[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 75 (Thursday, April 18, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16240-16241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07809]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National
Grassland; WY; Thunder Basin National Grassland Plan Amendment
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Thunder Basin National Grassland (Grassland) will prepare
an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 2020 Thunder Basin
National Grassland Plan Amendment. The Grassland proposes to amend
prairie dog management direction in the Land and Resource Management
Plan, including changes to management area boundaries and changes to
grassland-wide, geographic area, and management area plan components
that pertain to prairie dogs, short-stature prairie habitat, and
associated species management.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by May 20, 2019. The Draft EIS is expected in October 2019, and the
Final EIS is expected May 2020.
ADDRESSES: Please submit comments via one of the following methods:
1. Public participation portal (preferred): https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public//CommentInput?Project=55479.
2. Mail: Thunder Basin Plan Amendment Comments, Thunder Basin
National Grassland Supervisor's Office, 2468 Jackson St., Laramie, WY
82070.
All comments, including names and addresses when provided, are
placed in the record and are available for public inspection.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Monique Nelson at 307-275-0956 or
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
Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest Service proposes to amend the
Thunder Basin National Grassland Land and Resource Management Plan.
Substantive requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule (36 CFR 219) that
are likely to be directly related and therefore applicable to the
amendment are 219.8(a) and (b), ecological and social and economic
sustainability; 219.9, diversity of plant and animal communities; and
219.10(a), integrated resource management for ecosystem services and
multiple use.
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of this project is to amend the Thunder Basin National
Grassland Land and Resource Management Plan to better balance prairie
dog colony conservation and control with other Grassland uses.
Specifically, an amendment is needed to:
Refocus management in Management Area 3.63, ``Black-footed
ferret reintroduction Habitat,'' to emphasize rangelands with short-
stature vegetation that provide for multiple uses, including providing
habitat for prairie dogs and associated species and providing livestock
forage.
Delineate more logical boundaries for Management Area
3.63, for example by strategically using natural topographic and
hydrologic barriers and incorporating boundary management zones.
Increase the availability of management options for
prairie dog colony conservation and control, including allowing lethal
prairie dog control within Management Area 3.63.
More effectively manage prairie dog colony encroachment
from the National Grassland onto private and state land. Encroachment
concerns include public health, agricultural production, and land
values.
Align with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department ``Wyoming
Black-footed Ferret Management Plan'' (2018).
Ensure management direction identifies habitat
requirements needed to support viable populations of prairie dogs and
associated species, such as mountain plover, burrowing owl, and swift
fox, and that management would not preclude future reintroduction of
black-footed ferret.
[[Page 16241]]
Enhance engagement with partners for collaborative
implementation of new plan direction.
Proposed Action
A collaborative stakeholder group led by the Wyoming Department of
Agriculture worked for several months in 2018 to develop
recommendations for a proposed action. To meet the needs identified
above and based on the recommendations of the collaborative workgroup,
the Thunder Basin National Grassland proposes the following:
1. Change the existing Thunder Basin National Grassland Management
Area 3.63, ``Black-footed Ferret Reintroduction Habitat,'' to a new
Management Area 3.67, ``Rangelands with Short-stature Vegetation
Emphasis.''
2. Draw the boundaries for Management Area 3.67 to strategically
use natural barriers to prairie dog movement such as the Cheyenne River
and Rochelle Hills and to reduce conflicts in prairie dog management.
3. Eliminate use of the Black-tailed Prairie Dog Conservation
Assessment and Management Strategy for the Thunder Basin National
Grassland (2009, 2015), and amend the Thunder Basin National Grassland
Land and Resource Management Plan to include all necessary direction
for prairie dog management.
4. Establish a minimum \1/4\ mile boundary management zone in
Management Area 3.67 where the Grassland shares a border with private
or State property, and allow landowners to request up to a \3/4\ mile
boundary management zone for special circumstances. Within boundary
management zones, lethal control of prairie dogs in cooperation with
other landowners will be the priority.
5. Where possible, adopt use of the Natural Resources Conservation
Service's Ecological Site Descriptions in Management Area 3.67 as the
basis to describe plant communities, evaluate current and desired
conditions, and maintain or improve native vegetation and wildlife
habitat.
6. Within Management Area 3.67, manage active prairie dog colonies
toward a target of 10,000 acres to support viable populations of
associated species such as mountain plover, burrowing owl, and swift
fox. Colonies would be distributed across the landscape and vary in
size up to approximately 1,000 acres with an emphasis on colonies of
100 to 400 acres. At least one complex in Management Area 3.67 would be
managed for at least 1,500 acres of active prairie dog colonies.
7. Allow use of a suite of tools for prairie dog management
throughout Management Area 3.67, including but not limited to
translocation, application of Deltamethrin (i.e., ``Delta dust'' or
equivalent), fences, vegetative barriers, and rodenticides. Do not
allow use of anticoagulant rodenticides.
8. Allow recreational shooting in Management Area 3.67 with
seasonal restrictions in place when necessary.
9. Consider recommendations for prairie dog management from a
third-party collaborative stakeholder group.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The Forest Service will be the lead agency. The Wyoming Department
of Agriculture, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Campbell County,
Converse County, and Weston County have been identified as formal
cooperating agencies at this time. Other federal, State, and local
agencies; tribes; and other stakeholders that are interested in or
affected by the proposed action are invited to participate in the
scoping process. If eligible, they may request or be asked by the
Forest Service to participate in the environmental analysis process as
a cooperating agency.
Responsible Official
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National
Grassland Supervisor Russell Bacon.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The responsible official will decide: (1) Whether or not to
implement the plan amendment as described in the proposed action, (2)
whether or not to implement the plan amendment as described in a future
alternative analyzed in detail, (3) whether or not to implement a
combination of alternatives analyzed in detail, (4) whether or not to
adopt amended grassland-wide, geographic area, and management area
direction consistent with the selected alternative(s), and (5) whether
to take no action.
Scoping Process
This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. The Forest
Service is seeking information, comments, and assistance from Tribal
Governments; Federal, State, and local agencies; and individuals and
organizations interested in or affected. During the weeks of May 6 or
May 13, 2019, the Forest Service will host one public meeting in
Douglas, WY and one online publc webinar. Information about public
meetings is posted online with a scoping document that includes
detailed information on the proposed action, maps, and proposed amended
plan direction (e.g., desired conditions, objectives, standards, and
guidelines) at: http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=55479. Individuals may also provide
comments and sign up to be on the electronic mailing list at that site.
Comments that address specific environmental impacts that are of
concern or modifications to the proposal will be most useful in the
development of the environmental impact statement and plan amendment.
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.
The decision on this proposed plan amendment will be subject to the
objection process for the planning process (36 CFR part 219, subpart
B). Only those individuals and entities who submit substantive formal
comments related to this proposed plan amendment during the
opportunities for public comment as provided in 36 CFR part 219,
subpart A may file an objection. The burden is on the objector to
demonstrate compliance with requirements for objection (36 CFR 219.53).
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.
Dated: March 22, 2019.
Allen Rowley,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2019-07809 Filed 4-17-19; 8:45 am]
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