[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 13, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11323-11324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-1157]



[[Page 11323]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National 
Grassland; Wyoming; Thunder Basin National Grassland Land and Resource 
Management Plan Amendment for Prairie Dog Management

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service proposes to develop a project-level and 
site-specific implementation strategy to manage prairie dogs using the 
full suite of management tools to maintain viable populations to 
support black-footed ferret introduction and populations of other 
associated species while reducing unwanted colonization of adjoining 
lands along national grassland boundaries; and to amend the Thunder 
Basin National Grassland Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) as 
needed to support the site-specific implementation plan and to modify 
the boundary of the black-footed ferret reintroduction area. The ferret 
area modification is proposed to provide a more logical boundary based 
on topographical and biological barriers for prairie dog colonies and 
to include lands recently acquired through lan exchange.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by April 12, 2007. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
May 31, 2007 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
September 30, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Marilee Houtler, NEPA Coordinator, 
Douglas Ranger District, 2250 East Richards Street, Douglas, Wyoming 
82633 to e-mail to comments-rocky-mountain-medicine-bow-routt-douglas-thunder-basin@fs.fed.us All comments, including names and addresses 
when provided, are placed in the record and are available for public 
inspection and copying. The public may inspect comments received at 
Douglas Ranger District, 2250 E. Richards, Douglas, WY 82633. Visitors 
are encouraged to call ahead to (307) 358-4690 to facilitate entry into 
the building.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cristi Lockman, Wildlife Biologist or 
Misty Hays, Deputy District Ranger, Douglas Ranger District, 2250 East 
Richards St., Douglas, WY 82633 (307) 358-4690.
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., eastern standard time, Monday through 
Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since the 1960's, the Forest Service has 
been challenged to balance our duty to conserve prairie dog habitat and 
manage the impacts from prairie dogs on public lands and neighboring 
private lands. Prairie dog management on the Thunder Basin National 
Grassland fluctuated through the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's from periods 
of active use of rodenticide, management to maintain prairie dog 
populations and no rodenticide use. However, with the petition for 
listing the prairie dog in 1998, rodenticide use was prohibited by 
Forest Service policy from 1999 until 2004 when the US Fish and 
Wildlife Service issued its decision to remove the prairie dog from its 
candidate list. In 2001 the LRMP was completed with the 2002 Record of 
Decision (ROD). The LRMP continued to limit use of prairie dog 
rodenticide to situations involving public health and safety risks and 
damage to facilities. In 2002, as the Thunder Basin National Grassland 
LRMP was being completed a plague epizootic impacted prairie dog 
colonies on the Thunder Basin National Grassland in April and May 2002 
reducing populations from an estimated 21,000 acres of inventoried 
active colonies in 2001 to about 3,300 acres of inventoried active 
colonies in 2002. Since 2002, active colonies have been recovering from 
the plague event from 29-69% annually. In 2004, as part of the appeal 
decisions on LRMP, USDA Deputy Under Secretary, David Tenny, issued 
instructions directing the Thunder Basin National Grassland to ensure 
that local land managers work together with state and county officials 
and local landowners to aggressively implement the spirit and intent of 
the good neighbor policy.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Forest Service has identified a need to implement the 
management objectives in the LRMP for management of prairie dogs and 
prairie dog habitat for black-footed ferrets and other associated 
species and implement the direction by Deputy Under Secretary Tenny to 
be a good neighbor in relation to prairie dog management using all the 
tools available to provide for healthy populations of prairie dog while 
preventing unwanted colonization onto adjacent and intermingled private 
lands.
    The purpose of this action is to provide a full set of tools 
available for prairie dog management and identify sideboards on how and 
when tools might be used and to change the boundaries of Management 
Area 3.63 Black-footed Ferret Reintroduction Habitat to better match 
prairie dog complexes on the ground.

Proposed Action

    The Forest Service proposes to develop a project-level and site-
specific implementation strategy to manage prairie dogs using the full 
suite of management tools to maintain viable populations to support 
black-footed ferret reintroduction and populations of other associated 
species while reducing unwanted colonization of prairie dogs on 
adjoining lands along national grassland boundaries. The Forest Service 
also proposes to amend the LRMP as needed to support the site-specific 
implementation plan and to modify the boundary of the black-footed 
ferret reintroduction area. The ferret reintroduction area modification 
is proposed to provide a more logical boundary based on topographical 
and biological barriers for prairie dog colonies and to include lands 
recently acquired through land exchange. All standards and guidelines 
as currently prescribed in the LRMP for Black Footed Ferret 
Reintroduction Habitat will apply to the modified area. Methods for 
implementing the proposed actions include a suite of non-lethal and 
lethal management tools such as: Rodenticide, limited shooting, 
landownership adjustment, third-party solutions, financial incentives, 
conservation agreements, conservation easements, live-trapping, reduced 
livestock grazing to create visual barriers, and physical barriers.

Responsible Official

    Mary H. Peterson, Forest Supervisor, Medicine Bow-Routt National 
Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland, 2468 Jackson Street, 
Laramie, Wyoming 82070 is the official responsible for making the 
decision on this action. She will document her decision and rationale 
in a Record of Decision.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official will consider the results of the analysis 
and it's findings and then document the final decision in a Record of 
Decision (ROD). The decision will include a determination whether or 
not to amend the LRMP to support the prairie dog management strategy 
and adjust the boundaries of the Black Footed Ferret Reintroduction 
Management Area.

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Scoping Process

    Concurrent with this NOI, letters requesting comments will be sent 
to interested parties. Anyone who provides comments to the DEIS or 
expresses interest during the comment period will have eligibility.

Preliminary Issues

    The Forest Service has identified the following preliminary issues: 
(1) Potential impacts to the Black-Footed Ferret, an Endangered 
species; (2) Potential impacts tot he black-tailed prairie dog, a 
Forest Service Region 2 Sensitive Species and other associated 
sensitive species; (3) Potential impacts to adjacent private lands; (4) 
Potential impacts to livestock grazing permits on National Grassland.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement.

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 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, 435 519, 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 45 day comment period so that 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 chapter 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.

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

    Dated: March 2, 2007.
Misty A. Hays,
Deputy District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 07-1157 Filed 3-12-07; 8:45 am]
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