John S. McCain III
National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution
Project Case Summary
Tushar Grazing Allotments
April 2007 - April 2009
Location: Fishlake National Forest, Utah
Background
Livestock grazing on public lands in the West has been commonplace since the Civil War era. The rules governing the practice have evolved over the years. In January 2007, the Fishlake National Forest issued a Record of Decision on an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for eight cattle allotments on the Tushar Range of the Beaver Ranger District. The decision was appealed by seven conservation organizations and referred to the Forest Service's Regional Standing Appeal Review Team for review.
However, before a decision was made on the appeal, the Beaver Ranger District and Appellants developed a Resolution Agreement. Appellants agreed to withdraw their appeal in exchange for a collaborative process with strong emphasis on monitoring and joint fact-finding. In May 2007, the Forest Service asked the U.S. Institute to provide support and guidance for the Tushar Allotments Collaboration. The Utah Farm Bureau and the Grand Canyon Trust offered to co-sponsor the Tushar Allotments Collaboration (for more information, see: http://tushar.ecr.gov/)
Results and Accomplishments
Collaboration participants committed to jointly developing existing and desired conditions, and identifying management practices to be used in preparing the overall management plans for two of the eight cattle allotments: the Ten Mile Allotment and the Pinedale/Sulphurbeds C&H Allotment. They addressed natural resource conditions and livestock management on the two allotments, including but not limited to aspen and mountain mahogany recruitment on both allotments, and a plan for reestablishment of suitable habitat for beaver on at least one stream within the Pinedale/Sulphurbeds C&H Allotment. In April 2009, the Collaboration developed a set of consensus recommendations and issued a final report.
Highlights/Innovation
The use of a collaborative process to address appeals related to grazing allotments provided important opportunities for all parties to evaluate impacts of grazing on public lands.
Joint-fact finding and the review of monitoring data was extremely helpful in grounding all participants in resource management conditions, and in providing a foundation for a more effective, adaptive management approach.
The commitment of Forest Service staff - both leadership and scientific expertise - was a critical factor for project success.
Credits
Co-Sponsors
Utah Farm Bureau
Grand Canyon Trust
Facilitator from National Roster of ECR Practitioners
Michele Straube, CommUnity Resolution Inc. Facilitation
U.S. Institute Project Lead
Larry Fisher, Ph.D., Senior Program Manager
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Phone: (520) 901-8544; FAX: (520) 670-5530
Email: fisher@ecr.gov; Website: www.ecr.gov
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