[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 150 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42639-42640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20115]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Quartzite Watershed Management Project, Colville National Forest,
Stevens County, Washington
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Forest Service, USDA, as lead agency, will prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposal to conduct
vegetation and road management, and implement riparian and wetland
management. The Proposed Action will be in compliance with the 1988
Colville National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest
Plan) as amended, which provides the overall guidance for management of
this area. The Proposed Action is within portions of the Thomason
Creek, Sherwood Creek, and Upper Cottonwood Creek drainages on the
Colville Ranger District and is scheduled for implementation in fiscal
year 2001. The Forest Service 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 so interested and
affected people may be able to participate and contribute in the final
decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be
postmarked by September 3, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments and suggestions concerning the
management of this area to Catherine H. Lay, Acting District Ranger,
255 West 11th Kettle Falls, Washington, 99141.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the Proposed Action
and EIS should be directed to Catherine H. Lay, Acting District Ranger,
or to Ed Shaw, Planner, 755 S. Main Street, Colville, Washington 99114
(phone: 509-684-7000).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As a result of ecosystem analysis, the
Colville National Forest is proposing watershed management activities
in the Quartzite Watershed. We recently completed the Quartzite
Ecosystem Analysis, an analysis that considered all lands within the
Thomason, Sherwood, and Upper Cottonwood drainages. One of the key
findings of the analysis is that fire exclusion has changed forest
vegetation. These changes in upland forest density, understory
composition, and tree species have increased forest susceptibility to
insects, disease, drought and atypical fire. The objective of
vegetation management proposals is to improve ecosystem integrity by
moving the vegetation toward the natural range of variation; by
developing forest matrix, patches and corridors that are consistent
with fire landscapes; and by improving the landscape patterns of native
species habitats. A second ecosystem analysis finding is that
vegetation diversity and in-stream fish habitat in low elevation
riparian areas has deteriorated. The objective of riparian and wetland
management is to improve ecosystem integrity by increasing the
diversity of vegetation, and by improving in-stream fish habitat in low
elevation riparian areas. A third ecosystem analysis finding concerns
roads. Forest roads provide access to conduct needed management. The
benefits of forest roads are many. However, the ecosystem analysis
notes that road corridors create habitat for noxious weeds that
displace native plants. They also have introduced change to a variety
of wildlife habitats. The connectiveity of wildlife travel corridors
has been disrupted in many places where roads cross riparian areas. In
addition, road access has fragmented seclusion habitat for large home
range vertebrates. Objectives for road management proposals are to
upgrade, maintain and develop those roads which are necessary for long-
term land management and important to public access, and to eliminate
unneeded roads.
The Proposed Action includes vegetation management using pre-
commercial and commercial thinning and harvest on about 4,600 acres.
Prescribed Fire would be used on up to 6,500 acres. A variety of road
management activities are included. To increase vegetation management
feasibility the proposed action includes 11.5 miles of new road
construction. (The National Forest will develop alternatives to the
proposed action that do not construct new roads.) To improve wildlife
habitat and water quality, 1.25 miles of road will be closed in the
Woodward Meadows area. And to improve public safety, a steep section
(0.25 miles) of the Jay Gould Ridge Road will be closed. In addition,
the proposed action would improve fisheries by applying gravel to roads
and improving road drainage at seven stream crossings. The Proposed
Action also includes 100 acres of riparian and wetland improvement
activities in Woodward Meadows, which is located in the Upper
Cottonwood Creek drainage. These activities include dechanneling
previously channeled streams through the meadow (roughly 2000 feet),
creating pot holes and planting native riparian plants to improve
wildlife habitat.
The projects would be located approximately 2 to 10 miles east of
U.S. Highway 395 near Chewelah, Washington. The Quartzite Watershed
Management Projects are proposed within the Thomason Creek, Sherwood
Creek, and Upper Cottonwood Creek drainages on the Colville Ranger
District. This analysis will evaluate a range of alternatives for
implementation of the project activities. The area being analyzed is
approximately 23,300 acres, of which 10,600 acres are National Forest
System lands. The other ownership areas are included only for analysis
of effects. The breakdown of management emphasis on the National Forest
System Lands is as follows: 2% is for old growth dependent species
habitat; 3% is for recreation; 18% is for big game winter range; 20% is
for scenic/winter range; 20% is for wood/forage; and 37% is for scenic/
timber. The project area does not include any wilderness, RARE II, or
inventoried roadless areas.
Some of the preliminary issues that were identified include:
scenery, water
[[Page 42640]]
quality, road construction, road closures, and timber commodities.
A range of alternatives will be considered, including a no-action
alternative. Based on issues identified to date, alternatives to date,
alternatives to be considered include: (1) The number, sizes, and
locations of areas considered for treatment; (2) the amount of road
constructed for access; (3) the type of harvest and post-harvest
treatments prescribed; and (4) the number, types, and locations of
other integrated resource projects.
Initial scoping began in May, 1999. The scoping process will
include the following: identify and clarify issues; identify key issues
to be analyzed in depth; explore alternatives based on themes which
will be derived from issues recognized during scoping activities; and
identify potential environmental effects of the proposed Action and
alternatives.
A public meeting is planned to be held at the Chewelah Municipal
Building on July 28th 1999, at 5:00 pm. The Forest Service is seeking
information, comments, and assistance from other agencies,
organizations, Indian 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.
Comments received in response to this notice, including names and
addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public
record on this proposed action and will be available for public
inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and
considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments will not have
standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR Parts 215 or
217. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request
the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing
how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality.
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under the
FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very limited
circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service
will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the
request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the
agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the
comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within a
specified number of days.
The draft EIS is to be filed with the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and to be available for public review by March, 2000. At
that time, copies of the draft EIS will be distributed to interested
and affected agencies, organizations, Indian Tribes, and members of the
public for their review and comment. The 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 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 to be available by August, 2000. In the
final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to substantive
comments received during the comment period for the draft EIS. The
responsible official is Colville National Forest Supervisor, Robert L.
Vaught. The responsible official will decide which, if any, of the
alternatives 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 Part 215).
Dated: July 26, 1999.
Robert L. Vaught,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 99-20115 Filed 8-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
