NEPA--Environmental Assessment

Alternative 2 – Current Management_________________
Under the Current Management Alternative, livestock grazing would continue with current AMP’s
or, in the absence of such, a plan, or if the existing plan is not being followed for a variety of
reasons, under the Annual Operating Instructions (AOI’s). As provided for in Forest Service policy
(FSH 2209.13, R2 ID, Chapter 90, section 94.1), “Current management will also be analyzed in
detail as an alternative to the proposed action if current management will meet the stated purpose
and need for action. This alternative is based on the current management action being implemented.
Current management direction may be contained in an AMP, AOI, a biological opinion, or a
combination thereof.”
Livestock grazing would continue to be authorized as it has been in the recent past using a predefined
number of livestock, seasons of use, and pasture rotation systems. For the allotments in this
analysis, this would be as shown in Table 2-3.
Allotment
Table 2-3. Current Grazing Management by Allotment
Grazing
System
Permitted
Livestock
Numbers
AUM’s
Season
Deer Park rotation 1000 413 7/16-9/20
Elk Creek rotation 1000 446 7/11-9/15
Engine/Creek Deer Creek rotation 1000 513 7/1-9/15
Eureka/California Gulch rotation 1275 569 7/10-9/15
Gladstone rotation 924 351 7/10-9/5
Maggie Gulch rotation 1000 433 7/11-9/14
Picayne/Mineral Point rotation 1031 460 7/10-9/15
Red Mountain rotation 1000 513 7/1-9/15
Permitted livestock numbers would not change. For sheep allotments, permitted numbers refer to the
number of ewes, each of which may have one or more lambs. Existing improvements would
continue to be maintained as assigned in Term Livestock Grazing Permits and may be re-constructed
once the useful life has been met and the need identified. New improvements would not be
developed unless they are authorized in a NEPA decision. Sheep allotments typically do not have
structural improvements except for corrals and loading facilities.
Design Criteria Those design criteria as indicated in Tables 2-1 and 2-2 (p.29+) by an “x” in the
Alternative 2 column are included as part of Alternative 2. These criteria apply to all active
allotments across the landscape at all times.
Alternative 3 – Adaptive Management/Proposed Action_
The proposed action is to continue to permit livestock grazing on the Silverton Landscape by
incorporating adaptive management strategies that will allow the lands within the landscape to meet
or move towards meeting Forest Plan/RMP direction standards, and guidelines and desired
conditions identified in this EA. Adaptive management is a process where land managers implement
management practices that are designed to meet Forest Plan/RMP standards and guidelines, and
would likely achieve the desired conditions in a timely manner. However, if monitoring shows that
desired conditions are not being met, or if movement toward achieving the desired conditions in an
acceptable timeframe is not occurring, then an alternate set of management actions, as described and
evaluated under this NEPA analysis, would be implemented to achieve the desired results. Adaptive
Management is designed to be flexible in nature, and is based on conditions on the ground; not
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