Red Rock Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, AZ, Outfitter and Guide Management Plan, 4346-4348 [06-737]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 17 (Thursday, January 26, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4346-4348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-737]


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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 17 / Thursday, January 26, 2006 / 
Notices

[[Page 4346]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Red Rock Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, AZ, Outfitter 
and Guide Management Plan

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Coconino National Forest is proposing to develop an 
Outfitter-Guide Management Plan for the Red Rock Ranger District that 
will serve the public need for outfitting and guide activities in ways 
that protect the area's natural and cultural resources as well as the 
more primitive social settings desired for the National Forest by most 
visitors. The area being considered is limited to the Red Rock Ranger 
District and the scope of the analysis is limited to primarily 
outfitter and guide operations on the ranger district. A few general 
recreation management proposals are being considered when they are 
connected with outfitter and guide activities. Some changes to 
guidelines and objectives in the Coconino National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan direction are also being considered.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
within 30 days of the publication of this Notice of Intent in the 
Federal Register. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
May 2006 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
December 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Outfitter-Guide Team Leader, Red 
Rock Ranger District, PO Box 20249, Sedona, AZ 86341.
    For further information, mail correspondence to: Outfitter-Guide 
Team Leader, Red Rock Ranger District, PO Box 20249, Sedona, AZ 86341.
    More detailed information on this project is also posted on the 
Coconino National Forest Web site at: https://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino 
link is under NEPA/EFOIA

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Stafford, Recreation Staff, 
Red Rock Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, USDA Forest 
Service, telephone (928) 203-7529, see address above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Purpose and Need for this project relates to the unique 
character of the Red Rock Ranger District's landscape, particularly 
around the Sedona, Arizona community. It is attracting increasing 
numbers of people; including many visitors who look to outfitter-guides 
to assist them have a safe, enjoyable, and learning experience on the 
National Forest. Additionally an ever increasing number of people 
living and working nearby in adjacent communities are also using the 
same National Forest areas. Consequently, the National Forest's natural 
and cultural resources are getting unprecedented pressure (and impact), 
sometimes eliminating, or at least diminishing solitude, natural quiet, 
and the natural appearing landscapes.
    The red rock landscape around Sedona is currently the focus of the 
commercial outfitter-guide services. The Forest Service has issued 
permits to these outfitter-guides because they offer opportunities that 
visitors might not otherwise have. Outfitter-guides provide knowledge, 
skills, and equipment that enhance a visitor's experience or are 
required for safe participation in an activity. For the Forest Service, 
outfitter-guides can assist in the protection of the natural and 
heritage resources (such as ``Leave no trace'', etiquette, and 
interpretation/education) and management of infrastructure.
    During the last 10 years in particular, competition between permit-
holders and potential permit-holders has become evident and continues 
to grow in intensity. The Coconino National Forest Land and Resource 
Management Plan for the area around Sedona, where interest for permits 
is most intense, states that opportunities for additional guided 
services are very limited. Interest in permits for this area currently 
exceeds what the Forest Service has been willing to authorize. 
Compounding this issue is the popularity of the area and visitation 
each year by literally millions of others involved in a similar set of 
activities but without the services of an outfitter. In previous 
analysis and studies for the Forest Plan, Forest users in the Sedona 
area indicated their preference for small group, non-commercial 
activities on the National Forest.
    As activities from commercial and non-commercial activities have 
increased over the years, local residents and neighborhoods have been 
affected. They have developed a high level of interest in outfitter-
guide activities since many of the desirable tour areas on national 
forest lands are within the Sedona-area urban interface. Tour and 
general public use often occurs near private lands and residential 
subdivisions and sometimes adversely impacts these neighborhood areas. 
Additionally, impacts due to high use from both groups of users and 
inadequate maintenance are evident across the landscape. Physical 
impacts include loss of vegetation due to trampling and soil 
compaction, un-planned roads and trails, and rutting affecting water 
quality and soil erosion. Social impacts include reduced quality of 
experience, noise, and dust. These impacts are contrary to the 
direction in the current Forest Plan for the areas around Sedona.
    Areas of the Red Rock Ranger District outside the immediate 
vicinity of Sedona have little outfitter-guide use and offer locations 
and activities that could provide services the public and assist in 
management and protection of the National Forest.
    The focus of this analysis will be to develop an outfitter-guide 
management plan for the Red Rock Ranger District that will serve the 
public need for outfitting and guide activities in ways that protect 
the area's natural and cultural resources as well as the more primitive 
social settings desired for the National Forest by most visitors.

Proposed Action

     The Red Rock Ranger District has been divided into 39 
Recreation use units (RUU's) that reflect vegetation, topography, 
social settings.
     Opportunities for types of outfitter-guide operations have 
been identified for each RUU as well as the need for services in each 
unit. These opportunities would be offered through a competitive 
process in the future if the proposed action is selected. Most of the

[[Page 4347]]

RUU's within 1 mile of the Sedona area will not have new motorized 
opportunities offered.
     New opportunities near Sedona include: public transit, 
mountain biking, weddings, coach/bus tours, metaphysical tours and 
hiking.
     New opportunities in the remainder of the Red Rock Ranger 
District include: tours of selected heritage sites, mountain bike 
tours, scenic touring (i.e., jeeps), ATV tours, rock climbing, 4-wheel 
drive trips, hummer tours, equestrian/trail rides, hiking, hot air 
balloons, backpacking, livestock packing, hunting, geo-caching, 
fishing, river rafting, winter sports and metaphysical tours.
     All outfitter-guide operations will be subject to area-
wide and site specific mitigation measures to protect natural, historic 
and infrastructure resources of the National Forest as well as balance 
use with the general public and experiential objectives.
     Establish local procedures for administration of 
outfitter-guide permits as defined in national policy, including 
priority use commensurate with actual use, adjustments of permitted use 
based on actual use.
     Establish Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) for outfitter 
operations, including a monitoring plan.
     Optimize the availability of Broken Arrow for popular 
outfitter-guide activities and help mitigate impacts to adjacent 
residents and to the National Forest by:
    1. Installation of a night gate with motorized traffic hours of 
daylight to dark.
    2. Requiring private motorized vehicle users to have a ``non-fee'' 
permit.
    3. Setting an annual cap on the historic Pink Jeep Tours permit.
    4. Authorizing additional (new) outfitter-guide services at no more 
than 2 vehicles per day using an annual lottery to select the permit-
holder.
     Optimize the availability of Soldier Pass for popular 
outfitter-guide activities and help mitigate impacts to adjacent 
residents and to the National Forest by:
    1. Requiring private motorized vehicle users to have a ``non-fee'' 
permit.
    2. Reducing the at-one-time 4x4 vehicle limit for outfitter-guides 
from 10 to 3 vehicles.
    3. Increasing the annual cap for outfitter-guide vehicles.
    4. Authorizing additional (new) outfitter-guide services at no more 
than 1 vehicle per day using an annual lottery to select the permit-
holder.
     Optimize the availability of Greasy Spoon and the 
``pipeline'' for popular outfitter-guide activities:
    1. Use an annual lottery to offer and authorize additional 
outfitter-guide services at no more than 2 vehicles per day.
     Address public's interest and need for outfitter-guides 
and address competitive interest in providing outfitter-guide services:
    1. Issue Prospectus to offer new outfitter-guide opportunities 
throughout the ranger district.
    2. Issue Temporary Permits for the first 5 years to the successful 
applicants. Make priority use permits with a 5-year Term available 
after 5 years if the LAC monitoring supports continuation of the 
outfitter-guide service.
    3. Make Permits, with standard/pre-defined Terms and Conditions, 
available to wedding planners on demand (across the counter) as long as 
LAC monitoring supports. Adjust Terms and Conditions and availability 
of Permits commensurate with LAC monitoring.
    4. Designate group (60 or less participants) recreation event sites 
and make permits with preset Terms and Conditions available on-demand 
(across the counter) on a first-come, first serve basis. (Designated 
sites are also appropriate for non-commercial group activities, i.e. 75 
or more people for personal wedding activities or reunions.)
    5. Annually accept Proposals for institutional outfitter-guide 
activities. Make 1-Year Temporary Permits available with preset and 
other (based on Proposal and LAC monitoring) Terms and Conditions if 
LAC monitoring supports.
     Mitigate impacts to natural and cultural resources on the 
National Forest:
    1. Include terms and conditions in all outfitter-guide permits that 
relate to vehicle use of roads, noise mitigation, permit 
identification, wet weather procedures, Leave No Trace principles, 
Forest closures and restrictions, First Aid and CPR, land stewardship 
tasks, regulation violation notification, wildlife mitigation, weed 
control and riparian protection.
    2. Include terms and conditions a part of all outfitter-guide 
permits for Wilderness areas that all Wilderness activities must be 
wilderness dependent, limit group size provide Leave No Trace messages 
and preserve Wilderness values.
     Address the issue of business growth:
    1. Manage unallocated opportunities as a ``reserve'' for 
``temporary'' use and business growth potential. Accept Proposals for 
temporary use authorization for business growth regularly under 
specified conditions.

Responsible Official

    District Ranger, Red Rock Ranger District is the responsible 
official related to decision on issuance of permits and outfitter-guide 
uses of National Forest. There is potential for some minor decisions 
that will result in changes to the Coconino National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan. Nora Rasure, Coconino National Forest 
Supervisor, is the responsible official for any decision related to 
amendments to the Coconino National Forest Land and Resource Plan.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    This decision is intended to determine the locations, limitations, 
management and terms of outfitter-guide permits and opportunities on 
the Red Rock Ranger District for the next 5-10 years. There are some 
decisions that may result in changes to general public recreation use 
as they relate to outfitter-guide activities and locations. A few 
decisions may result in changes to recreation use guidance and 
objectives in the Coconino National Forest Land and Resource Plan such 
as recreation opportunity spectrum.

Scoping Process

    Public participation will be especially important at several points 
during the analysis. The Forest Service will be seeking information, 
comments and assistance from the Federal, State, and local agencies and 
other individuals or organizations that may be interested in or 
affected by the proposed action. Public comment will be accepted 30 
days following the printing of this Notice in the Federal Register. The 
Red Rock Ranger District is sending out letters with an executive 
summary of the proposed action to a mailing list of parties who have 
expressed interest in these activities asking for comments on the 
proposals. In addition, news releases announcing the proposal and 
public open house meeting were sent to media resources in northern 
Arizona. The Open House Public Meeting is scheduled for February 9, 
2006, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 110 Airport Road in Sedona, 
Arizona. Information related to the proposed action and 
interdisciplinary specialists will be present to answer questions about 
the proposal and the public will be able to provide comments at this 
meeting. Comments may also be submitted as described above before or 
after the meeting. The Draft EIS is expected to be published in May 
2006 and a Notice of Availability will be published in the Federal 
Register at the time it is available for public review and

[[Page 4348]]

comment. The final EIS and decision is expected in December 2006. 
Public questions and comments regarding this proposal are an integral 
part of the environmental analysis process. Comments will be used to 
identify issues and develop alternatives to this proposal. To assist 
the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues and concerns 
on the proposed action, comments should be as specific as possible.

Preliminary Issues

    A. Long standing outfitter guide operators have not received 5-year 
term or priority use permits.
    B. Levels of authorized outfitter-guide use (too much commercial 
use for some and not enough opportunities for others) and limits on the 
number of permits in the popular and highly marketable tourist 
locations: such as, Broken Arrow, Soldier Pass, Greasy Spoon, Honanki, 
etc.
    C. The Forest Service has not authorized increased opportunities 
for existing outfitter-guides with temporary permits.
    D. Sustaining of historic permits, versus adjusting/limiting 
authorizations and opening up new competitive opportunities.
    E. The Forest Service has not issued new outfitter-guide 
authorizations in the greater Sedona area.
    F. Inconsistencies and deficiencies in outfitter-guide quality of 
service and performance.
    G. Demand for group and large community events on the National 
Forest is inconsistent with current emphasis in the Forest Plan.
    H. Lack of permit system for commercial wedding planning and 
operations on the National Forest.
    I. Authorization and management of recreation events, such as size, 
location, type of event, limitations.
    J. Authorization and management of institutional outfitter-guide 
activities.
    K. Inconsistencies between desire of permit holders for unlimited 
business growth and current Forest Plan direction for encounter 
frequencies and limited commercial activities.
    L. Perceived monopoly of business income related to certain 
locations.
    M. Concern related to resource and infrastructure impacts and 
damage from outfitter-guide activities and general recreation use.
    N. Implementation of new regulations.
    O. Some existing outfitter guides allocations are not used and that 
non-use has not been available for others or administered under current 
policy.
    P. Concerns about delay in completing reallocation of existing 
permitted guides.
    Q. Displacement of general public use of area as a result of 
outfitter guide use, (common wedding or large group use locations.)

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Comments should 
be as specific as possible including location of concern area, why the 
concern is important, and data supporting any information considered 
not accurate. Comments should also indicate interest in being included 
on a mailing list for the project with accurate mailing address and 
contact information.
    Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review: A draft environmental impact statement will be 
prepared for comment. The comment period on the draft environmental 
impact statement will be 45 days from the date the Environmental 
Protection Agency 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 
draft environmental impact statements 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 stage but that are not raised 
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement 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 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 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.
    Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, Section 21)

    Dated: January 20, 2006.
Nora B. Rasure,
Forest Supervisor, Coconino Naitonal Forest.
[FR Doc. 06-737 Filed 1-25-06; 8:45 am]
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