Because of a high level of interest, the U.S. Forest Service is offering a second comment period on a Draft Environmental Assessment on grazing in the Weminuche Wilderness.

The San Juan National Forest’s Columbine District received several requests to extend the first comment period, which ended Monday, according to a news release Thursday. Regulations, however, do not allow for an extension.

“Because of the level of public interest, complexity of the project and in an effort to be responsive to interested members of the public, the Forest Service is able to offer a second, full 30-day comment period,” said the news release from Ann Bond, spokeswoman with the San Juan National Forest.

The second comment period on the ends July 21. Those who already have submitted comments do not need to do so again.

The analysis area encompasses approximately 166,700 acres on 13 grazing allotments on the northern end of Missionary Ridge, stretching east across the Weminuche Wilderness to the Pine River.

The proposed action would continue to permit livestock grazing on the six allotments that currently are being grazed; five allotments would continue to be grazed by sheep, and one would be converted to cattle use. It also would apply a “sunset clause” to the five active sheep allotments in order to eventually phase out sheep grazing but without causing hardship to the permittee.

Comments should be submitted to the Columbine District Ranger, P.O. Box 439, 367 Pearl St., Bayfield, CO 81122 or by email to comments-rocky-mountain-san-juan-columbine@fs.fed.us.

The Draft Environmental Assessment for the Weminuche Landscape Grazing Analysis, including maps, is available online at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/sanjuan/projects .

For more information, for a hard copy of the analysis or for help on how to submit comments, contact Jared Whitmer, rangeland management specialist, at (970) 884-1416 or visit the above website.

johnp@durangoherald.com