[MA-RPC] FW: Oral Rabies Vaccination Program - Final Decision Document and Finding of No Significant Impact

[Kerry Snow]

This might be of interest to members of the committee

-----Original Message-----
From: Donald_Owen at nps.gov [mailto:Donald_Owen at nps.gov]
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 1:23 PM
Subject: Oral Rabies Vaccination Program - Final Decision Document and
Finding of No Significant Impact

I wanted to let you know that they're already starting to implement the Oral
Rabies Vaccination Program, at least in our immediate area.  I got a call
from someone in the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources letting me
know that they intended to begin the program along the Trail in West
Virginia this weekend.  Basically, what they're doing is air-dropping oral
rabies vaccine (ORVAC) baits, which are small packets of fishmeal that
contain a liquid vaccine in a small pouch in the
center, over large areas of the eastern United States.   The packets
weigh about an ounce, and
several of my raccoon friends have told me they taste really good (I haven't
tried them myself).  About 75 packets will be dropped per square kilometer.
The program is being implemented on federal, state, and some private lands
from Florida all the way to Maine, including a number of national parks and
the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

The environmental assessment, if anyone is interested, can be found at:

http://www.nps.gov/nero/science/rabies/

A number of mitigating measures that are part of the standard operating
procedures of state-operated ORVAC programs will be used as part of the
ORVAC program on NPS lands.  These include:

*     Public information and education actions and media announcements
to
inform the public about ORVAC bait distribution activities before they
occur.

*     Toll-free telephone numbers advertised in the media and on web
sites
for people to call for answers to questions.

*     In the unlikely event of an adverse vaccinia virus exposure in
humans, the CDC can make vaccinia immune globulin available to a state on a
case-by-case basis to provide a level of additional assurance that such a
reaction will be successfully treated.

*     Training of bait distribution navigators to avoid dropping baits
on
people, structures, and large bodies of water (lakes, reservoirs, rivers).
During aerial bait drop operations, the bait dispensing equipment is
temporarily turned off over large bodies of water, human dwellings, and when
people are observed below.  Every effort will be made to drop baits during
off-peak visitor use at NPS units.

*     ORVAC baits will not be distributed by aircraft within 1/4 mile of
water bodies to reduce the potential of baits entering the water source.

*     Adherence of aircraft to air safety standards.

*     Training of personnel in hand distribution of baits to avoid
properties with greater risk of human or pet encounters with baits.

*     Labels are affixed to each ORVAC bait instructing persons not to
disturb or handle them and contain a toll-free telephone number to call for
further information and guidance in the event of accidental exposure to the
vaccine.

*     Education campaigns by state and local health departments, the
CDC,
APHIS-WS, Cornell and Tufts Universities, and others are already occurring
in conjunction with the ORVAC program to teach the general public about
rabies prevention.

*     The Communication Planning Team, part of the Rabies Management
Team,
is developing a means to enhance interaction with the public on ORVAC,
including web site creation.   However, an immediate charge for this
team
is to bring together all key interests including raccoon hunters, dog
trainers, rehabilitators, nuisance wildlife control operators, and agency
personnel to seriously address translocation of rabies reservoir species,
which could jeopardize national efforts to control terrestrial variants of
rabies.  Translocation of raccoons from the southeastern U.S. to western
Virginia and West Virginia in the late 1970s was the probable origin of the
epizootic in the mid-Atlantic region that had not formerly experienced
raccoon rabies.

If you have any questions, please give me a call or send me an email. 

Don Owen
Environmental Protection Specialist
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
(deliveries: Third Floor, Civil War Story Building) Harpers Ferry Center
Harpers Ferry, W.Va. 25425
phone: (304) 535-4003
fax: (304) 535-6270
email: donald_owen at nps.gov
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