[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 13 (Friday, January 20, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4145-4147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-1374]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Southwestern Region, New Mexico, La Cueva Proposed Projects
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Carson National Forest is planning to prepare an
environmental impact statement on a proposal to allocate old growth,
apply vegetation treatments and use prescribed fire in certain forested
stands, construct new roads and reconstruct roads to access these
stands, redesignate an existing motorized trail and construct a new
trail for motorized use and close roads on the La Cueva analysis area
in the Rio Pueblo Canyon, Camino Real Ranger District. The need for
this proposal is based upon the comparison of existing conditions and
desired conditions for the La Cueva analysis area.
DATES: Comments in response to this Notice of Intent concerning the
scope of the analysis should be received in writing by February 1,
1995.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to USDA Forest Service, Carson
National Forest, PO Box 558, Taos, New Mexico 87571, ATTN: Forest
Planner.
RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL: Leonard Lucero, the Forest Supervisor for the
Carson National Forest, will be the responsible official and will
decide whether or not to:
Allocate old growth, if so, how much, where.
Harvest sawtimber and other wood products, if so, where,
what treatments will be used, what associated road construction, what
post sale treatments (pre-commercial thinning, prescribed burning,
etc.) will occur.
Allow prescribed fire, if so, where and under what
conditions.
Redesignate the La Cueva Canyon trail to non-motorized use
only.
Construct a new trail for motorized use.
Physically close roads within the analysis area, if so how
many miles, and where.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Forest Planner (505) 758-6210.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the difference
between existing and desired conditions. This proposal is designed to
move closer to the desired condition.
Twenty percent of forested acres would be allocated to old growth
to meet the objectives of the Carson Forest Plan.
Some trees would be harvested for timber, made available for
fuelwood and/or thinned for the purpose of:
Moving towards a desired VSS class distribution that
reduces the amount of VSS class 3 and 4 and increases the amount of
Class 1, 2 and 5 to create [[Page 4146]] more biodiversity in the La
Cueva analysis area.
Supplying more forage producing understories for wildlife
in summer and winter range and livestock where early seral conditions
have been inhibited by tree density and/or dense canopy cover.
Providing foraging areas for both wildlife and livestock
away from springs and riparian areas in order to improve the condition
of these special features.
Regenerating pure aspen stands which would create more
habitat diversity and perpetuate a major vegetative component within
the analysis area.
Regenerating ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir trees in their
natural range. These forest types provide quality habitat to the hairy
woodpecker, turkey, elk and Abert's squirrel.
Selectively removing some trees infested with mistletoe or
damaged by spruce budworm to keep insect and disease populations at a
level which does not predispose stands to potential catastrophic
damage. Providing a supply of firewood, vigas, aspen products and saw
timber to help meet the demand for wood products on the Camino Real
Ranger District for a period of five to seven years.
Prescribed fire would be introduced in selected areas fro the
purpose of:
Introducing low intensity fires back into the ecosystem to
move the VSS Class distribution towards the desired condition and to
perpetuate plant species adapted to periodic episodes of fire.
Stimulating mature oak to produce palatable, tender shoots
for wildlife browse species.
Creating a mosaic of tree sizes and densities, where
clumps of even-aged trees with interlocking branches are dispersed
throughout some stands.
Reducing fuel loading in areas inaccessible to fuelwood
gathering to reduce the potential for a catastrophic fire.
Road reconstruction and new construction, including a road down the
ridge between La Cueva and Flechado Canyons, would provide access to
areas where the VSS class distribution can be moved towards the desired
condition, where forage is needed, where various types of wood products
could be extracted and where fuel loading is high. These roads would be
closed to highway vehicles once proposed activities have ceased.
The redesignation of the La Cueva Canyon Trail as a non-motorized
trail would improve the quality of life for residents who have houses
at or near the La Cueva trailhead and reduce conflicts between these
homeowners and the motorized recreationists who use the area.
The construction of a motorized trial connecting with the new road
along the ridge between La Cueva and Flechado would serve as a
replacement for the La Cueva Canyon trail which would be removed from
the motorized trail system (See previous paragraph), maintaining the
same opportunities for motorized use in the analysis area.
All existing and newly constructed roads would be effectively
closed after management activities have been completed within the
analysis area. This is in keeping with the Carson Forest Plan which has
a guideline which specifies that road management/wildlife integration
should be managed to provide 60 percent big game habitat effectiveness
by leaving approximately 1.0 mile/square mile of roads open to public
use in big game summer range.
Preliminary issues include effects on habitat effectiveness along
the ridge separating La Cueva and Flechado canyons where a new road is
proposed; the long-term effects on wildlife along the ridge where the
new road will be designated as a motorized trail; the effects on the
function of existing old growth proposed for timber harvesting; and the
effects on soil productivity and water quality where a motorized trail
is proposed. These issues will be refined and developed in detail as
scoping proceeds. Comments on this issues and suggestions for
additional issues are welcome in response to this Notice of Intent.
A preliminary scoping meeting was held prior to the development of
the desired condition statement and proposal. Several months later,
approximately 150 letters were send out to the public and other federal
and state agencies for their comments on the proposal and a field trip
was held. An interdisciplinary team has been selected to do the
environmental analysis, prepare and accomplish scoping and public
involvement activities. Comments on the nature and timing of scoping
and public participation activities would be beneficial to the team in
preparation of the scoping plan. Additional public notice will be given
of specific planned activities when the scoping and public involvement
plan is developed.
Preliminary alternatives may include continuation of present
management in the area (no action); redesignating the La Cueva trail as
non-motorized without building a new trail; relocating part of the La
Cueva trail; confining harvesting and road building to the northern
most part of the analysis area; creating the desired diversity on the
ridge top(s) without harvesting or road building; and not treating any
existing old growth stands. The interdisciplinary team will be
developing the range of alternatives to be considered and comments on
the range of alternatives to be considered will be beneficial.
Additional opportunities to comment on alternatives will be provided as
the process proceeds.
It is anticipated that the environmental analysis and preparation
of draft and final environmental impact statement will take about one
year. The draft environmental impact statement can be expanded in the
summer of 1995 and the final environmental impact statement can be
expected in the winter 1995.
A ninety day comment period pursuant to 36 CFR 219.10(b) will be
provided for the public to make comments on the draft environmental
impact statement. The comment period will begin when the Environmental
Protection Agency's Notice of Availability appears in the Federal
Register. This comment period will be in addition to scoping and other
public participation opportunities that will be provided throughout the
process. A record of decision will be prepared and filed with the final
environmental impact statement. A ninety day appeal period pursuant to
36 CFR 217.8(a) will be applicable.
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. To be the most
helpful, comments on the draft environmental impact statement should be
specific as possible and may address the adequacy of the statement or
the merits of the alternatives discussed (see Council on Environmental
Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the
National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3).
In addition, Federal court decisions have established that
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 US 519, 553
(1978). Environmental objections that could have been raised at the
draft stage may be waived if not raised until after completion of the
final environmental impact statement. City of Angoon v. Hodel, (9th
Circuit, 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp.
1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). [[Page 4147]] The reason for this is to
ensure 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.
Dated: January 4, 1995.
Leonard L. Lucero,
Forest Supervisor, Carson National Forest.
[FR Doc. 95-1374 Filed 1-19-95; 8:45 am]
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