National Park Service Expanded Non-native Aquatic Species Management Plan and EA

2018 National Park Service Expanded Non-native Aquatic Species Management Plan and EA The National Park Service (NPS) intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for an Expanded Non-native Aquatic Species Management Plan in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park below the Glen Canyon Dam. Your participation is vital to the planning process. Project Background In 2013, the NPS completed the Comprehensive Fish Management Plan (CFMP). The intent of that effort was to provide guidance for managing fish within the Colorado River and its tributaries from Glen Canyon Dam to Lake Mead. Since the completion of the CFMP and the 2016 Long Term Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP) for Glen Canyon Dam operations, increases in potentially harmful non-native fish have been documented. This plan is intended to address this concern. The NPS is coordinating with the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and several other federal and non-federal cooperating agencies and traditionally associated tribes on this project. Purpose and Need The purpose of this action is to provide additional tools beyond what is available under the CFMP and the LTEMP, in order to allow the NPS to prevent, control, minimize or eradicate potentially harmful non-native aquatic species, or the risk associated with their presence or expansion, in the action area. The need for this action is due to the increase of green sunfish, brown trout and potential expansion or invasion of other harmful non-native aquatic species that threaten downstream native aquatic species including listed species or the Lees Ferry recreational rainbow trout fishery. These non-native species have become an increasing threat due to changing conditions since the completion of the 2013 NPS CFMP and the 2016 LTEMP. Existing measures may be inadequate to address potentially harmful non-native aquatic species. [1]

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Updates [2] The National Park Service (NPS) has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Expanded Non-native Aquatic Species Management Plan in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park below the Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Assessment. The EA and FONSI along with other documents related to the planning process can be found in the "Documents List". [3] Plan Process [4] Define purpose and need/develop preliminary alternatives: Fall 2017 Conduct external scoping: Dec 2017 Analysis of public comment: Spring 2018 Refine alternatives: Spring 2018 Identify environmental impacts and select preferred alternative: May 2018 Prepare draft plan/environmental document: May 2018 Cooperating agencies review of draft plan/environmental document (2 weeks): May/June 2018 Public review of draft plan/environmental document (30 days): July 2018 Analysis of public comment: Fall 2018 Prepare final plan/decision document: Fall 2018 Release final plan/decision document to the public: Fall 2018 Green sunfish collected in the -12 slough and a brown trout collected in Lees Ferry

Links Nonnative invasive aquatic species page 2018 Expanded Non-native Aquatic Species Management Plan and EA NPS website 2015 AZDGF Lees Ferry Fisheries Management Plan 2013 NPS Comprehensive Fisheries Management Plan Brown trout page Green sunfish page Quagga mussel page Documents [5] 2021 update Appendix F TABLE F-1. Risk Levels of Non-Native Aquatic Species in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park Press Release Announcing the FONSI Public Draft of the Expanded Non-Native Aquatic Species Management Plan/EA Public comments on the Public Draft NNAS EA Finding of No Significant Impact - Aquatic Non-Native Management Plan Expanded Non-Native Aquatic Species Management Plan/EA USFWS Biological Opinion and Concurrence Newsletter for Public Release of EA News Release: NPS Seeks Public Comment on the Expanded Non-native Aquatic Species Plan Scoping Summary Report Public Scoping Comments Draft Proposed Alternatives Table Scoping Posters Scoping Presentation NPS Expanded Non-native EA Scoping Newsletter May 2018 Newsletter Presentations and Papers 2019 Expanded Non-Native Aquatic Species Management Plan below Glen Canyon Dam Presentation Expanded Non-Native Aquatic Species Management Plan Presentation 2018 Temperature Reduction Options for Glen Canyon Slough; RM -12, Technical Report No. SRH 2018-17, Upper Colorado Regional Office Colorado River, AZ NPS Expanded Non-Native Aquatic Species Management Plan PPT Expanded Non-Native Aquatic Species Management Plan Below Glen Canyon Dam Expanded Non-Native Aquatic Species Management Plan Environmental Assessment PPT Expanded non-Native Aquatic Species Management Plan Below Glen Canyon Dam PPT Expanded Non-Native Management Plan Below Glen Canyon Dam PPT Other Stuff Runge et al., 2018, Brown trout in the Lees Ferry reach of the Colorado River—Evaluation of causal hypotheses and potential interventions: USGS Open-File Report 2016 Long Term Experimental Management Plan (LTEMP)