NEPA--Environmental Assessment

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Silverton Grazing Risk Assessment sheep individuals and populations using the upper Animas River Basin. Monitoring activities could include coordinated ground counts, aerial counts, radio/GPS collars, etc. Implement a system for immediate cross-agency sharing of bighorn sighting reports to keep all parties informed about bighorn use of the upper Animas River Basin. Annually, in conjunction with CDOW and the permittee, review the effectiveness of Design Criteria implementation and new information such as recent bighorn sightings. Update the allotment Risk Assessment if necessary, and make adjustments to upcoming grazing accordingly. These adjustments may include adjacent BLM and/or USFS administrative units, depending on availability and feasibility. Feasibility includes the permittees’ needs as well as the administrative availability of allotments on other administrative units. Adjustments will be focused on reducing the risk of interactions if the risk has increased to an unacceptable level. Sheep and goat allotments with mapped overlap of bighorn summer range will be evaluated for closure when/if permits are relinquished back to the FS/BLM. Herding: Alternative Minimization of Threat of Disease Transmission 2 3 At least one herder is required to be with the sheep. The main flock will never be left unattended, except at night, and short periods when the herder is accomplishing other tasks in the immediate area. A herder must remain in the camp during the night. Trailing of domestics will happen as much during the middle of the day to avoid bighorns as possible. In certain areas this will not be possible due to conflicts with recreation users. Sick or diseased domestic sheep and goats – pre turnout: It is imperative that permittees maintain a high certainty of domestic animal health in their permitted stock. Permittees/Herders will take appropriate measures to prevent turnout of sick or diseased domestic sheep and goats on grazing allotments, on trailing routes, or in weed control or pack-stock situations. It should also be recognized that “healthy-appearing” domestic sheep and goats may still carry pathogens (harmless to them) that can be transmitted to wild sheep. Sick or diseased domestic sheep and goats – post turnout: Injured, sick or diseased livestock will not be left behind but will be removed or terminated and disposed of according to the “Disposal of Dead Livestock” requirements above and in accordance with State Statute. Sick or diseased animals will be removed or otherwise eliminated when identified. Sick or diseased bighorn sheep: Sick bighorn sheep or carcasses must be reported as soon as possible to the Columbine Ranger District/Field Office range personnel. Agency personnel will then notify the CDOW as soon as possible. Salting: Every effort should be made to deny bighorn access and consequent attraction to the domestic sheep salting activities. Leaving available salt or excess salt residue in the soil or on rocks or tubs presents a salt source that may attract bighorn and may even train bighorn to follow the domestic sheep bands in search of salt. Blocks of salt will be allowed and, if used, will be kept with the domestic sheep at all times. Salt will not be left behind when the domestic sheep are moved. Salt or supplement will be placed only on rocky knolls, well-drained sites or in timber where excessive trampling will not destroy plant growth. Salt or supplement will not be placed closer than ¼ mile to streams, springs, water developments, or other wetlands without prior approval of the Agency Officer. Salt or supplement will not be placed near trailheads, on open roads, in natural travel routes, passes, parks, meadows, in areas of concentrated public use, or in other areas where such placement is liable to result in conflicts with other public land users. Salt or supplement will not be placed within tree regeneration areas where the smallest trees are less than three feet tall. x x x x x x D-27
Silverton Grazing Risk Assessment Herder education: It is of utmost importance that the permittees spend as much time as necessary teaching the herders the requirements attached to the grazing permit, annual operating instructions and all the applicable Project Design Criteria included here. With the implementation of “adaptive management,” areas authorized for grazing as well as routing patterns and schedules may change from year to year and even within the year, along with other management techniques. Following procedures to avoid contact and prompt accurate reporting of bighorn/domestic sheep contact or impending contact is essential. Herders are crucial to ensuring proper management and in maintaining compliance to an exacting standard. Ultimately the responsibility rests upon the permittees to ensure compliance is being achieved. General wildlife sighting reporting: Permittees will be required to report wildlife sightings on the annual actual use form that must be turned in each fall to the FS/BLM; however bighorn sightings in the proximity of the domestic sheep band must be reported immediately. If bighorn are seen near or on any FS/BLM sheep and goat allotment, follow protocol above. Planned domestic sheep estrus cycle: The planned breeding season for the domestic sheep operation will not occur during the permitted grazing season on federal land. This is to lessen the attraction of bighorn rams to domestic sheep ewes in estrus. Accountability of Permittee: x x x Alternative Permitted domestic sheep stray management 2 3 Extensive efforts will be made by the permittee to remove every authorized domestic sheep from the Analysis Area following the grazing season. All sheep must be accounted for (dead or alive) as they enter and exit each allotment, and as they exit the Analysis Area at the end of the season. Special attention should be given to accounting for sheep at all times. If sheep are unaccounted for, diligent efforts should be made to locate them as quickly as possible. If the FS/BLM feels that appropriate efforts are not being implemented, a count-on/count-off inventory will be required as a condition of operation. Permittees will be required to respond to reports of stray domestic sheep within 24 hours of notice by the FS/BLM. Stray domestic sheep will be gathered or disposed of within 72 hours of notification. A followup report (verbal or written) will be provided to the FS/BLM on time, date and action taken to resolve the matter; within four days from the notice given by the FS/BLM. Driveways and trails between grazing areas will be revisited to ensure no stray domestics have been left behind. Trailing: Random on-site compliance monitoring to minimize strays will be conducted by the Forest Service. Trucking of domestic sheep and goats is preferred to trailing except in situations where risk of contact is possible (i.e., trucking drop off points in subpopulation areas). In most cases trucking reduces the chance of stray domestics, and lessens the chance of opportunistic contact by wandering wild sheep. Domestic sheep will be kept in a tight group during trailing. Domestic sheep identification: Permittees will be required to freshly mark (sheep paint) their sheep before they enter onto the National Forest/BLM. The FS/BLM will coordinate with the permittees annually with specific information regarding color of paint used in marking their sheep, brands used, ear tags used and colors, earmarks, and other distinguishing marks or characteristics that may be used in identifying their sheep. In the event, a x x x x x D-28
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United States Department of Agricul
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Silverton Landscape Grazing Analysi
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These issues led the agency to deve
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administered with shared facilities
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Engine Creek/Deer Creek Allotment T
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Gladstone Allotment This allotment
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Gulch. In 1956, the numbers decreas
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Figure 1-1. Project Analysis Area 1
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Specific Management Emphasis Areas
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Livestock Grazing Permits Livestock
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Figure 1-3. Management Emphasis Are
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Desired Conditions for Bighorn: Red
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Figure 1-4. 2008 Data Collection Po
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Figure 1-6. Wilderness Overlap 24
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Issues ____________________________
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CHAPTER 2 - ALTERNATIVES This chapt
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Alternative Livestock Bedding 2 3 S
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Alternative Noxious Plants/Invasive
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Table 2-2. Project Design Criteria
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Alternative Minimization of Threat
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Alternative 2 - Current Management_
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Elk Creek Allot • Do not use the
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Figure 2-1. Proposed Action - Avoid
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Monitoring for Alternative 3 Monito
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• Photographs and Photo-points: P
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years in an emergency situation, su
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Comparison of Alternatives ________
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Water Quality _____________________
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ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES Alternat
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from water or bedgrounds (Arnold an
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2008). It differs from the wetland
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Red Mountain Allotment Yellow toadf
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unlikely that any of these species
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Recreation Special Use Permits for
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livestock management would not chan
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Concurrent to this grazing analysis
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Alternative 2 Habitat conditions fo
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intensity on alpine plants appeared
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the other two species due to the co
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lack bighorn sheep escape cover. Th
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trailing route, and lack of bighorn
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Similar to Alternative 2, selecting
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ptarmigan is expected under Alterna
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CUMULATIVE IMPACTS Global warming i
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Wildlife - Management Indicator Spe
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and it will not be discussed in det
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Selecting Alternative 2 would have
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for MIS in the landscape. Wildlife
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The alpine tundra group would benef
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Page 101 and 102: management options, while others ma
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Page 105 and 106: present state. In general, where un
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Page 115 and 116: Species Habitat Present In the Spec
Page 117 and 118: Species Mammals (13) Allen’s big-
Page 119 and 120: MIS Species Preferred Habitat Broug
Page 121 and 122: Likelihood of Species Status* Prefe
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NEPA--Environmental Assessment

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