Crescent Ranger District; Deschutes National Forest; Oregon; Three Trails Off Highway Vehicle Project, 8496-8497 [E9-3787]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
8496
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 74, No. 36
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
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.
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
OFFICE
Health Information Technology (HIT)
Policy Committee Nomination Letters
AGENCY: Government Accountability
Office (GAO).
ACTION:
Notice on letters of nomination.
SUMMARY: The American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act)
established the HIT Policy Committee to
make recommendations on the
implementation of a nationwide health
information technology infrastructure to
the National Coordinator for Health
Information Technology, whose office
was also established by the Act. The
HIT Policy Committee consists of at
least 20 members, 13 of which are to be
appointed by the Comptroller General
within 45 days of enactment of the Act.
For appointments to the HIT Policy
Committee that will be made no later
than April 3, 2009, I am announcing the
following: Letters of nomination and
resumes should be submitted by March
6, 2009 to ensure adequate opportunity
for review and consideration of
nominees prior to appointment of
members.
GAO: 441 G Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20548.
ADDRESSES:
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
GAO: Office of Public Affairs, (202)
512–4800. 13101, American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Gene L. Dodaro,
Acting Comptroller General of the United
States.
[FR Doc. E9–3906 Filed 2–24–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1610–02–M
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:09 Feb 24, 2009
Jkt 217001
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Crescent Ranger District; Deschutes
National Forest; Oregon; Three Trails
Off Highway Vehicle Project
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service,
will prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) on a proposed action to
designate an Off Highway Vehicle
(OHV) trail system on the Crescent
Ranger District of the Deschutes
National Forest. In addition, the
proposal would close roads, rehabilitate
unneeded trails, and develop staging
areas within the 77,000-acre project
area. The proposed trail system would
be located on National Forest lands
between Crescent Lake Junction and the
boundary of the Winema National
Forest, west of Crescent, Oregon. The
legal location is Townships 23–26 south
and Ranges 6–9 east, Willamette
Meridian. The analysis area contains
three distinct areas with a focused trail
system that will eventually be
interconnected: Two Rivers, Walker
Mountain, and Crescent Lake Junction.
The alternatives will include the
proposed action, no action, and
additional alternatives that respond to
issues generated through the scoping
process. The agency will give notice of
the full environmental analysis and
decision making process so interested
and affected people may participate and
contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by 30
days following the date that this notice
appears in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Joan Kittrell, Team Leader, Crescent
Ranger District, P.O. Box 208, Crescent,
Oregon 97733, or submit to commentspacificnorthwest-deschutescrescent@fs.fed.us. Please put ‘‘Three
Trails OHV Scoping’’ in the subject line
of your e-mail. You will have another
opportunity for comment when
alternatives have been developed and
the Environmental Impact Statement is
made available.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joan
Kittrell, Team Leader, Crescent Ranger
District, P.O. Box 208, Crescent, Oregon
97733, phone (541) 433–3200.
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Responsible Official: The responsible
official will be John Allen, Deschutes
National Forest Supervisor, 1001 SW
Emkay Drive, Bend, Oregon 97701.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need. The need for this
site-specific proposal is basically a
result of a much larger process all
National Forests are implementing; the
Travel Management Rule. In 2005, the
Forest Service codified a national rule
that prohibits motorized travel off of
designated routes. The Deschutes
National Forest is currently in the
process of developing an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) to display the
environmental effects of implementing
the Travel Management Rule, which is
expected to occur by 2010. Currently,
there are no designated OHV trails on
the Crescent Ranger District. The Three
Trails area is used extensively by off
highway enthusiasts, as demonstrated
by the many user-created trails. They
also utilize other existing roads (closed
and open) which may or may not be
maintained for high clearance vehicles.
Recognizing the effect to the OHV
community once the Travel
Management Rule is implemented, the
Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests
were proactive in identifying
opportunities for a trail system in
sustainable locations. Through a
working group of motorized and nonmotorized participants, three areas were
identified that had potential community
support for a designated trail system.
The Three Trails OHV Project is one of
them.
Proposed Action. Basically, the
proposal would provide approximately
110–130 miles of interlinking trails in
three main areas with associated staging
areas. The trail system would vary in
skill level and density to match the
terrain, design of the staging areas, and
to provide an opportunity for beginner
through advanced riding experiences.
Where redundant access exists, or usercreated trails are in undesired locations
(such as within riparian resources or
desired wildlife habitat), closure and
rehabilitation/restoration would be
performed on 50 miles. To balance the
increase open road/trail density
associated with a designated trail
system, approximately 65 miles of roads
would be closed. A general season of
use would be May 1 through October 31.
Comment. Public comments about
this proposal are requested in order to
E:\FR\FM\25FEN1.SGM
25FEN1
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 36 / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / Notices
assist in identifying issues, determine
how to best manage the resources, and
to focus the analysis. Comments
received to this notice, 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 parts 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. Persons requesting such
confidentiality should be aware that,
under FOIA, confidentiality 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 a specified
number of days.
A draft EIS will be filed with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and available for public review by
Summer 2009. The EPA will publish a
Notice of Availability (NOA) of the draft
EIS in the Federal Register. The final
EIS is scheduled to be available Fall
2009.
The comment period on the draft EIS
will be 45 days from the date the EPA
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 a 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 draft EIS stage but
that are not raised until after completion
of the final EIS may be waived or
dismissed by the courts [City of Angoon
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
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:09 Feb 24, 2009
Jkt 217001
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 action,
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 of 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.
In the final EIS, the Forest Service is
required to respond to comments
received during the comment period for
the draft EIS. The Forest Service is the
lead agency and the responsible official
is the Crescent District Ranger,
Deschutes National Forest. The
responsible official will decide where,
and whether or not to designate a trail
system, staging areas, and close roads.
The responsible official will also decide
how to mitigate impacts of these actions
and will determine when and how
monitoring of effects will take place.
The Three Trails OHV Project
decision and the reasons for the
decision will be documented in the
Record of Decision. That decision will
be subject to Forest Service Appeal
Regulations (35 CFR Part 215).
John Allen,
Deschutes National Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E9–3787 Filed 2–24–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–M
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Tonka Timber Sale Project
Environmental Impact Statement
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) on a proposal to harvest timber for
the Tonka Timber Sale EIS on the
Lindenberg Peninsula, Kupreanof
Island, on the Petersburg Ranger
District, Tongass National Forest. The
proposed action is to harvest
approximately 60 million board feet
(mmbf) of timber from about 3,500 acres
of forested land. An estimated 11 miles
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
8497
of new road is associated with this
proposed action. A range of alternatives,
responsive to significant issues, will be
developed and will include a no action
alternative. The existing marine access
facility, (MAF) located along the eastern
shore of Lindenberg Peninsula, in the
Wrangell Narrows, would be used and
further development of the MAF is
included in the proposed action. This
development would facilitate the
transport and scaling of logs for this
proposed project and future long-term
production of young-growth from the
project area. This project is within the
MitkofYKupreanof biogeographic
province. The Record of Decision will
disclose whether and where the Forest
Supervisor has decided to provide
timber harvest units, roads and
associated timber harvesting facilities.
DATES: A scoping letter will be mailed
out in December 2008. Individuals who
want to receive a copy of this mailing
or who want to be on the project mailing
list should contact the Petersburg
Ranger District at the address below.
The Draft Environmental Impact
Statement is projected to be filed with
the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) in the summer of 2009 and will
begin a 45-day public comment period.
The Final Environmental Impact
Statement and Record of Decision are
scheduled to be published the spring of
2010.
ADDRESSES: You may comment on the
project in the following ways: Send
written comments to the Petersburg
Ranger District, Tongass National
Forest, Attn: Ben Case Tonka Timber
Sale Project EIS, P.O. Box 1328,
Petersburg, AK 99833, or hand deliver
them to the Petersburg Ranger District,
12 N Nordic Drive, Petersburg, Alaska.
The FAX number is (907) 772–5995.
Send e-mail comments to: commentsalaska-tongass-petersburg@fs.fed.us
with Tonka Timber Sale Project EIS in
the subject line. Include your name,
address and organization name if you
are commenting as a representative.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the proposal and ElS
should be directed to Christopher
Savage, District Ranger, Petersburg
Ranger District, Tongass National
Forest, P.O. Box 1328, Petersburg, AK
99833, telephone (907) 772–3871, or
Ben Case, Team Leader, Petersburg
Ranger District, P.O. Box 1328,
Petersburg, AK 99833, telephone (907)
772–3871.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The proposed Tonka
Timber Sale Project Area is
approximately 62,150 acres and falls
within the Tongass Land Management
E:\FR\FM\25FEN1.SGM
25FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 25, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8496-8497]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-3787]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Crescent Ranger District; Deschutes National Forest; Oregon;
Three Trails Off Highway Vehicle Project
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) on a proposed action to designate an Off Highway
Vehicle (OHV) trail system on the Crescent Ranger District of the
Deschutes National Forest. In addition, the proposal would close roads,
rehabilitate unneeded trails, and develop staging areas within the
77,000-acre project area. The proposed trail system would be located on
National Forest lands between Crescent Lake Junction and the boundary
of the Winema National Forest, west of Crescent, Oregon. The legal
location is Townships 23-26 south and Ranges 6-9 east, Willamette
Meridian. The analysis area contains three distinct areas with a
focused trail system that will eventually be interconnected: Two
Rivers, Walker Mountain, and Crescent Lake Junction. The alternatives
will include the proposed action, no action, and additional
alternatives that respond to issues generated through the scoping
process. The agency will give notice of the full environmental analysis
and decision making process so interested and affected people may
participate and contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by 30 days following the date that this notice appears in the Federal
Register.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Joan Kittrell, Team Leader,
Crescent Ranger District, P.O. Box 208, Crescent, Oregon 97733, or
submit to comments-pacificnorthwest-deschutes-crescent@fs.fed.us.
Please put ``Three Trails OHV Scoping'' in the subject line of your e-
mail. You will have another opportunity for comment when alternatives
have been developed and the Environmental Impact Statement is made
available.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joan Kittrell, Team Leader, Crescent
Ranger District, P.O. Box 208, Crescent, Oregon 97733, phone (541) 433-
3200.
Responsible Official: The responsible official will be John Allen,
Deschutes National Forest Supervisor, 1001 SW Emkay Drive, Bend, Oregon
97701.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need. The need for this site-specific proposal is
basically a result of a much larger process all National Forests are
implementing; the Travel Management Rule. In 2005, the Forest Service
codified a national rule that prohibits motorized travel off of
designated routes. The Deschutes National Forest is currently in the
process of developing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to
display the environmental effects of implementing the Travel Management
Rule, which is expected to occur by 2010. Currently, there are no
designated OHV trails on the Crescent Ranger District. The Three Trails
area is used extensively by off highway enthusiasts, as demonstrated by
the many user-created trails. They also utilize other existing roads
(closed and open) which may or may not be maintained for high clearance
vehicles. Recognizing the effect to the OHV community once the Travel
Management Rule is implemented, the Deschutes and Ochoco National
Forests were proactive in identifying opportunities for a trail system
in sustainable locations. Through a working group of motorized and non-
motorized participants, three areas were identified that had potential
community support for a designated trail system. The Three Trails OHV
Project is one of them.
Proposed Action. Basically, the proposal would provide
approximately 110-130 miles of interlinking trails in three main areas
with associated staging areas. The trail system would vary in skill
level and density to match the terrain, design of the staging areas,
and to provide an opportunity for beginner through advanced riding
experiences. Where redundant access exists, or user-created trails are
in undesired locations (such as within riparian resources or desired
wildlife habitat), closure and rehabilitation/restoration would be
performed on 50 miles. To balance the increase open road/trail density
associated with a designated trail system, approximately 65 miles of
roads would be closed. A general season of use would be May 1 through
October 31.
Comment. Public comments about this proposal are requested in order
to
[[Page 8497]]
assist in identifying issues, determine how to best manage the
resources, and to focus the analysis. Comments received to this notice,
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 parts 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.
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under
FOIA, confidentiality 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 a specified
number of days.
A draft EIS will be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and available for public review by Summer 2009. The EPA will
publish a Notice of Availability (NOA) of the draft EIS in the Federal
Register. The final EIS is scheduled to be available Fall 2009.
The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date
the EPA 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
a 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 draft EIS stage but that are not
raised until after completion of the final EIS may be waived or
dismissed by the courts [City of Angoon 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 EIS.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, 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 of 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.
In the final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to
comments received during the comment period for the draft EIS. The
Forest Service is the lead agency and the responsible official is the
Crescent District Ranger, Deschutes National Forest. The responsible
official will decide where, and whether or not to designate a trail
system, staging areas, and close roads. The responsible official will
also decide how to mitigate impacts of these actions and will determine
when and how monitoring of effects will take place.
The Three Trails OHV Project decision and the reasons for the
decision will be documented in the Record of Decision. That decision
will be subject to Forest Service Appeal Regulations (35 CFR Part 215).
John Allen,
Deschutes National Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E9-3787 Filed 2-24-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
