ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MANAGING DAMAGE CAUSED BY BIRDS IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY PREPARED BY: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE WILDLIFE SERVICES IN COOPERATION WITH: TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY DECEMBER 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ACRONYMS .............................................................................................................................................. iii CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION 1.1 PURPOSE ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 NEED FOR ACTION ...................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 SCOPE OF THIS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ............................................................. 28 1.4 RELATIONSHIP OF THIS DOCUMENT TO OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS . 31 1.5 AUTHORITY OF FEDERAL AND COMMONWEALTH AGENCIES ..................................... 33 1.6 COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND STATUTES ....................................................................... 35 1.7 DECISIONS TO BE MADE ......................................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 2: AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ISSUES 2.1 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................................................... 42 2.2 ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH BIRD DAMAGE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ................... 45 2.3 ISSUES CONSIDERED BUT NOT IN DETAIL WITH RATIONALE ...................................... 52 CHAPTER 3: ALTERNATIVES 3.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................ 58 3.2 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT NOT ANALYZED IN DETAIL .................................. 64 3.3 STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR BIRD DAMAGE MANAGEMENT ............ 68 3.4 ADDITIONAL STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES SPECIFIC TO THE ISSUES ...... 69 CHAPTER 4: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 4.1 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES FOR ISSUES ANALYZED IN DETAIL .................. 72 4.2 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED ACTION BY ISSUE .................................. 167 CHAPTER 5: LIST OF PREPARERS AND/OR PERSONS CONSULTED 5.1 LIST OF PREPARERS AND REVIEWERS .............................................................................. 174 5.2 LIST OF PERSONS CONSULTED ............................................................................................ 174 LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A: LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................... A-1 APPENDIX B: METHODS AVAILABLE FOR RESOLVING OR PREVENTING BIRD DAMAGE ........................................................................................................................................ B-1 APPENDIX C: FEDERAL THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES IN KENTUCKY ......... C-1 APPENDIX D: COMMONWEALTH THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES .................... D-1 APPENDIX E: ADDITIONAL TARGET SPECIES THAT WS COULD ADDRESS ........................... E-1 ii ACRONYMS AI Avian Influenza APHIS Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service AQDO Aquaculture Depredation Order AVMA American Veterinary Medical Association BBS Breeding Bird Survey BCR Bird Conservation Region CBC Christmas Bird Count CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CFR Code of Federal Regulations DNC 4,4'-dinitrocarbanilide EA Environmental Assessment EIS Environmental Impact Statement EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency ESA Endangered Species Act FAA Federal Aviation Administration FDA Food and Drug Administration FEIS Final Environmental Impact Statement FIFRA Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act FR Federal Register FY Fiscal Year HDP 4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidinal INAD Investigational New Animal Drug KDA Kentucky Department of Agriculture KDFWR Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources KAR Kentucky Administrative Regulations KRS Kentucky Revised Statutes KSNPC Kentucky State Nature Preservation Society LD Median Lethal Dose LC Median Lethal Concentration MANEM Mid Atlantic/New England/Maritime region MBTA Migratory Bird Treaty Act MFGP Mississippi Flyway Giant Population MOU Memorandum of Understanding NASS National Agricultural Statistics Service NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHPA National Historic Preservation Act NWRC National Wildlife Research Center PRDO Public Resource Depredation Order SJBP Southern James Bay Population SOP Standard Operating Procedure T&E Threatened and Endangered TVA Tennessee Valley Authority USAF United States Air Force USC United States Code USDA United States Department of Agriculture USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS United States Geological Survey WS Wildlife Services iii CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION 1.1 PURPOSE The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Wildlife Services (WS)1 program in Kentucky continues to receive requests for assistance or anticipates receiving requests for assistance to alleviate or prevent damage occurring to agricultural resources, natural resources, and property, including threats to human safety, associated with several bird species, including the Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens), Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), feral waterfowl2, Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), Great Egret (Ardea alba), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis), Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus), Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous), Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis), Herring Gull (Larus argentatus), Rock Pigeon (Columba livia), Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), American Robin (Turdus migratorius), European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), and House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). In addition to those species, WS could also receive requests for assistance to manage damage and threats of damage associated with several other bird species, but requests for assistance associated with those species would occur infrequently and/or requests would involve a small number of individual birds of a species. Damages and threats of damages associated with those species would occur primarily at airports where individuals of those species pose a threat of aircraft strikes. Appendix E contains a list of species that WS could address in low numbers and/or infrequently when those species cause damage or pose a threat of damage. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) also continues to experience damage and threats of damage associated with birds at facilities or properties they own or manage in Kentucky. Therefore, the TVA could request the assistance of WS to manage damage or threats of damage at those facilities and properties. The goal of WS and the TVA would be to conduct a coordinated program to alleviate bird damage on properties that the TVA owns or manages in accordance with plans and objectives developed by both agencies. The plans and objectives would outline the actions of each agency. All federal actions are subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (Public Law 9-190, 42 3 USC 4321 et seq.), including the actions of WS and the TVA. The NEPA sets forth the requirement that 1 The WS program is authorized to protect agriculture and other resources from damage caused by wildlife through the Act of March 2, 1931 (46 Stat. 1468; 7 USC 426-426b) as amended, and the Act of December 22, 1987 (101 Stat. 1329-331, 7 USC 426c). 2 Free-ranging or feral domestic waterfowl refers to captive-reared, domestic, of some domestic genetic stock, or domesticated breeds of ducks, geese, and swans. Examples of domestic waterfowl include, but are not limited to, Mute Swans, Muscovy Ducks, Pekin Ducks, Rouen Ducks, Cayuga Ducks, Swedish Ducks, Chinese Geese, Toulouse Geese, Khaki Campbell Ducks, Embden Geese, and Pilgrim Geese. Feral Ducks may include a combination of Mallards, Muscovy Duck, and Mallard-Muscovy Hybrids. 3 The WS program follows the CEQ regulations implementing the NEPA (40 CFR 1500 et seq.) along with USDA (7 CFR 1b) and APHIS Implementing Guidelines (7 CFR 372) as part of the decision-making process. 1 all federal actions be evaluated in terms of their potential to significantly affect the quality of the human environment for the purpose of avoiding or, where possible, mitigating and minimizing adverse impacts. In part, the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulates federal activities affecting the physical and biological environment through regulations