Lambson Draw On/Off Allotment Livestock Conversion Decision Notice

Transcription

1 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Lambson Draw On/Off Allotment Livestock Conversion Decision Notice Ashley National Forest Flaming Gorge-Vernal Ranger District Uintah County, Utah Responsible Official Rowdy Muir Flaming Gorge-Vernal District Ranger (435) For More Information Contact: Garry Brown, ID Team Leader Rangeland Management Specialist (435)

2 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA s TARGET Center at (202) (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C ; (2) Fax: (202) ; or (3) program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

3 Decision I have decided to implement the Proposed Action, as analyzed in the February, 2017 Lambson Draw On/Off Allotment Livestock Conversion Environmental Assessment (EA). The project area is located about 30 miles north of Vernal, Utah and accessed off of Highway 191, Diamond Mountain Road, Davenport Draw and Lambson Draw roads on the Flaming Gorge - Vernal Ranger District in Uintah County, Utah (see Figures 1 and 2). More specifically, the project area is isolated to the Lambson Draw in Sections 3, 9, 10,11,14, 15 and 16 of Township 1 North, Range 23 East; Salt Lake Meridian. Proposed Action The proposed action alternative proposes to change the kind of livestock on the Lambson Draw On/Off Allotment from sheep and goat use to cattle and horse use and issue a ten year term grazing permit beginning in A new Allotment Management Plan (AMP) would be developed according to Forest Plan direction and any other laws or regulations. The proposed permitted use is listed in Table 1 below. Table 1- Proposed Action Grazing Schedule (Alternative 2-Action Alternative) Allotment Livestock Number-Kind* Grazing Season Grazing System Lambson Draw On/Off 5 Cow/Calf On Portion 36 Cow/Calf Off Portion June 15 Sept 25 On/Off *Five cow/calf pair would be permitted for the on portion of this permit. An additional 36 cow/calf pairs would be allowed to graze the off portion (private land) of the allotment (121 HMs). Season of use, kind/class of livestock and numbers can vary as long as no more than 140 head months for the on and off portion of the allotment are used in a grazing season. A two week flexible on and off date would be allowed at the discretion of the deciding official as long as head months were not exceeded. To determine proper livestock conversion rates, suitable acres were reviewed and updated and the conversion rate of five sheep to one cow was incorporated. The activities proposed in the proposed action are common forest management activities for which watershed conservation practices, allotment management plans, terms and conditions of the grazing permit and Forest Plan standards and guidelines exist to provide resource protections. To ensure sustainability of the Lambson Draw Allotment, modifications to the permit may periodically occur based on evaluation of the desired conditions. This strategy was developed by an interdisciplinary team of resource specialists and is a planning and monitoring process that periodically evaluates desired resource conditions and establishes management benchmarks and best management practices that maintain desired resource conditions, or move unsatisfactory resource conditions toward desired conditions. The benchmarks listed below would form a basis for monitoring and would be used to compare existing resource conditions to desired conditions. These benchmarks and mitigation measures complement existing Forest Plan standards and guidelines and other applicable laws, regulations, and higher level decisions and would be 1

4 incorporated in the Term Grazing Permit by reference to the Lambson Draw Allotment Management Plan. Total ground cover equal to or greater than 85% of potential for all plant communities grazed by livestock. Native and selected non-native plant species of moderate to high value for watershed protection are equal to or greater than 60% of the relative cover in all plant communities grazed by livestock. Selected non-native species are those included in plantings in the past based on their erosion control and other desired values. This includes both woody and herbaceous species. Manage livestock grazing in aspen stands to facilitate sprouting and sprout survival sufficient to perpetuate the long-term viability of aspen clones. Crown cover of aspen sprouts 40% or greater at five years post disturbance. Stream bank stability is equal to or greater than 80% of potential. Utilization of key forage species no greater than 50% of current year s growth except where longterm monitoring demonstrates a different allowable use level is appropriate. Leave a four-inch or greater stubble height of herbaceous species at the end of the grazing season between greenline and bank full of stream systems. In goshawk habitat (forested lands, including transitory openings created by timber harvest or fire), limit understory grazing utilization to an average of 20% by weight, not to exceed 40% on any specific site. Average browse utilization would be limited to 40% by weight, and would not exceed 60%. This guideline does not apply to non-forested habitat types (USDA, 1986). Implement grazing management practices that would not cause exceedances in state water quality standards. These benchmarks would continue to be evaluated by an interdisciplinary team and adapted based on monitoring to determine if permitted livestock grazing is meeting desired resource conditions, or satisfactorily trending towards desired resource conditions. Monitoring methods identified in the Forest Plan and the decision for the Lambson Draw Allotment would continue to be utilized unless other methods are identified by the best available science. Monitoring methods would generally include determining ground cover, plant community composition, forage utilization, riparian and stream bank conditions, water quality, key wildlife and aquatic species habitat conditions, compliance with grazing management practices or other grazing permit and/or annual operating instructions, and any other pertinent parameters as directed by the authorized officer. The Lambson Draw Allotment may be monitored annually to determine grazing use and on a five to ten year rotation to determine long-term condition and trend. If monitoring indicates that conditions are not being maintained or are not trending towards desired resource conditions, then management adjustments would be made in order to reach desired resource conditions. These adjustments may include changes in livestock numbers, class of livestock, season of use, grazing systems, grazing management practices, or allotment improvements. Changes in allotment improvements may require NEPA analysis. The proposed action is found on pages 4-5 of the EA. 2

5 Rationale The purpose of this proposal is to respond to the permittees request to change grazing management strategies and convert the allotment from permitting sheep and goats to permitting cattle and horses. As such, there is a need to analyze the proposed action for environmental effects to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by evaluating a change in management. This change was also initiated by the grazing permit terms and conditions (USDA, 2009) which states: The permittee will immediately notify the Forest officer in charge of any change in control of base property, ownership of livestock, or other qualifications to hold this grazing permit. As management and private land ownership of the Lambson Draw Allotment has changed over the past few years, the permittee has requested a modification in the kind of livestock (i.e. sheep and goat to cattle and horses) to the term grazing permit. The livestock management strategy described in the original Lambson Draw AMP allows for changes in livestock numbers, class of livestock, season of use, grazing systems, grazing management practices, or allotment improvements but the proposed change requires an environmental analysis before modifications can be made. To achieve this purpose, I have decided to implement the proposed action described above. Overall, I believe this project will help accommodate the permittee s request while also meeting desired conditions and objectives of the Forest Service. I have carefully reviewed the documentation presented by resource specialists that worked on this project, and I have looked at the public s consideration for this project. Both the Forest staff and the public and interested parties did not express any concerns, or issues, and the impacts on this project are non-existent or minimal in extent. I have also looked at the design of this project in terms of safety. With the design features in place, I do not expect that this project will create a safety concern to the public. Public Involvement The Ashley National Forest invited public comment and participation for this project through the following avenues: (1) The project has been listed on the Forest Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA) since August of 2015, (2) the project is posted to the Forest projects website, and (3) a scoping letter and request for comment was mailed on August 24, 2015 to the public, as well as Tribal, State, local and Federal agencies. In addition, as part of the public involvement process, the agency met with the permittees who are currently authorized to graze the allotment in the analysis area. One entity submitted written comments. The BLM provided information about the adjacent BLM allotment and the grazing schedule. This project was sent out for public comment on February 28, A legal notice was published in the Vernal Express on February 28, On February 29, 2016, the official 30-day comment period began for this project. The official comment period ended on March 30, The project information was sent to 45 mailed/ ed individuals and interested parties, and five tribal 3

6 . USDA representatives. The project was also listed on the Schedule of Proposed Actions on February 28, 2017, and also made available on the Ashley s webpage. Because no comments were received on the project, except for a letter from the BLM, there is no objection period associated with this decision. As such, this document represents the final decision. IMPLEMENTATION DATE As per 36 CFR , if no objection is received within the legal objection period, this decision may be signed and implemented on, but not before, the fifth business day following the close of the objection-filing period. This project is expected to begin implementation immediately. Co NTACT For additional information concerning this decision, contact: Garry Brown, Rangeland Management Specialist can also help to answer questions. He can be reached by phone at (435) or at gdbrown@fs.fed.us. %L RowdyMu, Flaming Gorge and Vernal District Ranger Date 4

7 Figure 1 - Project Vicinity Map 5

8 Figure 2 - Project Detail Map 6