| Chapter 1—Introduction and Project Description5 |
| Issues Identified and Selected for Analysis |
Please see discussion of Issues Identified and Selected for Analysis in section 1 of the EA in this volume (appendix A).
| Public Review of and Comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment and Land Protection Plan |
The Service released the draft WTCA EA and LPP on November 20, 2014, for a 47-day public review period. The draft documents became the basis for the final WTCA EA/LPP. They were made available to the general public as well as to Federal officials and agencies, State officials and agencies, four Native American tribes with aboriginal interests, and members of the public who had asked to be added to the project mailing list as well as via the project Web site. A public meeting was held December 4, 2014, in Laramie, Wyoming, to discuss and get public comments on the draft EA/LPP. Approximately 80 members of the public attended the meeting. In addition to comments provided at the public meeting, the Service received 16 written comments from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, corporations, and individuals. Comments were reviewed and incorporated into the administrative record. Comments and responses to substantive comments are included in appendix F.
The comments generally in favor of the WTCA mention items such as:
- Support for WTCA acquiring conservation easements and fee-title lands with a willing seller program to facilitate additional toad reintroductions
- WTCA using a partnership approach between private landowners and agencies
- Restoring the Wyoming toad to its historic range by conserving toad habitat, water quality, migratory birds, and the biodiversity that riparian and upland areas support
- Enlarging the WTCA project boundary to include additional acreage
- Protecting wildlife while ensuring compatibility with most agriculture practices
- Helping facilitate wildlife movements in our area and possibly mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on our local fauna and flora
- Delineating the project boundary using a data-driven approach
Comments not in support of the project identified the following concerns:
- Citing past experiences with other conservation agencies
- Requesting that the Service consider longterm impacts of perpetual conservation easements
- Stating that there is not enough known about what caused the decline of the Wyoming toad to ensure its successful recovery through the WTCA project
- Expressing general dissatisfaction with the Federal government regarding land access, quality of life, and increased Federal land ownership
The following substantive questions were raised that were neither in opposition to nor in support of the WTCA:
- How will the presence of a Safe Harbor Agreement or a toad reintroduction site affect an adjacent landowner who chooses not participate in one of the WTCA conservation tools?
- How will the various conservation tools (conservation easements, fee-title, or Safe Harbor Agreements) affect land management practices such as grazing, mosquito spraying, and water rights?
- Asking if the Service could consider opening refuges and fee-title lands to public access.
