Payen, English, and Pass Creek Range Allotments, Tahoe National Forest, Nevada and Sierra Counties, CA

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Payen, English, and Pass Creek Range Allotments, Tahoe National

Forest, Nevada and Sierra Counties, CA

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Tahoe

National Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to

evaluate three grazing allotments. The analysis will lay the groundwork

for amending the Allotment Management Plans (AMPs) by determining what

levels of livestock will be allowed on the land, the allowable amount

of vegetation that can be grazed, the timing of grazing, and the

methods to control the distribution of livestock on the allotments. The

allotments are located on the Sierraville Ranger District, Sierraville,

California, in portions of T19N, R12E-R17E, MDB&M.

The primary objectives of the proposals are to: (1) Manage grazing

to ensure that affected vegetation, including the woody and shrub

components are maintaining sustainable, diverse, and healthy plant

communities; (2) where areas are degraded, manage grazing to restore

trend towards, and subsequently maintaining, the ecological health of

these areas such that they attain desired conditions within then years;

(3) manage grazing to provide for and maintain necessary habitats for

diverse populations of plant and animal species, including those that

are sensitive, threatened, or endangered; (4) manage grazing so that

precipitation is able to

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enter the soil surface at appropriate rates, the soil is adequately

protected against accelerated erosion, and fertility is maintained at

appropriate levels; (5) manage grazing to maintain the integrity of

streambanks and ensure that where streambank conditions have been

degraded, the level of use will allow for increased stability and an

upward trend; and (6) develop a set of grazing strategies in

conjunction with the above objectives that would maintain economical

and sustainable operations.

The agency invites comments and suggestions on the scope of the

analysis. In addition, the agency gives notice of the full

environmental analysis and decision-making process that will occur on

the proposal so that interested and affected people are aware of how

they may participate and contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Comments should be made in writing and received by May 23, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning the project should be directed

to Sam Wilbanks, District Ranger, Sierraville Ranger District, PO Box

95, Sierraville, CA 96126.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sam Wilbanks, District Ranger, Sierraville Ranger District,

Sierraville, CA 96126, telephone (916) 994-3401, or Jerry Sirski,

Project Team Leader, at (916) 994-3401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Review of the three permits is important in

order to conserve riparian habitats, meadow systems, fish and wildlife

habitats, and other resources. In addition, Congress has mandated,

under Public Law 104-19, to conduct this review using procedures

specified in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This

analysis will lay the groundwork for amending the Allotment Management

Plan (AWPs) of these three areas. All three plans are out of date. The

Payen AMP is 20 years old; the Pass Creek and English AMP's were

originally part of a larger plan that is 40 years old. In the time

since these plans were approved, new scientific information on the

management of rangeland and aquatic ecosystems has been developed.

Although permits have been adjusted over the years to adapt to new

information, revision of the current AMPs is in order.

In preparing the environmental impact statement, the Forest Service

will identify and analyze a range of alternatives that address the

issues developed for the respective allotments. One of the alternatives

will be no grazing. Other alternatives will consider differing levels

of grazing. An ecological approach will be used as part of this

analysis. This means that the needs of people and environmental values

will be blended in such a way that this area's desired condition would

represent a diverse, healthy, productive, and sustainable ecosystem.

Public participation will be important during the analysis,

especially during the review of the draft environmental impact

statement. The Forest Service is seeking information, comments, and

assistance from Federal, State, and local agencies and other

individuals or organizations who may be interested in or affected by

the proposed action. This input will be used in preparation of the

draft environmental impact statement. The scoping process includes:

1. Identifying potential issues.

2. Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.

3. Eliminating insignificant issues or those which have been

covered by a relevant previous environmental analysis.

4. Exploring additional alternatives.

5. Identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed

action and alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and cumulative effects

and connected actions).

6. Determining potential cooperating agencies and task assignments.

The following list of issues has been identified through initial

scoping:

(1) What should be the permitted capacity for each allotment?

(2) Should the inactive unit of the Pass Creek Allotment be stocked

with livestock?

(3) What is the appropriate class of livestock for each allotment?

(4) How will livestock be managed on each allotment?

(5) What is the proper season of use?

(6) What improvements are needed?

(7) What variables should be monitored in the monitoring plan?

Comments from other Federal, State and local agencies,

organizations, and individuals who may be interested in, or affected by

the decision, are encouraged to identify other significant issues.

Public participation will be solicited through mailing letters to

potentially interested or affected mining claim owners, private land

owners, and special use permittees on the Sierraville Ranger District;

posting information in local towns; and mailing letters to local

permittees, politicians, school boards, county supervisors, and

environmental groups. Continued participation will be emphasized

through individual contacts. Public meetings, depending on interest,

will be used as a method public involvement during preparation and

review of the draft environmental impact statement and will be

announced in newspapers of general circulation in the geographic area

well in advance of scheduled dates.

The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for public review by July,

1997. The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date

the EPA publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.

The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, 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 U.S. 519,

553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the

draft EIS stage but that are not raised until after completion of the

final EIS 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 the

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 substantive 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 EIS.

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS should

be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to

specific pages or chapters of the draft EIS. Comments may also address

the adequacy of the draft EIS 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.

The final EIS is expected to be available by October, 1997. The

responsible official is Sam J. Wilbanks, District Ranger, Sierraville

Ranger District, Tahoe National Forest.

Dated: April 18, 1997.

John H. Skinner,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 97-10955 Filed 4-28-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-11-M