and

evaluation of these comments. This

process is used for determining the

scope of issues to be addressed. We are

therefore asking for written comments

that identify significant environmental

issues that should be analyzed in the

EIS. We invite comments from affected

Federal, State, and local agencies, any

affected Indian tribe, and any other

interested persons, and from Federal

and State agencies that have either

jurisdiction by law or special expertise

regarding any issue or environmental

impact that should be discussed in the

EIS.

Note: On March 22, 2001, we published a

notice in the Federal Register (66 FR 16028–

16031, Docket No. 01–013–1) soliciting

public involvement in the development of

issues necessary to complete an analysis of

the environmental impacts of reducing redwinged blackbird damage to ripening

sunflowers in North Dakota, South Dakota,

and Minnesota. We solicited comments on

that notice for 30 days ending on April 23,

2001, and received 163 comments by the

close of the comment period and an

additional 27 comments by April 30, 2001.

We will consider all the comments that we

received in response to our March 22, 2001,

notice during the preparation of the EIS that

is the subject of this notice. Therefore, if you

submitted comments in response the March

2001 notice, you do not need to resubmit

those comments in order for the information

provided in them to be considered during the

development of the EIS.

We are encouraging members of the

public and interested agencies and

organizations to assist in the planning of

this program and the development of an

EIS by answering the following

questions:

• What issues or concerns about the

proposed sunflower protection program

should we analyze?

• What alternatives to the proposed

action should we analyze?

• Do you have additional information

(i.e., scientific data or studies) that we

should consider in the analysis?

Alternatives

We will consider all reasonable and

realistic action alternatives

recommended in the comments we

receive. The following alternatives have

already been identified for

comprehensive analysis in the EIS:

• No involvement by WS in

sunflower protection (no Federal

program);

• Non-lethal before lethal program;

• Continue the current WS blackbird

damage management program;

• Integrated adaptive management

with the use of DRC–1339 baiting to

reduce damage caused by red-winged

blackbirds (preferred action);

• Lethal only program; and

• Payment of compensation to

affected growers.

Major Issues

The following are some of the major

issues that will be discussed in the EIS:

• Cumulative effects of the proposed

damage management program on redwinged blackbird populations;

• Safety concerns regarding the

potential effects of the proposed damage

management program on the public,

domestic pets, and nontarget species,

including threatened and endangered

species;

• Efficacy of DRC–1339 spring baiting

in reducing damage to unharvested

sunflowers;

• Public concern about WS’ use of

chemicals; and

• DRC–1339 spring baiting effects on

biodiversity.

Other alternatives and issues may also

be included in the analysis and will be

identified based on comments

submitted by the public and other

agencies and organizations.

Preparation of the EIS

Following completion of the scoping

process, we will prepare a draft EIS for

the program to protect sunflowers from

blackbird damage. A notice announcing

that the draft EIS is available for review

will then be published in the Federal

Register. The notice will also request

comments concerning the draft EIS.

Done in Washington, DC, this 16th day of

May 2001.

Craig A. Reed,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 01–12695 Filed 5–18–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Duck Creek—Swains Access

Management Project, Dixie National

Forest, Iron, Garfield, and Kane

Counties, UT

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Forest Service, USDA, will prepare

an environmental impact statement

(EIS) for the Forest Service to

implement several proposals within the

Duck Creek—Swains Access

Management Project area, on the Cedar

City Ranger District, Dixie National

Forest. These proposals include:

1. Maintain approximately 286 miles

of road open to motorized vehicle travel.

These roads are presently open to

motorized use, and will remain open.

Approximately 32 miles of these roads

are open to street-legal vehicles only

and would continue with the same

management.