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Midway Seabird Protection Project Draft Environmental Assessment

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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Midway Seabird Protection Project Draft Environmental Assessment Sand Island, Midway Atoll, Papaha-naumokua-kea Marine National Monument Front cover: A male albatross bonds with his chick Ku-kini, a Hawaiian word for messenger. The mother - an albatross named Wisdom who is the world’s oldest known wild bird - is off foraging at sea. In her lifetime, Wisdom has raised over 35 chicks. Credit: Kiah Walker/USFWS Volunteer MIDWAY SEABIRD PROTECTION PROJECT Draft Environmental Assessment Sand Island, Midway Atoll, Papahanaumokuakea- - Marine National Monument Prepared for: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Cooperating Agency USDA APHIS Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center Prepared by: Hamer Environmental L.P. and Planning Solutions, Inc. March 2018 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MIDWAY SEABIRD PROTECTION PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (MANWR) lies in the North Pacific Ocean approximately equidistant between North America and Asia. The refuge is also designated the Battle of Midway National Memorial and is within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The fringing coral reef, shallow lagoons, and 3 low-lying islands (Sand, Eastern, and Spit Islands), are the breeding grounds for millions of seabirds, the wintering grounds for thousands of shorebirds, and a refuge for critically endangered species like the Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) and Laysan duck (Anas laysanensis). Over 70% of the total global population of Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) breeds at the refuge; with the majority of the Midway population nesting on the 1,128-acre Sand Island. This Environmental Assessment (EA) documents an action proposed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) and presents the anticipated environmental effects of both the Proposed Action and a No Action alternative. The Proposed Action is to eradicate house mice (Mus musculus) from Sand Island by delivering a lethal dose of rodenticide to every rodent in a manner that minimizes harm to island residents and the ecosystem while still maintaining a high probability of success, and to maintain the island in rodent-free status in perpetuity. The toxicant to be employed as part of the Proposed Action would be Brodifacoum-25D Conservation, a pelleted rodenticide bait intended for conservation purposes for the control or eradication of invasive rodents on islands or vessels. Implementation of the proposed action is currently being considered for Summer, 2019. This action was identified in the Papahānaumokuākea Monument Management Plan (PMMP), completed in December 2008, as Strategy AS-4 with a goal of developing an eradication plan within 5 years. The need for the action was reinforced when, in 2015, mice were confirmed to be feeding on the backs and necks of adult albatross nesting on Sand Island, leading to nest abandonment and mortality of adults, eggs and chicks. The Proposed Action was identified in the PMMP for many reasons, among them the fact that worldwide invasive species are a leading cause of island species extinctions including mammal, bird, reptile, and invertebrates. Forty to sixty % of all recorded bird and reptile extinctions are attributed to invasive rodents. The USFWS is proposing the Action to protect seabirds and their habitats on MANWR’s Sand Island. The other islands of MANWR, Eastern and Spit, are not included because mice are not currently present on them. The USFWS is planning and would conduct the Action with technical support from Island Conservation (IC) and the Midway Restoration Partnership Group, which is a multidisciplinary stakeholder body including representatives from USFWS, Island Conservation, American Bird Conservancy, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the State of Hawaiʻi Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Removing mice would improve the MANWR’s ability to restore the natural island ecosystem, benefitting native coastal plants and insects. The proposed action would improve seabird nesting habitat and could aid in the recovery of rare seabirds such as the short-tailed albatross ES-1 MIDWAY SEABIRD PROTECTION PROJECT DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Phoebastria albatrus), Bulwer’s petrel (Bulweria bulwerii), and Tristram’s storm-petrel (Oceanodroma tristrami). The proposed action involves the aerial broadcast of bait pellets containing rodenticide into all potential mouse territories on Sand Island along with supplemental hand broadcasting of bait in sensitive areas (e.g., narrow shorelines) and placing bait stations in commensal areas. The USFWS also considered other alternatives and methods to eradicate mice on Sand Island but these were dismissed from analysis since they failed to meet the purpose and need of the project. Mouse eradication would occur in the summer dry season to maximize the probability of success by targeting mice when their food resources are lowest and their abundance is declining. Conducting the operation during this period would also minimize the risk of rain washing rodenticide pellets into the ocean and is also a period of low winds, which makes bait application easier to control. It is also the time of year when relatively few wintering shorebirds, which may be susceptible to primary and secondary poisoning, are present; relatively few seabirds are also present at this time because the majority have completed breeding and have left the island. The lower numbers of seabirds present on MANWR at this time of year also reduces, but does not eliminate, the potential for collisions between operational aircraft and seabirds. The endangered Laysan duck, a year-round resident species, would be present at this time. Also, several species of water and land birds may be present during implementation. Protective measures would be implemented to avoid and minimize impacts to them. This EA evaluates the likelihood and magnitude of these incidental bird mortalities, and decribes the avoidance and minimization measures that will be implemented to reduce bird mortalities. This EA will also be used for consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and for consulting with NOAA related to Essential Fish Habitat. The USFWS is responsible for the final decision on the Action along with the plans for implementation and monitoring. The USFWS anticipates that the Proposed Action would have a less than significant adverse impact on the environment when it is conducted as outlined in this EA, including the implementation of the avoidance, minimization, and mitigation policies and actions. ES-2 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MIDWAY SEABIRD PROTECTION PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Project: Midway Seabird Protection Project Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 5-231 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96850 Submit Comments to: [email protected] Cooperating Agencies: USDA APHIS NWRC Affected Location: Sand Island, MANWR, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Proposed Action: Eradication of invasive mice on Sand Island, MANWR via rodenticide. Island & Project Area: 1,128 acres (456.5 hectares) Required Permits & Approvals: • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental Assessment • Section 7, Endangered Species Act (ESA) • Section 106, National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) • Essential Fish Habitat • Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Supplemental Label • National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit • Marine National Monument Permit Anticipated Determination: No Significant Impacts Parties Consulted: See Chapter 7.0 Consultants: Hamer Environmental Planning Solutions, Inc. ES-3 MIDWAY SEABIRD PROTECTION PROJECT DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ES-4 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MIDWAY SEABIRD PROTECTION PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND NEED .................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................1-1 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE ACTION ..................................................................................................................................1-2 1.3 NEED FOR THE ACTION ......................................................................................................................................1-3 1.3.1 Effects of Introduced Invasive Species on Islands .................................................................................1-3 1.3.2 Effects of Introduced mice on MANWR ................................................................................................1-4 1.3.3 MANWR Ecosystem Management and conservation plans ...................................................................1-6 1.3.3.1 Papahānaumokuākea Monument Management Plan (PMMP) .........................................................1-6 1.3.3.2 Conservation Action Plan for Black-footed albatross and Laysan albatross.....................................1-7 1.3.3.3 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Seabird Conservation Plan ...............................................1-7 1.4 REGULATORY
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