U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The U.S.F.W.S. (Service) is seeking public review on a outline environmental assessment of a state proposal, ?Whetstone Sportsman and Conservation Club Trap Range Development, Milbank, Grant County, South Dakota.? Public comments are welcome for a 15-day period, ending December 21, 2006.
The outline environmental assessment was prepared by the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department?s (SDGFP) Division of Wildlife and the Service and analyzes the SDGFP?s suggestion to construct a new six acre shotgun trap range in
Grant Co. in northeastern South Dakota. The suggested trap range will replace an existing range that is being surrounded by new housing development and is adjacent to a golf course. The current location is no longer useful and presents safety issues for the surrounding area. The relocation of the trap range to the suggested location would provide improved safety conditions, accessibility for users with disabilities, and an improved hunter safety education facility.
The suggested range would require the construction of a 14-by-28-foot A-frame utility shed, installation of an ADA-accessible porta-potty, construction of 2 trap houses with 5 walkways each, construction of an ADA ramp to the building, installation of electrical wiring for the building, construction of an approach to the range, and installation of outdoor lighting.
Estimated cost of the plan is $41,500. Federal backing for this plan will come from the Pittman-Robertson Federal Assistance in Wildlife Restoration Act which is administered by the Service. This Act provides backing to assist in the development and improvement of safe and responsible public recreational shooting facilities and to enhance hunter education efforts. The Whetstone Sportsman and Conservation Club will provide the non-federal matching funds for the project.
Public review on the suggestion and outline environmental assessment will help the Service decide whether to fund the suggested project. The Service also must determine the suggested project?s eligibility for federal funding, assess its character and design, and ensure compliance with federal rules and regulations.
?The South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department has asked the Service to share in the cost of the plan by providing money from the Federal Assistance Wildlife Restoration program,? said Mitch King, Service Regional Director, Mountain-Prairie Region. ?Before approving the request, the Service will determine the potential benefits of the plan and consider all comments received from the public.?
?The result of this plan would provide a local shotgun range to the regional area and provide a facility to conduct hunter education classes. For young and elderly hunters, the lack of public shotgun ranges limits their ability to participate in shooting sports. The suggested development is a positive step in responding to the recreational demands and improves the quality of life for residents in the region,? said Doug Hansen, Director, SDGFP Division of Wildlife.
The outline environmental assessment prepared by SDGFP identified 3 alternatives to consider for the construction of the shotgun range:
? Constructing a new shotgun range, as described previously, with the Whetstone Sportsman and Conservation Club assisting with construction costs.
? Change the direction of the firing direction at the current range site.
? No plan would take place and the current conditions would remain in place.
Detailed information on each alternative is contained in the Service?s environmental assessment. Copies of the Outline EA are accessible online at http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/federalassistance. The document can also be accessed through the SDGFP at http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/hunting/Safety/WhetstoneProj.htm. Those without internet access may request copies by calling the Services? Division of Federal Assistance, 303-236-5420. Send written comments to: Chief, Division of Federal Assistance, U.S.F.W.S., P.O. Box 25486, Denver, Colorado 80225.
The U.S.F.W.S. is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 National wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 Countrywide fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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