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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT 



The Environmental Assessment addressing poisoning of 

 prairie dogs on the Cheyenne River and Rosebud Sioux 

 Reservations will be further developed into an Environmental 

 Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the NEPA process. 

 "Prairie Management Plan" incorporates objectives required 

 by the EIS: determine the density of prairie dog burrows on 

 the remaining 10,000 acres of trust land (23,000 acres were 

 surveyed for the EA), determine population status and 

 habitat use for federally endangered, threatened, or 

 candidate species, and conduct an analysis of the socio- 

 economic impacts of prairie dog management. Improved range 

 management techniques proposed by the pilot project will be 

 applied to the entire 1.3 million acres of trust land on the 

 Cheyenne River Reservation. 



Based on acceptance of the Preferred Management 

 Alternative resulting from the EIS, limited use of poisoning 

 on some areas ( such as near croplands and cemeteries ) may be 

 initiated; provided, however, that these areas are 

 unsuitable for the reintroduction of black-footed ferrets. 

 Similarly, the reintroduction of black- footed ferrets will 

 be evaluated during the EIS process. 



"PRAIRIE MANAGEMENT PLAN" STRATEGIES 



The proposed pilot project challenges historical and 

 deeply ingrained western assumptions about prairie dogs and 

 other wildlife: prairie dogs are not pests, rather they are 

 a valuable and essential part of the delicate balance in the 

 prairie ecosystem. Accordingly, the Cheyenne River Tribe 

 does not contemplate eradication of prairie dogs in our 

 "Prairie Management Plan". Rather, we propose a holistic 

 philosophy based on improved range usage to restore the 

 prairie ecosystem to a more natural state where prairie dog 

 populations are maintained at acceptable levels through 

 environmentally acceptable mechanisms which allow wildlife 

 species to coexist along with livestock production. 



The link between prairie dog expansion and livestock 

 grazing is well documented as well as a variety of 

 recommended management alternatives which are incorporated 

 into the project including: 



1. DEVELOPMENT OF ADEQUATE WATER ON RANGELANDS 



Prairie dog expansion is directly related to the lack 

 of adequate water on western rangelands because cattle tend 

 to congregate and graze in areas which are near water. Due 

 to the sparsity of wells and water on reservation range 

 units, areas in close proximity to water have become 

 overgrazed while other areas within the range units are 



