Final Environmental Impact Statement - Cape Cod National Seashore Hunting Program

National Park Service

This Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) describes alternatives for management of the hunting program at Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO). It also describes potential adverse and beneficial effects to the following: • natural resources (wildlife, special status species, natural communities, and vegetation); • cultural heritage (customary hunting activities, berry picking, mushroom gathering); • public use (land use and recreation; health and safety, and public use and experience); • socioeconomic values (effects on local/regional economy); • management and operations (consistency with CACO and National Park Service (NPS) goals, plans, policies, guidelines, mandates, changes to staffing levels and ranger duties, and costs to implement); and • non-federal lands within CACO (private residential properties, private commercial properties, and municipal and state lands). Three alternatives for the hunting program are presented, and the environmental consequences of each are analyzed. These include Alternative A – no action, Alternative B – a modified hunting program, and Alternative C – eliminating hunting. These three alternatives were generated from internal and external scoping meetings and agency and public correspondence. Each external scoping meeting was run by NPS staff and included an information session, a public comment period, and a question and response session. The primary purpose of these meetings was to gain public input and inform the public of the ensuing Environmental Impact Statement. A thorough assessment of the adverse and beneficial effects of each alternative was completed, and a determination was made regarding which alternative would be the NPS preferred and the environmentally preferred alternative. Following the completion of the NEPA process and issuance of the Record of Decision (ROD), the NPS will implement the preferred alternative. Following issuance of the Draft EIS in April 2006, comments were received on many elements of the analyses and alternatives during the 60-day comment period. A table summarizing the NPS response to each unique comment (Table 34) appears in Section 5.3. Copies of selected comment letters appear in Appendix D. In addition, all comments are part of the public record. The comments resulted in additional information-gathering, consideration, and changes which have been incorporated in this document. The FEIS has benefited from the suggestions, concerns, and information provided during the comment period, and the revised NPS preferred and environmentally preferred alternative reflects the value of the public review process.