[Federal Register: March 13, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 48)]
[Notices]
[Page 11323-11324]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13mr07-18]
[[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.
[[Page 11324]]
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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