Selkirk Mountain Range Winter Travel Plan, Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Bonner and Boundary Counties, ID and Pend Oreille County, WA, 10489-10490 [07-1082]
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10489
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 72, No. 45
Thursday, March 8, 2007
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Selkirk Mountain Range Winter Travel
Plan, Idaho Panhandle National
Forests, Bonner and Boundary
Counties, ID and Pend Oreille County,
WA
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement.
AGENCY:
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will
prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to document and
disclose the potential environmental
effects of a proposed winter travel plan
for the Selkirk Mountain Range on the
Bonners Ferry, Priest Lake and
Sandpoint Ranger Districts, Idaho
Panhandle National Forests (IPNF). The
Selkirk Mountain Range is located
immediately northwest of Sandpoint,
Idaho. The geographic area for this
travel plan is defined as the National
Forest System lands on the INPF that
are bounded by US Highway 2 on the
south, the Pend Oreille Divide on the
west, the international border with
Canada on the north, and US Highway
95 on the east. The proposal was
designed using science from
assessments including the Situation
Summary and Management Strategy for
caribou and winter recreation prepared
by the IPNF in 2004. The proposal will
result in a Selkirk Mountain Range
winter travel plan reflecting designated
areas and routes of travel, and
applicable restrictions and types of use
for each route or area by:
(1) Responding to court direction
relating to winter recreation use within
the woodland caribou recovery area.
(2) Adapting management actions and
land uses to changed information and
conditions in wildlife management,
particularly for threatened, endangered
and sensitive species.
(3) Providing for public access and
motorized winter recreation travel in the
Selkirk Mountain Range considering
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:53 Mar 07, 2007
Jkt 211001
both the quantity and quality of
opportunities provided.
(4) Establishing objectives and/or
restrictions to prevent and/or correct
any unacceptable resource impacts that
are occurring.
Activities would include: (1)
Developing a winter motorized travel
plan for public access and recreation
use considering both the quantity and
quality of experiences provided, in
balance with resource management
objectives, (2) identifying the types of
use and restrictions associated with
each resource management objective,
and (3) developing a new travel map
reflecting winter motorized use,
designated areas and routes of travel,
and applicable restrictions and types of
use for each route or area. Specifically
the proposal will allow winter
motorized travel on 46 miles of
designated routes, 90,028 acres will be
closed to winter motorized use based on
existing yearlong closures, 13,639 acres
would be closed seasonally to winter
motorized use from 4/1 until 6/30, and
40,404 acres would be added as closed
to winter motorized use. Under the
proposal the remaining 434,760 acres of
National Forest Lands within the project
area would be open to winter motorized
use.
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests
in Bonner and Boundary Counties,
Idaho and Pend Oreille County,
Washington will administer these
activities. The EIS will tier to the Idaho
Panhandle National Forests Forest Plan.
(September 1987).
DATES: Comments should be postmarked
within 30 days after publication of this
notice. Please include your name and
address and the name of the project you
are commenting on.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments
and suggestions on the proposed
management activities or request to be
placed on the project mailing list by
writing to: Selkirk Mountains Winter
Travel Plan, Attn: Greg Hetzler,
Sandpoint Ranger District, 1500 Hwy 2,
Suite 110, Sandpoint, ID 83864.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg
Hetzler, Project Team Leader, Sandpoint
Ranger District at 208–263–5111 or by
e-mail at ghetzler@fs.fed.us.
Comments received in response to
this solicitation, including names and
addresses of those who comment, will
be considered part of the public record
on this proposed action and will be
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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 part 215. 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. For persons requesting
such confidentiality, it 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 10 days.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: More
information about the Selkirk Mountain
Range Winter Travel Plan can be found
on the internet at https://www.fs.fed.us/
ipnf/kaniksu/wintertravelplan/. The
purpose of the EIS will be to analyze
and disclose a range of appropriate
winter motorized recreational
opportunities, while ensuring that these
recreational activities are in an
appropriate setting and do not impair or
irreparably harm national forest
resources or values. Alternatives to be
considered in the EIS will respond to
the purpose and need. Specifically, the
Forest Service will include alternatives
allowing varying amounts and types of
winter motorized use. Major issues to be
addressed in the EIS include the
environmental effects of motorized
winter use on wildlife, providing
appropriate levels and types of
motorized use, visitor experience, and
socioeconomics.
Two periods are specifically
designated for comments on this
analysis: (1) During the scoping period
which is 30 days from the date of this
notice in the Federal Register and (2)
during the draft EIS comment period. In
accordance with 36 CFR 215.5, as
published in the Federal Register,
Volume 68 No. 107, June 4, 2003, the
draft EIS comment period will be the
designated time in which comments
will be considered. The mailing list for
this project will include those
individuals who have expressed interest
E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM
08MRN1
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
10490
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 45 / Thursday, March 8, 2007 / Notices
in this project as well as adjacent
landowners and those responding to
this NOI or to the Idaho Panhandle
National Forests Quarterly Schedule of
Proposed Actions. In addition, the
public is encouraged to contact or visit
with Forest Service officials during the
analysis and prior to the decision. The
Forest Service will continue to seek
information, comments, and assistance
from Federal, Tribal, State, and local
agencies and other individuals or
organizations that may be interested in
or affected by the proposed actions. The
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
will be consulted concerning any effects
to threatened and endangered species.
The agency invites written comments
and suggestions on this action,
particularly in terms of identification of
issues and alterative development.
Comments from the public and other
agencies will be used in preparation of
the Draft EIS to identify potential issues
and concerns, potential alternatives to
the proposed action and to promote
communications with members of the
public or other agencies. The draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS)
will be field with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and made
available for public review in the
summer of 2007. The final
environmental impact statement is
expected to be completed in winter of
2008. 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 review
of the proposal so that it is meaningful
and alerts and 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
statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final
environmental 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 comments and
objections are made available to the
Forest Service at a time when it can
meaningfully consider them and
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:53 Mar 07, 2007
Jkt 211001
respond to them in the final
environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in
identifying and considering issues
related to 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.
The United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) prohibits
discrimination in its programs on the
basis of race, color, national origin, sex,
religion, age, disability, political beliefs,
and marital or familial status. (Not all
prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means of communication of
program information (braille, large
print, audiotape, etc.) should contact
USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–
2600 (voice and TDD). To file a
complaint, write the Secretary of
Agriculture, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250, or
call 1–800–245–6340 (voice) or 202–
720–1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal
employment opportunity employer.
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests
Supervisor is the Deciding Officer on
this project. The decision will be made
after considering comments and
responses, environmental consequences
discussed in the Final EIS, and
applicable laws, regulations and
policies. The decision and supporting
reasons will be documented in a Record
of Decision upon release of the Final
EIS.
Dated: March 2, 2007.
Ranotta K. McNair,
Forest Supervisor, Idaho Panhandle National
Forests.
[FR Doc. 07–1082 Filed 3–7–07; 8:45 am]
SUMMARY: The Roadless Area
Conservation National Advisory
Committee (RACNAC) will meet in
Washington, DC. The purpose of the
meeting is to discuss the status of the
state specific rulemaking for inventoried
roadless area management in the State
of Idaho and to discuss temporary roads
and other related issues.
DATES: The meeting will be held March
28 and March 29, 2007, from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m. each day.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Forest Service’s Yates Building at
201 14th Street, SW., Washington, DC
20250.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jessica Call, RACNAC Coordinator, at
jessicacall@fs.fed.us or (202) 205–1056,
USDA Forest Service, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., Mailstop
1104, Washington, DC 20250.
Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern
Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
meeting is open to the public and
interested parties are invited to attend;
building security requires you to
provide your name to the RACNAC
Coordinator (contact information listed
above) by March 23, 2007. You will
need photo identification to enter the
building.
While meeting discussion is limited
to Forest Service staff and Committee
members, the public will be allowed to
offer written and oral comments for the
Committee’s consideration. Attendees
wishing to comment orally will be
allotted a specific amount of time to
speak during a public comment period
at the end of the first day’s agenda. To
offer oral comment, please contact the
RACNAC Coordinator at the contact
number above.
Dated: March 2, 2007.
Gloria Manning,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest
System.
[FR Doc. E7–4143 Filed 3–7–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
BILLING CODE 3410–11–M
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Forest Service
Roadless Area Conservation National
Advisory Committee
AGENCY:
ACTION:
PO 00000
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of meeting.
Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Sfmt 4703
Earth Resources Inc.; Notice of
Finding of No Significant Impact
Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
Notice of finding of no
significant impact.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM
08MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 45 (Thursday, March 8, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10489-10490]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-1082]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 45 / Thursday, March 8, 2007 /
Notices
[[Page 10489]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Selkirk Mountain Range Winter Travel Plan, Idaho Panhandle
National Forests, Bonner and Boundary Counties, ID and Pend Oreille
County, WA
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to document and disclose the potential environmental
effects of a proposed winter travel plan for the Selkirk Mountain Range
on the Bonners Ferry, Priest Lake and Sandpoint Ranger Districts, Idaho
Panhandle National Forests (IPNF). The Selkirk Mountain Range is
located immediately northwest of Sandpoint, Idaho. The geographic area
for this travel plan is defined as the National Forest System lands on
the INPF that are bounded by US Highway 2 on the south, the Pend
Oreille Divide on the west, the international border with Canada on the
north, and US Highway 95 on the east. The proposal was designed using
science from assessments including the Situation Summary and Management
Strategy for caribou and winter recreation prepared by the IPNF in
2004. The proposal will result in a Selkirk Mountain Range winter
travel plan reflecting designated areas and routes of travel, and
applicable restrictions and types of use for each route or area by:
(1) Responding to court direction relating to winter recreation use
within the woodland caribou recovery area.
(2) Adapting management actions and land uses to changed
information and conditions in wildlife management, particularly for
threatened, endangered and sensitive species.
(3) Providing for public access and motorized winter recreation
travel in the Selkirk Mountain Range considering both the quantity and
quality of opportunities provided.
(4) Establishing objectives and/or restrictions to prevent and/or
correct any unacceptable resource impacts that are occurring.
Activities would include: (1) Developing a winter motorized travel
plan for public access and recreation use considering both the quantity
and quality of experiences provided, in balance with resource
management objectives, (2) identifying the types of use and
restrictions associated with each resource management objective, and
(3) developing a new travel map reflecting winter motorized use,
designated areas and routes of travel, and applicable restrictions and
types of use for each route or area. Specifically the proposal will
allow winter motorized travel on 46 miles of designated routes, 90,028
acres will be closed to winter motorized use based on existing yearlong
closures, 13,639 acres would be closed seasonally to winter motorized
use from 4/1 until 6/30, and 40,404 acres would be added as closed to
winter motorized use. Under the proposal the remaining 434,760 acres of
National Forest Lands within the project area would be open to winter
motorized use.
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests in Bonner and Boundary
Counties, Idaho and Pend Oreille County, Washington will administer
these activities. The EIS will tier to the Idaho Panhandle National
Forests Forest Plan. (September 1987).
DATES: Comments should be postmarked within 30 days after publication
of this notice. Please include your name and address and the name of
the project you are commenting on.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions on the proposed
management activities or request to be placed on the project mailing
list by writing to: Selkirk Mountains Winter Travel Plan, Attn: Greg
Hetzler, Sandpoint Ranger District, 1500 Hwy 2, Suite 110, Sandpoint,
ID 83864.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Hetzler, Project Team Leader,
Sandpoint Ranger District at 208-263-5111 or by e-mail at
ghetzler@fs.fed.us.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, 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 part 215.
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. For
persons requesting such confidentiality, it 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 10
days.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: More information about the Selkirk Mountain
Range Winter Travel Plan can be found on the internet at https://
www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/kaniksu/wintertravelplan/. The purpose of the EIS
will be to analyze and disclose a range of appropriate winter motorized
recreational opportunities, while ensuring that these recreational
activities are in an appropriate setting and do not impair or
irreparably harm national forest resources or values. Alternatives to
be considered in the EIS will respond to the purpose and need.
Specifically, the Forest Service will include alternatives allowing
varying amounts and types of winter motorized use. Major issues to be
addressed in the EIS include the environmental effects of motorized
winter use on wildlife, providing appropriate levels and types of
motorized use, visitor experience, and socioeconomics.
Two periods are specifically designated for comments on this
analysis: (1) During the scoping period which is 30 days from the date
of this notice in the Federal Register and (2) during the draft EIS
comment period. In accordance with 36 CFR 215.5, as published in the
Federal Register, Volume 68 No. 107, June 4, 2003, the draft EIS
comment period will be the designated time in which comments will be
considered. The mailing list for this project will include those
individuals who have expressed interest
[[Page 10490]]
in this project as well as adjacent landowners and those responding to
this NOI or to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests Quarterly Schedule
of Proposed Actions. In addition, the public is encouraged to contact
or visit with Forest Service officials during the analysis and prior to
the decision. The Forest Service will continue to seek information,
comments, and assistance from Federal, Tribal, State, and local
agencies and other individuals or organizations that may be interested
in or affected by the proposed actions. The United States Fish and
Wildlife Service will be consulted concerning any effects to threatened
and endangered species. The agency invites written comments and
suggestions on this action, particularly in terms of identification of
issues and alterative development.
Comments from the public and other agencies will be used in
preparation of the Draft EIS to identify potential issues and concerns,
potential alternatives to the proposed action and to promote
communications with members of the public or other agencies. The draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS) will be field with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and made available for public
review in the summer of 2007. The final environmental impact statement
is expected to be completed in winter of 2008. 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 review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and
alerts and 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 statement stage but that are not raised until after
completion of the final environmental 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 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
related to 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.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits
discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital
or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of
communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape,
etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and
TDD). To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250, or call 1-800-245-6340
(voice) or 202-720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity
employer.
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests Supervisor is the Deciding
Officer on this project. The decision will be made after considering
comments and responses, environmental consequences discussed in the
Final EIS, and applicable laws, regulations and policies. The decision
and supporting reasons will be documented in a Record of Decision upon
release of the Final EIS.
Dated: March 2, 2007.
Ranotta K. McNair,
Forest Supervisor, Idaho Panhandle National Forests.
[FR Doc. 07-1082 Filed 3-7-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M