USDA amends plan

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
After years of meetings among collaborate groups, education and analysis, the U.S. Forest Service, part of the Department of Agriculture, has released the final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision to amend the 2002 Thunder Basin National Grassland Land and Resource Management Plan addressing the black-tailed prairie dog, according to a press release dated May 14. 
This document, the release states, provides an analysis of current management and compares five different alternatives for the management of prairie dog colonies on the land. 
“Issues raised during two public comment periods and addressed in the analysis include viability of at-risk wildlife species, recovery of the endangered black-footed ferret, forage for permitted livestock, prairie dog encroachment onto private and state lands, and social and economic issues,” the release states. “The analysis presents current science and integrates lessons learned from prairie dog colony management on the Thunder Basin National Grassland and other federally managed prairie dog habitats. The proposed action and action alternatives would establish prairie dog management zones along boundaries between National Forest System lands and private and state properties, allow broader application of tools for colony conservation and control, decrease the acres of prairie dog colonies managed for conservation, and maintain habitat for at-risk species.”
The draft record of decision’s lead official is Russell Bacon, a forest supervisor with the Forest Service. Bacon stated that his decision is to select and implement alternative 5. 
“In recent years, dramatic changes in black-tailed prairie dog populations and increasing conflicts have indicated the need to change the grassland plan to allow federal land managers to be more responsive to a variety of environmental and social conditions,” Bacon said in the draft. “The final environmental impact statement analyzes a no-action alternative
and four action alternatives as ways to amend the grassland plan to address ecological, social, and economic issues related to current management of prairie dogs and grassland vegetation on the Thunder Basin National Grassland.” 
According to the draft record, between 2015 and 2017, prairie dog colonies expanded to more than 75,000 acres of colonies on the grasslands, an extent far greater than anything recorded in recent history. Few tools were available to respond and control the animal. 
“In 2018, the Wyoming Department of Agriculture convened a collaborative working group to develop recommendations for a proposed action for the plan amendment. Although the collaborative group was unable to reach consensus on many issues, they provided a series of letters that informed the April 2019 proposed action,” the document states. 
Based on the review of all alternatives, Bacon said he has decided to implement alternative 5, which has been labeled the preferred alternative. The alternative adjusts the number of allowed controllable acres of prairie dog colonies, allows for management zones around private and state lands within the control area, requires the development of a plague management plan, develops plans for improvements to rotational grazing as a tool for prairie dog management and outlines the approved population management techniques, including seasonal shooting and the use of zinc phosphide. 
Bacon said that this alternative best meets the purpose and need. He noted that the amendment best achieves a balance between conservation and control of the animal that can be implemented within the management and budgetary constraints of the agency. 
“I anticipate this alternative will allow our managers to be more responsive to a variety of environmental and social situations on the grassland related to the prairie dog management,” Bacon said. 
According to the draft record, the alternative provides a wider array of management options to respond to changing conditions, minimizes prairie dog encroachment onto non-federal lands, reduces resource conflicts related to prairie dog occupancy and livestock grazing, ensures continued conservation of at-risk species, and supports ecological conditions that do not preclude reintroduction of the black-footed ferret. 
The amendment is expected to be finalized in late 2020, the press release states. The full FEIS, project reference materials and maps are available on the project website at fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=55479.