Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, MT; Grizzly Vegetation and Transportation Management Project, 34881-34882 [06-5328]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 116 (Friday, June 16, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34881-34882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-5328]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, MT; Grizzly Vegetation 
and Transportation Management Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of vegetation 
management, fuels reduction, watershed rehabilitation activities, 
wildlife habitat improvement, and access management changes, including 
road decommissioning. The project is located in the Grizzly planning 
subunit on the Three Rivers Ranger District, Kootenai National Forest, 
Lincoln County, Montana, and northeast of Troy, Montana.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received 
by July 17, 2006. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
to be available by February, 2007, and the final environmental impact 
statement is expected by June, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Doug Grupenhoff, Acting District 
Ranger, Three Rivers Ranger District, 1437 N. Hwy 2, Troy, MT 59935. 
Submit electronic comments to bdhiggins@fs.fed.us.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Bruce Higgins, Team Leader at 
559-920-2165.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project area is approximately 18 air 
miles northeast of Troy, Montana, within all or portions of T34N, R32W-
R33W, T35N, R32W-R33w, and T36N, R32W-R33W, Lincoln County, Montana.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The objectives of the Grizzly Vegetation and Transportation 
Management Project are to: (1) Restore healthy diverse forest 
conditions by increasing western white pine and western larch, 
increasing mixed fire regime vegetation characteristics, and enhancing 
aspen habitat; (2) reduce fuel loadings and potential fire hazards by 
thinning dense stands, removing dead and dying lodgepole pine and other 
species, and reintroducing fire into the landscape to reduce conifer 
encroachment; (3) increase grizzly bear habitat and reduce watershed 
resource damage by decommissioning roads, implementing best management 
practices, and abandoning roads not necessary for future management 
access; and (4) produce forest products to contribute towards local and 
regional economies.

Proposed Action

    Vegetation treatments include: Commercial timber harvest of 387 
acers of clearcut with reserves, 168 acres of seed tree with reserves, 
536 acres of commercial thinning, 218 acres of lodgepole salvage, and 
125 acres of aspen release. Approximately 572 acres of existing 
plantations would be precommercial thinned.
    Transportation actions include: Decommissioning 30.0 miles of road, 
abandonment of 17 miles, conversion of 2.4 miles of road to trails, 
putting into storage 20.5 miles of road for grizzly bear habitat needs, 
and applying best management practices to reduce sediment delivery on 
55 miles of road. Approximately 2.7 miles of temporary road would be 
constructed to access

[[Page 34882]]

treatment unit and then decommissioned once activities are completed. 
In response to the final Travel Management Rule, approximately 36 miles 
of road is proposed for designation as open to motorized use by highway 
legal vehicles, and 39 miles of trails proposed for non-motorized use.

Possible Alternatives

    The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of 
these will be the ``no action'' alternative in which none of the 
proposed activities will be implemented. Additional alternatives may 
examine varying levels and locations for the proposed activities to 
achieve the purpose and need, as well as to respond to the issues and 
other resource values.

Responsible Official

    The Responsible official for this project is Paul Bradford, Forest 
Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest, 1101 Highway 2 West, Libby, 
Montana 59923.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The decision to be made includes whether to implement the proposed 
actions, alternatives to the proposed actions, and any design criteria 
or mitigation measures.

Scoping Process

    A scoping package will be sent to all parties that have expressed 
an interest in management activities in the area, as well as those that 
reside within or adjacent to the project area. A legal notice will be 
published in the newspaper of record to notify other interested parties 
of the opportunity for comments. Public meetings will be held if 
interest is expressed by the public.

Preliminary Issues

    Additional opportunities to meet grizzly bear habitat standards may 
be identified to meet total managed road densities. The proposed action 
includes the potential creation of a regeneration opening of 
approximately 118 acres.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process that guides the 
development of the draft environmental impact statement. Comments 
should be received 30 days following publication of this notice to be 
considered in preparation of the DEIS.

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: June 7, 2006.
Thomas Puchlerz,
Acting Forest Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest.
[FR Doc. 06-5328 Filed 6-15-06; 8:45 am]
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