Bridger-Teton National Forest; Pinedale Ranger District; Wyoming; Environmental Impact Statement for the Upper Green River Area Rangeland Project, 62734-62736 [E9-28520]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 229 (Tuesday, December 1, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62734-62736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-28520]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Bridger-Teton National Forest; Pinedale Ranger District; Wyoming; 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Upper Green River Area Rangeland 
Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, will update and 
supplement the 2004 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the 
effects of domestic livestock grazing in the upper Green River area. As 
part of the process, the Forest Service will prepare a supplemental 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for public comment. This project 
was previously published in the Federal Register on the following 
dates: (1) Notice of intent to prepare an EIS published on 7/23/2003 
(Vol. 68, 141, page 43487), (2) Notice of availability of a 
draft EIS published on 3/12/2004 (Volume 69, 49, page 11853), 
(3) Notice of availability of a final EIS published on 2/4/2005 (Volume 
70, 23, page 6004). The analysis contained in the EIS will be 
used by the Responsible Official to

[[Page 62735]]

decide whether or not, and how, livestock grazing would be authorized 
on the grazing allotments within the project area. The project area is 
located in western Wyoming; approximately 30 miles northwest of 
Pinedale, Wyoming near the Green River Lakes. The majority of the 
project area lies within Sublette County, with small portions that 
extend into Teton and Fremont counties. The entire 162,800 acre project 
area lies within the boundaries of the Pinedale Ranger District. The 
project area is comprised of the following six grazing allotments: 
Badger Creek, Beaver-Twin Creeks, Noble Pastures, Roaring Fork, Upper 
Green River, and Wagon Creek.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis were solicited in 
the 7/23/2003 Notice of Intent. All comments that were received during 
the previous analysis period will be reconsidered in the current 
analysis. The draft environmental impact statement is expected in March 
of 2010 and the final environmental impact statement is expected in 
July of 2010.

ADDRESSES: District Ranger, Pinedale Ranger District, Box 220, 
Pinedale, Wyoming 82941, telephone 307-367-4326, facsimile 307-367-5750 
or send electronic mail to comments-intermtn-bridger-teton-pinedale@fs.fed.us and on the subject line, put only ``Upper Green 
Grazing Allotments''. Again, comments that were previously submitted 
will be considered and need not be re-submitted. Comments on the 
supplemental draft that is expected to be released in March of 2010 
would be most helpful.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Booth, Project Manager, Pinedale 
Ranger District, 307-367-5754, dbooth@fs.fed.us, and see addresses 
above. 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 Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Rescission Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-19, Section 504(a)) 
requires the Forest Service to schedule and complete analysis and 
decisions for grazing allotments where needed. The purpose and need for 
the proposed action is to authorize grazing activities on the Badger 
Creek, Beaver-Twin Creeks, Noble Pastures, Roaring Fork, Upper Green 
River, and Wagon Creek Allotments in a way that sustains the health of 
the land and has value to grazing permittees. The allotment management 
plan is the document used to implement revised or updated direction 
and/or refine desired rangeland conditions and institute management 
prescriptions to meet them. Allotment management plans may be revised 
by this decision. Integral to this is a need to confirm or attain 
compliance and consistency of this analysis and its resultant decision 
with legal mandates, including the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1976 (NEPA), as well as policy direction, including the Bridger-Teton 
National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). This 
action contributes toward the accomplishment of Goal 1.1(h) in the 
Forest Plan (page 113), which states ``provide for about 260,000 Animal 
Unit Months (AUMs) of livestock grazing annually'' and Goal 4.7 which 
states ``Grazing use of the National Forest sustains or improves 
overall range, soils, water, wildlife, and recreation values or 
experiences''. To date the Forest Service has identified three 
alternatives.

Alternative A: Grazing as Currently Permitted (No Action Alternative)

    Although allotment management plans (AMPs) would be prepared for 
each of the six allotments, the grazing management practices specified 
for the allotments with existing AMPs would not be changed. The Upper 
Green River and Roaring Fork allotments would continue to operate under 
the guidelines specified in AMPs that are over 25 years old, and 
season-long grazing would persist in the Badger Creek and Beaver-Twin 
Creeks allotments. In addition, no new utilization standards would be 
initiated to move existing resource conditions in the project area 
toward the desired future conditions (DFCs) specified in the Forest 
Plan.

Alternative B: Proposed Action

    Authorize continued grazing under a specific management regime, 
designed to sustain or improve the overall ecological condition of the 
project area. The updated direction would be incorporated in respective 
allotment management plans (AMPs) to guide grazing management within 
the project area. New allotment management plans (AMPs) would be 
developed for the Badger Creek, Beaver-Twin Creeks, Noble Pastures, and 
Wagon Creek allotments, and the existing AMPs for the Roaring Fork and 
Upper Green River allotments would be updated as a result of this 
action. Grazing management strategies would be developed or revised in 
accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 36 CFR 
222.l(b)(2), which describes allotment management planning provisions. 
Current grazing management strategies would be maintained where 
resource objectives are being achieved, and new management strategies 
would be implemented in areas where resource objectives have not been 
met. Rotational grazing systems would be initiated in the Badger Creek, 
Beaver-Twin Creeks, and Roaring Fork allotments and modified, as 
needed, in the remaining allotments to ensure desired conditions are 
reached.

Alternative C: No Grazing by Domestic Livestock (No Grazing 
Alternative)

    Alternative C would eliminate livestock grazing in the project 
area. This alternative was developed to demonstrate the effects that 
eliminating domestic cattle grazing would have on the environment and 
to more clearly illustrate the potential effects of implementing either 
Alternative A or Alternative B. Under this alternative, domestic 
livestock grazing in all six allotments of the project area would be 
phased out over several years as existing Term Grazing Permits expire.

Responsible Official

    District Ranger, Pinedale Ranger District, P.O. Box 220, Pinedale, 
Wyoming 82941.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The District Ranger will decide whether or not to authorize 
continued grazing under a specific management regime designed to 
sustain and/or improve the overall ecological condition of the project 
area. The decision would include adaptive management and any mitigation 
measures needed in addition to those prescribed in the Forest Plan.

Preliminary Issues

    The Forest Service has identified the following potential issues.
    Issue 1--Effects of livestock grazing on riparian and aquatic 
function.
    Issue 2--Effects of livestock grazing on Threatened, Endangered and 
Sensitive species.
    Issue 3--The social and economic effects of authorizing livestock 
grazing in the area.
    Issue 4--Effects of livestock grazing on rangeland function.

Scoping Process

    The following methods were used to invite the public to participate 
in this project: A scoping letter was mailed to those listed on the 
Bridger-Teton National Forest's general mailing list on February 10, 
2000. The mailing list included private landowners, term grazing permit 
holders, special interest

[[Page 62736]]

groups, interested members of the public, and local, State, and Federal 
agencies. The letter described the proposed action, the purpose and 
need for the project, the process that would be followed for completing 
the environmental analysis, and the scope of the decision to be made. 
Additionally, the letter solicited public participation in the process, 
specifically the submission of comments, concerns, and recommendations 
regarding management of the six allotments in the project area. Term 
grazing permit holders, or their representatives, were contacted 
shortly after the project was initiated to solicit their input 
concerning management of the six allotments within the project area. 
This project was previously published in the Federal Register on the 
following dates: (1) Notice of intent to prepare an EIS published on 7/
23/2003 (Vol. 68, 141, page 43487), (2) Notice of availability 
of a draft EIS published on 3/12/2004 (Volume 69, 49, page 
11853), (3) Notice of availability of a final EIS published on 2/4/2005 
(Volume 70, 23, page 6004). Public comments were received in 
response to the scoping announced in the Notice of Intent and in 
response to the Draft EIS described in the 3/12/2004 Notice of 
Availability.
    No additional comments are sought at this time. All previously 
submitted comments will be used to prepare the supplemental Draft EIS. 
All those who commented on the 2004 DEIS in a timely manner will be 
eligible to appeal the final decision pursuant to 36 CFR 215. In 
addition, all those who comment on the supplemental DEIS in a timely 
manner will be eligible to appeal the final decision.

    Dated: November 16, 2009.
Joe Harper,
Acting District Ranger.
[FR Doc. E9-28520 Filed 11-30-09; 8:45 am]
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