Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the North Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project, 7060-7061 [E6-1869]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management
• Land Management Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 28 (Friday, February 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7060-7061]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1869]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR-027-1110-JM-H2KO; G-05-0219]


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for the North Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, and the 
Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000, the 
BLM has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement to analyze and 
undertake the North Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project. The proposed 
project area lies within the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and 
Protection Area, designated by the Steens Mountain Cooperative 
Management and Protection Act of 2000, and the Andrews Management Unit, 
lands outside the boundary of the Cooperative Management and Protection 
Area but within the boundary of the Andrews Resource Area. The project 
is located in Harney County, Oregon, and affects approximately 336,000 
acres of public and private lands.
    The Draft Environmental Impact Statement evaluates five alternative 
management approaches including two No Action (continuation of current 
management and no treatment) Alternatives.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
will be accepted for 45 days following publication of the Environmental 
Protection Agency's Notice of Availability for this Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement in the Federal Register. Future public meetings and 
any other public involvement activities will be announced in advance 
through notices, media news releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES/COMMENTS: Written comments should be sent to North Steens 
Ecosystem Restoration Project Environmental Impact Statement Lead, BLM 
Burns District Office, 28910, Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738; 
(541) 573-4543; fax (541) 573-4411; or e-mail (ornseis@blm.gov). 
Comments, including names, street addresses, and other contact 
information of respondents, will be available for public review. 
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to 
request that BLM consider withholding your name, street address, and 
other contact information such as internet address, fax or phone number 
from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information 
Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. 
The BLM will honor requests for confidentiality on a case-by-case basis 
to the extent allowed by law. The BLM will make available for public 
inspection in their entirety all submissions from organizations or 
businesses and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses.
    Copies of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be sent to 
affected Federal, Tribal, State and local government agencies, and to 
interested publics and will be available at the BLM Burns District 
Office. The supporting

[[Page 7061]]

record for the analysis for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is 
available for inspection at the BLM Burns District Office during normal 
business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except 
holidays).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have 
your name added to our mailing list, contact Douglas Linn (541) 573-
4543 at the BLM Burns District Office.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The North Steens Ecosystem Restoration 
Project is a landscape-level project proposing to utilize a combination 
of western juniper treatments (mechanical and nonmechanical methods) 
and wildland (prescribed and natural) fire to treat fuels and to 
restore habitat. Implementation of the project would reduce the 
increased influence of western juniper and related fuels in mountain 
big sagebrush, low sagebrush, quaking aspen, mountain mahogany, old 
growth juniper (established before 1870), and riparian plant 
communities.
    Section 113(c) of the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and 
Protection Act of 2000 states, ``The Secretary shall emphasize the 
restoration of the historic fire regime in the Cooperative Management 
and Protection Area and the resulting native vegetation communities 
through active management of western juniper on a landscape level. 
Management measures shall include the use of natural and prescribed 
burning.''
    The Resource Management Plans for the Steens Mountain Cooperative 
Management and Protection Area and the Andrews Management Unit contain 
overall direction and guidance for proposed management actions such as 
those analyzed in the North Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project 
Environmental Impact Statement. Management actions analyzed include 
seeding of native species, reduction of western juniper (established 
before 1870), fencing, and management of wildland fire.
    Preliminary issues and management concerns were identified by BLM 
and through public scoping. Major issues addressed in the Environmental 
Impact Statement include management of woodlands, rangeland vegetation, 
Steens Mountain Wilderness, wilderness study areas, wild and scenic 
river corridors, wildlife habitat, special status species, wildland 
fire/fuels, recreation, cultural resources, noxious weeds, water 
quality, aquatic resources, fisheries, biological soil crusts, and 
social and economic values. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
considered American Indian traditional practices.
    Cooperating agencies having specific expertise or interests in the 
project were invited to participate. The public and interest groups 
also participated and will continue to have every opportunity to 
participate during formal comment periods. The public and interest 
groups will also have opportunities for participation through the 
regularly scheduled Steens Mountain Advisory Council meetings.
    The Draft Environmental Impact Statement contains five 
alternatives. The Continuation of Current Management No Action 
Alternative does not propose any increase above current levels of 
western juniper management or fuels reduction within the North Steens 
Ecosystem Restoration Project area. Private lands could still be 
treated according to landowner management objectives. Management of 
naturally occurring wildland fires would still occur in the North 
Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project area under this alternative, but 
management would be for purposes of restoring natural fire to the 
Cooperative Management and Protection Area.
    The No Treatment No Action Alternative does not propose any fuels 
reduction through western juniper treatments. This alternative is not 
consistent with the Andrews Management Unit or Steens Mountain 
Cooperative Management and Protection Area Resource Management Plan 
direction. This alternative does not meet the objectives of the North 
Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project but is analyzed for purposes of 
effect analysis and comparison. Under this alternative, encroaching 
juniper would not be managed in the North Steens Ecosystem Restoration 
Project area. Natural wildland fires would still occur in the project 
area and would be managed in a manner consistent with the Resource 
Management Plans and the BLM Burns District's Fire Management Plan.
    The Partial Landscape Alternative proposes active fuels reduction 
and juniper management on private and public lands outside of 
wilderness, wilderness study areas, and wild and scenic river 
corridors. Management of naturally occurring wildland fires would still 
occur in the aforementioned areas under this alternative.
    The Limited Landscape Alternative incorporates many of the 
description and features of the Partial Landscape Alternative. 
Management of naturally occurring wildland fires would occur in 
wilderness, wilderness study areas, and wild and scenic river corridor 
areas under this alternative and would include the use of prescribed 
wildland fire for western juniper management and fuels reduction and 
restoration of natural fire regimes.
    The Full Landscape Alternative incorporates many of the description 
and features of the Partial Landscape Alternative and Limited Landscape 
Alternatives. The Full Landscape Alternative proposes active, 
landscape-level, western juniper management and fuels reduction on 
private and public lands including wilderness, wilderness study areas, 
and wild and scenic river corridors. Management of naturally occurring 
wildland fires would occur in the aforementioned areas under this 
alternative. Management could include the use of prescribed wildland 
fire, nonmotorized hand tools and nonmechanized transportation for 
western juniper management and fuels reduction. Additional treatment 
methods, including the use of other tools following publication of a 
minimum requirement decision guide, could be considered after a project 
review occurring on a 3- to 5-year basis.
    Public input during scoping as well as internal scoping identified 
at least 20 issues for analysis in the Environmental Impact Statement. 
These issues are outlined in Chapter 1 of the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement.
    Opportunities for public involvement have included two separate 
public scoping periods. Along with participation by the Steens Mountain 
Advisory Council, the BLM Burns District has worked with Harney County 
Court, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of 
Environmental Quality, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological 
Services, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Eastern Oregon Agricultural 
Research Center, Burns Paiute Tribe, and Harney Soil and Water 
Conservation District.

Dana R. Shuford,
BLM Burns District Manager.
[FR Doc. E6-1869 Filed 2-9-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P