[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 64 (Monday, April 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16419-16421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7977]
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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. 64 / Monday, April 5, 1999 /
Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Upper Blue Stewardship Project; White River National Forest,
Summit County, Colorado
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
in conjunction with planning the Upper Blue Stewardship Project
(hereafter referred to as the Stewardship Project).
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, White River National Forest, gives
notice of the agency's intent to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of timber
harvest, prescribed fire, watershed rehabilitation, road construction/
re-construction/closure/obliteration, trail reconstruction, non-system
trail obliteration, historic site interpretation, a 4 cfs water
diversion from the Miner's Creek drainage to the North Barton Gulch,
and a hut site location in conjunction with designing the Stewardship
Project for the Dillon Ranger District of the White River National
Forest. These proposed actions are being considered together because
they represent either connected or cumulative actions as defined by the
Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.25). This notice
describes the proposed actions, environmental issues considered,
estimated dates for filing the environmental impact statement,
information concerning public participation, and the names and
addresses of the agency officials who can provide additional
information.
Poject Area: The Stewardship Project is using an interdisciplinary
approach to manage 14,000 acres between the towns of Frisco, CO to the
north and Breckenridge, CO to the south, Highway 9 to the east, and the
top of the Tenmile Range to the west. The area is located in T5S, R77W,
Sec. 31. T6S, R78W, Sec. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21,
22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 33, 34, 35, and 36 on the Dillon Ranger
District of the White River National forest, Summit County, CO. The
elevation in the area is between 9,000-12,933 feet.
Background: The project area was heavily logged during the mining
era (1860-1940). Many trees were removed &/or burned, particularly
Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine due to their superior lumber qualities.
The result is a dense, even-aged forest between 80-140 years old that
is dominated by lodgepole pine. The forest lacks diversity of tree
species, age classes, structure (mixed-size forests, young stands, old
growth), and understory species. The lack of diversity affects both
forest health (it is more susceptible to insects, disease and fire),
and habitat for wildlife species.
Preliminary issues: Issues identified to date include: proximity of
the proposal to private property, commercial harvest of trees in a
recreation setting, quantity of system and non-system roads and trails,
water quality, RARE II roadless area, riparian condition, impacts to
heritage resources, existing and potential impacts to visual quality,
potential spread of noxious weeds, air quality impacts from burning,
potential hut site locations, recreation user conflicts, water
depletions, providing a ditch for the Town of Breckenridge water
diversion, and affects on threatened, endangered, sensitive and
management indicator species.
Purpose & Need: This Stewardship Project aims to improve forest
health, visual quality, wildlife habitat, and fire resilience through
greater species and structural diversity; to promote responsible
recreation use; and to evaluate a ditch permit application from the
Town of Breckenridge. The Project uses a variety of techniques to
improve the health of the forest and species diversity, while
protecting and enhancing the heritage, recreation, visual, watershed
and wildlife resources. The Forest Service hopes to develop a strong
partnership with local government, private land owners and forest users
to help implement the necessary treatments on the ground.
The EIS will tier to the Land and Resource Management Plan for the
White River National Forest 2nd Printing Updated through 08/01/90.
Proposed Action: Three-quarters-mile of new road construction may
be needed. No road construction is planned within the Rare II roadless
boundary. A total of 1.5 miles of system road and 5.5 miles of non-
system roads will be closed or obliterated. Non-system trails will be
obliterated or added to the system, depending upon public input.
The Summit Huts master plan of 1989 approved a conceptual location
of an overnight hut in the Gold Hill area. This analysis will look at
site specific impacts of the Gold Hill location, and 3-4 alternative
sites. All five of the possible hut sites are within RARE II (roadless
area review and evaluation) identified areas, though three of the sites
are in former timber sale areas. All of the five possible hut sites are
within 1B management prescription which emphasizes downhill or cross
country skiing opportunities.
The Town of Breckenridge proposes to divert up to 4 cfs of water
from the Miners Creek drainage to the North Barton drainage, in order
to draw more water from the Blue River while maintaining minimum stream
flow. This will involve using 2,400 feet of an existing ditch built in
the early 1900's, constructing approximately 1500 feet of new ditch,
and running the water down an existing tributary of the Blue River.
Interpretive sites are planned along major trails. Riparian areas
may be expanded by 50 acres through removal of encroaching conifers.
All vegetation management units will follow visuals mitigation,
where possible, by modifying existing and created openings to be
irregular in shape, mimicking natural openings (including utilities
corridors). Edges will be feathered at varying densities, to reduce
sharp transition between openings and forest. Slash treatment will
emphasize the tops of the trees where fine fuels exist. These activity
fuels exist. These activity fuels will be treated by lopping and
scattering, piling and burning or broadcast burning. Activity fuels
will be treated to be less than 10 tons per acre near private property
and less than 20 tons per acre in lodgepole units. Higher fuel levels
will be allowed in areas that are surrounded by lower fuels areas.
Noxious weed management will include an integrated approach
including preventative measures such as
[[Page 16420]]
re-seeding and cleaning equipment to prevent spread, as well as
treatment of existing populations through mechanical, cultural,
biological, and chemical methods based on the species to be treated,
extent of infestation, and site specific conditions.
Aspen Units--Increase aspen by 300 acres over a 1,600 acre area by
removing conifer overstory to promote aspen understory &/or aspen
sprouting. Look for opportunities to increase aspen near private
property boundaries, and existing clearcuts and utilities corridors.
Openings created will be no larger than 10 acres. Removal of the
conifers can be done by commercial, or noncommercial sale of the logs,
force account felling or girdling of the trees, burning, &/or Christmas
tree sales. There are two methods to do this, aspen release and aspen
regeneration.
Aspen release will remove the conifer overstory to allow aspen
understory to dominate the site. A young aspen forest will remain.
Conifer islands (where 10-15 trees are grouped together) will be left
to enhance landscape mosaic and increase structural diversity. Around
the unit boundary, up to a 30 meter strip will be cleared, to allow for
aspen colonization.
Aspen regeneration will occur in areas where few live, and some
dead aspens remain. Group selection cuts will be made in areas where
aspen root still exist, so the aspen can recolonize the site.
Spruce/Fir Units--Increase spruce/fir forests by 1,000 acres over a
1,880 acre area by removing lodgepole pine overstory to promote spruce/
fir understory. A young spruce/fir forest will remain. A patchy, mosaic
effect will be created. Trees will be harvested commercially, collected
for firewood, felled or girdled and left on site for nutrient cycling.
Tin, 1,000 acres of spruce/fir--lodgepole pine mix through a
combination of prescribed fire, force account, and commercial harvest.
Ponderosa Pine Units--Increase ponderosa pine by 150 acres over a
190 acre area, at or below 9,200 ft. in elevation. Some existing
clearcuts will be planted with ponderosa pine. Approximately 80 acres
of new habitat for ponderosa pine will be created using clearcutting &/
or burning, and planting ponderosa pine in several areas. Remove
lodgepole commercially, for public firewood, or by felling and burning.
Douglas-Fir Units--Increase Douglas-fir to be present in 250 acres
over a 270 acre area. Thin the lodgepole and underplant Douglas-fir in
areas where remanent Douglas-fir trees have been found. Lodgerpole will
be removed by force account or commercially. If areas are found where
Douglas-fir is already present, clear an area of 1 tree height around
it to allow for natural regeneration of Douglas-fir.
Lodgepole Pine Units--Create more early seral stage (young stands)
and mixed age classes by treating 1,740 acres over a 2,680 acre area.
Regenerate approximately 25% of each unit. Regenerate by removing
overstory conifers in up to 2 acre patches. The remaining units will be
thinned, with variable tree spacing of 8-16 feet between each remaining
tree. Trees will be removed by commercial harvest, collected for
firewood, burned, felled or girdled and left on site for nutrient
cycling.
Involving the Public: Pursuant to Part 36b Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) 219.10(g), the Forest Supervisor for the agency's
intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the Stewardship
Project described above. The Forest Service is seeking information,
comments, and assistance from individuals, organizations and federal,
state, and local agencies who may be interested in or affected by the
proposed action (36 CFR 219.6).
Public participation will be solicited by notifying in person and/
or by mail known interested and affected publics. News releases will be
used to give the public general noticed, and public scoping meeting
will occur. Public participation activities will include (but are not
limited to) requests for written comments, open houses, and field
trips. The public is invited to help identify issues and define the
range of alternatives to be considered in the environmental impact
statement.
A reasonable range of alternatives will be evaluated and reasons
will be given for eliminating some alternatives from detailed study. A
``no-action alternative'' is required, meaning that management will not
change the present condition. Alternatives will provide different ways
to address and respond to public issues, management concerns, and
resource opportunities identified during the scoping process. Scoping
comments and existing condition reports will be used to develop
preliminary alternatives; however, additional public involvement and
collaboration will be done for final alternative development.
DATES: An issue identification (scoping) meeting is scheduled for April
20, 1999 from 4:00-7:00 PM. An alternative development meetings will be
held May 20, 1999 from 5:00-8:00 PM. Both meetings will be in the
Buffalo Mountain Room at the Summit County Commons Building off of
Highway 9 (37 CR 1005) in Frisco, CO 80443. Comments concerning the
scope of the analysis should be received in writing by May 3, 1999. In
June and July a field trip(s) can be scheduled to look at particular
concerns or alternatives in the field (such as non-system trail
closures). Please respond if you are interested in attending field
trip(s).
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Upper Blue Stewardship Project,
Dillon Ranger District P.O. Box 620, Silverthorne, CO 80498.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen Phelps, Gwenan Stephens, or
Alissa Roeder D'Onofrio, at (970) 468-5400. For road and trail
questions and concerns, contact Angela Glenn (970) 262-3446.
Release and Review of the EIS
The DEIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and to be available for public comment in December 1999.
At that time, the EPA will publish a notice of availability for the
DEIS in the Federal Register. The comment period on the DEIS will be 45
days from the date the EPA publishes the notice of availability 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
the DEIS 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 DEIS stage but are not raised until after
completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 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 FEIS.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed actions, comments on the DEIS should be as
specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific
pages or chapters of the draft statement.
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Comments may also address the adequacy of the DEIS or the merits of the
alternatives formulated and discussed in the statements. 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.
After the comment period ends on the DEIS, comments will be
analyzed, considered, and responded to by the Forest Service in
preparing the Final EIS. The FEIS is scheduled to be completed in
February 2000. The responsible official will consider the comments,
responses, environmental consequences discussed in the FEIS, and
applicable laws, regulations, and policies in making decisions
regarding these revisions. The responsible official will document the
decisions and reasons for the decisions in a Record of Decision for the
revised Plan. The decision will be subject to appeal in accordance with
36 CFR 217.
Responsible Official
Martha J. Ketelle, Forest Supervisor, White River National Forest,
PO Box 948, Glenwood Springs, CO. 81602-0948 ``As the Responsible
Official, I will decide which, if any, of the proposed projects will be
implemented. I will document the decision and reasons for the decision
in the Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest
Service appeal regulations.''
Dated: March 22, 1999.
Daniel Hormaechea,
Acting Forest Supervisor, White River National Forest.
[FR Doc. 99-7977 Filed 4-2-99; 8:45 am]
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