The San Juan National Historic Site, a unit of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) is initiating public scoping for the preparation of a draft Free-Ranging Cat Management Plan and Environmental Assessment. The NPS will be hosting two public meetings and will be accepting comments from October 24, 2022, to November 22, 2022. The proposed action seeks to humanely remove free ranging cats that live within the historic site.
Superintendent Myrna Palfrey said: “The situation that these animals experience at the park, specifically at the Paseo del Morro is not ideal for them and is inconsistent with National Park Service policies regarding the feeding of animals and invasive species. The abandonment of animals is a problem that we, as a society are facing throughout Puerto Rico, and that we are seeking to address within the park. The National Park Service needs your help, we need to hear from you as we commence this important process. We encourage public participation by commenting on this issue and by attending the Open House meetings.”
The NPS will be hosting two in-person meetings on November 2-3, 2022 at the park’s Visitor Center located at Castillo San Cristóbal in Old San Juan, PR, from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm. Public comments on the proposed actions can be made on the website (preffered method):
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/PaseoCatPlan
or by mail to:
SAJU Superintendent
Attn: Paseo Cats
501 Calle Norzagaray
San Juan, PR 00901
“Public comment and involvement is not merely a step or a checkmark in the process. It can influence how decisions are made, and the NPS takes this process very seriously. We are conscious of the complexity of the issue that the proposed actions seek to address and hope that through this process we come up with a strategy to manage it successfully”, concluded Superintendent Palfrey.
San Juan National Historic Site (San Juan NHS) is comprised of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, Castillo San Cristóbal, Fort San Juan de La Cruz (El Cañuelo), Puerta de San Juan, Paseo del Morro, Plaza de la Rogativa and most of the city wall. The park is open every day except on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year’s. Hours of operation are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Original source can be found here.
