North Finger Grazing Authorization Project, Malheur National Forest, Grant County, OR, 77769 [2011-32022]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 77769]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32022]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


North Finger Grazing Authorization Project, Malheur National 
Forest, Grant County, OR

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to disclose environmental effects on a proposed action 
to authorize grazing on all or portions of allotments within the North 
Finger Landscape. These allotments are within the Upper Deer Creek, 
Basin Creek, Upper Long Creek, Lower Fox Creek, Upper Fox Creek, and 
Upper Cottonwood Creek subwatersheds. The North Finger Grazing 
Authorization Project area, located approximately 20 miles northwest of 
John Day, Oregon, encompasses approximately 18,076 acres of National 
Forest System Lands administered by the Blue Mountain Ranger District, 
Malheur National Forest.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by January 13, 2012. The draft environmental impact statement is 
expected June 2012 and the final environmental impact statement is 
expected September 2012.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to the Responsible Official, Teresa 
Raaf, Forest Supervisor, Malheur National Forest, 431 Patterson Bridge 
Road, P.O. Box 909, John Day, Oregon 97845. Comments may also be sent 
via email to comments-pacificnorthwest-malheur@fs.fed.us, or via 
facsimile to (541) 575-3002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Ware, Project Lead, Malheur 
National Forest, 431 Patterson Bridge Road, P.O. Box 909, John Day, 
Oregon, telephone (541) 575-3432, email kware@fs.fed.us.
    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 purpose of this project is to authorize grazing on all or 
portions of the North Finger landscape in such a manner that will 
continue to move resource conditions toward desired conditions and be 
consistent with Forest Plan standards and guidelines.
    The reason we are undertaking this process at this time is that 
courts in the 1990s found grazing permits should not be issued without 
an environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act. 
In response, Congress passed the Range Rescission Act of 1995, 
requiring the Forest Service to develop and adhere to a schedule for 
completion of NEPA analysis on all its grazing allotments. This 
proposal and upcoming analysis are being undertaken in order to help 
meet that schedule as mandated by law.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is to continue to permit livestock grazing by 
incorporating adaptive management strategies across the North Finger 
landscape. Adaptive Management is defined as, ``The process of making 
use of monitoring information to determine if management changes are 
needed, and if so, what changes, and to what degree.'' An adaptive 
management strategy would define the desired resource conditions, 
monitoring requirements, resource triggers or thresholds, and actions 
to be taken if triggers are reached. Site-specific actions to move the 
existing ground conditions toward desired conditions could also be 
identified.

Possible Alternatives

    Alternatives will include the proposed action, no action (no 
grazing), and additional alternatives that respond to issues generated 
during the scoping process. The agency will give notice of the full 
environmental analysis and decisionmaking process so interested and 
affected people may participate and contribute to the final decision.

Responsible Official

    Teresa Raaf, Malheur National Forest Supervisor.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official will decide if the proposed project will 
be implemented and will document the decision and reasons for the 
decision in a Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to 
Forest Service Appeal Regulations. The responsibility for preparing the 
DEIS and FEIS has been delegated to John Gubel, District Ranger, Blue 
Mountain Ranger District.

Preliminary Issues

    During internal review, the Blue Mountain Ranger District has 
identified the following concerns or issues with the proposal: 
Livestock can affect plant community species compositions and vigor; 
Livestock can impact riparian areas and watershed conditions.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Initial scoping 
began with the project listed in the 2011 Winter Edition of the Malheur 
National Forest's Schedule of Proposed Actions and public scoping 
conducted in June 2011.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of 
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be 
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly 
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record 
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered, however.

    Dated: December 7, 2011.
Teresa Raaf,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2011-32022 Filed 12-13-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P