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View / Open Van Allotment Preliminary EA.Pdf United States Forest Emigrant Creek 265 Highway 20 South Department of Service Ranger District Hines, OR 97738 Agriculture (541) 573-4300 Fax (541) 573-4398 File Code: 1950 Date: August 1, 2008 Dear Reader: The Van Allotment Environmental Assessment (EA) is available for 30-day public review and comment. The Van Allotment is located in the Wolf Creek Watershed and is within the boundary of the Emigrant Creek Ranger District, Malheur National Forest, Oregon. The legal location is primarily in T18S, R33E, sections 1-3, 10-17, 20-23, and 26-27. The Malheur National Forest proposes to continue authorization of grazing on the Van Allotment in a manner that is consistent with the Malheur Forest Plan as amended. The Proposed Action proposes to continue authorization of grazing while maintaining and improving desired resource conditions on key management sites. In addition to the Proposed Action the Forest Service also evaluated the No Grazing Alternative. The Responsible Official is Jerome Hensley, District Ranger for Emigrant Creek Ranger District, Malheur National Forest. For further information, or to request a hard copy of the EA, contact Lori Bailey at the Emigrant Creek Ranger District, 265 Hwy 20 South, Hines, OR 97738; telephone (541) 573-4300; FAX (541)-573-4398 or e-mail at [email protected]. The EA is available on the following Malheur National Forest website: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/malheur/projects/index.shtml This comment period is intended to provide those interested in or affected by this proposal an opportunity to make their concerns known prior to a decision being made by the Responsible Official. Pursuant to 36 CFR Part 215.5, the opportunity to comment ends 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notice (36 CFR 215.6). Those who provide timely and substantive comments will be eligible to appeal the decision pursuant to 36 CFR part 215 regulations. Written, facsimile, hand-delivered, oral, and electronic comments concerning this action will be accepted for 30 calendar days following publication of this notice. The publication date in the newspaper of record is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period for this proposal. Those wishing to comment should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any other source. The regulations prohibit extending the length of the comment period. Written comments must be submitted to the Responsible Official: Jerome Hensley, District Ranger, 265 Highway 20 South, Hines, Oregon 97738. The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are: 8:00 to 4:30 Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper Oral comments must be provided at the Responsible Official’s office during normal business hours via telephone 541-573-4300 or in person, or at an official agency function (i.e. public meeting) that is designed to elicit public comments. Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an email message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc) to [email protected]. In cases where no identifiable name is attached to a comment, a verification of identity will be required for appeal eligibility. If using an electronic message, a scanned signature is one way to provide verification. Electronic comments must be submitted as part of the actual e-mail message, or as an attachment in Microsoft Word, rich text format, or portable document format only. E-mails submitted to e- mail addresses other than the one listed above, in other formats than those listed, or containing viruses will be rejected. It is the responsibility of persons providing comments to submit them by the close of the comment period. It is the responsibility of persons providing comments by electronic means to ensure that their comments have been received. Individuals and organizations wishing to be eligible to appeal must meet the information requirements of 36 CFR 215.6. Sincerely, Jerome Hensley JEROME HENSLEY District Ranger United States Preliminary Department of Agriculture Environmental Assessment Forest Service for Van Allotment August 2008 Emigrant Creek Ranger District, Malheur National Forest Grant and Harney Counties, Oregon Information Contact: Lori Bailey 265 Hwy 20 S. Hines, Oregon 97738 541.573.4300 fs.fed.us/r6/malheur The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Environmental Assessment Van Allotment Table of Contents Summary ....................................................................................................................... i Chapter 1 - Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 Document Structure ....................................................................................................................1 Background .................................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Need for Action ......................................................................................................9 Desired Conditions ....................................................................................................................11 Decision Framework .................................................................................................................13 Proposed Action ........................................................................................................................13 Management Areas ...................................................................................................................18 Public Involvement ...................................................................................................................20 Issues .........................................................................................................................................21 Consistency with other Laws and Regulations .........................................................................26 Project Record ...........................................................................................................................31 Chapter 2 - Alternatives ............................................................................................. 33 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................33 Alternative Development Process .............................................................................................33 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Analysis .............................................34 Alternatives Considered in Detail .............................................................................................35 Design Criteria ..........................................................................................................................44 Monitoring Plans .......................................................................................................................50 Comparison of Alternatives ......................................................................................................51 Implementation Schedule ..........................................................................................................51 Chapter 3 - Environmental Consequences .............................................................. 53 Specialist Reports ......................................................................................................................53 Vegetation and Rangeland Resources .......................................................................................54 Effects on Rangeland Resources ...............................................................................................58 Forested Vegetation/Condition .................................................................................................62 Effects on Forested Vegetation .................................................................................................64 Biological Soil Crusts ...............................................................................................................65 Effects on Biological Soil Crusts ..............................................................................................66 Sensitive plants .........................................................................................................................67 Effects on Sensitive Plants ........................................................................................................67 Noxious weeds ..........................................................................................................................69
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