80 FR 8845 - San Juan National Forest; Colorado; Weminuche Landscape Grazing Analysis

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 33 (February 19, 2015)

The Forest Service intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to analyze the impacts of the proposal to continue to authorize term livestock grazing permit(s) on all or portions of the Weminuche Landscape in a manner that moves resource conditions toward desired on-the-ground conditions and is consistent with Forest Plan standards and guidelines. The Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and agency policy. The analysis area encompasses approximately 167,000 acres on six active allotments and seven vacant allotments. The project area is located northeast of Durango, Colorado; from northern Missionary Ridge east through the Weminuche Wilderness to the Pine River; in Townships 36-40 North, Ranges 4-9 West, N.M.P.M., and is within the Columbine Ranger District, San Juan National Forest, Colorado. The proposed action is designed to increase the flexibility of livestock grazing systems through adaptive management, which will allow quicker and more effective response to problem areas when they are revealed. Problems will be revealed through the use of short and long term monitoring. Application of adaptive management practices should result in improved soil, watershed, and vegetative conditions, and healthier wildlife populations.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 33 (Thursday, February 19, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8845-8846]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03469]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


San Juan National Forest; Colorado; Weminuche Landscape Grazing 
Analysis

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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

SUMMARY: The Forest Service intends to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement to analyze the impacts of the proposal to continue to 
authorize term livestock grazing permit(s) on all or portions of the 
Weminuche Landscape in a manner that moves resource conditions toward 
desired on-the-ground conditions and is consistent with Forest Plan 
standards and guidelines. The Environmental Impact Statement will be 
prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and agency 
policy. The analysis area encompasses approximately 167,000 acres on 
six active allotments and seven vacant allotments. The project area is 
located northeast of Durango, Colorado; from northern Missionary Ridge 
east through the Weminuche Wilderness to the Pine River; in Townships 
36-40 North, Ranges 4-9 West, N.M.P.M., and is within the Columbine 
Ranger District, San Juan National Forest, Colorado.
    The proposed action is designed to increase the flexibility of 
livestock grazing systems through adaptive management, which will allow 
quicker and more effective response to problem areas when they are 
revealed. Problems will be revealed through the use of short and long 
term monitoring. Application of adaptive management practices should 
result in improved soil, watershed, and vegetative conditions, and 
healthier wildlife populations.

DATES: If you have supplementary comments which meet the description in 
Scoping Process, below, they must be received by March 23, 2015. The 
draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected about April 2015, and 
the final Environmental Impact Statement is expected about July 2015. A 
decision is expected about November 2015.

ADDRESSES: If you have supplementary comments which meet the 
description in Scoping Process, below, send them in written form to 
Matt Janowiak, Columbine District Ranger, P.O. Box 439, Bayfield, CO 
81122. Comments may also be sent via email to [email protected], or via facsimile to 970-884-2428.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jared Whitmer, Interdisciplinary Team 
Leader at 970-884-1416.
    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: 

Preceding EA Process

    A previous National Environmental Policy Act process, including 
public input and impacts analysis, has been conducted for this project 
under an Environmental Assessment. Due to scientific uncertainty 
regarding disease transmission between livestock and wildlife, and due 
to uncertainty of degree of impacts to wildlife population viability, a 
Finding of No Significant Impact could not be reached for the 
Environmental Assessment. This resulted in the initiation of this 
Environmental Impact Statement.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of this action is administer term livestock grazing 
permits on all or portions of the Weminuche Landscape in a manner that 
moves resource conditions toward desired on-the-ground conditions and 
is consistent with Forest Plan standards and guidelines.

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    Alternatives to be included in the Environmental Impact Statement 
are: 1. No Grazing, 2. Current Management, 3. Adaptive Management with 
Forage Reserves, and 4. Proposed Action, Adaptive Management with 
Vacant Allotment Closures.

Responsible Official

    Columbine District Ranger.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official will decide whether or not to authorize 
term grazing permit(s) on all or portions of the Weminuche Landscape, 
and if grazing is authorized, what design criteria and monitoring will 
be required. The Responsible Official will also document the decision 
and reasons for the decision in a Record of Decision. This decision 
will be subject to Forest Service predecisional objection procedures 
(36 CFR part 218, Subparts A and B).

[[Page 8846]]

Scope of Issues

    Extensive prior public involvement has resulted in the following 
key issues to be analyzed in the Environmental Impact Statement: 1. 
Impacts of grazing on soil and water, 2. Impacts of grazing on 
vegetation, including riparian areas and wildflowers, 3. Impacts of 
grazing on recreational experiences, including grazing in a Wilderness, 
and hiker interactions with guard dogs, 4. Impacts of grazing on 
wildlife, including habitat damage and potential disease transmission, 
5. Impacts of grazing on socio-economics of the local communities, and 
6. Impacts of grazing on cultural resources.

Scoping Process

    Written comments that were submitted during scoping and comment 
periods for the development of the preceding Environmental Assessment 
will still be considered and are still part of the project record. The 
Forest Service requests that you do not resubmit the same comments. 
Because of extensive public input during the Environmental Assessment 
process, the scope of issues and alternatives to be analyzed in the 
Environmental Impact Statement have already been well examined and the 
Forest Service is considering this prior public input as meeting the 
primary requirement for scoping for the Environmental Impact Statement.
    This notice of intent initiates a supplementary scoping process, 
which is intended to provide the opportunity for the public to comment 
on the scope of issues and alternatives to be analyzed in the 
Environmental Impact Statement only if there is new or different 
information that has not been previously considered. To determine 
whether your comment or concern has previously been submitted, please 
read the Scoping Summary and Response to Comments documents found on 
the project Web page at www.fs.usda.gov/projects/sanjuan/landmanagement/projects, or call Jared Whitmer.
    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.
    Information regarding this project is available at the Columbine 
Ranger District office in Bayfield, Colorado, and on the San Juan 
National Forest Web site noted above. Public meetings may be scheduled 
at a later date to provide further information as needed. The dates of 
any public meetings will be announced by press releases in local 
papers, direct mailings, emails, and will be posted on the San Juan 
National Forest Web site.
    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: February 3, 2015.
Kara L. Chadwick,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2015-03469 Filed 2-18-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P