Six Rivers National Forest, California, Trinity Summit Range Assessment Environmental Impact Statement, 21906-21907 [2013-08446]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 71 (Friday, April 12, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21906-21907]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-08446]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Six Rivers National Forest, California, Trinity Summit Range 
Assessment Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Six Rivers National Forest will prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the impacts associated with the re-
authorization of livestock grazing in the Trinity Summit area on the 
Lower Trinity Ranger District through an adaptive management process.
    The planning area is located on National Forest System lands 
administered by the Lower Trinity Ranger District in Humboldt County, 
California within the upper Mill Creek and Tish Tang a Tang Creek 
watersheds to the east of Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation. Small 
portions of the planning area are located in the headwaters of Horse 
Linto Creek and Red Cap Creek. The majority of the grazing lands fall 
within the Trinity Wilderness and are considered to be culturally 
significant. The grazing lands are located in all or portions of T. 7 
N., R. 6 E., R. 7 E.; T. 8 N., R. 5 E.; R. 6 E., R. 7 E.; and T. 9 N., 
R. 5 E., R. 6 E., R. 7 E.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by May 28, 2013. The draft EIS is expected October 2013 and the final 
EIS is expected March 2014.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Carolyn Cook, Trinity Summit Range 
Assessment, Six Rivers National Forest, 1330 Bayshore Way, Eureka, CA 
95501. Electronic comments, in acceptable plain text (.txt), rich text 
(.rtf), or Word (.doc) may be submitted to comments-pacificsouthwest-six-rivers-lower-trinity@fs.fed.us. Please ensure that ``Trinity Summit 
Range Assessment'' occurs in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nolan Colegrove, District Ranger, at 
530-627-3291 or Carolyn Cook, Project Lead, at 707-441-3551. You may 
also access the scoping documents from the Forest's Web site at https://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/?project=41307.
    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: The Mill Creek and Trinity Summit allotments 
occupy 13,128 and 20,325 acres respectively, are located adjacent to 
the eastern boundary of the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, and 
include portions of the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area. This region, 
known as the Trinity Summit area, is mostly above 5,000 feet in 
elevation. The majority of acreage in both allotments is dominated by 
coniferous forest vegetation. Shrublands also occupy significant 
portions of the allotments, especially in areas that were affected by 
the 1999 Megram Fire which burned a portion of each allotment at a high 
or moderate intensity. Although the majority of acreage within the 
analysis area is forested, herbaceous plant communities exist within 
forest openings near the headwaters of Horse Linto, Mill and Tish Tang 
creeks.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose and need for action centers on maintaining a grazing 
program under updated allotment management plans for the purposes of 
contributing to the economic stability of local livestock producers who 
rely on public lands grazing for their livelihood while sustainably 
managing for healthy rangeland ecosystems that maintain biologic 
diversity, wilderness characteristics, water quality, soil 
productivity, and quality fish and wildlife habitat; preserving and 
enhancing the character of culturally significant landscapes; and 
meeting the Rescissions Act of 1995, Public Law 104, as directed by 
Congress. The purpose of the Rescissions Act is to evaluate and analyze 
the re-authorization of grazing. As directed by the Six Rivers National 
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP), the opportunity to 
graze must also be consistent with the values and uses of other 
resources. Rangelands, as well as all other resources within the 
grazing allotments, should be maintained in satisfactory condition. 
Because unsatisfactory resource conditions have been identified at 
monitoring sites within the allotments, action is required that will 
help restore satisfactory conditions. Restoration of satisfactory 
rangeland conditions is possible with adaptive management and grazing 
permit administration.

Proposed Action

    The Six Rivers National Forest proposes to continue livestock 
grazing in the Trinity Summit area under the conditions described below 
and to implement boundary and administrative changes to facilitate 
improved management. The Mill Creek and Trinity Summit grazing 
allotments would be combined into a single allotment. A non-significant 
Forest Plan amendment is proposed to modify the allotment boundary to 
include a 225-acre area on the western boundary of the current 
allotment (T. 8 N., R 6 E. Section 3).This is an administrative 
adjustment to include an area that has been continuously grazed.
    The Forest also proposes to re-authorize livestock grazing under 
existing permitted use through an adaptive management process. Adaptive 
management will meet LRMP goals, objectives, standards and guidelines, 
and other legal requirements while moving toward desired conditions.

Responsible Official

    Tyrone Kelley, Forest Supervisor, Six Rivers National Forest, 1330 
Bayshore Way, Eureka, CA 95501.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official will decide whether to adopt and implement 
the proposed action, an alternative to the proposed action, or the no 
action (no grazing) alternative.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the EIS. No public meetings are planned during the 
scoping process, however, public meetings may be held in conjunction

[[Page 21907]]

with the release of the draft EIS. In 2009, Six Rivers National Forest 
solicited comments on a proposed action for the same allotments (74 FR 
18685); however the analysis was not completed. Today's proposed action 
was developed in response to changed conditions in the allotments and 
reflects known conditions through 2012.
    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 EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of 
the comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's 
concerns and contentions regarding the current proposed action.
    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, anonymous comments will not provide 
the Agency with the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent 
environmental documents.

    Dated: April 4, 2013.
Tyrone Kelley,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2013-08446 Filed 4-11-13; 8:45 am]
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