ORV Program Expansion

Summary

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) allows conditional use of its lands and grounds to assist USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (WS) to implement its Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) Program. To help combat the westward spread of raccoon variant rabies into new areas, WS personnel aerially disperse a fishmeal baits containing vaccine. The program also has a contingent strategy for addressing areas of known disease or areas of high density raccoon populations on the ground.

In June 2003, TVA completed a review of the program and issued its Finding of No Significant Impact (PDF, 26 kb) for this work in Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky. This decision document (TVA FONSI) allows expansion of these same program efforts into North Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi. During 2005 the campaign has centered on a 17-county area including parts of Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama.

WS prepared an environmental assessment to consider the impacts of expansion of its current program.

Documents

PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Finding of No Significant Impact (PDF, 27 kb,)

Contacts

A copy of the WS final EA and FONSI can be provided upon request by writing Stanford E. Davis, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 W. Summit Hill Dr., WT 9B, Knoxville, TN 37902, or calling him at 865-632-2915.

Comments, questions, or a request for a copy of the above information may also be sent via e-mail to Stanford E. Davis.