[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]


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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.

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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