U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service seeks public comment on Draft Compatibility Determination for Right-of-Way permit for Riverside Road
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on a Draft Compatibility Determination (Draft CD) for issuance of a Right-of-Way (ROW) permit to Boundary County, for improving and maintaining Riverside Road through Kootenai NWR. When the Refuge was established in 1964, the land was purchased subject to an existing ROW for this county road. In 2021 the Service issued a CD for a new Right-of-Way permit for an expanded ROW needed for the Riverside Road Improvement Project 5806(1), a project funded through the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP). The project would have improved safety and public access to the Refuge by widening the roadway on either side to accommodate pedestrians, wildlife viewers, and bicyclists. However, the project was delayed. We now propose changes to the construction design of the project to accommodate the Kootenai Floodplain Restoration Project. This requires an amendment to the existing ROW. This CD describes the amendment to the ROW and would supersede the 2021 CD.
The draft CD is available for public review and comment for 14 days, from January 30 through February 13, 2025.
The following Draft Compatibility Determinations are available for review online:
You may submit comments or requests for additional information through any of the following methods:
Email
kelly_moroney@fws.gov
Include “Kootenai NWR Compatibility Determinations” in the subject line of the message.
Fax
509-235-4703
Attn: Little Pend Oreille NWR Compatibility Determinations.
U.S. Mail
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Attn: Project Leader
Inland Northwest National Wildlife Refuge Complex
26010 South Smith Rd, Cheney, WA 99004.
Public Record
All comments received from individuals become part of the official public record. The Service’s practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents can request that we withhold their home address from the record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. If you wish to have your name and/or address withheld, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comments.
