Bridger-Teton National Forest releases Draft Environmental Assessment for Grazing near Pinedale
by Bridger-Teton National Forest
December 11, 2019
The Pinedale Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest is releasing a Draft Environmental Assessment that discloses the expected environmental effects of reauthorizing grazing for Sweetwater, Blucher Creek, and East Squaw Creek Cattle and Horse Allotments Project. This additional Opportunity to Comment is offered under a multi-decision court settlement, and will be followed by the standard process of providing a draft Decision Notice with an Opportunity to Object. The allotments are located in Sublette and Fremont Counties, Wyoming, along the southwest edge of the Wind River Mountain Range. The principle drainages include East Sweetwater, Little Sweetwater, Blucher Creek, Little Sandy, Chicken Creek and the East and Middle Forks of Squaw Creek, southeast of the Dutch Joe guard station and approximately 40-miles southeast of Boulder, Wyoming.
The Draft Environmental Assessment describes the proposed action to authorize grazing, as well as a no grazing alternative. The Pinedale Ranger District is proposing to continue to authorize 593 cow/calf pairs of cattle, or equivalent, on the three allotments and would provide an average of 1,240 animal unit months (AUMs) annually with a maximum of 1,655 AUMs in any years where all three allotments are grazed by livestock. Generally, the season of use would occur between July 10 and October 1. The season of use would be variables a result of managing livestock in conjunction with adjacent Bureau of Land Management allotments.
This proposed action would manage livestock grazing in compliance with the 1990 Bridger-Teton Land and Resource Management Plan and other applicable laws, treaties, regulations and policies.
The Draft Environmental Assessment reviewed existing monitoring data, compared existing conditions to desired conditions, and evaluated/disclosed environmental effects associated with current domestic livestock grazing and alternatives for management of livestock in the Sweetwater, Blucher Creek, and East Squaw Creek Allotments.
The Draft Environmental Assessment is available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=43343 This action is subject to the objection process pursuant to 36 CFR 218 Subparts A and B. A final decision will not be made until after the objection process. Only those who submit timely and specific written comments regarding the proposed project during a public comment period are eligible to file an objection under §218. Public comment periods on which eligibility to object is determined include the comment period initiated by this notice, and a prior scoping period that began on March 21, 2014. Comments may be submitted, within 30 days following the publication date of this legal notice in the Casper Star-Tribune, by clicking the comment box at the webpage above.
A copy of this notice with publication date will be available at that webpage as well. Written comments, including any attachments, may also be submitted (regular mail, hand-delivery, or express delivery) to the District Ranger, Pinedale Ranger District, P.O. Box 220, 29 East Fremont Lake Rd, Pinedale, Wyoming, 82941; or faxed to 307-367-5750. The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
The publication date in the Casper Star-Tribune is the exclusive means for calculating the 30-day timeframe to submit comments to this project. Those wishing to comment should not rely upon dates from any other source.
Currently the Bridger-Teton National Forest authorizes permittees to graze their livestock for approximately 181,600 animal unit months or about 70 percent of the 260,000 animal unit month Forest objective. There is a need to authorize livestock grazing on the Bridger-Teton National Forest to meet Forest Resource Management Plan objectives, which directs the Forest to support community prosperity and specifically, Objective 1.1(h) to provide forage for approximately 260,000 animal unit months (AUMs) of livestock grazing annually (U.S. Forest Service 1990, p. 112-113).
Questions about this project can be addressed to David Booth, Natural Resource Specialist, Pinedale Ranger District, P.O. Box 220, Pinedale, Wyoming, 82941, dave.booth@usda.gov or (307)367-4326. The Responsible Official who will issue a final decision on this project is Rob Hoelscher, District Ranger.
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