[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 52 (Friday, March 17, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14417-14418]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6627]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
North Sherman and Fritz Timber Sales, Colville National Forest,
Ferry County, WA
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service, USDA, will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) on a proposal to harvest and regenerate timber and to
construct and reconstruct roads. The proposed projects will be in
compliance with the 1988 Colville National Forest Land and Resource
Management Plan (The Plan) which provides the overall guidance for
management of this area for the next ten years. The projects are
proposed within portions of the Sherman Creek and South Fork Sherman
Creek drainages on the Kettle Falls Ranger District in fiscal year
1996. The Colville National Forest invites written comments and
suggestions on the scope of the analysis. The agency will give notice
of the full environmental analysis and decision making process that
will occur on the proposal so as to provide interested and affected
people awareness as to how they may participate and contribute in the
final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received
in writing by April 30, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments and suggestions concerning the
management of this area to Meredith Webster, District Ranger, 225 W.
11th, Kettle Falls, Washington 99141.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the proposed project work and EIS should be directed to
Ralph Egan, Planning Assistant, 225 W. 11th, Kettle Falls, Washington
99141 (phone: 509-738-6111).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action includes harvesting
timber and constructing roads on North Sherman and Fritz timber sales.
The timber sales are proposed within the Sherman Creek and South
Fork Sherman Creek drainages on the Kettle Falls Ranger District. This
analysis will evaluate a range of alternatives for implementation of
the timber sales. The area being analyzed is 69,557 acres.
The North Sherman timber sale would be located north of Washington
State Highway 20 with the proposed harvest centered between McGahee and
Elbow Creeks. The majority of the harvest would be landscape scale
selection harvest. The proposed sale would harvest 10.0 MMBF from 2,000
acres.
The Fritz timber sale would be located south of Washington State
Highway 20 with the proposed harvest centered around upper Fritz Creek,
Scalawag Ridge and Paradise Peak. The majority of the harvest would be
landscape scale selection harvest. The proposed sale would harvest 10.0
MMBF from 2,000 acres.
The Draft EIS will be tiered to The Plan. The Plan's Management
Area direction for this analysis area is approximately 4.1 percent Old
Growth Dependent Species Habitat, 8.3 percent Recreation, 30 percent
Scenic/Timber, 1.3 percent Scenic/Winter Range, 22.1
[[Page 14418]] percent Wood/Forage, 5.3 percent Winter Range, 3.5
percent Semi-Primitive, Motorized Recreation, 19 percent Semi-
Primitive, Non-Motorized Recreation and 6.4 percent other ownerships.
No harvest will be proposed within the Semi-Primitive, Motorized
Recreation, Semi-Primitive, Non-Motorized Recreation Management Areas
or other ownership areas. These areas are included only for analysis of
effects. The proposed action includes portions of the Profanity, Bald
Snow, South Huckleberry, and Bangs Roadless Areas which were considered
but not selected for Wilderness designation.
Preliminary issues identified include: unroaded areas, recreation,
sensitive plants and animals, visuals, water quality, timber
production, and noxious weed control.
A range of alternatives will be considered, including a no-action
alternative. Based on the issues gathered through scoping, alternatives
will vary in (1) the amount and location of acres considered for
treatment, (2) the amount of road constructed for access, (3) the
silvicultural and post-harvest treatment prescribed, and (4) the
number, type and location of other integrated resource projects.
Initial scoping began in March 1995. Scoping will include
identifying issues, determining alternative driving issues, and
identifying the objectives for the alternatives. An informal public
meeting will be held at the Kettle Falls Ranger District office on
April 18, 1995. The Forest Service is seeking information, comments,
and assistance from other agencies, organizations, Tribes and
individuals who may be interested in or affected by the proposed
action. This input will be used in preparation of the draft EIS. Your
comments are appreciated throughout the analysis process. The draft EIS
is to be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to be
available for public review by November 1995. At that time, copies of
the draft EIS will be distributed to interested and affected agencies,
organizations, Tribes, and members of the public for their review and
comment. EPA will publish a notice of availability of the draft EIS in
the Federal Register. The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45
days from the date the EPA notice appears in the Federal Register. It
is important that those interested in the management of the Colville
National Forest participate at that time.
The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers
notice at this early stage of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft EIS 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 EIS stage
but that are not raised until after completion of the final EIS 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 EIS.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS should
be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to
specific pages or chapters of the draft EIS. Comments may also address
the adequacy of the draft EIS 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 final EIS is scheduled for completion by February 1996. In the
final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to substantive
comments received during the comment period for the draft EIS. Edward
L. Schultz, Forest Supervisor, is the Responsible Official. He will
decide which, if any, of the alternative will be implemented. His
decision and rationale for the decision will be documented in the
Record of Decision, which will be subject to Forest Service Appeal
Regulations (36 CFR 215).
Dated: March 7, 1995.
George T. Buckingham,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 95-6627 Filed 3-16-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
