Summary
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) prepared a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for Feral Swine Damage Management in South Carolina which evaluates evaluated potential environmental impacts associated with alternative approaches for the APHIS Wildlife Services (WS) program to manage feral swine damage, when requested as coordinated between WS and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). As part of the national feral swine damage management (FSDM) program, APHIS funds and operates an aerial control program to reduce or eliminate feral swine populations, damage, and threats to human and animal health, especially in areas that may be difficult to access (e.g., wetlands, large tracks of land). The USDA APHIS-WS program works with Federal, state, and local agencies; tribes; and private individuals to address specific localized feral swine damage. APHIS deploys a dedicated aviation program to shoot swine from helicopters over public or private land to improve hog population reduction. The U.S. Forest Service – Savannah River (USFS-SR) oversees natural resources management on Savannah River Site (SRS) under the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Operations Office’s (SROO) direction and proposes to enter into an agreement with USDA for WS to conduct periodic feral swine removal via aerial shooting in selected areas on SRS damaged by feral swine. The DOE SROO adopted the USDA APHIS Final EA (DOE/EA-2243). DOE issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) January 11, 2024, adopting and incorporating the APHIS EA pursuant to 40 CFR 1501.6 as DOE/EA- 2243, “United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Final Environmental Assessment for Feral Swine Damage Management in South Carolina”, (Final FSDM EA).
The success of the pilot project conducted in the USFS-SR in January and February 2024 yielded a sizeable number of feral swine removed. No safety incidents occurred and no adverse environmental impacts (i.e., no release, no loss or damage to non-target species) were encountered. The USFS-SR now proposes to continue the work with APHIS and target additional areas across SRS for removing feral swine via aerial shooting. DOE prepared a Supplement Analysis for Continued Feral Swine Damage Management at Savannah River Site (DOE/EA-2243-SA-1) and concluded that USFS-SR continuing feral swine removal by means of WS’ aerial shooting in other areas across SRS would have impacts no greater than those described in the Final FSDM EA. DOE issued a revised FONSI for USFS-SR continuing periodic feral swine removal across SRS using the APHIS-WS’ aerial shooting program pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).