[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 158 (Wednesday, August 17, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48369-48370]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-16259]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 158 / Wednesday, August 17, 2005 / 
Notices  

[[Page 48369]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Black Hills National Forest, Northern Hills Ranger District, 
South Dakota and Bearlodge Ranger District, Wyoming, North Zone Range 
05 Proposal and Analysis

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: Revise Rangeland Allotment Management Plans (RAMP) for eight 
allotments comprising about 79,634 acres within two Ranger Districts of 
the Black Hills National Forest and analyze continuation of grazing 
within the constraints of the Revised Black Hills National Forest Land 
and Resource Management Plan, as amended (BHNF LRMP).

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
within 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. The draft 
environmental impact statement is expected in December, 2005 and the 
final environmental impact statement is expected February, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Alice Allen, Hell Canyon Ranger 
District, 330 Mt. Rushmore Rd., Custer, South Dakota 57730. Comment may 
also be submitted by e-mail to: [email protected] with ``North Zone Range 05'' as subject.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alice Allen, Project Coordinator, 
Black Hills National Forest, Hell Canyon Ranger District, at 330 Mt. 
Rushmore Rd., phone (605) 673-4853.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Purpose and Need for Action: The purpose of the project is to 
authorize livestock grazing in an environmentally acceptable manner. 
The EIS will determine current conditions, analyze environmental 
consequences of grazing management actions on those conditions, and 
assist the decision maker in selecting management/monitoring strategies 
consistent with meeting desired conditions in the BHNF LRMP, including 
Goals 1, 2 and 3. The need for the action is to revise allotment 
management plans, reverse any existing undesirable conditions, and 
ensure that authorized uses and associated management activities move 
them towards desired BHNF LRMP conditions. There is also a need to 
respond to requests for grazing permits on lands not currently being 
grazed.
    Proposed Action: The Northern Hills and Bearlodge Ranger Districts 
propose to implement best management practices and activities with 
adaptive management and monitoring strategies to allow livestock 
grazing consistent with Forest Plan desired conditions, standards and 
guidelines.
    Possible Alternatives: The Current Management Alternative would not 
change current permitted livestock grazing. The No Grazing Alternative 
would eliminate any livestock grazing on the project area.

Responsible Official

    The Responsible Official for the allotments on the Bearlodge Ranger 
District is Steve Kozel, District Ranger, Black Hills National Forest, 
Bearlodge Ranger District, 121 S. 21st Street, Sundance, Wyoming 82729. 
THe Responsible Official for the allotments on the Northern Hills 
Ranger District is Pamela Brown, District Ranger, Black Hills National 
Forest, Northern Hills Ranger District, 2014 N. Main St., Spearfish, 
South Dakota 57783.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The decision to be made is whether to continue to permit livestock 
grazing on all, part, or none of these allotments and, if so, under 
what terms and conditions to ensure that desired condition objectives 
are met, or that movement occurs toward those objectives. Whether or 
not to allow livestock grazing on three recently acquired parcels and 
one vacant grazing unit will also be decided, and if so, under what 
conditions.

Scoping Process

    Comments and input regarding the proposal were requested from the 
public, other groups and agencies via direct mailing on March 21, 2005. 
Comments were due by April 20, 2005. Additional comments will be 
solicited during August and September 2005 via public notices and an 
additional direct mailing. Also, response to the draft EIS will be 
sought from the interested public in December 2005 and January 2006. 
Preliminary issues include grassland and riparian health, water 
quality, and effects on sensitive wildlife and plant species.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping proces which guides the 
development of the environmental impact statement. It is the District's 
desire to involve interested parties in identifying the issues related 
to grazing management. Comments will help the planning team identify 
key issues and opportunities used to develop adaptive management tools, 
monitoring strategies, and alternatives. Persons who submitted comments 
previously need not resubmit those same comments in response to this 
request. Comments submitted previously will continue to be considered.
    Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review: A draft environmental impact statement will be 
prepared for comment. The comment period on the draft environmental 
impact statement will be 45 days from the date the Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal 
Register.
    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 impacts 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 objectives 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.

[[Page 48370]]

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 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 impacts 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 
environmental impact statement 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.
    Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, Section 21)

    Dated: August 10, 2005.
Craig Bobzien,
Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest.
[FR Doc. 05-16259 Filed 8-16-05; 8:45 am]
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