Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland; Wyoming; Thunder Basin National Grassland Land and Resource Management Plan Amendment for Prairie Dog Management, 32104-32105 [E9-15842]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32104-32105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-15842]


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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 128 / Tuesday, July 7, 2009 / 
Notices

[[Page 32104]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National 
Grassland; Wyoming; Thunder Basin National Grassland Land and Resource 
Management Plan Amendment for Prairie Dog Management

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement, 
correction.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service proposes to: (1) Develop a project-level 
and site-specific implementation strategy to manage black-tailed 
prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) using the full suite of management 
tools to maintain viable populations to support blackfooted ferret 
reintroduction and populations of other associated species while 
reducing unwanted colonization of adjoining lands along national 
grassland boundaries and (2) to amend the Thunder Basin National 
Grassland Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) as needed to support 
the site-specific implementation plan and to modify the boundary of the 
black-footed ferret reintroduction area. The ferret area modification 
is proposed to provide a more logical boundary, based on topographical 
and biological barriers for prairie dog colonies, and to include lands 
recently acquired through land exchange.
    A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for this project was published March 13, 2007 (72 FR 
11323-11324). More than six months have elapsed since the projected 
FEIS date in the original NOI. This revised NOI is being issued to 
update the projected date of availability of the FEIS.

DATES: The Notice of Availability of the draft environmental impact 
statement was published in the Federal Register on February 8, 2008 (73 
FR 7555-7556). The final environmental impact statement is expected in 
July, 2009. No further formal public comment opportunities will be 
offered on this project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cristi Painter, Wildlife Biologist or 
Misty Hays, Deputy District Ranger, Douglas Ranger District, 2250 East 
Richards St, Douglas, WY 82633 (307 358-4690.
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through 
Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since the 1960s, the Forest Service has been 
challenged to balance our duty to conserve prairie dog habitat and 
manage the impacts from prairie dogs on public lands and neighboring 
private lands. Prairie dog management on the Thunder Basin National 
Grassland fluctuated throughout the 1960's, 1970's and 1980s from 
periods of active use of rodenticide, management to maintain prairie 
dog populations and no rodenticide use. However, with the petition for 
listing the prairie dog in 1998, rodenticide use was prohibited by 
Forest Service policy from 1999 until 2004 when the US Fish and 
Wildlife Service issued its decision to remove the prairie dog from its 
candidate list. In 2001 the LRMP was completed with the 2002 Record of 
Decision (ROD). The LRMP continued to limit use of prairie dog 
rodenticide to situations involving public health and safety risks and 
damage to facilities. In 2002, as the Thunder Basin National Grassland 
LRMP was being completed a plague epizootic impacted prairie dog 
colonies on the Thunder Basin National Grassland in April and May 2002 
reducing populations from an estimated 21,000 acres of inventoried 
active colonies in 2001 to about 3,300 acres of inventoried active 
colonies in 2002. Since 2002, active colonies have been recovering from 
the plague event from 29-69% annually. In 2004, as part of the appeal 
decisions on the LRMP, USDA Deputy Under Secretary, David Tenny, issued 
instructions directing the Thunder Basin National Grassland to ensure 
that local land managers work together with State and county officials 
and local landowners to aggressively implement the spirit and intent of 
the good neighbor policy.

Purpose and Need for Action

    To meet Grassland-wide Goals and Objectives (Goal 1.b, Objective 
1), the desired conditions prescribed under the MA 3.63 direction, the 
National Black Footed Ferret Recovery Plan, and the LRMP appeal 
direction, the purpose of the proposed action is to establish the 
public support and maintain the biological environment needed to 
facilitate the reintroduction of black-footed ferrets on the Thunder 
Basin National Grassland (TBNG).
    To achieve this purpose, the Forest Service has identified the need 
to:
     Proactively manage prairie dog populations on the TBNG in 
an environmentally, biologically, and socially acceptable manner that 
provides for the long-term conservation of black-tailed prairie dogs 
and other species associated with prairie dog colonies.
     Manage prairie dog populations, colonies and complexes on 
the TBNG in adequate acreages and distributions to provide habitat 
conditions that support future reintroductions of black-footed ferrets.
     Address the potential for prairie dog movement from the 
TBNG to adjoining private and State lands and local landowner concerns 
about possible losses of agricultural production, costs of controlling 
prairie dogs, effects on land values, and risks to human and animal 
health and safety that may occur if prairie dogs colonize adjacent non-
federal lands as a result of this movement.
     Conserve prairie dogs on the TBNG for the wide variety of 
wildlife species that are dependent on the habitat provided by prairie 
dog colonies.
     Gain local landowner and State of Wyoming support for a 
prairie dog management on the TBNG that provides for the biological 
needs of the black-footed ferret and minimizes potential adverse 
impacts to adjacent non-federal landowners.

Proposed Action

    The Forest Service proposes to develop a project-level and site-
specific implementation strategy to manage prairie dogs using the full 
suite of management tools to maintain viable populations to support 
black-footed ferret reintroduction and populations of

[[Page 32105]]

other associated species while reducing unwanted colonization of 
prairie dogs on adjoining lands along National Grassland boundaries. 
The Forest Service also proposes to amend the LRMP as needed to support 
the site-specific implementation plan and to modify the boundary of the 
black-footed ferret reintroduction area. The ferret reintroduction area 
modification is proposed in order to provide a more logical boundary 
based on topographical and biological barriers for prairie dog colonies 
and to include lands recently acquired through land exchange. All 
standards and guidelines as currently prescribed in the LRMP for Black 
Footed Ferret Reintroduction Habitat will apply to the modified area. 
Methods for implementing the proposed actions include a suite of non-
lethal and lethal management tools such as: rodenticide, limited 
shooting, landownership adjustment, third-party solutions, financial 
incentives, conservation agreements, conservation easements, live-
trapping, reduced livestock grazing to create visual barriers, and 
physical barriers.

Responsible Official

    Mary H. Peterson, Forest Supervisor, Medicine Bow-Routt National 
Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland, 2468 Jackson Street, 
Laramie, Wyoming 82070 is the official responsible for making the 
decision on this action. She will document her decision and rationale 
in a Record of Decision.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official will consider the results of the analysis 
and its findings and then document the final decision in a Record of 
Decision (ROD). The decision will include a determination whether or 
not to amend the LRMP to support the prairie dog management strategy 
and adjust the boundaries of the Black Footed Ferret Reintroduction 
Management Area.

Scoping Process

    Concurrent with this NCI, letters requesting comments will be sent 
to interested parties. Anyone who provides comments to the DEIS or 
expresses interest during the comment period will have eligibility.

Preliminary Issues

    The Forest Service has identified the following preliminary issues: 
(1) Potential impacts to the Black-Footed Ferret, an Endangered 
species; (2) Potential impacts to the black-tailed prairie dog, a 
Forest Service Region 2 Sensitive Species and other associated 
sensitive species; (3) Potential impacts to adjacent private lands; (4) 
Potential impacts to livestock grazing permits on National Grassland.

Comment Requested

    Comments and input regarding the proposal were requested from the 
public, other groups and agencies via direct mailing on May 9, 2007. 
The Draft EIS was issued for a 45-day public comment in December 19, 
2007 and the comment period was extended for an additional 45 days from 
February 4, 2008 until March 24, 2008. No further formal public comment 
will be accepted on this project.

    Dated: June 22, 2009.
Misty A. Hays,
Deputy District Ranger.
[FR Doc. E9-15842 Filed 7-6-09; 8:45 am]
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