Ashley National Forest issued a news release on Thursday sharing that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service will publish a final environmental impact statement in the Federal Register, issuing a record of decision authorizing domestic sheep grazing on 10 allotments in the Uinta Mountains in Utah and Wyoming. The final environmental impact statement evaluates livestock grazing on allotments spanning 160,928 acres within the High Uintas Wilderness in Summit and Duchesne counties on the Ashley and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache national forests in Utah. Each forest contains five of the 10 allotments, which are located primarily within the High Uintas Wilderness. “Today’s decision reflects a thorough evaluation shaped by meaningful collaboration with local communities, state and local governments, and many other stakeholders,” shares Ashley National Forest Supervisor Kristy Groves. “We heard how important these lands are to the people who rely on them and are committed to balancing the many uses of this land to allow for continued grazing while providing public benefits and effective management of bighorn sheep populations.” Livestock grazing has taken place on this land since the late 1800s and will continue.
