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Agenda

Agenda. 2:00 pm Introduce FWS and FKMCD Introductions and brief logistics 2:05 pm Presentation of Background Purpose and Methods of Mosquito Control Overview of Refuge policy and resources, why an EA ?

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Agenda

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  1. Agenda 2:00 pm Introduce FWS and FKMCD Introductions and brief logistics 2:05 pm Presentation of Background Purpose and Methods of Mosquito Control Overview of Refuge policy and resources, why an EA? 2:40 pm Overview of Environmental Assessment process and target dates (FWS) Discuss timeline and products available for review 2:50 pm Move to comment recording tables and document oral comments 4:00 pm Adjourn

  2. Mosquito Management Plan and Environmental Assessment

  3. Lower Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges 1938 1957 1908

  4. Refuge Purposes • The purposes of the refuges come from the executive orders and subsequent laws Congress passed as it established each refuge. For National Key Deer: • “... to protect and preserve in the national interest the Key deer and other wildlife resources in the Florida Keys.” 71 Stat. 412, dated Aug. 22, 1957 • “... to conserve (A) fish or wildlife which are listed as endangered species or threatened species .... or (B) plants....” 16 U.S.C. 1534 (Endangered Species Act of 1973) • “... suitable for–(1) incidental fish and wildlife-oriented recreational development, (2) the protection of natural resources, (3) the conservation of endangered species or threatened species....” 16 U.S.C. 460k-1

  5. Refuge Purpose (cont.) • “... for the development, advancement, management, conservation, and protection of fish and wildlife resources ....” 16 U.S.C. 742f(a)(4) • “... conservation, management, and … restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats … for the benefit of present and future generations of americans....” 16 U.S.C. 668dd(a)(2) (National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act) • “…so as to provide protection of these areas…and to ensure…the preservation of their wilderness character.…” (Wilderness Act of 1964, Public Law 88-577)

  6. Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCP) • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) prepared its Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) to guide the management of three national wildlife refuges in the Florida Keys, as mandated by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997. • The CCP outlines management strategies and corresponding resource needs for the next 15 years to protect, enhance, and restore the natural diversity and integrity of the ecological landscapes of the Lower Florida Keys Refuges, and provides unique opportunities for research and compatible wildlife-dependent recreational uses in cooperation with our partners.

  7. CCP (cont). • The CCP calls for the development of 11 step-down management plans in specific program areas, such as visitor services and fire management. • Under Habitat Management (Page 60) • Objective 3: Protect tropical hardwood hammock and the endangered, threatened, candidate and other imperiled species that inhabit hammock. • Strategies: Maintain the policy of prohibiting the spraying of insecticides used to control adult mosquitos to protect non-target invertebrate species in Watson and Cactus Hammocks and on No Name Key (National Key Deer Refuge), and expand to other tropical hardwood hammocks.

  8. CCP (cont.) • Under: FISH AND WILDLIFE POPULATION MANAGEMENT (Page 63 and 68) • Objective 1: Implement necessary measures to ensure the viability of all imperiled species and their habitats. • Strategy: Adopt a step-down Mosquito Management Plan according to Service policy guidance that will reduce or eliminate impacts of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District’s operations to nontarget species on and adjacent to refuge lands.

  9. CCP (cont.) • Objective 11: Lepidopterans – Maintain or restore refuge populations of Lepidopterans of special conservation concern, particularly Bartram’s hairstreak, Florida leafwing and Miami blue butterflies. • Develop a step-down Mosquito Management Plan in cooperation with the Mosquito Control District, state public health officials and entomologists to balance the conservation of native insect species on refuge lands with public health concerns with nuisance and potentially disease-carrying mosquito populations. • Continue cooperative efforts in developing improved methods of mosquito control which reduce the use of broad-spectrum adulticides and minimizes impacts to natural resources. • Maintain and expand the “no spray” zones in pine rockland, hardwood hammock and other sensitive habitat.

  10. FWS Guidance and Policy • 569 FW 1Integrated Pest Management Policy • Use our best professional judgment and available scientific information to select the lowest risk, most effective IPM method or combination of methods that is feasible for each pest management project.  When appropriate, we will include IPM methods in short- and long-term management planning documents such as refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plans, IPM plans, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents, and invasive species plans. • Chapter 6 (601 FW 6): Draft Mosquito and Mosquito-Borne Disease Management Policy • Allow populations of native mosquito species to exist unimpeded unless they pose a specific human or wildlife health threat. • Identifying mosquito management activities through development of a mosquito management plan or comprehensive conservation plan • Other bullets

  11. Mosquito Management Plan • CCP stipulated that “The plan will identify the specific conditions under which mosquito populations would be managed on the refuge, taking into account the local environment, as well as current and historical mosquito-associated health threats.” (Page 95)

  12. U.S. District Court - Action 10-377 • As part of a court-approved settlement, the Service has committed to publish certain Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing actions – petition findings, listing determinations, critical habitat designations – in Fiscal Years 2013-2018.

  13. Published Proposed Rule • On August 15, 2013, the Service published its “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Designation of Critical Habitat for Florida Leafwing and Bartram's Scrub-Hairstreak Butterflies” proposed rule. • The Refuge is required to initiate consultation under ESA on any action that might adversely affect candidate or listed species.

  14. Listed species with risk from insecticide applications • Stock Island tree snail (Orthalicusreses) (T) • Florida leafwing butterfly (Anaeatroglodytafloridalis) (C) • Bartram’s hairstreak butterfly (Strymonacisbartrami) (C) • Miami Blue Butterfly (Hemiargus [Cyclargus] thomasibethunebakeri) (C) • Big Pine partridge pea (Chamaecristalineatakeyensis) (C) • Wedge spurge (Chamaesycedeltoideaserpyllum) (C) • Sand flax (Linumarenicola) (C)

  15. Butterflies (Fl. leafwing)

  16. Annual Number of Florida leafwings on six transects within NKDR, Big Pine Key Anaea troglodyta floridalis Source: (Salvato and Salvato, unpublished data; 2007)

  17. Butterflies (Bartram’s)

  18. Annual Number of Bartram's hairstreaks on six transects within NKDR, Big Pine Key Strymon acis bartrami Source: (Salvato and Salvato, unpublished data; 2007)

  19. Monitoring-research

  20. NEPA Process Overview of Environmental Assessment Preparation

  21. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)(1970) Purpose: • “To encourage productive and enjoyable harmony between man and his environment • To promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and stimulate the health and welfare of man • And to enrich the understanding of ecological systems and natural resources important to the nation.”

  22. Working Purpose of NEPA • “To make sure that agencies fully consider the environmental costs and benefits of their proposed actions before they make any decision to undertake those actions” • NEPA is a decision making process and tool.

  23. NEPA and CEQ Requirements • All agencies make careful, and complete, study of the impacts of any proposal that has the potential to affect the environment and study alternatives to that proposal. • Agencies must be diligent with involving any interested or affected members of the public in the NEPA process.

  24. Scoping • Internal scoping: Gathering information and formulating a strategy within the FWS. • Staff, contactors, involved agencies, and staff from other divisions or regions. • External scoping: Working with the public and other agencies to determine issues, alternatives, and approaches and to educate the public as needed.

  25. What Information is in the EA • Statement of the objectives or purpose; • Alternatives • No action and others determined during scoping • FWS preferred alternative; • Impact topics • Cultural resources, wetlands, floodplains, land use conflicts, • endangered species, public health and safety; • Affected environment; • Impacts; • Consultation.

  26. What are the Next and Final Steps? • Prepare and distribute the Draft EA for comment to agencies and tribes, interested parties and individuals, and anyone who requests it. • The FWS incorporates those comments into the Final EA, looks at other alternatives, modifies the analysis, makes factual corrections, or explains why comments do not warrant further response. • Issuance of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or initiates more analysis. Copies of the final decision document will be provided to all agencies and tribes that commented, any individual or organization that makes substantive comments, and anyone who requests it.

  27. Tentative Draft Purpose • Develop a long term Mosquito Management Plan consistent with Service policy and guidance that will reduce or eliminate impacts of the adulticide and other mosquito control activities to nontarget species on and adjacent to refuge lands while still balancing the needs of the community and public health concerns. • Ensure that activities to survey and control mosquito populations on or adjacent to the Refuge are compatible with the establishing purposes of the Refuge. • Protect both threatened and endangered plants, fish, and wildlife and to ensure the health and welfare of surrounding human populations.

  28. Timeframe • Scoping Meeting: December 2013 • Draft EA Submitted: January 2014 • Public Comment Closed: February 2014 • Mosquito Management Plan: Spring 2014

  29. What Type of Input Do We Need? • Types of mosquito management actions the refuge and the District should consider • Concerns and issues that should be incorporated in the EA • Alternatives to consider in the EA • Specific impacts that are of concern • Relevant experiences in regard to the proposed activities and/or uses

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