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Let’s protect the Gila and Blue Range Wildernesses from destructive livestock grazing!

The U.S. Forest Service (FS) is proposing to re-authorize commercial livestock grazing on over a quarter million acres of public land on the Gila and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in Arizona and New Mexico, including the Gila and Blue Range Wildernesses, the Blue Range Primitive Area and two congressionally established wilderness study areas (WSA). These rugged and wild landscapes are home to a host of threatened and endangered species, including Mexican wolves, Southwestern willow flycatcher, and Gila chub.  

In addition to continuing the harmful grazing practices of the past, the FS proposes a significant amount of development in the Primitive Area.

Instead of further impairing the wilderness character of the Wildernesses, WSAs and Primitive Area with unsustainable grazing and more developments, the Forest Service should accept the voluntary waiver of the grazing permits and close the wilderness areas to livestock grazing.  

The FS also proposes spending over $1 million to construct new range developments, including 46 miles of new water pipeline that will drain natural water sources critical to the survival of imperiled wildlife.   

Tell the Forest Service that their environmental analysis is woefully inadequate and will further degrade wilderness values and endangered and threatened wildlife species.    

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Help protect the Gila and Blue Range Wildernesses from destructive livestock grazing!

U.S. Forest Service

Subject: Comments on Stateline Range Environmental Assessment

Message:

Please accept these comments on the Stateline Range Environmental Assessment. I have a number of concerns with the draft Environmental Assessment (EA).

An EA is inappropriate for a project of this scale and complexity that impacts so many threatened, endangered and sensitive species, rivers and streams. The grazing and numerous associated developments across over 270,000 acres, including in Wilderness and similar wildlands, will have significant impacts, and thus a thorough analysis of all environmental impacts in an environmental impact statement is required.

Especially alarming, the EA proposes a significant amount of development in the Blue Range Primitive Area, which agency regulations require to be administered as Wilderness.

The EA does not adequately assess the impacts of these developments on wilderness character and values. This is especially important at this time because, as you are aware, the Gila National Forest is in the midst of revising its forest plan and making recommendations for future wilderness designations is a key part of that process. The Forest Service's decision for this project must not include any actions that would impair wilderness or preclude an area for recommended wilderness. Instead of further degrading these areas with more developments, the Forest Service should accept the voluntary waiver of the grazing permits and close the areas to livestock grazing.

Any decision on these allotments should ensure Mexican gray wolves are protected, and the analysis should address how livestock grazing affects their recovery. The EA incorrectly claims that the Mexican wolf population is a "non-essential" population, and thus livestock grazing does not adversely affect them. Because a federal judge recently overturned this non-essential determination for Mexican wolves, the Forest Service cannot rely on it.

The decision should also protect riparian areas from livestock grazing. The EA fails to include measures that will do this. Many of these areas, including the San Francisco River, are supposed to be closed to grazing. Yet, over the past two decades, the Forest Service has repeatedly failed to meaningfully and effectively exclude livestock grazing from them, resulting in significant degradation and harm to fish and wildlife habitat.

I object to the construction of new range developments, including 46 miles of new water pipeline that will drain natural water sources critical to the survival of imperiled wildlife, that will cost the public over $1 million. Across the project area, there are countless documented cases of developments in disrepair due to a lack of funds or manpower to fix them. The Forest Service cannot simply continue to add more and more developments until it can guarantee it will have the resources to responsibly maintain them.

Thank you for your consideration.

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