Piscicide, Adaptive Management, and Nepa; The Yellowstone National Park Native Fish Conservation Plan

In 2010 Yellowstone National Park wrote an environmental assessment designed to outline a 20 year plan to conserve native fish and fulfill the requirements of NEPA.  The core of the plan is an adaptive management strategy which identifies desired conditions and the conservation actions proposed to achieve them. Through the use of example projects, impact thresholds, and measurable objectives the plan provides a programmatic perspective of the use of piscicides in native fish restoration in Yellowstone’s streams, rivers, and lakes. Here we will discuss anticipated and realized regulatory and legal challenges encountered during development of the plan; as well as public reaction to the plan and perceptions of piscicide use, gauged from nearly 3,000 public comments.