Idaho State Office
| Contacts: | Jake Vialpando | , 208-373-3814 | , jvialpando@blm.gov |
BLM Analyzing Cumulative Effects of Land Uses during Grazing Permit Renewal
BOISE, Idaho – The Bureau of Land Management is currently identifying issues relevant to an environmental impact statement (EIS) for renewal of 25 grazing permits in western Owyhee County. Comments received will help determine the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS.
The BLM will analyze the potential effects of renewing livestock grazing permits in the Jump Creek, Succor Creek, and Cow Creek areas of western Owyhee County (Idaho).
Comments on issues and planning criteria to be used in performing environmental impact analysis and developing a range of alternatives for the draft EIS should be submitted in writing by any of the following methods:
· website: http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/fo/owyhee/owyhee_grazing_group.html
· email: NPR_EIS@blm.gov
· fax: 208-373-3805
· mail: 1387 S. Vinnell Way, Boise, ID 83709, Attention: Jake Vialpando, Project Manager
To be most helpful, please submit comments by the close of business on February 8, 2012. The date(s) and location(s) of any public scoping meeting(s) will be announced at least 15 days in advance through local media and the BLM website, http://www.blm.gov/id .
Some key issues related to renewing grazing permits involve the effects to allotments where Greater sage-grouse habitat exists and where potential domestic and bighorn sheep interaction may occur. In addition to livestock grazing, a variety of other multiple uses exist in the project area, including recreation activities pertaining to the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 and travel management planning activities in the Owyhee Field Office, wild horse management, potential wind energy development and electrical transmission line development. Comments that help identify other management questions or concerns that should be addressed in the EIS are strongly encouraged.
“Earlier environmental assessments of the effects of grazing in these allotments did not consider potential inter-relationships between livestock grazing and other multiple-use activities that are now occurring in the area,” said BLM Boise District Manager Aden Seidlitz. “An EIS will allow us to fully explore the relationship of grazing to the impacts on sage-grouse habitat from these other activities in the area, along with other factors that are part of the landscape in this portion of Owyhee County.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has determined that listing the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act is “warranted.” Significant portions of southwestern Owyhee County and adjacent lands in Oregon have been identified as habitat on which the species depends.
Bighorn sheep management units overlap several of the allotments included in the EIS, and bighorn sheep have been seen on lands adjacent to one allotment. Domestic sheep permitted for this allotment are also seasonally trailed to and from pastures in Oregon where they may intermingle with bighorn sheep.
The area of analysis for the EIS encompasses approximately 120,000 acres of public land in Owyhee County. The EIS will analyze the proposed renewal of 25 grazing allotments. For more information, please contact: Jake Vialpando, project manager, at 208-373-3814, or jvialpando@blm.gov . Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual. To leave a message or question with Vialpando, the FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Idaho State Office 1387 S. Vinnell Way, Boise ID 83709