Opportunity to Object
High Uintas Wilderness Domestic Sheep Analysis (HUWDSA)
Draft Record of Decision (ROD)
USDA Forest Service, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache (UWC) and Ashley National Forests, Summit and Duchesne Counties, UT
A draft ROD for this project is now available. The UWC and Ashley National Forest Supervisors select Alternative 2 in the draft ROD, which includes authorizing continued domestic sheep grazing on 10 allotments and continued use of the existing sheep driveway system. The allotments are located on both forests and include five on the UWC and five on the Ashley. The project area acreage of all 10 allotments is approximately 160,928 acres, around 90% of which is in the High Uintas Wilderness.
The decision includes a project-specific forest plan amendment to the 2003 Wasatch-Cache (WC) Forest Plan to exempt bighorn sheep (a sensitive species in the WC portion of the project area) from a specific subgoal requiring maintaining viability of sensitive species in the plan area. This subgoal cannot be achieved whether or not domestic sheep grazing continued in the project area, as this bighorn sheep population uses multiple jurisdictions, including two Forest Service plan areas and Bureau of Land Management, state, and private lands. The scope of the amendment is the HUWDSA project; the scale of the amendment is the WC portion of the project area. The substantive requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule (36 CFR Part 219) applicable to the plan amendment are: §219.8 Sustainability, (a)(1) ecological sustainability – ecosystem integrity; §219.9 Diversity of plant and animal communities, (a)(1) ecosystem plan components – ecosystem integrity and (b)(1) additional, species-specific plan components; and §219.10 Multiple use, (a)(1) integrated resource management for multiple use.
The responsible official for the plan amendment and for the five allotments on the UWC is Kelly Orr, UWC National Forest Supervisor. The responsible official for the five allotments on the Ashley is Kristy Groves, Ashley National Forest Supervisor.
The draft ROD and final environmental impact statement (FEIS) are available on the project webpage at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=44503. Questions may be directed to Bethany Nickison, Project Lead, at 801-999-2103 or bethany.nickison@usda.gov.
This action is subject to the objection process in 36 CFR Part 218, Subparts A and B. A final decision will not be made until after the requirements of §218.12, Timing of Project Decision, have been met.
Eligibility to File Objections
Only those who submitted timely, specific written comments (§218.2) during a designated opportunity for public comment may file an objection (§218.5[a]; see also §218.5[b] through [f] for additional eligibilities and information). Issues raised in objections must be based on previously submitted timely, specific written comments regarding the proposed project unless based on new information arising after designated opportunities for comment. A connection to previous comments must be demonstrated in the objection. Names and addresses of objectors will become part of the public record.
Contents of an Objection
Incorporation of documents by reference is permitted only as provided for at §218.8(b). See §218.8(d) for minimum content requirements of an objection.
Filing an Objection
Objections may be submitted via one of the project webpages (click on Get Connected then Comment/Object on Project) at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/ashley/projects/44503 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/uinta-wasatch-cache/projects/44503. Electronic objections must be submitted in a common format such as .PDF or .DOCX and file names must be less than 85 characters long (including spaces). Mailed objections should be sent to Objection Reviewing Officer, HUWDSA, USFS Intermountain Regional Office, Room 4403, 324 25th Street, Ogden, UT 84401. Hand delivery of written objections can be made during normal working hours to this address. It is the responsibility of objectors to ensure their objection is received in a timely manner (§218.9).
We will accept objections for 45 days following publication of this legal notice. The actual publication date is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection to this project. Those wishing to object to the draft ROD should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any other source.
Bethany Nickison
