NEPA--Environmental Assessment

As the Graysill Allotment has not been grazed since 1966, it is likely that rangeland health
conditions very good. The Flume Allotment was last grazed on a regular basis in 1983. During the
Missionary Ridge Fire, a band permitted on the Missionary Ridge S&G allotment grazed in this
allotment. It is probable that rangeland health conditions have improved greatly in the Flume.
Former problem areas due to historic livestock congregation areas or overstocking are unlikely to be
readily apparent in these allotments. Emergency use of these allotments is likely to be infrequent,
suggesting that rangeland health conditions will follow a general trend of future improvement.
All eligible and potentially eligible sites should be avoided by future rangeland management
improvements and grazing management practices such as herder camp locations, heavily utilized
bedding grounds and salting locations, repeated sheep trailing, and corral reconstruction.
CUMULATIVE IMPACTS
Activities and actions other than livestock grazing that have or will be occurring in the analysis area
could impact cultural resources. These include recreational use, fire suppression activities, fuels
reduction (mechanical and prescribed burning), and timber harvest activities. Typically, planned
actions of the Forest Service such as timber harvest, trail constriction, and fuels reduction require a
cultural resource clearance which would require avoidance of negative impacts to cultural resources.
However, unforeseen or unregulated activities have greater potential for impacting cultural
resources. For example, wildfire could burn standing structures, or fire suppression activities could
disturb artifacts during fireline construction. Personal firewood gathering has the potential to remove
aspen art. Illegal artifact collection occurs and can be exacerbated by increased public access.
Natural or man-caused erosion could expose or wash artifacts away.
The northern portion of the analysis area contains a higher site density, and a concentration of
thematic sites, and could be considered a cultural landscape. However, cumulative impacts to
cultural resources in the northern portion of the analysis area would typically be isolated incidences,
rather than landscape level impacts.
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