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OOZ5lJ) viability in any alternative. Most of the activities with the potential to negatively affect wildlife resources are occurring on private lands adjacent to the Forest Aquatic resources. Aquatic resources will be adequately protected by standards and guidelines in all alternatives. All alternatives maintain habitat with potential for viable Colorado River cutthroat trout populations; Alternative D provides the most Recreational fishing opportunities are highest in Alternative C due to its emphasis on amenities. Vacant Grazing Allotments About 248,000 acres are rated as capable of supporting livestock within 51 vacant allotments on the White River National Forest These acres were analyzed to determine which allotments or portions of allotments have value for domestic livestock grazing and should be retained as vacant (until further site-specific analysis can be conducted) and which ones have little or no value and can be closed to future grazing use. Information gathered on each allotment included acres capable of supporting livestock, last grazing period, access, adjacent active allotments, value to aid in future management flexibility, and demand for grazing in the past ten years. Other information gathered included levels of recreation use; potential conflicts with adjacent landowners; special wildlife concerns, such as presence of threatened and endangered species or bighorn sheep; and whether the allotments were located within research natural areas, wild and scenic rivers, special interest areas, Wilderness, or areas recommended as Wilderness. Closing vacant allotments eliminates the use of these areas for domestic livestock production in the future and removes them from the suitable land base. While closing vacant allotments does not reduce current permitted animal unit months. it does reduce future management flexibility by eliminating the possibility of using these areas to resolve future conflicts between livestock grazing and other resources or provide forage in drought years. See the Vacant Allotment Alternatives map in the map package for the location of these areas. The acres that would be removed from the suitable land base by the closing or partial closing of vacant allotments is shown in Table 3. Table 3 Acres removed from the suitable land base for domestic livestock grazing B o C 160,000 ALTERNATIVE D E 136,000 197,000 F 81,000 I 173.000 - 26-