Chapter II - Review of Wildlife EIS Process 



were solicited with a form included with each copy of the report and 

 through the department's web site. 



Public comments were discussed at a Fish, Wildlife and Parks 

 Commission work session on August 6, 1998. Then at a meeting on 

 September 2 and 3, 1998, the department director, the chair of the 

 Commission, and other department staff further evaluated pubUc 

 comments and developed the "preferred alternative." The director 

 described this alternative as consisting of "elements of the five 

 alternatives analyzed in the draft EIS with a heavy emphasis on 

 alternative one (Current Program) and alternative three." On October 1, 

 1998, a supplement to the draft EIS report was released for public 

 comment which described the preferred alternative and the probable 

 consequences on the environment. 



Reasons for Extended 

 Timeframe 



When the department started on the EIS process in 1991, it was 

 expected to take about four years. In reality, it has taken about twice 

 that amount of time including finalizing the report and collecting pubUc 

 comments on the report. Based on the information we reviewed and 

 interviews with people involved during the process, we concluded on 

 reasons for the extended timeframe. We grouped the reasons into three 

 categories: limited experience, staffing and directing methods, and 

 approach revisions. 



Limited Experience 



Many of the people we interviewed indicated the department had limited 

 experience with EISs and MEPA. The department (and other state 

 agencies) had even less experience with programmatic EISs. This may 

 have contributed to the initial approach used for the Wildhfe EIS which 

 called for collection of large volumes of information and eventually 

 bogged down the EIS Team and other participating staff. The 

 department hired an Environmental Impact Specialist in 1992 to work 

 on the EIS Team. The department later hired another person who had 

 worked with EISs at the Department of Transportation. This person 

 was assigned to the Steering Committee in January 1993. 



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