[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 71 (Friday, April 12, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21906-21907]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-08446]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Six Rivers National Forest, California, Trinity Summit Range
Assessment Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Six Rivers National Forest will prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the impacts associated with the re-
authorization of livestock grazing in the Trinity Summit area on the
Lower Trinity Ranger District through an adaptive management process.
The planning area is located on National Forest System lands
administered by the Lower Trinity Ranger District in Humboldt County,
California within the upper Mill Creek and Tish Tang a Tang Creek
watersheds to the east of Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation. Small
portions of the planning area are located in the headwaters of Horse
Linto Creek and Red Cap Creek. The majority of the grazing lands fall
within the Trinity Wilderness and are considered to be culturally
significant. The grazing lands are located in all or portions of T. 7
N., R. 6 E., R. 7 E.; T. 8 N., R. 5 E.; R. 6 E., R. 7 E.; and T. 9 N.,
R. 5 E., R. 6 E., R. 7 E.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by May 28, 2013. The draft EIS is expected October 2013 and the final
EIS is expected March 2014.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Carolyn Cook, Trinity Summit Range
Assessment, Six Rivers National Forest, 1330 Bayshore Way, Eureka, CA
95501. Electronic comments, in acceptable plain text (.txt), rich text
(.rtf), or Word (.doc) may be submitted to [email protected]. Please ensure that ``Trinity Summit
Range Assessment'' occurs in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nolan Colegrove, District Ranger, at
530-627-3291 or Carolyn Cook, Project Lead, at 707-441-3551. You may
also access the scoping documents from the Forest's Web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/?project=41307.
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 Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Mill Creek and Trinity Summit allotments
occupy 13,128 and 20,325 acres respectively, are located adjacent to
the eastern boundary of the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, and
include portions of the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area. This region,
known as the Trinity Summit area, is mostly above 5,000 feet in
elevation. The majority of acreage in both allotments is dominated by
coniferous forest vegetation. Shrublands also occupy significant
portions of the allotments, especially in areas that were affected by
the 1999 Megram Fire which burned a portion of each allotment at a high
or moderate intensity. Although the majority of acreage within the
analysis area is forested, herbaceous plant communities exist within
forest openings near the headwaters of Horse Linto, Mill and Tish Tang
creeks.
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose and need for action centers on maintaining a grazing
program under updated allotment management plans for the purposes of
contributing to the economic stability of local livestock producers who
rely on public lands grazing for their livelihood while sustainably
managing for healthy rangeland ecosystems that maintain biologic
diversity, wilderness characteristics, water quality, soil
productivity, and quality fish and wildlife habitat; preserving and
enhancing the character of culturally significant landscapes; and
meeting the Rescissions Act of 1995, Public Law 104, as directed by
Congress. The purpose of the Rescissions Act is to evaluate and analyze
the re-authorization of grazing. As directed by the Six Rivers National
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP), the opportunity to
graze must also be consistent with the values and uses of other
resources. Rangelands, as well as all other resources within the
grazing allotments, should be maintained in satisfactory condition.
Because unsatisfactory resource conditions have been identified at
monitoring sites within the allotments, action is required that will
help restore satisfactory conditions. Restoration of satisfactory
rangeland conditions is possible with adaptive management and grazing
permit administration.
Proposed Action
The Six Rivers National Forest proposes to continue livestock
grazing in the Trinity Summit area under the conditions described below
and to implement boundary and administrative changes to facilitate
improved management. The Mill Creek and Trinity Summit grazing
allotments would be combined into a single allotment. A non-significant
Forest Plan amendment is proposed to modify the allotment boundary to
include a 225-acre area on the western boundary of the current
allotment (T. 8 N., R 6 E. Section 3).This is an administrative
adjustment to include an area that has been continuously grazed.
The Forest also proposes to re-authorize livestock grazing under
existing permitted use through an adaptive management process. Adaptive
management will meet LRMP goals, objectives, standards and guidelines,
and other legal requirements while moving toward desired conditions.
Responsible Official
Tyrone Kelley, Forest Supervisor, Six Rivers National Forest, 1330
Bayshore Way, Eureka, CA 95501.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Responsible Official will decide whether to adopt and implement
the proposed action, an alternative to the proposed action, or the no
action (no grazing) alternative.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the EIS. No public meetings are planned during the
scoping process, however, public meetings may be held in conjunction
[[Page 21907]]
with the release of the draft EIS. In 2009, Six Rivers National Forest
solicited comments on a proposed action for the same allotments (74 FR
18685); however the analysis was not completed. Today's proposed action
was developed in response to changed conditions in the allotments and
reflects known conditions through 2012.
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 EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of
the comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's
concerns and contentions regarding the current proposed action.
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, anonymous comments will not provide
the Agency with the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent
environmental documents.
Dated: April 4, 2013.
Tyrone Kelley,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2013-08446 Filed 4-11-13; 8:45 am]
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