[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10284-10285]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03354]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest; Washington; Forest Plan 
Amendment for Planning and Management of Domestic Sheep and Goat 
Grazing Within the Range of Bighorn Sheep; Correction

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Correction to notice of intent to prepare an environmental 
impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service published a notice of intent (NOI) to 
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) in the Federal Register 
on May 17, 2019 (84 FR 22432). The NOI served as the scoping document 
for the Forest Plan Amendment for Planning and Management of Domestic 
Sheep and Goat Grazing Within the Range of Bighorn Sheep for the 
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (Forest). After the initial 2019 
scoping effort, the Forest determined the need to update the NOI with 
new dates for the draft EIS and final EIS, new contact information, 
revised need for action, revised proposed action, preliminary 
alternatives, and nature of the decision to be made.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by April 3, 2023. The draft EIS is expected December 2023 and the final 
EIS is expected December 2024.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Okanogan-Wenatchee National 
Forest, Domestic Sheep EIS, 215 Melody Lane, Wenatchee, Washington 
98801. Written comments can be submitted in person at the above address 
during regular business hours between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Pacific 
Time, Monday through Friday. Comments may also be submitted online at 
https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=53257 or via facsimile to 509-
664-9280.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacy Lundgren, Environmental 
Coordinator, via email at [email protected]. Individuals who use 
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay 
Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, 
including holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose for this action remains the same as described in the 
2019 NOI found here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-05-17/pdf/2019-10266.pdf. The need has been revised to address new concerns 
related to existing allotment management plans.
    To address these concerns, the Forest needs to amend both the 
Okanogan and Wenatchee Forest Plans to identify which existing grazing 
allotments are suitable or unsuitable for domestic sheep and goat 
grazing. The Forest also needs to identify potential site-specific 
grazing opportunities which could be made available to existing sheep 
permittees on the Forest. In contrast to the 2019 NOI, the proposed 
plan amendments and allotment analyses will not address grazing 
allotments on the Tonasket Ranger District, as that unit is now 
administered by the Colville National Forest.

Proposed Action

    The revised proposed action would: (1) amend the Okanogan and 
Wenatchee Forest Plans to provide guidance for where domestic livestock 
grazing might be feasible and appropriate; and (2) develop site-
specific allotment management plans for grazing of

[[Page 10285]]

domestic livestock, including sheep, goats, and cattle.
    While the Forest is currently managed as one administrative unit, 
forest plans were completed separately and were signed prior to the 
Regional Forester identifying bighorn sheep as a sensitive species. The 
proposed forest-wide plan amendment would add plan components to both 
forest plans to support management of domestic livestock grazing while 
mitigating disease transmission risk to bighorn sheep. Disease 
trasnmission risk factors that may be analyzed include bighorn sheep 
management and herd dynamics, local topography, spatial or temporal 
separation, other herd characteristics, or range management actions.
    In addition to forest plan components, site-specific conditions 
relative to risk of disease transmission between bighorn sheep and 
domestic livestock would be evaluated for each allotment. Domestic 
livestock grazing conditions, including but not limited to continuing 
sheep and goat grazing, switching from sheep and goat to cattle 
grazing, keeping allotments vacant, or closing allotments would be 
evaluated to determine how best to meet the need for action.

Preliminary Alternatives

    The Forest has developed six preliminary alternatives: no action, 
current management strategies, no domestic livestock grazing, 
separation area delinations, allotment-by-allotment suitability 
determinations, and modified zone management.

Expected Impacts

    The Forest will evaluate the proposed action and alternatives for 
potentially significant impacts including changes in the abundance and 
distribution of bighorn sheep, increased risk of disease transmission 
to bighorn sheep that result in population declines, changes in bighorn 
sheep viewing and hunting opportunities, changes to range conditions 
due to modification of grazing practices, and effects to local 
economies.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The USDA Forest Service is the lead agency for the analysis in 
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The two 
cooperating agencies include the USDA Agricultural Research Service 
(ARS) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) as 
described here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-05-17/pdf/2019-10266.pdf.

Responsible Official

    The responsible official who will approve the Record of Decision is 
the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Supervisor.

Scoping Comments and the Objection Process

    This notice of intent re-opens the scoping process that was 
initiated in the NOI published in the Federal Register in May 2019. 
Because the Forest continues to use the information received during the 
original comment period associated with the 2019 NOI, those comments 
need not be resubmitted. Comments submitted in response to this updated 
NOI will also be considered, and all comments will guide the 
development of the draft environmental impact statement. The Agency is 
requesting comments on potential alternatives and impacts, and 
identification of any relevant information, studies, or analyses 
concerning impacts that may affect the quality of the environment.
    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 proposed action is subject to objection under Forest Service 
regulations found at 36 CFR 218 and 36 CFR 219. Commenting during 
scoping and any other designated opportunity to comment provided by the 
Responsible Official will establish eligibility to object once the 
final EIS and Draft Record of Decision have been published. 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, they cannot be used to establish eligibility 
for the objection process.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official will decide whether to approve the 
proposed amendment for the two Forest Plans to establish new plan 
components for domestic sheep and goat grazing on NFS lands within the 
range of the bighorn sheep and decide on site-specific allotment 
management for grazing of domestic sheep, goats, and cattle.

Substantive Provisions

    In accordance with the regulation at 36 CFR 219.6, when evaluating 
an amendment for a Forest Plan, ``the responsible official has the 
discretion to determine the scope, scale, and timing of an assessment . 
. . .'' As per 36 CFR 219.13(b)(5), the responsible official shall, 
``[d]etermine which specific substantive requirement(s) within 219.8 
through 219.11 are directly related to the plan direction being added, 
modified, or removed by the amendment and apply such requirement(s) 
within the scope and scale of the amendment.'' With the proposed 
amendment, the relevant substantive requirements include: 219.6(b)(6): 
Social, cultural, and economic conditions relevant to the plan area; 
219.8(a)(1)(ii): Contributions of the plan area to ecological 
conditions within the broader landscape influenced by the plan area; 
219.9(a)(2)(i): Key characteristics associated within terrestrial and 
aquatic ecosystem types; and 219.10(a)(7): Reasonably foreseeable risks 
to ecological, social, and economic sustainability.

    Dated: February 10, 2023.
Troy Heithecker,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2023-03354 Filed 2-16-23; 8:45 am]
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