[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 184 (Wednesday, September 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57333-57334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24169]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision and Approved 
Land Management Plan Amendments for the Great Basin Region Greater 
Sage-Grouse Sub-Regions of Idaho and Southwestern Montana; Nevada and 
Utah

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Record of Decision.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service announces the availability of the Record of 
Decision (ROD) and Approved Land Management Plan (LMP) Amendments for 
the Great Basin Region Greater Sage-Grouse (GRSG) sub-regions of Idaho 
and Southwestern Montana, Nevada, and Northeast California, and Utah. 
Management decisions within the ROD and Approved LMP amendments apply 
only to National Forest System lands. There were no National Forest 
System lands involved in this effort in Northeast California. The 
Regional Foresters signed the ROD on September 16, 2015, which 
constitutes the final decision of the Forest Service.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD and Approved LMP Amendments are available 
upon request and are also available for public inspection at the 
addresses listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. Interested 
persons may also review the ROD and Approved LMP Amendments on the 
World Wide Web at http://www.fs.usda.gov/r4/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For the Idaho and Southwestern Montana 
GRSG LMP Amendment contact Robert Mickelsen, Caribou-Targhee National 
Forest GRSG, Idaho State Liaison, telephone 208-557-5764; address: 1405 
Hollipark Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83401; email: [email protected].
    For the Nevada GRSG LMP Amendment contact Bill Dunkelberger, Forest 
Supervisor, Humboldt-Toiyabe, telephone: 775-355-5310; address: 1200 
Franklin Way, Sparks, NV 89431; email: [email protected].
    For the Utah GRSG LMP Amendment contact: Ron Rodriguez, Utah State 
Liaison, telephone: 435-865-3732; address: 1789 North Wedgewood Lane, 
Cedar City, UT 84721; email: [email protected].
    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: This Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved 
Land Management Plan (LMP) Amendments for the Great Basin Region 
Greater Sage-Grouse (GRSG) sub-regions of Idaho and Southwestern 
Montana, Nevada, and Northeast California, and Utah were developed 
through a collaborative planning process and incorporate land-use plan 
level conservation measures into existing Forest Service LMPs to 
conserve, enhance, and restore GRSG and its habitat by reducing, 
eliminating, or minimizing threats to GRSG and its habitat. The ROD and 
Approved LMP Amendments include management direction that limits or 
eliminates new surface disturbance in GRSG Priority Habitat Management 
Areas, while minimizing disturbance in GRSG General Habitat Management 
Areas. In addition to establishing protective land use allocations, the 
Approved LMP Amendments establish a suite of management provisions, 
such as the establishment of disturbance limits, GRSG habitat 
objectives, mitigation requirements, monitoring protocols, and adaptive 
management triggers and responses, as well as other conservation 
measures throughout the range. The cumulative effect of these 
conservation measures is to protect, improve, and restore GRSG habitat 
across the remaining range of the species in the Great Basin Region and 
provide greater certainty that Forest Service activities and 
authorizations in GRSG habitat in the Great Basin Region will lead to 
conservation of the GRSG and its habitat as well as other sagebrush-
steppe associated species in the Region.
    The ROD and LMP amendments amend the following Forest Service LMPs:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   National Forest      Date of current
          Sub-region                 System unit              LMP
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Idaho.........................  Boise National Forest               2003
                                Caribou National                    2003
                                 Forest.
                                Curlew National                     2002
                                 Grassland.
                                Challis National                    1987
                                 Forest.
                                Salmon National                     1988
                                 Forest.
                                Sawtooth National                   2003
                                 Forest.
                                Targhee National                    1997
                                 Forest RMP.
Montana.......................  Beaverhead-Deerlodge                2009
                                 National Forest.
Nevada........................  Humboldt National                   1986
                                 Forest.
                                Toiyabe National                    1986
                                 Forest.
Utah..........................  Ashley National                     1986
                                 Forest.
                                Dixie National Forest               1986
                                Fishlake National                   1986
                                 Forest.
                                Manti-LaSal National                1086
                                 Forest.
                                Uinta National Forest               2003

[[Page 57334]]

 
                                Wasatch-Cache                       2003
                                 National Forest.
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    The Idaho and Southwestern Montana, Nevada, and Northeast 
California, and Utah Draft Land Use Plan Amendments (LUPAs)/Draft 
Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and Proposed LUPAs/Final EISs 
included proposed GRSG management direction on Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) public lands. However, the BLM completed a separate 
ROD and Resource Management Plan Amendments under BLM planning 
authorities. Management decisions within this ROD and Approved LMP 
Amendments apply only to National Forest System lands. There were no 
National Forest System lands involved in this effort in Northeast 
California.
    A Notice of Availability for the Great Basin Region GRSG Proposed 
LMP Amendments/Final EISs for the Idaho and Southwest Montana, Nevada, 
and Northeast California, Oregon, and Utah sub-regions was published in 
the Federal Register on May 29, 2015, which initiated a 30-day protest 
period.
    The BLM and Forest Service received 102 timely and valid protest 
submissions for all the Great Basin Region Proposed LUPAs/Final EISs. 
After careful consideration of all the issues raised in these protests, 
the Deputy Chief for the National Forest System concluded the 
responsible planning team followed all applicable laws, regulations, 
and policies and considered all relevant resource information and 
public input in developing the Proposed LMPs/Final EISs. For a full 
description of the issues raised during the protest period and how they 
were addressed, please refer to the Protest Resolution Reports for the 
Idaho and Southwest Montana, Nevada and Northeast California, and Utah 
Proposed LUPAs/Final EISs. These Reports, which include three Forest 
Service Proposed LMPs for Idaho and Southwest Montana, Nevada, and 
Utah, are available at the following Web site: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/planning/planning_overview/protest_resolution/protestreports.html.
    The preferred alternatives, as presented in the Draft LUPA/Draft 
EISs and and further developed in the Proposed LUPAs/Final EISs as the 
Proposed Plan Amendment, were selected in the ROD as the Approved LMP 
Amendments with some minor clarifications.
    Copies of the Idaho and Southwest Montana GRSG ROD and Approved LMP 
Amendment are available upon request and are available for public 
inspection at:
 Boise National Forest Headquarters. Vinnell Way, Boise ID 
83709
 Caribou-Targhee National Forest Headquarters, 1405 Hollipark 
Drive., Idaho Falls, ID 83401
 Salmon-Challis National Forest Headquarters, 1206 South 
Challis Street, Salmon, ID 83467
 Sawtooth National Forest Headquarters, 2647 Kimberly Road 
East, Twin Falls, ID 83301-7976
    Copies of the Nevada GRSG ROD and Approved LMP amendment are 
available upon request and are available for public inspection at:
 Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Headquarters, 1200 Franklin 
Way, Sparks, NV 89431
    Copies of the Utah GRSG ROD and Approved LMP amendment are 
available upon request and are available for public inspection at:
 Ashley National Forest Headquarters, 355 North Vernal Ave. 
Vernal, UT 84078
 Dixie National Forest Headquarters, 1789 North Wedgewood Lane, 
Cedar City, UT 84721
 Fishlake National Forest Headquarters, 115 East 900 North, 
Richfield, UT 84701
 Manti-LaSal National Forest Headquarters, 599 West Price River 
Drive, Price, UT 84501
 Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Headquarters, 857 West 
South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, UT 84099

    Dated: September 17, 2015.
Glenn P. Casamassa,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2015-24169 Filed 9-22-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3411-15-P