USFS NEWS RELEASE
SPARKS — Jeanne Higgins, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Supervisor, today released the Ely Ranger District’s Ely Westside Rangeland Project Record of Decision (ROD) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The FEIS discloses the effects of domestic livestock on 12 grazing allotments located in Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine counties in Nevada.
Higgins selected Alternative 1 (Proposed Action) in her ROD and authorized continued livestock grazing on the Blackrock, Cherry Creek, Currant, Ellison Basin, Illipah, Pine Creek/Quinn Canyon, Tom Plain, Treasure Hill, and Troy Mountain allotments. Grazing was not authorized on the Big Creek, Hooper Canyon, and Irwin Canyon allotments, which have been vacant for a number of years.
Six of these allotments (Blackrock, Currant, Ellison Basin, Illipah, Tom Plain, and Treasure Hill) are located on the White Pine Range and the other six allotments (Big Creek, Cherry Creek, Irwin Canyon, Hooper Canyon, Pine Creek/Quinn Canyon, and Troy Mountain) are located on the Grant-Quinn Range.
This decision may be appealed by those who provided substantive comments during the comment period under the process outlined in 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 215. Appeals under the 215 regulations must be filed within 45 days of the publication of the notice of this decision in the Elko Daily Free Press, in Elko, Nevada.
The decision may also be appealed by existing permittees and applicants for grazing permits for the allotments in the project area under the process outlined in 36 CFR 251. Appeals under the 251 regulations must be filed within 45 days of the notice of the written decision. Both of these processes are discussed in the ROD.
A copy of the Record of Decision and the FEIS, along with maps and other project documents, are available on the Humboldt-Toiyabe website athttp://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/htnf/elywestrange or via CD or hard copy.
Learn more about this release by contacting either Jeanne Higgins at 775-355-5304, or Vernon Keller, Project Manager, at 775-355-5356.
