[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 124 (Friday, June 27, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34684-34685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-16885]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Southwestern Region; Coconino National Forest, Arizona; Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement, Windmill Range Allotment

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Coconino National Forest of the Forest Service is planning 
to prepare an environmental impact statement on proposals to change 
cattle management on the 248,792 acre Windmill Allotment planning area.

DATES: This analysis has been ongoing and public participation has 
occurred at various stages. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
will be published in July of 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Mormon Lake Ranger Districts, 4373 S. Lake 
Mary Road, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, Reference: Windmill EIS.


[[Page 34685]]


EFFECTIVE DATE: Send comments to Mormon Lake Ranger District, 4373 S. 
Lake Mary Road, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, Reference: Windmill EIS.

RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL: Fred Trevey, Coconino Forest Supervisor.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
District Range Staff, Mike Hannemann, (520) 774-1147.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Windmill Allotment Management Plan was 
updated in 1982 to address the distribution of livestock. In 1988 the 
Allotment plan for the Winter Division was updated to change the 
grazing system to improve the growth of cool-season Stipa grasses and 
overall range conditions.
    In 1994, the Peaks, Mormon Lake and Sedona Ranger Districts in 
partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Windmill 
Ranch initiated a comprehensive analysis of the Windmill Allotment to 
update the Allotment Management Plan. The Allotment was selected for 
analysis to address:
    Large, open meadows that are in poor condition indicating an 
imbalance between plant growth and use of plants throughout the 
meadows;
    Riparian areas that are in less than preferable condition;
    Management of threatened, endangered and sensitive species;
    Administrative inefficiencies (three allotment plans versus one 
plan);
    Fragmentation indicating a need for landscape scale planning;
    Livestock/elk conflicts.
    In 1995, a 10 year grazing permit was issued for the Windmill 
Allotment under the term of the Rescission Bill (Burns Amendment). This 
permit included some interim mitigating measures including fencing 
riparian and sensitive plant habitats, sweeping cattle from driveways 
and shipping culled cows. As required by this legislation, the 
Allotment was then rescheduled for comprehensive analysis within the 10 
year period.
    In 1996, the comprehensive analysis was continued. The core team 
focused on gaining an understanding of relationships between forage 
production, soils, tree densities, climate, past grazing, and the 
dietary needs of cattle and elk. Further, the team focused on judging 
where forage dietary needs and grazing use were out of balance with the 
lands ability to produce forage with upward trends and designing 
management actions to respond to problem areas. The following describes 
the analysis in detail.
    Specifically, the purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the 
grazing use on the Windmill Allotment and to propose options for moving 
toward resource improvement goals and objectives. Cattle grazing 
alternatives (including no cattle grazing) are being considered. If a 
cattle grazing alternative is selected, a new permit will be issued 
along with a new Allotment Management Plan (AMP).
    Tentative alternatives are: 1. Alternative A is designed to meet 
all the current grazing management issues while maintaining a viable 
ranching operation. This alternative uses permittee and range 
conservationist knowledge to determine proper livestock numbers, graze 
periods, graze rotations, and pasture splits. Total livestock numbers 
are 1252 to 1257.
    2. Alternative B is the no action alternative as required by the 
National Environmental Policy Act regulations. Selection of this 
alternative would mean that no grazing would occur on this allotment 
for the next 10 years.
    3. Alternative C is the management system currently in place. This 
alternative permits a total of 1,252 to 1,257 cattle to graze year-
round on the Windmill Range Allotment.
    4. Alternative D is designed to respond to grazing capacity and 
proper use guideline issues. This alternative uses timberstand data 
base and TES data to project total yearly forage production for each 
pasture. Total livestock numbers are 635.
    5. Alternative F is the same as Alternative A except for adjusting 
the Luke Mountain pasture of the Foxboro Herd from a two-way pasture 
split to a three-way pasture split. This third pasture reduces graze 
periods in Little T-Six from 20 to 10 days and Highway Camp from 14-20 
days to 10 days. Total livestock numbers are 1252 to 1257.
    6. Alternative G is designed to better meet resource concerns of 
poor and declining range conditions in parts of Munds-Pocket and 
Foxboro Herd areas. This alternative improves on Alternative A in these 
areas by reducing livestock numbers, adjusting graze periods and 
additional pasture splits. Total livestock numbers are 1090 to 1125.
    Items common to alternatives include fencing some riparian areas to 
exclude livestock. The areas chosen for fencing are easily accessed by 
cattle, are fairly large and have adjacent wet meadows and are 
estimated to have high potential for improvement. Not all riparian 
springs located on the Allotment are fenced. Those not chosen for 
fencing are less accessible to cattle, are not associated with wet 
meadows and are estimated to have high potential for improvement. Not 
all riparian springs located on the Allotment are fenced. Those not 
chosen for fencing are less accessible to cattle, are not associated 
with wet meadows and are very small. Major creeks and rivers will not 
have direct cattle access under any of the alternatives. Other items 
common to all alternatives include tank re-location and/or waterlot 
construction where tanks occur in dry meadows. Pastures that will not 
be used in the 10 year management plan period are also identified.
    Environmental analysis has been ongoing. It is anticipated that a 
draft environmental impact statement will be published in July of 1997. 
A ninety day comment period pursuant to 36 CFR 219.10(b) will be 
provided for the public to make comments on the draft environmental 
impact statement. A record of decision will be prepared and filed with 
the final environmental impact statement. A ninety day appeal period 
pursuant to 36 CFR 217.8(a) will be applicable. The ninety day comment 
period on the draft environmental impact statement will begin when the 
Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of Availability appears in the 
Federal Register.
    To be most helpful, comments on the draft environmental impact 
statement should be as specific as possible and may address the 
adequacy of the statement or the merits of the alternatives discussed 
(see Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the 
procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40 
CFR 1503.3).
    This is the second notice for this draft environmental impact 
statement. The publication of the draft was changed from our original 
estimate of February, 1997 to July, 1997.
Fred Trevey,
Coconino Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 97-16885 Filed 6-26-97; 8:45 am]
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