[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 21, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19513-19514]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-9964]
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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. 64, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 21, 1999 /
Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Analysis of Veteran/Boulder Project Area; Black Hills National
Forest; Spearfish/Nemo Ranger District; Lawrence and Meade Counties, SD
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare draft supplement to final
environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to 36 CFR 219.10(g), the District Ranger of the
Spearfish/Nemo Ranger District, Black Hills National Forest, gives
notice of the agency's intent to prepare a draft supplement to the
Veteran/Boulder Project Area Final Environmental Impact Statement. The
responsible official for this project is John C. Twiss, Forest
Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to District Ranger, Spearfish/Nemo
Ranger District, Black Hills National Forest, 2014 N. Main Street,
Spearfish, SD 57783.
DATES: This project schedule is as follows: File Draft Supplement to
Final Environmental Impact Statement--June 1999. File Final Supplement
to Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision
signature--September 1999.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joy Trowbridge, Project
Interdisciplinary Team Leader, 605-642-4622. Additional information,
such as maps, can be obtained by written request to the Spearfish
Ranger District office, or by phone at the above address and phone
number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Veteran/Boulder Project Area Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was completed in September 1998
and a Notice of Availability was published in the Federal Register on
October 16, 1998 (EIS number 980410). The FEIS describes alternatives
for timber harvest and associated activities with the Veteran/Boulder
Project Area (27,463 acres) on the Black Hills National Forest. The
Project Area contains the majority of the 5,109 acre Beaver Park RARE
II inventoried roadless area. On September 30, 1998 a Record of
Decision was signed by Forest Supervisor John C. Twiss allowing timber
harvest and associated activities within the Veteran/Boulder project
area, except for the roadless area, on which a separate decision was to
be made. On March 1, 1999, Supervisor Twiss signed a second Record of
Decision allowing timber harvest and associated activities, except road
construction, within the Beaver Park roadless area.
Significant issues described in the FEIS include wildlife habitat
and vegetative diversity, the Beaver Park roadless area, mountain pine
beetle infestation and forest health, timber harvest, roads and travel
management, and prescribed burns and fuels. These issues were addressed
through development of alternatives and/or mitigation, or through the
disclosure of environmental effects.
Since the FEIS was published, the Forest has acquired new
information concerning Forest health in the Beaver Park area, relating
to the existing infestation of mountain pine beetles. The FEIS analyzed
mountain pine beetle data and field reconnaissance information in the
project area from 1997 to early 1998. Since that time, an aerial flight
and related report from the Forest Service's Forest Health Management
unit has indicated the beetles have spread beyond the areas analyzed in
the FEIS and are approaching epidemic levels in the Beaver Park Area.
In addition to the increased insect activity, an early winter storm
in October 1998 resulted in several areas of severely damaged and blown
down trees within the southern third of Beaver Park.
Given this new information, the Forest has decided to further
analyze the potential consequences of continued beetle activity within
the southern half of Beaver Park (Management Areas 4.1, Limited
Motorized Use and Forest Products; and 5.4, Big Game Winter Range).
Timer management has already been approved in this portion of Beaver
Park under the March 1, 1999 Record of Decision. The proposed
supplement to the FEIS would analyze additional treatments within this
area in order to slow further spread of the beetles, reduce damage to
wildlife habitat and green trees, and reduce wildfire risk.
The proposed action is to salvage approximately 400 to 600 thousand
board feet of trees either infested with mountain pine beetles or
severely damaged in the October 1998 storm, from a total of
approximately 200 to 300 acres within Management Areas 4.1 and 5.4
(Forbes Gulch) of Beaver Park. Treatments would consist of small (one
quarter of an acre to 20 acres) clearcuts to remove beetle-infested
trees as well as removal of downed and snapped off trees killed by the
storm. NO new roads would be constructed and no additional road work
would be needed on existing roads. Access would be from existing roads
with forwarder machines and skidders. Sufficient dead and down trees
would be left to meet Forest Plan standards for wildlife habitat and
soil conditions (snags and down woody material).
Alternatives to the proposed action being considered at this time
include no action, helicopter removal of infested trees, and removal of
green wood in addition to beetle-infested trees.
The decision to be made is whether or not to remove infested and
storm-damaged trees from the southern portion of Beaver Park (Forbes
Gulch) in order to slow the mountain pine beetle epidemic, reduce
wildfire risk, and protect wildlife habitat and other forest resources.
The comment period on the draft supplement to the FEIS will be a
minimum of 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency
publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
In addition to the proposed supplement to the FEIS, the Forest is
also planning to do a wider analysis of the mountain pine beetle
epidemic over a larger area, including the northern half of Beaver
Park. Therefore, this supplement will only address the southern portion
of Beaver Park, in order to more expediently address the beetle
situation in this area.
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,
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reviewers of draft environmental impact statements (or draft
supplements to an 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
environmental impact statement (or draft supplement to an EIS) stage
but that are not raised until after completion of the final
environmental impact statement (or final supplement to an 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 environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement (or draft supplement to an EIS) 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
draft supplement to an 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.
Dated: April 8, 1999.
John Twiss,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 99-9964 Filed 4-20-99; 8:45 am]
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