[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 81 (Thursday, April 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18372-18373]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-9951]



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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service


Eastern Roosevelt Lake Watershed Analysis Area, Tonto National 
Forest, Gila County, Arizona

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for the Eastern Roosevelt Lake Watershed Analysis Area 
(ERLWAA) to develop grazing strategies with associated range 
improvements for the following grazing allotments: Armer Mountain, A 
Cross, Dagger, Poison Springs and Sierra Ancha. The ERLWAA project area 
is located approximately 9 miles east of Theodore Roosevelt Lake Dam, 
Roosevelt, Arizona. The allotments are further identified by the 
following legal description:

Armer Mountain Allotment--31,702 Acres

    All or part of sections 34-36 of T 7 N, R 13 E; sections 1-3 and 
8-35 of T 6 N, R 13 E; sections 24-26, 35, and 36 of T 6 N, R 12 E; 
sections 1, 2, and 12 of T 5 N, R 12 E; sections 2-10, 15-18, 20-22, 
28, 29, and 32-34 of T 5 N, R 13 E; and sections 3-5, 7-10, 15-18, 
20-22, and 27-29 of T 4 N, R 13 E; Gila and Salt River Base and 
Meridian (Appendix C-1).

A Cross Allotment--35,894 Acres

    All or part of sections 34-36 of T 7 N, R 13 E; sections 31 and 
32 of T 7 N, R 14 E; sections 1, 2, 12, 13, 24-26, 35, and 36 of T 6 
N, R 13 E; sections 5-9 and 15-21 and 28-34 of T 6 N, R 14 E; 
sections 1-3, 10-15, 21-28, and 34-36 of T 5 N, R 13 E; sections 3-
8, 16-20, and 29-31 of T 5 N, R 14 E; sections 1-3, 10-15, 22-24, 
26, and 27 T 4 N, R 13 E; and sections 6 and 7 of T 4 N, R 14 E; 
Gila and Salt River Base and Meridian (Appendix C-2).

Dagger Allotment--33,933 Acres

    All or part of sections 26, 34, 35, and 36 of T 6 N, R 15 E; 
sections 24-27 and 34-36 of T 5 N, R 14 E; sections 1-3, 9-16, and 
19-36 of T 5 N, R 15 E; section 35 of T 5 N, R 16 E; sections 1 and 
2 of T 4 N, R 14 E; sections 1-6, 8-17, 21-28, and 33-35 of T 4 N, R 
15 E; sections 2, 3, 10, 11, 14, 15, 22, and 23 of T 4 N, R 16 E; 
and section 2 of T 3 N, R 15 E; Gila and Salt River Base and 
Meridian (Appendix C-3).

Poison Springs Allotment--43,529 Acres

    All or part of sections 34 and 35 of T 5 N, R 14 E; sections 5-
9, 16-21, and 28-32 of T 4 N, R 15 E; sections 1-3, 9-16, and 20-36 
of T 4 N, R 14 E; sections 35 and 36 of T 4 N, R 13 E; sections 2-
11, 14-23, and 26-36 of T 3 N, R 14 E; sections 1, 2, 11-14, 23-26 
,35, and 36 of T 3 N, R 13 E; sections 3-9 and 17 of T 2 N, R 14 E; 
and section 1 of T 2 N, R 13 E; Gila and Salt River Base and 
Meridian (Appendix C-4).

Sierra Ancha Allotment--22,099 Acres

    All or part of sections 15-17, 20-22, 26-29 and 32-35 of T 6 N, 
R 14 E; sections 6, 7, 18, and 19 of T 5 N, R 15 E; sections 1-5, 8-
17, and 20-34 of T 5 N, R 14 E; sections 2-10, 16-21 and 29-31 of T 
4 N, R 14 E; and sections 1, 12, 13, and 24-26 of T 4 N, R 13 E; 
Gila and Salt River Base and Meridian (Appendix C-5).

    The purpose of the EIS will be to develop and evaluate a range of 
alternatives for grazing strategies and associated range improvements. 
The alternatives will include a no action alternative, involving no new 
range improvements or changes to the current grazing strategy for each 
allotment, and additional alternatives to respond to issues generated 
during the scoping process.

addresses: Submit written comments to Linny Warren, Range/Watershed/
Soils Staff Officer, Tonto Basin Ranger District, HC02 Box 4800, 
Roosevelt, Arizona 85545.

responsible official: The responsible official who will make the 
decision regarding this project is Dennis P. Roy, District Ranger, 
Tonto Basin Ranger District, HC02 Box 4800, Roosevelt, Arizona 85545, 
(520) 467-3200. He will decide under what circumstances the grazing 
operation will continue.

for further information contact: Direct question about the proposed 
action, public scoping, and the environmental impact statement to Linny 
Warren (520) 467-3200.

supplementary information: The Eastern Roosevelt Lake Watershed 
Analysis Area (ERLWAA) encompasses over 167,150 acres and contains five 
grazing allotments, which are: Armer Mountain, A Cross, Dagger, Poison 
Spring, and Sierra Ancha. The Forest Service's proposed management will 
employ 4 grazing systems for 3 cow/calf and yearling operations. Each 
grazing system will employ a rest-rotation scheme of use. Growing 
season rest requirements of the plants will dictate how each pasture 
will be utilized in the rotation scheme of use.
    There are three designated Wilderness Areas wholly or partially 
within the ERLWAA. These are the Salome

[[Page 18373]]

Wilderness (7,852 acres), the Sierra Ancha Wilderness (20,850 acres) 
and the Salt River Canyon Wilderness (9,777 acres). The Sierra Ancha 
Experimental Forest is 13,371 acres in size. It occurs on the A Cross 
and Sierra Ancha allotments. Currently, the Tonto National Forest's 
Land Management Plan has listed livestock use in the Experimental 
Forest as Level A; No Grazing. On June 29, 1994, a wildfire was started 
by a lightning strike near Armer Mountain. This fire burned portions of 
the Armer Mountain and A Cross allotments. A total of 5,760 acres was 
burned. Depending on the recovery of the vegetation on each of the 
allotments, some priorities may need to be shifted in the future. The 
Fish and Wildlife Service's Amendment to the Fish and Wildlife 
Coordination Act Report on Plan 6, Central Arizona, Regulatory Storage 
Division was prepared as a mitigation plan designed to mitigate impacts 
on fish and wildlife resources associated with construction and 
operation of Plan 6. In this report it states, ``In order to control 
access to the lake by livestock and reduce impacts to native vegetation 
associated with uncontrolled grazing, funding should be provided to 
accelerate the implementation of new and revised Allotment Management 
Plans for 11 allotments around Roosevelt Lake. * * * This funding 
should be utilized for the construction of range management fencing and 
water development which should provide for management designed to meet 
vegetative objectives and provide appropriate use by livestock so that 
established objectives could be met.'' The Armer Mountain, A Cross, 
Poison Springs, and Sierra Ancha Allotments were listed as part of 
those 11 allotments. An environmental assessment was prepared in 
December, 1995 for the Eastern Roosevelt Lake Watershed Analysis Area. 
Based on that assessment, it was determined that additional analyses 
for this project were required, and that an environmental impact 
statement would be prepared.
    The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the EPA and to be 
available for public review by July, 1996. At that time, copies of the 
draft EIS will be distributed to interested and affected agencies, 
organizations, and members of the public for review and comment. The 
EPA will publish a Notice of Availability of the draft EIS in the 
Federal Register. The comment period on the EIS will be 45 days from 
the date the EPA publishes the Notice of Availability. It is very 
important that those interested in this proposed action participate at 
that time. To be most helpful, comments on the draft EIS should be as 
specific as possible and may address the adequacy of the statement or 
the merits of the alternatives discussed (see The Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural 
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3).
    In addition, Federal court decisions have established that 
reviewers of a draft EIS 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. versus NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). 
Environmental objections that could have been raised at the draft stage 
may be waived it not raised until after completion of the final EIS. 
City of Angoon versus Hodel, (9th Circuit, 1986) and Wisconsin 
Heritages, Inc. versus Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 
1980). The reason for this is to ensure 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 EIS.
    The final EIS is scheduled to be completed by October, 1996. In the 
final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to comments 
received during the comment period. The responsible official will 
consider the comments, responses, environmental consequences disclosed 
in the final EIS, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies in 
making a decision regarding this proposal. He will document the 
decision and reasons for the decision in the Record of Decision. The 
Record of Decision will be prepared and filed with the final EIS. That 
decision will be subject to Forest Service appeal regulations (36 CFR 
217).

    Dated: April 12, 1996.
Robert Dunblazier,
Group Leader for Social Resources.
[FR Doc. 96-9951 Filed 4-24-96; 8:45 am]
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