FONSI AND DECISION TO ADOPT THE HFNWR 2021 STATION MASTER PLAN

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces its environmental findings on the 2021 Station Master Plan (SMP). The Service鈥檚 Proposed Action is to adopt and implement the 2021 Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) SMP in accordance with the Refuge鈥檚 Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP), adopted in 2010 (76 FR 29782). The suite of individual projects described therein would be implemented in phases, as budget allows. Both the SMP and the CCP (USFWS 2010) are incorporated here by reference to provide additional detail regarding the Proposed Action Alternative.
The Service has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) evaluating the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative. Based on the analysis in the EA, the Service has determined that the Proposed Action is not a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 United States Code [USC] 4321 et seq.). The Proposed Action is not the type of action that normally requires preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) and is not without precedent. Therefore, the preparation of an EIS is not required and the Service is issuing this Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Proposed Action.
The comments received on the Draft EA and the Service鈥檚 responses to the comments are included in the Final EA.

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Looking out over the forest at Hakalau Forest NWR with the station visible in a small opening in the canopy.
Nestled on the windward slopes of Mauna Kea on Hawai'i Island, Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge is a sanctuary for some of the rarest native species in the Hawaiian archipelago. Established in 1985, the refuge spans over 32,700 acres of montane rainforest, providing critical habitat for...
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