Developing Wildlife Damage Manage- 

 ment Methods— NWRC is the only research 

 center in the world exclusively dedicated to 

 developing biologically sound, socially 

 acceptable methods of reducing or eliminating 

 wildlife damage. In FY 1999, NWRC set a goal 

 of testing 13 new or improved wildlife damage 

 management methods. The Center was able to 

 fully fund more than 18 research projects, 

 however, and tested 18 new or improved 

 wildlife damage control methods. 



More detailed information about actual 

 program results can be found in the remainder 

 of this report and in the APHIS FY 1999 



annual performance report. 



Pesticide Certification 

 Program 



To ensure that WS personnel are well trained 

 and appropriately certified to use a wide range 

 of tools and techniques, WS initiated 

 development of a national pesticide training 

 and certification program. The program will 

 operate in conjunction with existing State 

 pesticide certification programs and require- 

 ments. The national WS pesticide certification 

 program will ensure that WS employees are 

 trained specifically in the use of vertebrate 

 pesticides. 



National Environmental Policy Act 



WS State programs use the National Environ- 

 mental Policy Act (NEPA) process as a 

 planning and project management tool. The 

 national WS program operates under a 

 programwide environmental impact statement, 

 the Animal Damage Control Program Final 

 Environmental Impact Statement completed in 

 1994. WS routinely develops environmental 

 assessments to analyze the potential impacts 

 of proposed actions and to provide the best 

 environmental information available for 



planning and decisionmaking. In FY 1999, 

 WS developed 24 environmental assessments 

 for proposed WS wildlife damage-manage- 

 ment activities throughout the country. Also in 

 1999, a NEPA coordinator was hired to assist 

 State programs in the Eastern Region in 

 planning and developing NEPA documents 

 and processes. The new position, located in 

 the Raleigh, NC, State office, brings the 

 national staffing dedicated to NEPA compli- 

 ance to a total of six people. 



H 



