The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has withdrawn a plan that would have allowed up to 1,900 new cattle and supported infrastructure on the Hicks Pike Peak Allotment in the Salt River Canyon Wilderness Area of the Tonto National Forest in Arizona.
The withdrawn final environmental assessment and draft decision notice follows the Western Watersheds Project’s October objection to the plan. T
he group claimed the agency failed to assess the impacts of cattle grazing in riparian areas or the effects of climate change. The USFS determined that its analysis in the assessment did not clearly disclose existing conditions, site-specific actions or effects of the actions for each alternative.
The agency will clarify the proposed actions and develop additional analyses in its next review.
