Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Bureau has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) funding through Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department (HSEMD) as a subrecipient.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990, FEMA is required to consider alternatives, and to provide a public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. This notice may also fulfill requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.
Subrecipient: Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Bureau
Project Title: IA-4732-0072; [744514] Green Island and Princeton Wildlife Management Areas
IA-4796-0276; [759663] Green Island Wildlife Management Area and Jackson County
Location of Proposed Work: The Green Island Wildlife Management Area (WMA) (42.15037, -90.28661) is located in Jackson County, Iowa. The Princeton WMA (41.69956, -90.33408) is located in Scott County, Iowa.
Special Flood Hazard Area Zone:
Much of the Green Island WMA is comprised of Zone AE 1% Annual Chance Flood Hazard Areas, as determined by the Jackson County Flood Insurance Rate Map, Panel Number: 19097C0350E, effective on 1/28/2022 (Figure 1).
Much of the Princeton WMA is comprised of Zone AE 1% Annual Chance Flood Hazard Areas, as determined by the Scott County Flood Insurance Rate Map, Panel Number: 19163C0255G, effective on 3/23/2021 (Figure 2).
There is a potential for the facilities to be impacted by future flooding events due to their locations within the floodplain. The proposed work will take place in wetlands per the United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory.
Proposed Work and Purpose:
The Green Island and Princeton WMAs provide access to prime birding, hiking, and fishing areas for the public. The parks are still usable while the damaged elements are not repaired, however the functionality has been reduced and it is more susceptible to damage in another extreme weather event, as demonstrated by the same location flooding in 2019, 2023, and 2024. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IADNR) intends to restore the recreation areas back to usable condition with additional improvements that will benefit the public and reduce future damage.
The IADNR Wildlife Bureau proposes to repair a variety of sites in the WMAs, including but not limited to accessible overlooks, boat launches, service roads, culverts, and eroded embankments, that were damaged during flood events in 2023 and 2024. Proposed work includes repairing damaged embankment by replacing riprap to stabilize waterways, and repairing damaged accessible overlooks, boat launches, service roads, and culverts. The projects also involve upsizing two culverts from 36 IN to 48 IN diameter and utilizing an articulating block mat instead of standard rock riprap along the repetitively damaged levees at the Green Island WMA. At the Princeton WMA, the subrecipient plans to install an addition 36 IN outlet structure adjacent to two existing structures to improve drainage.
Project Alternatives:
Alternative #1 (No action): Not repairing features of the Green Island and Princeton Wildlife Management Areas damaged in recent flooding events limits public access to the recreational features these WMAs offer, such as prime hiking routes, fishing areas, and birding sites. Without repairs and additional mitigation activities to reduce the risk associated with future flooding events, public access to these WMAs and functionality of services offered at these parks will remain limited.
Alternative #2 (Relocate the parks out of the floodplain): Both WMAs sit almost entirely within Special Flood Hazard Areas and are therefore at risk for future flooding events. Moving these Wildlife Management Areas to alternate locations outside of the floodplain is infeasible as it would be extremely costly, involve significant land acquisition and environmental permitting action, and would result in loss of access to the natural values provided by the existing parks and the wetlands that permeate them.
Comment Period:
Comments are solicited from the public, local, state or federal agencies, and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project on the community. Interested parties may submit comments, questions, or request a map of this specific project by writing to: Environmental and Historic Preservation Branch, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region 7, 11224 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO, 64131, or by email to the Environmental and Historic Preservation Branch at fema-r7-ehp-publiccomment@fema.dhs.gov. Please send comments with the subject line: FEMA-4732 and FEMA-4796 11988 Green Island and Princeton Wildlife Management Areas COMMENT.
All comments are due by no later than 15 days of the posted date of this notice.
POSTED ON: March 6, 2025
End of Notice
Figure 1: Green Island Wildlife Management Area FIRMette
Figure 2: Princeton Wildlife Management Area FIRMette