HomeMy WebLinkAbout20072607.tiff USDA
United States Department of Agricultu IMEIMISONER
COUNTY
COMSIS
Office of the Secretary
Washington,D.C.20250 20111 AUG 13 A IUr 42
JUL 2 3 2007
RECEIVED
Mr. David E. Long
Chair, Weld County
Office of Board of County Commissioner
915-10th Street
Post Office Box 759
Greeley, Colorado 80632
Dear Chairman Long:
Thank you for your letter of March 5, 2007, to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns regarding the
decision on the black-tailed prairie dog management plan(The "plan").
The Board of Commissioners (the Board) is concerned about the omittance of a required 100-foot
buffer around the exteriors of each allotment where prairie dogs will be located, to restrict prairie
dog movement onto adjoining lands. Although the plan does not include such buffers, it does
provide for a wide range of management tools. Criteria and trigger points describing types of
actions to be taken in the management of prairie dogs are identified in the black-tailed prairie dog
management decision, Appendix D. Specifically, Trigger Point 1 addresses situations where:
"Prairie dogs are moving front the Pawnee National Grassland (Pawnee) to adjacent land and the
adjacent landowner requests Forest Service action." Identifies management actions to be taken and
criteria
for their application. These management actions could encompass setting a 100-foot buffer between
the prairie dog towns and adjacent land where appropriate.
We understand your concern regarding the effects of soil blowing from prairie dog towns. The
Forest Service will be monitoring the location of prairie dog towns and we encourage the Board to
continue to work with the Pawnee, to address issues locally.
The Forest Service strives to be a good neighbor in the management of the national grasslands, and
to initiate the effort to develop a Black-tailed Prairie Dog Management Plan, in part to respond to
concerns regarding impacts to adjacent lands. It is important to note that the District Ranger's
decision now provides for a range of tools that were not available for use by the Forest Service on
the Pawnee prior to the decision.
The Pawnee Grazing Association appealed the Black-tailed Prairie Dog Management
Plan decision under 36 CFR251.87. The District Ranger's decision was affirmed by the Forest
Supervisor. A request for a second level review of the Forest Supervisor's appeal decision has been
received by the Regional Forester of the Rocky Mountain Region and will be reviewed at the
Regional Office in Lakewood, Colorado. We will ensure you are apprised of the outcome of this
decision when it occurs.
C'o rn/nun/ oh 5
B75'67 M Equal Opportunity Employer 2007-2607
Mr. David E. Long
Page 2
Thank you for your interest in the management of our national forests and grasslands.
Sincerely,
gattoMa1.71 Rey
Under Secretary
Natural Resources and the Environment
Hello