Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Lands Wildlife topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves county comment letter supporting continued domestic sheep grazing on forest service allotments
Summary
Duchesne County commissioners approved a letter to the U.S. Forest Service that supports continued domestic sheep grazing on forest allotments, citing coordination with state wildlife authorities and concerns about the limited effect of a ban on federal land alone.
The Duchesne County Commission voted May 12 to approve a county comment letter to the U.S. Forest Service that supports continued domestic sheep grazing on certain Forest Service allotments.
Mike, a county reviewer present at the meeting, summarized a decade-long analysis conducted by the Forest Service following litigation by a conservation group concerned about disease transmission from domestic sheep to reintroduced bighorn sheep. Mike said the Forest Service has coordinated with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and noted that bighorn range extends beyond Forest Service land into areas where domestic sheep graze on private, Bureau of Land Management and state lands.
“Even if they were to not allow domestic sheep on these Forest Service allotments the big horn sheep range extends over toward the Flaming Gorge country and there the sheep can come the big horns can come into contact with domestic sheep that are grazing on private and BLM and state lands,” Mike said, summarizing the county’s rationale for support.
The letter the commission approved argues the Forest Service’s proposal is in conformance with state and county resource-management plans, highlights existing coordination between agencies, and includes editorial comments identified by county reviewers. Commissioners said the document is intended to make the Forest Service’s analysis more robust against future legal challenge.
A motion to approve the letter and associated comments carried unanimously. Commissioners asked staff to finalize the county’s submission and send it to the Forest Service and to coordinate any technical or editorial follow-ups with DWR and county reviewers.
