[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 152 (Monday, August 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43142-43144]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20378]
[[Page 43142]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Revised Land and Resource Management Plan, Caribou National
Forest, ID
AGENCY: Forest Service.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
in conjunction with revision of the Land and Resource Management Plan
for the Caribou National Forest, located in Bannock, Bear Lake,
Bingham, Bonneville, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida, and Power counties,
Idaho; Box Elder and Cache counties, Utah; and Lincoln County, Wyoming.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement in conjunction with a revision of the
Land and Resource Management Plan (hereinafter referred to as Forest
Plan) for the Caribou National Forest.
This notice describes the needs ``for change'' identified to date
in the current Forest Plan to be revised, 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. The purpose of the notice is to begin the scoping phase of
public involvement in the revision process.
DATES: Comments concerning the intent to prepared a revised Forest Plan
should be received in writing by October 2, 1999. The agency expects to
file a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in the Spring of 2000 and a
Final Environmental Impact Statement in the Spring of 2001.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Jerry Reese, Forest Supervisor,
Caribou National Forest, 250 South 4th Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho 83201.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Oakes, Planning Team Leader,
Caribou National Forest (208) 236-7500.
Responsible official: Jack Blackwell, Intermountain Regional
Forester, at 324 25th Street, Ogden, UT 84401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to part 36 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) 219.10(f) and (g), the Regional Forester for the
Intermountain Region gives notice of the agency's intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for the revision of the Caribou National
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. According to 36 CFR
219.10(g), Land and Resource Management Plans shall ordinarily be
revised on a 10- to 15-year cycle. The existing Forest Plan for the
Caribou National Forest was approved on September 27, 1985.
The Regional Forester gives notice that the Caribou National Forest
is beginning an environmental analysis and decision-making process for
the proposed programmatic action to revise the Caribou Forest Plan.
Opportunities will be provided to discuss the Forest Plan revision with
the public. The public is invited to help identify issues that will be
considered in defining the range of alternatives in the Environmental
Impact Statement.
Forest plans describe the long-term direction for managing National
Forests. Agency decisions in these plans do the following:
Establish multiple-use goals and objectives (36 CFR
219.11);
Establish forest-wide management requirements (standards
and guidelines);
Establish management areas and management area direction
through the application of management prescriptions;
Identify lands not suited for timber production (36 CFR
219.3);
Establish monitoring and evaluation requirements; and
Recommend areas for official designation of wilderness.
The authorization of project-level activities on the Forest occurs
through project, or site-specific, decision-making. Project-level
decisions must comply with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
procedures and must include a determination that the project is
consistent with the Forest Plan.
Linkage to the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project
The northern portion of the Caribou National Forest is within the
area of land covered by the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem
Management Project (ICBEMP). Two sources of information from the ICBEMP
will influence the development of the Forest Plan: (1) The integrated
science assessment and (2) the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem
Management Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (ICBEMP FEIS)
and Record of Decision.
The integrated science assessments contain information that provide
context at a broad, multiple-state area scale. The information on
forestlands, rangelands, aquatic and hydrologic integrity, ecosystem
pathways and disturbance patterns, and the current and projected
conditions of fish, wildlife and plant species were used to help
identify need for change topics. This information will continue to be
used in defining the extent of the need for change and in the
development and evaluation of alternatives for the Revised Forest Plan.
The other primary document that will influence this revision is the
ICBEMP FEIS. The Draft EIS was issued for public comments in June 1997,
and a final document is expected in Spring 2000. This document, which
incorporates the results of the science assessments, will amend
portions of the Forest Plan when the Record of Decision is issued. This
amendment will establish new goals, desired range of future conditions,
objectives and standards for management for that portion of the Forest
within the ICBEMP assessment area. This amendment will simplify the
scope of the planning effort, but will not replace the need for the
revision of these reasons.
The ICBEMP effort is at a much broader scale. The
application of the information and decisions will need to be refined
for the Forest-level scale.
The ICBEMP will provide some standards that are only to be
used until such time as better local standards are developed. The
planning effort will refine these standards to local conditions.
The ICBEMP FEIS will not provide all of the analysis or
decisions required by the National Forest Management Act regulations.
The planning effort will need to evaluate land allocations, timber
suitability, wilderness recommendations and other factors that the
ICBEMP did not address.
The Ecosystem Management Goals from ICBEMP will provide a
framework for Forest planning that merges science and ecosystem
capability with societal values to help make choices about dynamic
systems on the Forest. These overarching forest-wide goals will be the
ecological centerpiece for Plan revision.
Need for Change in the Current Forest Plan
The Forest completed two monitoring reports, one in 1992 and a
second in 1997. The results for the monitoring reports, in addition to
public input and Forest Plan implementation experience, indicated that
there is a need for change in some management direction in the Forest
Plan. Several sources were used in determining the need changes in the
current Forest Plan. These sources include:
Public comments concerning implementation of current
direction;
Findings from the two Forest Plan monitoring reports;
Regulatory, manual, and handbook requirements;
Forest Service Natural Resource Agenda, 1998;
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Draft 1995 Resources Planning Act (RPA) Program;
New Information, such as the Interior Columbia Basin
Ecosystem Management Project scientific assessment and other research,
and
Public comments received regarding the findings in the
Initial Analysis of the Management Situation.
Initial Analysis of the Management Situation
In April, 1999, the Caribou National Forest published an Initial
Analysis of the Management Situation (Initial AMS). The Initial AMS
summarized the current management and resource conditions of the
Forest, proposed a desired range of future conditions for forest
resources, and disclosed significant ``needs for change'' forest
managers and resource specialists identified. The Initial AMS was
mailed to more than 500 interested individuals, non-government
organizations, city, county, state and other federal agencies. Public
comments were encouraged regarding the findings disclosed in the
Initial AMS. As a result of the analysis of the comments received, the
Forest Supervisor has determined the public has identified additional
``needs for change'' that will be included in the revision of the
Forest Plan. The ``needs for change'' topics, along with preliminary
proposed programmatic actions, include:
1. Timberland Suitability and Wilderness Recommendations
A reassessment of timberland suitability will be
conducted.
All inventoried roadless areas on the Forest will be
reevaluated for possible wilderness recommendation.
2. Aquatic and Riparian Resources
Develop goals, objectives, standards and guidelines and
monitoring strategies for the management of riparian and aquatic
ecosystems.
3. Economic and Social Concerns
Changes in Forest management may have social and economic
effects. During the analysis, effects on local, regional and national
entities, agencies and Tribes will be assessed, considered and
disclosed.
4. Fire Management
Develop goals, objectives, standards, guidelines and
monitoring requirements for the use of prescribed fire and wildfire for
resource benefit to improve ecosystem health and reduce the risk of
uncharacteristically large or intense fires.
5. Minerals Development
Incorporate new best management practices or other new
information as they are developed or become available to address
selenium releases into the environment.
Develop improved goals, objectives, standards and
guidelines to address reclamation of land disturbed by mineral
development.
6. Noxious Weeds
Develop improved multi-program goals, objectives,
standards, guides and monitoring strategies for prevention, containment
and control of noxious weeds.
7. Rangeland Resources
Evaluate rangeland capability and reassess areas suitable
for livestock grazing through the application of management
prescriptions.
Develop standards and guidelines, including forage
utilization standards for native range and seeded areas. Monitoring
protocols that will promote adaptive management will also be included.
8. Recreation/Travel Management
Establish open road and motorized trail density levels and
determine which areas will be designated open to off road motorized
use.
9. Special Management Areas
Develop management direction to protect the outstandingly
remarkable values of St. Charles Creek and Elk Valley Marsh, areas
previously determined to be eligible for study under the Wild and
Scenic Rives Act. A suitability study will not be completed as a part
of this effort.
Develop direction to provide for consistent management of
all eight RNAs on the Forest. Include direction for the use of
prescribed fire and wildfire for resource benefit as appropriate to
meet the objectives for which the RNA was established.
10. Vegetation (Forestlands and Rangelands)
Develop improve management direction for desired
vegetation structure, composition, disturbance and patterns for each
cover type which could include restoring historic fire regimes through
prescribed fire or allowing wildfires to burn under appropriate
conditions, harvest or thinning of dense stands to reduce ladder fuels.
11. Wildlife Habitat
Develop management direction to conserve or restore key
wildlife, fish and rare habitats including those species federally
listed under the Endangered Species Act, those identified as sensitive
by the Regional Forester, and those identified as rare or scarce
species. This will also include monitoring for habitat trends.
More detailed information on the ``need for change'' topics is
available upon request at the address displayed above.
Framework for Alternatives To Be Considered
Through a range of alternatives economic and social community
stability will be considered in revising the Forest Plan. The
alternatives will address different options to resolve the issues
identified in the revision topics listed above. Alternatives must meet
the purpose and need for revision to be considered valid. One of the
alternatives to be examined is the ``no-action alternative.'' This is a
required alternative that represents continuation of management under
the 1985 Forest Plan, as amended. Alternatives are developed in
response to public issues, management concerns, and resource
opportunities identified during the scoping process. In describing
alternatives, desired vegetation and resource condtions will be
defined.
Involving the Public
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) The Forest Service is also looking for collaborative approaches
with members of the public who are interested in forest management.
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 notice, and public involvement
opportunities will be offered at various locations. Public
participation activities may include written comments, open houses,
focus groups and collaborative forums.
Public participation will be sought throughout the revision process
and will be especially important at several points along the way. The
first formal opportunity to comment is during the scoping process (40
CFR 1501.7). Public meets will be arranged locally. Specific dates,
times and locations of meetings will be identified at a later date. The
public will be notified at that time.
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Release and Review of the EIS
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is expected to be
filed with the Environmental protection Agency (EPA) and to be
available for public comment in the Spring of 2000. At that time, the
EPA will publish a notice of availability in the Federal Register. The
comment period on the Draft EIS will be at least 90 days from the date
the EPA publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register,
as required by the planning regulations.
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 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 DEIS stage but are not raised until after
completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (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 objectives 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 programmatic actions, 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 statement.
Comments may also address the adequacy of the Draft EIS or the merits
of the alternatives formulated and discussed in the statements.
Reviewers may wish to refer to the Counsel 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 Draft EIS, comments will be
analyzed, considered, and responded to by the Forest Service in
preparing the Final EIS. The Final EIS is scheduled to be completed in
the Spring of 2001. The responsible official will consider the
comments, responses, and environmental consequences discussed in the
Final EIS, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies in making
decisions regarding the revision. The responsible official will
document the decisions and reasons for the decisions in a Record of
Decision for the revised plan. The decisions will be subject to appeal
in accordance with 36 CFR part 217. Jack A. Blackwell, Intermountain
Regional Forester, is the responsible official for this EIS.
Dated: August 3, 1999.
Jerry B. Reese,
Forest Supervisor, Caribou National Forest.
[FR Doc. 99-20378 Filed 8-6-99; 8:45 am]
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