Notice2024-28011
Notice of Availability of the Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area Rangeland Health Management Actions Draft Environmental Impact Statement in the Vale District, Oregon
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 29, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area Rangeland Health Management Actions.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 230 (Friday, November 29, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 230 (Friday, November 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 94759-94761]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28011]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_OR_FRN_MO4500183397]
Notice of Availability of the Louse Canyon Geographic Management
Area Rangeland Health Management Actions Draft Environmental Impact
Statement in the Vale District, Oregon
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the
availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area Rangeland Health Management
Actions.
DATES: To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider comments in the
Draft EIS, please ensure that the BLM receives your comments within 45
days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft EIS in the
Federal Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.
ADDRESSES: The Draft EIS is available for review on the BLM project
website at: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1501965/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1501965/510</a>.
Written comments related to the Louse Canyon Geographic Management
Area Rangeland Health Management Actions Draft EIS may be submitted by
any of the following methods:
<bullet> Website: <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1501965/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1501965/510</a>.
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<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#551719180a1a070a03190a193a2026300a16343b2c3a3b0a121814153739387b323a23"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d3919f9e8c9c818c859f8c9fbca6a0b68c90b2bdaabcbd8c949e9293b1bfbefdb4bca5">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Mail: LCGMA, BLM Vale District, 100 Oregon Street, Vale,
Oregon 97918.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at
<a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1501965/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/1501965/510</a> and at the
BLM Vale District Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonah Blustain, Malheur Field Manager
and Project Lead, telephone: 541-473-6250, address: LCGMA, BLM Vale
District, 100 Oregon Street, Vale, Oregon 97918; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#11535d5c4e5e434e475d4e5d7e6462744e52707f687e7f4e565c5051737d7c3f767e67"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4b090706140419141d071407243e382e14082a25322425140c060a0b292726652c243d">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals in the United States
who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability
may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications
relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the
relay services offered within their country to make international calls
to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area encompasses 547,696
acres within seven BLM livestock grazing allotments--five allotments
totaling 536,434 acres in Malheur County, Oregon, and two allotments
totaling 11,262 acres in Humboldt County, Nevada. The 2015 Greater
Sage-grouse Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment and Oregon
Record of Decision identified the entire EIS project area as Greater
Sage-grouse habitat, 74 percent of which is classified as Priority
Habitat Management Area for Greater Sage-grouse, and the remaining 26
percent classified as General Habitat Management Area. Approximately 26
percent of the EIS project area was impacted by the 2012 Long Draw
Fire.
A Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Livestock
Grazing Management (Standards and Guidelines) evaluation of the area
was completed in 2018 and can be accessed at <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/106452/570">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/106452/570</a>.
The Draft EIS analyzes a range of alternative livestock management
and restoration actions that would allow the Louse Canyon Geographic
Management Area's seven livestock grazing allotments to make progress
toward meeting the Standards and Guidelines.
Purpose and Need
The purposes for the proposed actions are to make progress toward
meeting the BLM Oregon/Washington's Standards for Rangeland Health and
Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management. This includes restoring,
maintaining, and enhancing riparian, wetland/aquatic, sagebrush, and
other wildlife habitat; addressing invasive species; providing
sustainable livestock management in concert with other resource
objectives; and renewing term grazing permits.
There is a need to take restoration, livestock grazing, and
livestock administration actions to promote ecosystem health, renew
livestock grazing permits, and improve livestock grazing management.
Portions of the management area are currently not meeting one or more
of the Standards and Guidelines as required by 43 CFR subpart 4180
(2005).
Alternatives
The Draft EIS analyzes a no action alternative and six action
alternatives.
No Action Alternative: This alternative would make no changes to
livestock grazing, and no restoration or livestock administration
actions would be implemented.
Alternative A, Condition-Based Flexible Grazing Permits: This
adaptive grazing alternative could reduce animal unit months (AUM)
below what is currently permitted and/or adjust the season of use to
promote healthy rangelands and riparian systems should current
environmental conditions change. Restoration and livestock
administration actions are proposed to further aid in meeting Standards
and Guidelines and promote proper livestock grazing. The restoration
actions proposed under this alternative include upland sagebrush and
riparian habitat restoration actions such as invasive annual grass
treatments, seeding, shrub planting treatments, water trough
relocation, and protection and enhancement of riparian areas. The
rangeland administration actions proposed under this alternative
include water developments, fencing, and livestock trailing and
crossing.
Alternative B, Threshold and Response Grazing Permits: Under this
alternative, AUMs would remain the same as under the current grazing
permit, with an exception in the Bull Flat Pasture of the Anderson
Allotment where reductions of 205 AUMs to grazing may be made due to
grazing being allocated as unavailable in the Toppin Creek Butte Key
Research Natural Area under the 2015 Oregon Approved Resource
Management Plan Amendment for Greater Sage-grouse. This action would
permit livestock use for year-round grazing and provide a baseline of
AUMs. Thresholds and rangeland ecosystem responses would be established
to modify annual grazing periods of use to promote healthy rangelands
and riparian systems. The proposed restoration and livestock
administration actions are identical to Alternative A in order to aid
in meeting Standards and Guidelines and promote proper livestock
management.
Alternative C, Rest-Rotation and Assigned Individual Use Areas:
This alternative would reduce AUMs below what is currently permitted
based on carrying capacity and would emphasize resting riparian areas
from livestock use during the hot season in July through September.
Additionally, this alternative would authorize individual use areas and
eliminate community pastures. Alternative C proposes the same
restoration and livestock administration actions as Alternative A.
Alternative D, Permittee Proposals: This alternative reflects
proposals submitted by the six authorized grazing permittees that hold
livestock permits in the project area. This alternative would change
the grazing seasons of use and increase the AUMs above the No Action
Alternative. Alternative D's proposed restoration and livestock
administration actions are the same as Alternative A, except that this
alternative proposes additional seeding and brush treatments in three
pastures and the installation of new fences.
Alternative E, No Grazing: Under this alternative, no livestock
grazing would occur for at least a 10-year period within the seven
allotments. No new livestock administration actions would occur and
existing livestock improvements, such as fencing and water
developments, would be removed. Proposed restoration actions under this
alternative would be the same as those described under Alternative A
above.
Alternative F, Temporary Suspension of Grazing AUMs and Reduced
Restoration: Under Alternative F, the BLM would not issue 10-year
grazing permits for any pastures where livestock grazing was identified
as a preliminary causal factor for the pasture not achieving the
Standards and Guidelines. The pastures that remain available to grazing
would retain the same AUMs as the No Action Alternative but would
provide the BLM with additional flexibilities to manage the seasons of
use. Under Alternative F, the BLM would reduce the acreage where the
restoration actions are proposed under Alternatives A through E to
focus on restoring higher priority discrete areas. Alternative F's
proposed livestock grazing administration actions would be identical to
Alternatives A through D, however, the scope of these actions would be
reduced to the pastures that remain open to grazing.
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Public Participation
The BLM will hold one public meeting regarding the Draft EIS in
McDermitt, Nevada. The specific date and location of the meeting will
be announced at least 15 days in advance through public notices, media
releases, and/or mailings to the BLM Vale District's interested public
and stakeholder mailing list.
The BLM will continue to consult with Indian Tribal Nations on a
government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order
13175, BLM MS 1780, and other Departmental policies. Tribal concerns,
including impacts on Indian trust assets and potential impacts to
cultural resources, will be given due consideration.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)
Tracy Skerjanec,
Vale Deputy District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2024-28011 Filed 11-27-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-24-P
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