[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 18 (Friday, January 27, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5347-5348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-2027]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 18 / Friday, January 27, 1995 /
Notices
[[Page 5347]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Environmental Impact Statement for the South Lindenberg Timber
Sale(s), Tongass National Forest, Alaska
AGENCY: USDA, Forest Service.
ACTION: Revised Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact
statement (revises previous NOI, page 38557 in the 7/19/93 Federal
Register).
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SUMMARY: The proposed action is to harvest approximately 40 million
board feet of timber and build the associated road system. The existing
Tonka log transfer facility would be used. The study area is located
southwest of Petersburg, Alaska, on Kupreanof Island. It encompasses
approximately 65,000 acres at elevations ranging from sea level to
3,000 feet. The area includes VCUs 437 and 439 and portions of 447 and
448. This includes townships 58, 59, 60, and 61 south, and ranges 77,
78, and 79 east, Copper River Meridian.
DATES: Additional comments concerning the proposal to harvest timber in
the South Lindenberg study area should be received in writing by March
15, 1995. Send requests for further information or written comments to
Jim Thompson, Planning Team Leader, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 1328,
Petersburg, AK, 99833 (907) 772-3871.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Purpose and Scope of the Decision
The purpose of the project is to provide approximately 40 million
board feet of timber for harvest according to direction described in
the Tongass Land Management Plan, to meet the Federal obligation to
make timber volume available for harvest by timber operators, and to
improve the timber productivity of the project area by harvesting
mature stands of timber and replacing them with faster growing stands
of second-growth timber.
The decision to be made is whether to make timber available for
harvest and improve timber productivity in the South Lindenberg Study
Area while also providing a combination of recreation, fish, water, and
wildlife for the resource uses of society now and into the future. This
decision will be made by Abigail R. Kimbell, Forest Supervisor of the
Stikine Area.
If timber is made available for harvest, the Forest Supervisor will
also decide (a) the volume of timber to make available, (b) the
location and design of the timber harvest units and log transfer
facilities, (c) the location and design of associated mainline and
local road corridors, and (d) appropriate mitigation measures for all
alternatives in the project area.
1a. Public Involvement Process
A public scoping letter was sent to all persons who indicated an
interest in the project by responding to the Stikine Area Project
Schedule, or who otherwise notified the Stikine Area that they were
interested in the South Lindenberg Timber Harvest project. Public
meetings were held to gather additional information from interested
persons.
1b. Alternatives
Alternatives will include the no action alternative, and are likely
to include three to five action alternatives, all of which will harvest
approximately 40 million board feet of timber. The alternatives will
vary according to the location of units, for example one alternative
may spread harvest units evenly through the study area while another
may concentrate the harvest in a portion of the study area. The road
systems will vary with each alternative accordingly.
1c. Significant Issues
1. Timber Management. How will long-term forest health and
productivity be affected by harvesting and the specific harvest
treatments proposed for the South Lindenberg area?
2. Harvest Economics. Will action alternatives within the study
area include timber harvest that is profitable and meet economic
criteria on the Tongass National Forest?
3. Soils. To what degree will soil erosion and sedimentation
increase as a result of harvest activities and the construction of
roads in the South Lindenberg area?
4. Watersheds. To what degree will timber harvesting affect the
hydrologic balance and water quality of streams in the South Lindenberg
study area?
5. Fisheries. What effects will timber harvest and road
construction have on habitats used by trout and salmon?
6. Wildlife. What effects will timber harvest and related
activities have on wildlife habitat?
7. Threatened and Endangered Species. To what extent will
harvesting and road construction result in impacts to any populations
of threatened or endangered species?
8. Biodiversity. To what extent will timber harvesting associated
with the South Lindenberg Sale affect the biodiversity and old growth
structure of Kupreanof Island?
9. Subsistence. To what extent will each alternative affect
subsistence resources and use within the study area?
10. Recreation. What effect will each alternative have on
recreational opportunities?
11. Visual Appearance. To what extent will each alternative
influence the landscape character of the study area, and to what extent
will harvest designs be mitigated to protect visual guality?
2. Expected Time for Completion
A draft Environmental Impact Statement is projected for issuance
approximately March 1995. Issuance of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement is projected for August 1995.
3. Comments
Interested publics are invited to comment.
The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will
be 45 days from the date of the Environmental Protection Agency's
notice of availability appears 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 [[Page 5348]] 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 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
Draft EIS 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 actions, 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.
The responsible official for the decision is Abigail R. Kimbell,
Stikine Area Forest Supervisor, Petersburg, Alaska.
Written comments and suggestions concerning the analysis and
Environmental Impact Statement should be sent to Jim Thompson, ID Team
Leader, P.O. Box 1328, Petersburg, AK, 99833, (907) 772-3871.
Dated: January 12, 1995.
Abigail R. Kimbell,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 95-2027 Filed 1-26-95; 8:45 am]
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