[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 14, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13697-13698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6255]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Inland Native Fish Strategy
ACTION: Proposal to Prepare Interim Direction for Native Inland Fish
Habitat Management.
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SUMMARY: The notice is hereby given that the Forest Service, in
cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, is gathering information in order to prepare an
Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposal to protect habitat and
populations of native inland fish. The Forest Service is proposing to
amend Regional Guides and Forest Plans to include interim direction in
the form of riparian management objectives, standards and guidelines,
and monitoring requirements. The interim direction will apply to the
geographic area covered by the Eastside Ecosystem Management Strategy
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Upper Columbia River Basin
EIS, except for anadromous fish habitat (which is now being managed
under the interim PACFISH strategy, approved February 24, 1995).
The purpose and need for the proposed action is to preserve
management options for inland aquatic resources by reducing the risk of
loss of populations and reducing potential negative impacts to aquatic
habitat of resident fishes until the signing of Records of Decision for
both EISs. As a companion to the protection provided for anadromous
fish by PACFISH, this Environmental Assessment is intended to provide
the basis for establishing appropriate interim direction to protect
habitat and populations of resident native fishes outside of anadromous
fish habitat, including bull trout which has recently been determined
to be warranted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Federal Register
Vol. 59, No. 111, June 10, 1994, pp. 30254-30255). Specifically this EA
will address National Forest System lands on the Bitterroot, Boise,
Caribou, Challis, Clearwater, Colville, Deerlodge, Deschutes, Flathead,
Fremont, Helena, Humboldt, Kootenai, Lolo, Malheur, Ochoco, Panhandle,
Payette, Salmon, Sawtooth, Wallowa-Whitman, and Winema National Forests
in the Northern, Intermountain, and Pacific Northwest Regions.
The Forest Service also serves notice that the agency is seeking
information and comments from Federal, State, and local agencies and
other individuals or organizations who may be interested in or affected
by the proposed action. This input will be used in preparing the
Environmental Assessment.
Written comments should be sent to the agency within 30 days from
the date of publication in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to USDA Forest Service, Idaho
Panhandle [[Page 13698]] National Forests, 3815 Schreiber Way, Coeur
d'Alene, Idaho, 83814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the proposed action and environmental assessment should
be directed to David Wright, Team Leader, Idaho Panhandle National
Forests, 3815 Schreiber Way, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, 83814. Phone: (208)
765-7307.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest Service, in accordance with 16
USC 1604 and 36 CFR 219 et seq. develops land and resource management
plans to provide for multiple use and sustained yield of products and
services including outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed,
wildlife and fish, and wilderness.
PACFISH is the Anadromous Fish Habitat and Watershed Conservation
Strategy being implemented by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land
Management. This is an interim strategy to conserve Pacific Salmon,
steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout throughout their range in Oregon,
Washington, Idaho and portions of California. The PACFISH decision
notice was signed by Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management on
February 24, 1995.
There are two ecosystem-based environmental impact statements being
prepared for National Forest System and BLM-administered land in the
Interior Columbia River Basin. The Eastside Ecosystem Management
Strategy EIS applies to the area of Washington and Oregon east of the
crest of the Cascade mountain range. The Upper Columbia River Basin EIS
will apply to Idaho and portions of Utah, Wyoming, Nevada,and Montana.
The two documents will contain long-term strategies designed to replace
the interim protection afforded by PACFISH and this Inland Native Fish
Strategy.
Concurrently, the Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest is
completing an EA that proposes to amend the interim Forest Plan
Direction issued on May 20, 1994 by Regional Forester John Lowe. This
EA proposes adjustments to the Historic Range of Variability and
portions of the wildlife screen. Any changes to the riparian screen
portion of the current direction will be considered in the Inland
Native Fish Strategy.
At its discretion, the Forest Service may amend forest plans based
on the results of monitoring and evaluation (36 CFR 219.10(f),
219.12(k)). Review of research reports and published professional
papers (Rieman and McIntyre 1993; Sedell et al. 1990; Grumbine 1990;
Williams and Neves 1992; Oregon Trout 1994) indicates that additional
long-term programmatic protection may be warranted for native resident
fish and their habitat. That long-term direction is being developed
through the Columbia River Basin EIS process. This interim protection
is being proposed to preserve options for long-term management that
might be adopted as a result of those processes.
A range of alternatives will be considered. One of these will be
the ``no-action'' alternative, in which current management of the area
would continue without interim direction protection. Other alternatives
will examine the effects of varying approaches to interim protection.
During the scoping process, the Forest Service is seeking
information and comments from Federal, State, and local agencies and
other individuals or organizations who may be interested in or affected
by the proposed action. Additional information will be utilized from
the scoping activities that occurred for the PACFISH, Upper Columbia
River Basin EIS and Eastside Ecosystem Management Strategy EIS. During
scoping activities for these projects, issues and concerns were
identified that relate to inland fisheries and may have bearing on this
environmental analysis.
The responsible officials for National Forest System lands will be
the Regional Foresters for the:
--Intermountain Region, Federal Building, 324 25th Street, Ogden, Utah
84401;
--Northern Region, P.O. Box 7669, Missoula, Montana 59807; and
--Pacific Northwest Region, P.O. Box 3623, Portland, Oregon 97208.
The decision and reasons for the decision will be documented in a
Decision Notice. The Environmental Assessment and Decision Notice are
expected to be available in June, 1995.
Dated: March 8, 1995.
David J. Wright,
Inland Native Fish Team Leader, Idaho Panhandle National Forests.
[FR Doc. 95-6255 Filed 3-13-95; 8:45 am]
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