Notice of Record of Decision and Statement of Findings on the Environmental Impact Statement on Reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf to Its Historic Range in the Southwestern

Pursuant t o t h e N a t i o n a l E n v i r o n m e n t a l P o l i c y A ct (NEPA), t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Department o f t h e I n t e r i o r , U.S. F i s h and W i l d l i f e S e r v i c e ( S e r v i c e ) i s s u e s t h i s Record o f D e c i s i o n and Statement o f F i n d i n g s upon c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on Reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf Within Its Historic Range in the Southwestern United States. The FEIS was f i l e d w i t h t h e E n v i r o n m e n t a l P r o t e c t i o n Agency on December 18, 1996 and became a v a i l a b l e t o t h e p u b l i c on December 20, 199o. _Comments r e c e i v e d a f t e r r e l e a s e o f t h e FEIS were a l s o c o n s i d e r e d i n p r e p a r i n g t h i s Record o f D e c i s i o n and w i l l , i f a p p r o p r i a t e , be c o n s i d e r e d i n t h e r e v i s i o n o f t h e prop o s e d Mexican w o l f e x p e r i m e n t a l p o p u l a t i o n r u l e . T h i s Record o f D e c i s i o n i s based on a t h o r o u g h a n a l y s i s o f e n v i r o n m e n t a l , b i o l o g i c a l , s o c i a l , economic, t e c h n i c a l , and o t h e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n s . The S e r v i c e has e v a l u a t e d and c o n s i d e r e d a l t e r n a t i v e s f o r t h e r e i n t r o d u c t i o n and management o f w o l f p o p u l a t i o n s i n t h e s o u t h w e s t e r n U n i t e d S t a t e s areas as p r e s e n t e d i n t h e FEIS and has r e v i e w e d and c o n s i d e r e d p u b l i c and agency comments on t h e D r a f t EIS (DEIS) r e l e a s e d i n June 1995. Based upon t h a t e v a l u a t i o n and r e v i e w , t h e S e r v i c e has s e l e c t e d t h e P r e f e r r e d A l t e r n a t i v e ( A l t e r n a t i v e A as d e s c r i b e d i n t h e FEIS) f o r i m p l e m e n t a t i o n , s p e c i f y i n g Mexican w o l f r e i n t r o d u c t i o n i n t h e b i o l o g i c a l l y p r e f e r a b l e Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area f i r s t , and u s i n g t h e White Sands Wolf Recovery Area l a t e r as a back-up r e i n t r o d u c t i o n area i f necessary and f e a s i b l e . A proposed n o n e s s e n t i a l e x p e r i m e n t a l p o p u l a t i o n r u l e p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n 1 0 ( j ) o f t h e Endangered Species A ct (ESA) was p u b l i s h e d i n t h e Federal Register on May 1, 1996 (61 FR 19237-19248). I t has been r e v i e w e d by t h e p u b l i c and an e x t e n s i v e c o n s u l t a t i o n p rocess has o c c u r r e d , i n c l u d i n g p u b l i c meetings and h e a r i n g s b o t h on t h e