The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold two meetings with residents in eastern North Carolina to discuss the future management of the non-essential, experimental population of red wolves in five counties there. Everyone within the red wolf recovery area is encouraged to participate, ask questions and bring ideas to the process.

The meetings are a step in the process for residents to provide their perspectives and comments on an environmental assessment focusing on potential changes to the management of red wolves in the state under the National Environmental Policy Act. Public input is a key element in moving this process forward. USFWS is meeting commitments we have made through the evaluation of the recovery program and how this non-essential, experimental population should be managed. The meetings also represent a step in assessing alternatives and how any proposed changes may affect the red wolf, its future recovery and the people who live, work and play in eastern North Carolina.

USFWS will conduct these two scoping meetings to provide the public with additional opportunities to ask questions, discuss aspects of the environmental assessments and NEPA process with USFWS staff, and provide written or verbal comments.

Meeting locations

• June 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Mattamuskeet High School, 20392 U.S. Highway 264, Swan Quarter.
• June 8, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Coastal North Carolina National Wildlife Refuges Visitor Center, 100 Conservation Way, Manteo.

USFWS seeks comments and suggestions specifically on:

• The appropriate size and scope of the non-essential, experimental population area;
• Contribution of the non-essential, experimental population to recovery goals for the red wolf;
• Tools for population management;
• Management strategies to address hybridization with coyotes;
• Appropriate provisions for “take” of red wolves; and
• Protocols for red wolves that leave the non-essential, experimental population area, including, but not limited to, requests for removal of animals from private lands.

The meetings and public consideration and review are part of a 60-day process that began with the publication of a Notice of Intent in the federal register Tuesday, and will continue through July 24. We will consider all comments on the scope of the draft environmental assessment that are received or postmarked by that date. Comments received or postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

Comment submission

In addition to providing comments during the public scoping meetings, you may also submit written comments by one of the following methods:

 

• Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Search for FWS-R4-ES-2017-0006, which is the docket number for this action. You may submit a comment by clicking on “Comment Now!”
• By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R4-ES-2017-0006; Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803.

USFWS requests that citizens send comments only by the methods described above. It will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any personal information you provide us (see Information Requested below in Supplementary Information). To increase our efficiency in downloading comments, groups providing mass submissions should submit their comments in an Excel file.

For more information about red wolf recovery, visit www.fws.gov/redwolf.