The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bishop Field Office, is proposing to reissue 10-year grazing permits to livestock operators to authorize continued livestock grazing on existing public land allotments.  To ensure appropriate rangeland resource stewardship, the reissued 10-year grazing permits would include grazing terms and conditions based on specific allotments needs and derived from the BLM Bishop Resource Management Plan (RMP) and the Central California Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management (Rangeland Health S&Gs).

 

During 2008, the Bishop Field Office will prepare 5 environmental assessments (EAs) to analyze the impacts of re-authorizing 10-year grazing permits on 19 existing public land allotments.  Allotments with similar topography, soils, vegetation, and resource values will be grouped together for analysis in each EA.

 

The purpose of this letter is to provide you with the opportunity to review the proposed action and to help us identify issues and concerns that should be addressed in the individual EAs.  The table below provides a schedule of livestock grazing authorization EAs to be completed during 2008.  As the EAs become available they will be posted to this site.

 

Complete text of the Notice of Proposed Action. (PDF 760KB) 

BLM Bishop reviews all internally or externally proposed actions on or affecting public lands or resources under BLM jurisdiction for compliance with the National Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C 4321, et seq. and other laws, primarily the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, 43 U.S.C 1715, et seq. The NEPA review process allows for appropriate public notification and involvement in federal decision-making, and helps public officials make decisions based on a reasonable understanding of the potential environmental consequences of a proposed action.

Environmental assessments (EA) analyze impacts of reissuing 10-year grazing permits. An EA is a concise public document that provides sufficient analysis to determine whether to prepare an environmental impact statement or issue a finding of no significant impact.

 

The Bishop Field Office believes that it is good business to keep external customers informed and involved with public land management. Therefore, a Draft EA for permit renewal will be posted on the web site and open to public comment for two weeks before becoming a Final EA. 

 

We welcome any comments you may have regarding the Draft EA. Please send written comments to the Bureau of Land Management, Bishop Field Office, 351 Pacu Lane, Suite 100, Bishop, CA 93514.