Revision of the Shoshone National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, 58348-58350 [2010-23752]

Agencies

• Forest Service
• Deparment of Agriculture

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 185 (Friday, September 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58348-58350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23752]


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DEPARMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Revision of the Shoshone National Forest Land and Resource 
Management Plan

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to revise the Shoshone National Forest Land 
and Resource Management Plan and prepare an environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: As directed by the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), the 
USDA Forest Service is preparing the Shoshone National Forest's revised 
land management plan (forest plan) and an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for this revised forest plan. This notice briefly 
describes the nature of the decision to be made, the need for change 
and proposed action, and information concerning public participation. 
It also provides estimated dates for filing the EIS and the name and 
address of the responsible agency official and the individual who can 
provide additional information.
    Finally, this notice briefly describes the applicable planning rule 
and how plan revision work completed under the 2008 planning rule will 
be used or modified for completing this plan revision.
    The revised land management plan will supersede the 1986 forest 
plan, as amended. The amended plan will remain in effect until the 
revision takes effect.

DATES: Comments concerning the need for change and the proposed action 
provided in this notice will be most useful in the development of the 
draft revised plan and draft EIS if received by November 19, 2010. The 
agency expects to release a draft revised forest plan and draft EIS for 
formal comment by May 2012 and a final revised plan and final 
environmental impact statement by April 2013.
    Public meetings to gather additional input on potential 
alternatives to the proposed action are scheduled for winter/spring 
2011. The dates, times, and locations of these meetings will be 
announced and sent to members of the plan revision mailing list and 
posted on the Shoshone National Forest Web site at https://www.fs.usda.gov/shoshone.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Forest Plan Revision, Shoshone 
National Forest, 808 Meadow Lane Avenue, Cody, WY 82414. Comments may 
also be sent via e-mail to shoshone_forestplan@fs.fed.us.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Olga Troxel, acting planning team 
leader, 808 Meadow Lane Avenue, Cody, WY 82414, telephone 307.578.5164. 
Information on this revision is also available on the Shoshone National 
Forest Web site at https://www.fs.usda.gov/shoshone.
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Name and Address of the Responsible Official

    The responsible official who will approve the Record of Decision is 
Rick Cables, Regional Forester, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain 
Region, 740 Simms Street, Denver, CO 80401.

Cooperating Agencies

    Cooperating Agencies include the State of Wyoming, Fremont County, 
Hot Springs County, Park County, Cody Conservation District, Dubois-
Crowheart Conservation District, Hot Springs Conservation District, 
Lower Wind River Natural Resource District. Meeteetse Conservation 
District, Popo Agie Conservation District, and Teton Conservation 
District. Cooperating Agencies funded the social and economic 
assessments. They also work with Forest Service officials to address 
state and local government interests in the planning process and the 
development of plan direction.

Nature of the Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Service is preparing an EIS to revise the 1986 forest 
plan. The EIS process is meant to inform the regional forester when 
deciding which alternative best meets the need to achieve quality land 
management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to 
meet the diverse needs of people while protecting the Shoshone National 
Forest's resources, as required by the NFMA and the Multiple Use 
Sustained Yield Act.
    The revised forest plan describes the strategic intent of managing 
the Shoshone National Forest for 10 to 15 years. The revised forest 
plan provides management direction in the form of goals (desired 
conditions), objectives, suitability determinations, standards, 
guidelines, and a monitoring plan. It also makes special area 
recommendations for wilderness, research natural areas, and other 
special areas.
    It is also important to identify the types of decisions that will 
not be made within the revised forest plan. Authorization of project-
level activities on the Shoshone National Forest is not a decision made 
in the forest plan, but occurs through subsequent project specific 
decision making. The designation of routes and trails for specific uses 
is not considered during plan revision, but will be addressed through 
subsequent planning processes.
    Some issues, although important, are beyond the authority or 
control of the Shoshone National Forest or the Forest Service and will 
not be considered. Additionally, some decisions and determinations, 
such as management direction, Canada lynx conservation, and the Clarks 
Fork of the Yellowstone Wild River corridor, have been accomplished 
through separate forest plan amendment processes that occurred recently 
and will not be reconsidered in revision.

Applicable Planning Rule

    Preparation of a revised plan is governed by the requirements of 
the NFMA and the associated regulations (or rule) at 36 CFR 219. The 
Shoshone plan revision was underway when the 2008 rule was enjoined on 
June 30, 2009, by the United States District Court for the Northern 
District of California (Citizens for Better Forestry v. United States 
Department of Agriculture, 632F. Supp. 2d 968 (N.D. Cal. June 2009)).
    On December 18, 2009, the Department reinstated the previous 
planning rule, commonly known as the 2000 planning rule, in the Federal 
Register (74 FR 242, pages 67059 through 67075 [Friday, December 18, 
2009]). The transition provisions of the reinstated rule allow the 
Forest Service to follow the procedures of a previous 1982 rule. The 
Shoshone National Forest has elected to use the provisions of the 1982 
rule, including the requirement to prepare an ETS to complete the 
revised plan.

[[Page 58349]]

Prior Plan Revision Efforts

    In spring 2005, the Shoshone National Forest began working on 
revision of the forest plan. Eleven public and cooperator meetings were 
held in May and June 2005 to begin collaboration on the revision and 
the need for change questions. In September 2005, a notice of intent 
was published in the Federal Register, announcing the beginning of the 
revision process under the 2005 planning rule. In September 2005, the 
forest supervisor published the Need for Change document that 
summarized the comments received on need for change. Twelve public and 
cooperator meetings were held in September and October 2005 to discuss 
the need for change and the development of revision topics. The forest 
supervisor identified the revision topics to be addressed in plan 
revision in a document published in December 2005.
    From January 2006 through February 2007, work began on developing 
plan direction and an associated draft forest plan. Numerous documents 
were produced for public review and consideration. Fifty-three public 
and cooperator meetings were held to discuss the development of plan 
direction.
    In March 2007, further work developing a draft plan was halted with 
the injunction of the 2005 planning rule. In May 2008, the Forest 
Supervisor published a notice of adjustment to continue with plan 
revision under the 2008 planning rule. Information produced under the 
2005 planning rule was used to produce a draft plan under the 2008 
planning rule.
    In May 2008 and April 2009, 10 public and cooperator meetings were 
held to continue work on developing and refining plan direction. Work 
on plan revision halted with the court injunction of the 2008 planning 
rule in June 2009.
    Although the 2008 planning rule is no longer in effect, information 
gathered prior to the court's injunction is useful for completing the 
revision of the plan using the provisions of the 1982 rule. The 
documents listed here include the majority of material developed for 
plan revision as of April 2009. This material is posted on the Shoshone 
National Forest Web site at https://www.fs.usda.gov/shoshone. The 
following describes the material that is appropriate for continued use 
in the revision process:
    1. Comprehensive Evaluation Report (CER) (April 2009)--Much of the 
background material in this report will be carried forward in the 
Analysis of the Management Situation or draft EIS. The CER documents 
the evaluation of the 1986 forest plan and proposed change and 
evaluates current social, economic, and ecological conditions and 
trends that contribute to sustainability. The CER identifies factors 
that affect conditions and trends, and includes information about what 
is causing conditions to change. Much of this information will continue 
to be used in the revision process.
    2. An Economic Profile of the Shoshone National Forest (draft dated 
May 2008)--This report is not rule specific and is appropriate for use 
in revision. The economic information in the report will be updated 
with the latest information.
    3. Evaluation of Areas for Potential Wilderness (August 2008)--This 
information is consistent with appropriate provisions of the 1.982 rule 
and will be brought forward into the revision.
    4. Potential Research Natural Areas (August 2008) and Potential 
Special Interest Areas (August 2008)--This information is not rule 
specific and will be carried forward into the revision.
    5. Wild and Scenic River Eligibility Evaluation (August 2008)--The 
eligibility determination is consistent with the provisions of the 1982 
rule and will be brought forward into the revision.
    6. Report: Study of Preferences and Values on the Shoshone National 
Forest (January 2008) and Social Survey Comments (January 2008)--This 
information is not rule specific and will be carried forward into the 
revision.
    Additional background reports, assessments, datasets, and public 
comment will be used; much of this material can be found on the 
Shoshone's Web site. As necessary or appropriate, the material listed 
above will be adjusted further as part of the planning process using 
the provisions of the 1982 rule.

Need for Change and Proposed Action

    According to the National Forest Management Act, forest plans are 
to be revised on a 10- to 15-year cycle. The purpose and need for 
revising the current forest plan are (1) the forest plan is over 20 
years old, and (2) since the forest plan was approved in 1986, there 
have been changes in economic, social, and ecological conditions, new 
policies and priorities, and new information based on monitoring and 
scientific research. Extensive public and employee collaboration, along 
with science-based evaluations, identified the need for change in the 
1986 forest plan. This need for change has been organized into six 
revision topics that are listed below. Input on need for change is 
documented in Need for Change (September 2005).

Proposed Action

    The proposed action will be developed using the information that 
has been developed and summarized over the last five years: Public 
comments, public working groups, proposed plans, and other documents. 
Much of this information can be found on the Shoshone's Web site and 
includes Draft Proposed Land Management Plan (April 2009), maps of 
draft recreation settings (April 2009), range of settings maps (May 
2008), suggested settings from the public (May 2008), settings maps 
(January 2007), Need for Change Evaluation (September 2005), and 
Revision Topics (December 2005). The information in these documents and 
maps are the result of internal and external discussions with agency 
employees, the public, and cooperators, including over 88 meetings. The 
Shoshone planning team proposes to review the work that has been 
completed to date to develop a proposed action and range of 
alternatives.

Revision Topics

    The Forest Service proposes to carry forward the revision topics as 
documented in Revision Topics (December 2005). These revision topics 
represent questions that need to be addressed during plan revision. The 
selection of the topics was based upon both the need for change from 
the existing Forest Plan and the strong public interest in how the 
revised plan will answer these questions. These topics were the ones 
identified repeatedly in the public meetings held across the forest and 
by the Government Cooperators Work Group.
    1. Recreation uses and opportunities--What type of recreation 
opportunities will be provided on the forest, where can they occur, and 
when can they occur?
    2. Special areas and designations--How will the Dunoir Special 
Management Unit and High Lakes Wilderness Study Area be managed? Will 
new designated wilderness areas be recommended? Will any new research 
natural areas or special interest areas be designated?
    3. Vegetation management--What areas will be suitable for timber 
harvest? How will hazardous fuels be managed? How will forest health 
and the impacts from the beetle epidemic be addressed? What mix of 
vegetation types and conditions will be maintained on the Shoshone?

[[Page 58350]]

    4. Wildlife habitat management-- What will the management direction 
be for wildlife species, including big game species? How will wildlife 
corridors and secure habitat areas be managed? What management 
direction applies to the management of streams and lakes for native 
fish and aquatic life?
    5. Minerals--What areas of the Shoshone are suitable for mineral, 
oil, and gas development?
    6. Commercial livestock grazing--What areas of the Shoshone are 
suitable for livestock grazing?

Public Involvement

    Extensive public involvement and collaboration on revising the 1986 
Shoshone National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan have 
occurred over the last five years. Discussions with the public 
regarding needed changes to the 1986 forest plan began with a series of 
public meetings in 2005. This input, along with science-based 
evaluations, were used to determine a need for change and a proposed 
plan. Correspondence, news releases, comment periods, and other tools 
were used to gather feedback from the public, Shoshone National Forest 
employees, tribal governments, federal and state agencies, and local 
governments.
    We desire to continue collaborative efforts with members of the 
public who are interested in management of the Shoshone, as well as 
federal and state agencies, local governments, and private 
organizations. If you feel we missed any substantive issues or concerns 
from those listed above as revision topics or as identified in the Need 
for Change document, or additional, different comments from those 
previously provided on the draft proposed plan, please contact us.
    If you do wish to comment, it is important that you provide 
comments at such times and in such a way (clearly articulate your 
concerns) that they are useful to the Agency's preparation of the 
revised plan and the EIS. Therefore, comments on the proposed action 
and need for change will be most valuable if received by November 19, 
2010. The submission of timely and specific comments can affect a 
reviewer's ability to participate in subsequent administrative or 
judicial review. At this time, we anticipate using the 2000 planning 
rule pre-decisional objection process (36 CFR 219.32) for 
administrative review.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including the 
names and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public 
record. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered.

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1600-1614; 36 CFR 219.35 [74 FR 67073-
67074].

    Dated: September 16, 2010.
David M. Pieper,
Acting Forest Supervisor, Shoshone National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2010-23752 Filed 9-23-10; 8:45 am]
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