Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision; Elk Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for Theodore Roosevelt National Park

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Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), the National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Elk Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (Plan/EIS) for Theodore Roosevelt National Park (Park), Billings and McKenzie Counties, North Dakota. On June 4, the Midwest Regional Director approved the ROD for the project. As soon as practicable, the NPS will begin to implement the Preferred Alternative contained in the final Plan/EIS. The NPS will implement the Preferred Alternative, as described in the final Plan/EIS released on March 8, 2010. The Preferred Alternative will make use of skilled public volunteers to assist the Park with culling the elk herd through the use of firearms. The initial reduction phase would reduce the elk herd, now estimated at 1,000 elk, to approximately 200 elk within 5 years, by removing approximately 275 elk per year. Following the initial reduction phase, the Park would take an additional 20 to 24 elk per year for the remaining 10 years of the Plan in order to maintain a consistent population level. Following each year of the initial reduction p