[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 83 (Friday, May 1, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20276-20277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9500]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Salmon River Ranger District; Idaho; Allison-Berg Allotment EIS

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The EIS will document changed conditions on the Allison-Berg 
allotment relative to effects on bighorn sheep and their habitat 
sufficient to support a determination whether continued grazing by 
domestic sheep should be allowed or not, and if so, under what 
conditions.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by June 15, 2009. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
in September 2010, and the final environmental impact statement is 
expected by March 2011.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Darcy Pederson, Acting District 
Ranger, Salmon River Ranger District, 304 Slate Creek Road, White Bird, 
Idaho 83554. It is important that reviewers provide their comments at 
such times and in such a way that they are useful to the Agency's 
preparation of the EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to 
the close of the comment period and should clearly articulate the 
reviewer's concerns and contentions. The submission of timely and 
specific comments can affect a reviewer's ability to participate in 
subsequent administrative review or judicial review.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record 
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide 
the respondent with standing to participate in subsequent 
administrative review or judicial review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanne Bonn, via phone at (208) 839-
2211 or (208) 983-1950, or in person at 304 Slate Creek Road, between 
the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., PDT, Monday through Friday.
    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 Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    In April 1996 the Nez Perce National Forest made the decision to 
authorize domestic sheep, horse/pack stock, and cattle grazing on the 
Allison-Berg allotment. This decision was accompanied by an 
Environmental Assessment which concluded that the action would have no 
significant impacts under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
and is consistent with the National Forest Management Act (NFMA). Under 
this decision, the permittee has been issued ten-year term grazing 
permits. The latest ten-year term grazing permit, issued in April 2006, 
allows for both a spring/summer and a fall/winter domestic sheep 
grazing period. Incidental numbers of horses/pack stock and cattle are 
permitted to graze spring through fall.
    In prior NEPA/NFMA decision documentation for this allotment, no 
specific concerns related to the bighorn sheep were noted. New 
information and changed conditions related to bighorn sheep result in a 
need for the U.S. Forest Service to revisit and update the 
environmental effects analysis for this allotment.
    The Payette National Forest, which manages National Forest System 
lands south of this allotment, is finalizing an extensive analysis 
addressing bighorn sheep viability issues on that forest. In September, 
2008 the Payette National Forest released the ``Draft Supplement to the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Southwest Idaho Ecogroup 
Land and Resource Management Plans.'' This draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) discusses the effects of grazing 
domestic sheep within or near the range of bighorn sheep for both the 
Hell's Canyon and Salmon River populations. Although no decision is 
being made in relation to the Allison-Berg allotment, the Payette 
National Forest is producing information that is directly pertinent to 
the update of the Nez Perce National Forest's effects

[[Page 20277]]

analysis for the Allison-Berg allotment, including bighorn sheep 
habitat modeling, bighorn sheep population modeling, geographic 
population range modeling, quantitative risk assessment modeling, 
disease spread modeling and cumulative effects analysis. Current maps 
produced by the Payette National Forest and included in their DSEIS 
show the Allison-Berg allotment is located within the geographic 
population range of bighorn sheep. The allotment contains a substantial 
amount of modeled bighorn sheep habitat. The expected date for 
completion of a final SEIS by the Payette National Forest is December 
2009.
    Bighorn sheep sightings since 2007 and telemetry and GPS data from 
radio-collared bighorn sheep in a cooperative study begun in 2008 with 
the Nez Perce Tribe have confirmed both collared and uncollared bighorn 
sheep presence on the Allison-Berg allotment during both the spring/
summer and the fall/winter grazing periods.
    On March 13, 2009 the Nez Perce National Forest prescribed non-use 
by domestic sheep on the Allison-Berg allotment for resource protection 
during the time needed to update the NFMA and NEPA analysis for the 
allotment. This decision to prescribe non-use was based on the 
following factors: (1) Continued sightings of bighorn sheep (including 
some that are now radio-collared) within and near the allotment, (2) 
the lack of identified and agreed to measures that would meet the 
objective of the State of Idaho Interim Strategy to ensure separation 
of bighorn sheep and domestic sheep, (3) data assembled to date on 
movement and distribution of radio-collared Salmon River bighorns has 
not provided the Forest with information that would enable development 
of BMPs to ensure separation, and (4) there is a need to obtain and 
utilize new information from the Payette NF analysis to update our 
decision documentation for the allotment.
    This Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS initiates the process to 
update our decision documentation for the Allison-Berg allotment. The 
expected date for publication of our draft EIS allows time for proper 
review and consideration of the Payette National Forest's bighorn 
analysis as well as any additional GPS and telemetry data for the 
collared Salmon River bighorns.

Proposed Action and Possible Alternatives

    The Salmon River Ranger District of the United States Forest 
Service proposes to authorize continued domestic sheep, horse/pack 
stock, and cattle grazing within the Allison-Berg allotment. 
Alternatives that may be considered include (1) Authorization of 
grazing under conditions identified in the existing ten-year term 
permit; (2) modification of grazing consistent with the Strategy for 
Managing Separation between Bighorn Sheep and Domestic Sheep and Goats 
in the Salmon River Area (SRSS); (3) grazing with additional mitigation 
measures to ensure separation of bighorn sheep and domestic sheep; and 
(4) no grazing. The project is located 3 miles east of Riggins, Idaho 
in the Allison, Berg, and Kelly Creek drainages on the north side of 
the Salmon River.

Responsible Official

    Salmon River District Ranger.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    To determine whether to authorize grazing of domestic sheep on the 
Allison-Berg Allotment, and if so, under what conditions.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of 
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be 
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly 
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions. The submission of 
timely and specific comments can affect a reviewer's ability to 
participate in subsequent administrative appeal or judicial review.

    Dated: April 20, 2009.
Thomas K. Reilly,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E9-9500 Filed 4-30-09; 8:45 am]
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