Chronology of the Wasatch Plateau 31-Alottment
Term Grazing Permit EIS
(Manti-La Sal National Forest)
February 2004 -- December 2005
On December 21, 2005, the Manti-La Sal NF withdrew its Record of Decision and Final Environmental Impact Statement for term grazing permits for 31 Sheep Allotments on the Wasatch Plateau following our appeal.
Here is the chronology of our Three Forests Coalition (M-LS Sheep EIS Working Group) constant, extensive involvement in this EIS process:
[In January 1999, the Forest first began an EIS process to issue term permits for livestock grazing on the Manti portion of the Forest. This was subsequently withdrawn to focus on "only" the 31 Wasatch Plateau sheep allotments. Utah Environmental Congress was involved in challenging the 1999 EIS process].
February 27, 2004 SCOPING NOTICE
Federal Register notice of an EIS to re-issue 42 (ten-year) term grazing permits on 31 sheep allotments on the Wasatch Plateau
March 27, 2004 3FC SCOPING COMMENTS
The Three Forests Coalition submits comprehensive scoping comments, including the Sustainable Multiple Use Alternative for sheep grazing, scientific documents, and analyses.
September 2004 DEIS
The Manti-La Sal NF issues a Draft EIS without including our SMU Alternative. Meetings with the Forest ensue, FOIA requests are initiated, etc. the Forest indicates it will analyze our Alternative in a Final EIS. The Preferred Alternative is to continue sheep grazing as is.
November 8, 2004 3FC DEIS COMMENTS
Three Forest Coalition Sheep EIS Working Group submits extensive DEIS comments. The Working Group includes Grand Canyon Trust, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Red Rock Forests, Sierra Club, Utah Chapter, Western Watersheds Project, and Wild Utah Project
July 2005 FINAL EIS
A Final EIS is issued, which largely ignores our Alternative by saying that our provision that grazing would not be suitable in "key" mule deer foraging areas means 78% of the 31 allotments will have zero sheep grazing, because that's where mule deer arepresent in the summer. (?!) The Final EIS Preferred Alternative is the DEIS Preferred Alternative unchanged, despite admission of numerous problems on the 31 allotments (including an average 54% bare soil across the allotments).
July 17-19, 2005 PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN
Mary O'Brien spends three days photographing bare soil, aspen browsing, and other conditions on the 31 allotments.
September 6, 2005 3FC FEIS COMMENTS
The Three Forest Coalition M-LS Sheep EIS Working Group submits extensive FEIS comments, including photographs.
September 28, 2005 RECORD OF DECISION
The Forest issues a Record of Decision, adopting the Final EIS Preferred Alternative.
November 14, 2005 APPEAL OF FEIS AND RECORD OF DECISION
The Final EIS and Record of Decision are appealed by Mary O'Brien, Utah Environmental Congress, Western Watersheds Project, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, and Wild Utah Project. Numerous issues are raised in the appeal, based on Scoping, DEIS, and FEIS comments and Forest Service documents.
November 23, 30, and December 9. 2005 APPEAL RESOLUTION PROCESS
Appellants (see above) offer proposals for Allotment Management Plqn work and collaborative analyses during three appeal resolution phone conferences; the Forest verbally agrees to much of the collaborative analyses, but subsequently withdraws their counter-offer and says they have nothing to offer for an appeal. The Forest indicates interest in working on the collaboration proposals outside of the NEPA process.
December 16, 2005 APPELLANT SUMMARY OF APPEAL RESOLUTION PROCESS FAILURE
Appellants submit a summary of how the Appeal Resolution process has come to nothing.
December 21, 2005 WITHDRAWAL OF FINAL EIS AND RECORD OF DECISION
The Forest withdraws the Final EIS and the Record of Decision.