[Federal Register: June 16, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 116)]
[Notices]
[Page 34881-34882]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16jn06-40]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, MT; Grizzly Vegetation
and Transportation Management Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of vegetation
management, fuels reduction, watershed rehabilitation activities,
wildlife habitat improvement, and access management changes, including
road decommissioning. The project is located in the Grizzly planning
subunit on the Three Rivers Ranger District, Kootenai National Forest,
Lincoln County, Montana, and northeast of Troy, Montana.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received
by July 17, 2006. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
to be available by February, 2007, and the final environmental impact
statement is expected by June, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Doug Grupenhoff, Acting District
Ranger, Three Rivers Ranger District, 1437 N. Hwy 2, Troy, MT 59935.
Submit electronic comments to bdhiggins@fs.fed.us.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Bruce Higgins, Team Leader at
559-920-2165.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project area is approximately 18 air
miles northeast of Troy, Montana, within all or portions of T34N, R32W-
R33W, T35N, R32W-R33w, and T36N, R32W-R33W, Lincoln County, Montana.
Purpose and Need for Action
The objectives of the Grizzly Vegetation and Transportation
Management Project are to: (1) Restore healthy diverse forest
conditions by increasing western white pine and western larch,
increasing mixed fire regime vegetation characteristics, and enhancing
aspen habitat; (2) reduce fuel loadings and potential fire hazards by
thinning dense stands, removing dead and dying lodgepole pine and other
species, and reintroducing fire into the landscape to reduce conifer
encroachment; (3) increase grizzly bear habitat and reduce watershed
resource damage by decommissioning roads, implementing best management
practices, and abandoning roads not necessary for future management
access; and (4) produce forest products to contribute towards local and
regional economies.
Proposed Action
Vegetation treatments include: Commercial timber harvest of 387
acers of clearcut with reserves, 168 acres of seed tree with reserves,
536 acres of commercial thinning, 218 acres of lodgepole salvage, and
125 acres of aspen release. Approximately 572 acres of existing
plantations would be precommercial thinned.
Transportation actions include: Decommissioning 30.0 miles of road,
abandonment of 17 miles, conversion of 2.4 miles of road to trails,
putting into storage 20.5 miles of road for grizzly bear habitat needs,
and applying best management practices to reduce sediment delivery on
55 miles of road. Approximately 2.7 miles of temporary road would be
constructed to access
[[Page 34882]]
treatment unit and then decommissioned once activities are completed.
In response to the final Travel Management Rule, approximately 36 miles
of road is proposed for designation as open to motorized use by highway
legal vehicles, and 39 miles of trails proposed for non-motorized use.
Possible Alternatives
The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of
these will be the ``no action'' alternative in which none of the
proposed activities will be implemented. Additional alternatives may
examine varying levels and locations for the proposed activities to
achieve the purpose and need, as well as to respond to the issues and
other resource values.
Responsible Official
The Responsible official for this project is Paul Bradford, Forest
Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest, 1101 Highway 2 West, Libby,
Montana 59923.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made includes whether to implement the proposed
actions, alternatives to the proposed actions, and any design criteria
or mitigation measures.
Scoping Process
A scoping package will be sent to all parties that have expressed
an interest in management activities in the area, as well as those that
reside within or adjacent to the project area. A legal notice will be
published in the newspaper of record to notify other interested parties
of the opportunity for comments. Public meetings will be held if
interest is expressed by the public.
Preliminary Issues
Additional opportunities to meet grizzly bear habitat standards may
be identified to meet total managed road densities. The proposed action
includes the potential creation of a regeneration opening of
approximately 118 acres.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process that guides the
development of the draft environmental impact statement. Comments
should be received 30 days following publication of this notice to be
considered in preparation of the DEIS.
Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review
A draft environmental impact statement will be prepared for
comment. The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement
will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency
publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft environmental impact statements must structure their
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490
F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings,
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action
participate by the close of the 45-day comment period so that
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to
them in the final environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal
and will be available for public inspection.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook
1909.15, Section 21)
Dated: June 7, 2006.
Thomas Puchlerz,
Acting Forest Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest.
[FR Doc. 06-5328 Filed 6-15-06; 8:45 am]
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