[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 52 (Friday, March 17, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14418-14419]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6628]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
First Creek Basin Restoration Project, Wenatchee National Forest,
Chelan County, WA
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service, USDA, will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to analyze and disclose the environmental impacts of a
site-specific proposal for the First Creek Basin Restoration Project.
The proposed action is partially located within the original Slide
Ridge Roadless Area, approximately 15 miles northwest of the town of
Chelan, in the First Creek, Baldy, and Granite Falls Creek drainages on
the Chelan Ranger District of the Wenatchee National Forest. The
purpose of the EIS will be to develop and evaluate a range of
alternatives for ecosystem restoration activities within the First
Creek Basin. Alternatives may include fuel reduction activities,
seeding, reforestation, slope stabilization, wildlife habitat
restoration, stream channel stabilization, timber harvest, road/trail
construction, and road/trail obliteration.
The alternatives will include a no action alternative, and at least
one alternative that maintains the unroaded character of the proposed
project area. Other alternatives will be designed to respond to
relevant issues. The proposed project will be consistent with direction
given in the Wenatchee National Forest Land and Resource Management
Plan, as amended by the April 13, 1994, Record of Decision for
Amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Planning
Documents Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl. This Forest
Service proposal is scheduled for implementation in 1995-1997. The
agency invites written comments on the scope of this project. In
addition, the agency gives notice of this analysis so that interested
and affected people are aware of how they may participate and
contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope and implementation of this
proposal must be received by April 28, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions concerning the scope
of the analysis to Al Murphy, District Ranger, Chelan Ranger District,
PO Box 189, Chelan, Washington 98816.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions and comments about this EIS should be directed to Lisa Gowe
or John Lampereur, Interdisciplinary Team Leaders, Chelan Ranger
District, PO Box 189, Chelan, Washington 98816; phone 509-682-2576.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the summer of 1994, part of the 135,000
acre Tyee Complex wildfire burned through the analysis area, leaving
[[Page 14419]] thousands of acres of intensely-burned vegetation,
altered soils, and increased fuel loads. The slopes in the area are
steep and subject to severe erosion. This analysis was initiated to
identify treatments that will lessen long-term losses in productivity
and increase the rate of recovery of the ecosystems in the area. The
analysis area is approximately 14,210 acres in size. About 280 acres of
the area are unoccupied spotted owl habitat, with approximately 100
acres of this habitat being within a Late Successional Reserve. In
addition, about 6,400 acres of the analysis area is unroaded.
The proposed action is to treat: (1) Approximately 4,700 acres in
the ponderosa pine zone; (2) approximately 1,600 acres in the mesic
Douglas-fir zone; and (3) approximately 340 acres in the high elevation
zone. Treatments will be made through a combination of activities
including: fuel disposal through the use of prescribed fire; harvest of
dead and damaged trees; thinning; and slope stabilization. This
proposal will include helicopter yarding as the preferred method of
tree removal, but may require the construction of approximately 3 miles
of temporary access roads. A transportation plan for the unroaded
portion of the project area would also be developed.
To date, the following key issues have been identified:
Roadless Area management
Late Successional Reserves
Public safety and property
Economics
Cultural resources
Control of noxious weeds
Channel protection/restoration
Access management
Forest fuel management
Scenic quality
Recreation opportunities
Wildlife habitat
Revegetation
Water quality
Biodiversity/forest health
Fish/water/soil stability
The decision to be made through this analysis is where, how, and to
what extent should the various vegetation management, fuels reduction
and slope stabilization treatments be implemented within the First
Creek analysis area, and what roading, if any, should occur within the
currently unroaded area.
A range of alternatives will be considered, including a no action
alternative, and an alternative that maintains the unroaded character
of the area. Other alternatives will be developed in response to issues
received during scoping. All alternatives will need to respond to
specific conditions in the First Creek Basin.
Public participation will be especially important at several points
during the analysis. The Forest Service will be seeking information,
comments, and assistance from Federal, State, tribes, and local
agencies, as well as individuals or organizations who may be interested
in or affected by the proposed actions. This information will be used
in preparation of the draft EIS. The scoping process includes:
1. Identifying potential issues.
2. Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.
3. Eliminating non significant issues or those which have been
covered by a relevant previous environmental process.
4. Exploring additional alternatives.
5. Identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed
action and alternatives (i.e. direct, indirect, and cumulative effects
and connected actions).
6. Determining potential cooperating agencies and task assignments.
The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for public review in June,
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 very important
that those interested in the management of the Wenatchee National
Forest participate at that time.
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 those points).
At this early stage, the Forest Service believes it is important to
give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
a draft EIS 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 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.
The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in August 1995. In the
final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to comments and
responses received during the comment period that pertain to the
environmental consequences discussed in the draft EIS and applicable
laws, regulations, and policies considered in making the decision
regarding this proposal. Sonny O'Neal, Forest Supervisor, Wenatchee
National Forest, is the responsible official. As the responsible
official he will document the decision and reasons for the decision in
the Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest Service
appeal regulations (36 CFR 215).
Dated: March 9, 1995.
Mark Morris,
Administrative Officer.
[FR Doc. 95-6628 Filed 3-16-95; 8:45 am]
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