[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 96 (Tuesday, May 19, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27555-27557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-13285]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Grazing Permit Reissuance, Sheep Grazing on the Ash Mountain and
Iron Mountain Allotments, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Gallatin
National Forest, Park County, MT
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of reissuing a
10-year term grazing permit to continue authorizing sheep grazing in
the Ash Mountain and Iron Mountain Allotments, located in the
Hellroaring Creek and Buffalo Creek drainages in the southwest corner
of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Gallatin National Forest,
Gardiner Ranger District, Park County, Montana. The permit reissuance
would authorize the continued use of a three-unit rest-rotation grazing
system for grazing 1200 ewe/lamb pairs for a 60-day grazing season.
Also, the proposed action includes incorporation grizzly bear and
riparian habitat protection standards into the new grazing permit,
where they had only been implemented via the Annual Operating Plan in
the past. The purpose of the proposed action is (1) to continue
achieving Gallatin National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan
(Forest Plan) objectives for domestic livestock production on the Ash
Mountain and Iron Mountain Allotments, and in a manner that protects
other resources including vegetation, wildlife, and riparian habitat.
The Forest Plan provides overall guidance for land management
activities, including livestock grazing, within the area. This EIS will
tier to the Gallatin Forest Plan Final EIS (September, 1987).
DATES: Written comments and suggestions should be received on or before
July 6, 1998.
[[Page 27556]]
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions on the proposed
management activities or a request to be placed on the project mailing
list to John R. Logan, District Ranger, Gardiner Ranger District,
Gallatin National Forest, P.O. Box 5, Gardiner, Montana, 59030.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat Hoppe, EIS Team Leader, Gardiner
Ranger District, Gallatin National Forest, Phone (406) 848-7375.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Reissuance of a 10-year term grazing permit
is proposed on the Ash Mountain and Iron Mountain Allotments. These
allotments would be combined and managed as one allotment called the
Ash/Iron Mountain Allotment. It would consist of approximately 74,000
acres, of which about 14,000 acres are classified as suitable for
livestock grazing. The proposed action includes continuing the use of a
three-unit rest-rotation grazing system for 2400 sheep months (1200
ewe/lamb pairs would be grazed July 15 through September 15 each year).
This system allows the sheep to graze one unit (pasture) one summer
every three years. The other two units would not be grazed two out of
the three years. Also, the proposed action includes incorporating
grizzly bear and riparian habitat protection standards into the new
grazing permit, where they had only been implemented via the Annual
Operating Plan in the past.
The Gallatin National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan
(Forest Plan) provides the overall guidance for management activities
in the potentially affected area through its goals, objectives,
standards and guidelines, and management area direction. The purposes
of the proposed action are to: (1) continue achieving Gallatin Forest
Plan objectives for domestic livestock production on the Ash Mountain
and Iron Mountain Allotments, (2) continue providing flexibility in the
grazing schedule and better protect vegetation and wildlife habitat by
continuing the three-unit rest-rotation system for 2400 sheep months of
grazing, and (3) provide stronger administrative control over permitted
grazing activities to better assure protection of riparian areas and
grizzly bears and to bring the permit into compliance with the Forest
Plan. The decision to be made is ``should sheep grazing be allowed to
continue in the Ash Mountain and Iron Mountain Allotments, and under
what conditions.''
The project area consists of approximately 74,000 acres of National
Forest land located in T7S, R10-12E; T8S, R10-12E; and T9S, R10-11E,
P.M. MT. This area is located entirely within the Absaroka-Beartooth
Wilderness.
The area of the proposed continuation of grazing would occur within
Management Areas 4 and 7. Grazing would occur only on suitable grazing
land. Below is a brief description of the applicable management area
direction.
Management Area 4--This area includes the Gallatin National Forest
portions of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and Lee Metcalf
Wilderness. Occupied grizzly bear habitat is present in much of the
area. Livestock grazing is allowed within this management area so long
as it is conducted in accordance with wilderness values and grizzly
bear standards and guidelines.
Management Area 7--These are riparian zones or areas where
vegetation is present that requires either free or unbounded water or
soil moistures in excess of what is normally found in the area. Lands
within this management area are suitable for livestock grazing as long
as soil, water, vegetation, fish, and dependent wildlife species are
protected.
The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of
these will be the ``no action'' alternative, in which none of the
proposed activities would be implemented. Additional grazing
alternatives will be considered in response to issues and other
resource values.
The EIS will analyze the direct, indirect, and cumulative
environmental effects of the alternatives. Past, present, and projected
activities on both private and National Forest lands will be
considered. The EIS will disclose the analysis of site-specific
mitigation measures and their effectiveness.
Public participation is an important part of the analysis,
commencing with the initial scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7), which
began in October, 1997. In addition to this scoping, the public may
visit Forest Service officials at any time during the analysis and
prior to the decision. The Forest Service is seeking information,
comments, and assistance from Federal, State, and local agencies and
other individuals or organizations who may be interested in or affected
by the proposed action. No public meeting are scheduled at this time.
Comments from the public and other agencies will be used in
preparation of the Draft EIS. The scoping process will be used to:
1. Identify potential issues.
2. Identify issues to be analyzed in depth.
3. Eliminate insignificant issues or those which have been covered
by a relevant previous environmental analysis, such as the Gallatin
Forest Plan EIS.
4. Identify alternatives to the proposed action.
5. Identify potential environmental effects of the proposed action
and alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and cumulative effects).
6. Determine potential cooperating agencies and task assignments.
Some public comments have already been received in conjunction with
earlier scoping efforts on this project. The following principle issues
have been identified so far:
1. Livestock grazing may affect sensitive plants.
2. Livestock grazing may adversely increase competition for forage
between big game and domestic livestock.
3. Domestic sheep may affect the population of bighorn sheep by
transmitting diseases.
4. Livestock grazing may cause conflicts with grizzly bears and
indirectly increase bear mortalities.
Other issues commonly associated with livestock grazing include:
effects on water quality, riparian habitat, and soils. This list will
be verified, expanded, or modified based on public scoping for this
proposal.
The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in July of
1998. At that time, the EPA will publish a Notice of Availability of
the Draft EIS in the Federal Register. The comment period on the Draft
EIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA's notice of availability
appears in the Federal Register. It is very important that those
interested in management of the Ash Mountain and Iron Mountain
Allotments participate at that time. To be most helpful, comments on
the Draft EIS should be as site-specific as possible. The Final EIS is
scheduled to be completed by October, 1998.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft environmental impact statements must structure their
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may
be
[[Page 27557]]
waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490
F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings,
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action
participate by the close of the 45-day scoping comment period so that
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to
them in developing issues and alternatives. To assist the Forest
Service in identifying and considering issues on the proposed action,
comments should be as specific as possible. Reviewers may wish to refer
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
John R. Logan, District Ranger, is the responsible official for
this environmental impact statement. His address is U.S. Forest
Service, Gardiner Ranger District, P.O. Box 5, Gardiner, MT 59030.
Dated: May 4, 1998.
David P. Garber,
Forest Supervisor, Gallatin National Forest.
[FR Doc. 98-13285 Filed 5-18-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
