Search Results for keywords:"adaptive management"

The Department of Agriculture is seeking public comments on its information collection for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program as part of an effort to assess its social, ecological, and economic impacts. The feedback will help with adaptive management and improve future forest restoration projects. People can submit their comments by February 26, 2021, through the reginfo.gov website, where they can find the survey under “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments.” The survey targets individuals or households, with an estimated 2,330 respondents expected to participate annually, contributing to a total burden of 320 hours.

The Department of Justice has proposed a Third Amendment to a Consent Decree with the City of Kansas City, Missouri, in response to a lawsuit over violations of the Clean Water Act. The amendment outlines steps for the city to reduce sewage overflows, aiming for an 85% reduction by 2040 with interim goals set for the years 2024, 2030, and 2035. Public comments on the proposed amendment are invited within 30 days of this notice, and the Consent Decree is available online or by mail upon request.

The Department of Commerce is submitting an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program. This program aims to enhance public understanding of environmental science through education grants. The information collection involves surveys from program participants to evaluate and improve the program. The public is invited to comment on this request within 30 days of the notice's publication.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has proposed a rule regarding the incidental taking of marine mammals during the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion Project. The Hampton Roads Connector Partners (HRCP) requested this authorization for expected disturbances to marine mammals over five years (2021-2026) due to construction activities like pile driving. NMFS outlines regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), including mitigation and monitoring measures to minimize impact, and invites public comments on the proposal. The rule includes provisions for issuing letters of authorization, monitoring, reporting, and adaptive management to ensure the protection of marine mammals during the project's duration.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing a rule that would allow the incidental take of certain marine mammals over five years due to surveys along the Oregon and California coasts. These surveys are part of the University of California Santa Cruz's monitoring of rocky intertidal zones. To protect the marine mammals, specifically pinnipeds like seals and sea lions, the rule includes measures such as avoiding disturbance to pups and monitoring for predators. The rule seeks public comments to help finalize these regulations, aiming to minimize harm while conducting important environmental research.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced the reclassification of the June sucker from "endangered" to "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, reflecting significant improvements in its population through conservation efforts. The agency has implemented a set of rules under section 4(d) to continue the protection and recovery of the species, allowing certain activities like research, habitat restoration, and the management of recreational fisheries to occur without violating the Act, provided they aid in the conservation of the June sucker. These activities include removing nonnative fish, conducting habitat restoration projects, and monitoring populations, all aimed at securing the June sucker's recovery while maintaining public engagement and education efforts.