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<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">COMMENTS NEEDED BY JANUARY 9 (apologies for short
notice)</SPAN></FONT></P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT><A
href="http://www.blm.gov/nhp/spotlight/VegEIS/">http://www.blm.gov/nhp/spotlight/VegEIS/</A></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Comments must be postmarked by
January 9, 2006. Talking points for comments are below. Send your comments
to:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Mr. Brian Amme<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">PEIS Program
Manager<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Nevada</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
Office<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on">PO Box</st1:Street>
12000</st1:address><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Reno</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Nevada</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode
w:st="on">80520-0006</st1:PostalCode></st1:place><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
Fax: 775.861-0006<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
Email: <A title=mailto:vegeis@nv.blm.gov
href="mailto:vegeis@nv.blm.gov">vegeis@nv.blm.gov</A> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p>Some would argue that
increased herbicide application addresses symptoms without addressing causes of
invasive species problems on public lands.</o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in"><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT> </P></SPAN></FONT>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has recently
published a huge, two-volume draft environmental impact statement, “Vegetation
Treatments Using Herbicides on Bureau of Land Management Lands in 17 Western
States Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement” (DEIS), to authorize use of
18 different herbicides to control weeds and other undesirable vegetation on BLM
lands in 17 western states. Almost one million acres (932,000 acres) are
proposed to be sprayed annually, up from the current 325,000 acres per year.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A third volume, “Vegetation Treatments on Bureau of Land
Management Lands in 17 Western States Programmatic Environmental Report,” (PER)
describes other biological, mechanical, and “cultural” methods, as well as the
use of fire, for vegetation management on BLM lands. These other treatments
would increase from 500,000 acres annually to 6 million acres annually on BLM
lands under the PER.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The DEIS and PER covers all 262 million acres of BLM
lands, and a wide range of habitat types: from forests to grasslands and
deserts, marine environments, and tundra and sub-artic landscapes in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Alaska</st1:State></st1:place>. However, 70
percent of herbicide applications and most non-chemical treatments are intended
for the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Sagebrush</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Sea</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> in the Intermountain West. Publicly
owned sagebrush lands have been fragmented and degraded by livestock grazing,
off-road vehicle use, energy development, and road construction for the past 150
years. Under the BLM’s draft policies, sagebrush habitats are targeted for
burning, brush beating, chaining, and herbicide spraying, purportedly to improve
habitat for sage grouse and other wildlife. Unfortunately, these treatments have
not been proven to work, or work well, without also eliminating the
aforementioned causes of weed invasion and undesirable conditions on BLM
lands.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>