[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 156 (Wednesday, August 13, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43312-43314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-21345]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Range Standards and Guidelines to Amend the Land and Resource
Management Plans of the Eldorado and Tahoe National Forests
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) for amendments to the Forest Land and Resource
Management Plans (LRMP) for the Eldorado National Forest and the Tahoe
National Forest in accordance with the requirements of 36 CFR 219.19.
The amendments will modify existing LRMP grazing standards and
guidelines for management with the objective to maintain and improve
rangeland ecosystems on both Forests.
DATES: Comments concerning the analysis should be received in writing
by September 29, 1997.
[[Page 43313]]
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Attn: RANGE AMENDMENT, c/o Susan A.
Rodman, ID Team Leader, Land Management Planning, Eldorado National
Forest, 100 Forni Road, Placerville, CA 95667.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Susan A. Rodman, Range Amendment ID Team Leader, Land Management
Planning, (916) 621-5298.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The environmental impact statement will
amend existing standards and guidelines for managing grazing by
domestic livestock within the boundaries of the Eldorado and Tahoe
National Forests in accordance with the requirements of 36 CFR 219.19,
amend existing term grazing permits, and provide a framework for site-
specific NEPA analysis of individual allotments.
The Eldorado and Tahoe National Forests manage livestock grazing on
approximately 1,043,000 acres of public rangelands, with an average
total production of 26,000 animal unit months (AUMs) of livestock
grazing.
On November 10, 1994, the Regional Forester for the Pacific
Southwest Region directed all Sierran Forests in the region to evaluate
the range standards and guidelines (S&Gs) contained in their LRMPs, and
to amend the LRMPs as to provide more appropriate standards and
guidelines if needed. A review of the range S&Gs in both the Eldorado
and Tahoe Forest LRMPs indicated to the supervisors of each Forest that
an amendment to the Forest LRMPs is necessary to provide clear,
specific and measurable S&Gs for effective ecosystem management of
rangelands on the two Forests. This amendment to the LRMPs will provide
direction to integrate ecosystem management with the management of
livestock grazing in order to provide for the health of riparian and
upland ecosystem types in conjunction with other S&Gs found in the
LRMPs. The objectives of the grazing amendment to the LRMPs are to:
(1) Develop ecological goals to maintain or improve rangelands in
both upland areas (out of a direct water influence zone) and riparian
areas (streamside and lakeside zones, moist areas).
(2) Provide S&Gs that clarify direction of managing livestock. S&Gs
will provide direction for managing livestock impacts to the major
components of the ecosystem: soil, water, and vegetation.
(3) Provide direction for livestock management so that livestock
use of woody riparian vegetation (including willows), threatened and
endangered (T&E) species habitats, stream banks and lakeshores, aquatic
species habitats, and non-T&E wildlife habitats maintains or improves
those areas.
(4) Develop a repeatable process with measurable environmental
indicators to determine existing ecological conditions and track
changes in ecological conditions. Management direction is then based on
that ecological condition and responds to the different conditions and
trends in soil, water, and vegetation.
After the LRMP amendment is completed, these S&Gs will be used to
determine how grazing allotments will be managed. It is expected that
grazing permits on both Forests will need to be modified to implement
the new S&Gs. Because the Eldorado and Tahoe National Forests are
similar, amendments to LRMP standards and guidelines will be the same
for both Forests. The current S&Gs will remain in effect until the
amendment is complete and adopted as a result of this current process.
The Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) developed a Proposed Action based
on issues gathered from members of the public, Forest Service
personnel, and other agencies. The Proposed Action (PA) was released
for public comment in October 1996, and the initial comment period was
extended to January 10, 1997 at the request of several groups and
members of the public. Based on scoping comments received on the PA,
the Forest Supervisors decided to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement.
Preliminary issues connected with the proposal to amend LRMP
grazing S&Gs identified through scoping include:
(1) Riparian areas are ecologically important and complex;
environmental indicators are needed that are representative of this
complexity. These indicators must be measurable and repeatable over
time to enable the Forest Service to monitor and assess riparian and
aquatic ecosystem health.
(2) The level of plant utilization by livestock may not maintain or
improve the ecological health of the Forests' rangelands.
(3) Information gathered during monitoring to detect change may not
be sensitive enough to provide the necessary information to prevent
irreversible damage and to determine whether ecological health is being
maintained or restored.
(4) Grazing by livestock can decrease the foraging habitat of voles
needed as prey by great gray owls.
(5) Livestock grazing can decrease browse and hiding cover needed
by deer along migration routes and in both fawning areas and winter
ranges.
(6) Willow flycatcher nesting success can be negatively impacted by
livestock grazing, movement, and bedding in willow clumps used for
nesting by the willow flycatcher.
(7) Additional standards and guidelines may not be economically
viable for permittees to implement, which may lead to the sale of
ranchlands in the foothills for housing developments.
(8) Permittees do not want to be penalized for resource damage
caused by other users.
(9) Fences are expensive to build and maintain, and they are
barriers to wildlife and other forest users.
Alternatives that may be considered include continued use of the
standards and guidelines adopted in the Eldorado and Tahoe Forests'
LRMPS; and revised S&Gs to address vegetative species composition,
woody riparian vegetation, aquatic resources, soil condition, and
habitat for willow flycatcher, deer, and great grey owl. These
alternatives may include management direction dependent on specific
ecological indicators and measurements from those ecological
indicators. Additional alternatives may also include landscape-level
strategies for wildlife habitat and aquatic resources. An alternative
which discontinues livestock grazing may be considered also.
The IDT is composed of personnel from both Forests with program
responsibilities for range, wildlife, ecology, botany, hydrology, and
aquatic resources. The IDT has been directed to develop alternatives to
amend the standards and guidelines for both Forests' LRMPs.
Integration of grazing standards and guidelines with other
provisions of the affected LRMPs will take place through subsequent
allotment management plans required for each allotment as part of the
normal LRMP implementation and monitoring process.
Written comments from the public should be submitted as indicated
at the beginning of this notice. Comments would be most useful if sent
by the date specified and if they clearly address the issues and
alternatives related to the proposed action--amending grazing standards
and guidelines for the Eldorado and Tahoe National Forests.
The comment period on the draft EIS will be 90 days from the date
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of
availability in the Federal Register. Public meetings used as a method
of public involvement during preparation and review of the draft EIS
will be announced in newspapers of general circulation in the
[[Page 43314]]
geographic area of such meetings well in advance of scheduled dates.
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 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 90-day 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 the final environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft
EIS or the merits of the alternatives formulated and discussed in the
statement. 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.
The responsible officials for this environmental impact statement
and decision are John H. Skinner, Forest Supervisor, Tahoe National
Forest, P.O. Box 6003, Nevada City, CA 95959-6003 and John Phipps,
Forest Supervisor, Eldorado National Forest, 100 Forni Road,
Placerville, CA 95667.
A draft environmental impact statement is expected to be available
for agency and public review by November 1997, and a final
environmental impact statement should be available by March 1998.
Dated: July 30, 1997.
John Phipps,
Forest Supervisor, Eldorado National Forest.
Dated: August 1, 1997.
John H. Skinner,
Forest Supervisor, Tahoe National Forest.
[FR Doc. 97-21345 Filed 8-12-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
