Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District; Tongass National Forest; Alaska; Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District Outfitter/Guide Management Plan, 59206-59208 [2010-24179]
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59206
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 75, No. 186
Monday, September 27, 2010
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
Forest Service
Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger
District; Tongass National Forest;
Alaska; Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger
District Outfitter/Guide Management
Plan
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The USDA, Forest Service
will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) on a proposed action to
allocate about 54,000 visitor days (of the
estimated recreation carrying capacity of
approximately 148,000 days) annually
for outfitter and guide use on the
Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District.
The decision on the EIS will allocate
recreation carrying capacity on the
District to outfitters and guides through
special use permits that serve the public
need for guide services. The allocation
will set limits for outfitter and guide use
levels, but will not limit or regulate use
by unguided visitors. The alternatives
will include the proposed action, no
action, and additional alternatives that
respond to issues identified during
scoping. 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
November 1, 2010. The draft
environmental impact statement is
expected to be completed in March 2011
and the final environmental impact
statement is expected in August 2011.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Sue Jennings, Interdisciplinary Team
Leader, Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger
District, 3031 Tongass Ave., Ketchikan,
AK 99901, Fax: (907) 225–8738 or online at comments-alaska-tongassketchikan-mistyfiord@fs.fed.us.
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SUMMARY:
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17:01 Sep 24, 2010
Jkt 220001
Sue
Jennings, Interdisciplinary Team
Leader, (907) 772–5864, by email:
sjennings@fs.fed.us, or Ketchikan-Misty
Fiords Ranger District, 3031 Tongass
Ave., Ketchikan, AK 99901.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Purpose and Need for Acton
In 2007, the Forest Supervisor
determined a need existed for outfitter
and guide services within Wilderness
Areas on the Tongass. In 2008, a
Determination of Need for Commercial
Uses on the Ketchikan-Misty Fiords
Ranger District was completed that
demonstrated the need for commercially
guided opportunities on the wilderness
and non-wilderness portions of the
District.
This action responds to the goals and
objectives outlined in the Forest Plan,
which provides standards and
guidelines for authorizing the services
of qualified outfitters and guides to the
public in areas with an identified need
for the services and the use is
compatible with the objectives and
management direction of the affected
Land Use Designation.
A district-wide outfitter/guide plan is
needed because the current permitting
process:
• Does not satisfy Forest Service
direction for issuing long-term (5–10
year) priority use permits,
• Does not provide managers with a
district-wide strategy for reducing
conflicts between guided and unguided
visitors and ensuring a range of
recreational opportunities are offered
across the District,
• Does not allow the Forest Service to
respond to special use permit
applications in a timely manner because
each application involves a separate
analysis and scoping process consistent
with the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA), and
• Does not fully address cumulative
impacts of outfitter/guide use on forest
resources, including wilderness
character.
The purpose of this plan is to:
• Determine visitor capacity estimates
and outfitter and guided use allocations
for 28 recreation use areas on the
Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District,
• Provide opportunities for guided
use while minimizing resource impacts
and conflicts between guided and
unguided visitors,
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Sfmt 4703
• Satisfy Forest Service requirements
for issuance of long-term, priority use
permits,
• Provide standards and indicators
for monitoring social conditions across
the District,
• Develop an adaptive management
strategy for adjusting guided use
allocations based on monitoring
information collected during the life of
this plan, and
• Improve the Forest Service’s ability
to process permits in a timely manner.
If there is a demonstrated need for
commercial service(s) and these services
are deemed appropriate, the Forest
Service may issue Special Use
Authorizations (SUAs) to individual(s)
or organization(s) (USDA 2008a, p.3–20)
to provide the services. This action also
responds to Forest Service policy (FSM
2720 and FSH2709.11), which allows
for issuance of priority use permits, after
a needs assessment and resource
capacity analysis have been completed
to identify the public or agency need for
outfitting and guiding activities and to
assess the amount of use that may be
conducted without detrimental social
and environmental impacts. Multi-year
priority use permits allow outfitters and
guides to make financial commitments
necessary to continue providing service
to the public.
The overall goal of the project is to
work with the public to provide
opportunities for guided and unguided
use, while minimizing conflicts and
protecting forest resources.
Proposed Action
The action proposed by the Forest
Service to meet the purpose and need is
to authorize outfitter and guide
operations through the issuance of
special use permits based on the
Determination of Need for Commercial
Uses on the Ketchikan-Misty Fiords
Ranger District (2008), visitor capacity
estimates, and guided use allocations for
the District’s 28 recreation use areas.
This proposed action would authorize
the issuance of commercial outfitter/
guide permits for KMRD. The proposed
action allocates zero to 75 percent of the
visitor capacity in the 28 use areas to
outfitters and guides during the summer
season and zero to 40 percent during the
spring and fall seasons. Overall, the
proposal would allocate approximately
54,000 visitor days annually for outfitter
and guide use on the KMRD (5,124
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 186 / Monday, September 27, 2010 / Notices
visitor days in the spring, 44,420 visitor
days in the summer, and 4,456 visitor
days in the fall). Some of the areas with
a proposed allocation of 75 percent are
in wilderness areas that are little used
by unguided visitors. Due to very low
outfitter and guide use in the winter,
there are no winter allocations proposed
with this project; winter permitting will
follow the current process.
The Proposed Action includes the
ability to use adaptive management to
maintain a range of quality recreation
experiences across the District and a
balance between guided and unguided
use. Adaptive management may result
in increased or decreased allocations for
specific recreation use areas based on
standards and the level of effects.
All outfitter and guide operations will
be subject to area-wide and site-specific
mitigation measures to protect natural
and historic resources and minimize
crowding and conflicts between guided
and unguided visitors.
For those operators who have
demonstrated satisfactory performance,
the District Ranger may issue priority
use permits based on the guided use
allocations, for a period of up to 10
years, in accordance with FSH 2709.11,
Chapter 40. Authorized use may also be
temporary in nature (authorized for less
than one year).
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Possible Alternatives
A full range of alternatives will be
considered including a ‘‘No Action’’
alternative in which no change from the
current management of the outfitter and
guide special uses program would
occur; outfitter and guide special use
permits would continue to be issued on
a temporary basis. Based on preliminary
issues gathered through collaborative
meetings prior to scoping, two
additional alternatives are under
consideration. One alternative may
allocate one-half of the estimated
carrying capacity to outfitters and
guides across the 28 recreation use
areas. Another alternative may propose
minimal (15 percent) allocations in
some wilderness-recreation-use-areas,
no allocations in some sensitive areas
and areas heavily used by unguided
visitors, 25 percent use in the Margaret
Bay Use Area, and 50 percent allocation
in other areas during the summer
season. These alternatives could be
adjusted and/or additional alternatives
proposed based on comments received
during scoping.
Responsible Official
The Ketchikan-Misty Fiords District
Ranger is the responsible official for this
proposal: Ketchikan-Misty Fiords
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17:01 Sep 24, 2010
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District Ranger, 3031 Tongass Ave.,
Ketchikan, AK 99901.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The District Ranger will decide how
to manage the outfitter and guide
special use program by allocating a
portion of the total estimated recreation
carrying capacity for commercial use,
while protecting forest resources and
taking into account the needs of
unguided visitors.
Given the purpose and need, the
District Ranger will review the proposed
action and the other alternatives in
order to make the following decisions:
• The locations, limitations,
management, and allocations for
outfitter and guide permits and
opportunities on the Ketchikan-Misty
Fiords Ranger District, for the next five
to ten years;
• The extent, type, amount, and
location of outfitter and guide use to
allocate within the Misty Fiords
Wilderness Area;
• How best to manage outfitter and
guide use on the KMRD to minimize
potential impacts to all resources; and
• What, if any, mitigation measures
and monitoring are needed.
The District Ranger will also decide
whether and how to use adaptive
management to potentially increase or
decrease allocations for specific
recreation use areas in order to maintain
a range of quality recreation experiences
across the District and a balance
between guided and unguided use.
Scoping Process
The public will have an opportunity
to participate at several points during
the analysis, including the scoping
period after publication of the Notice of
Intent and the draft EIS in the Federal
Register. Notification of these
opportunities will also appear in
subsequent issues of the Tongass
National Forest’s Schedule of Proposed
Activities; letters to agencies,
organizations, and individuals who
have previously indicated their interest
in such activities; and in the Ketchikan
Daily News. A public meeting is
planned in Ketchikan on October 26,
2010 at the Ketchikan-Misty Fiords
Ranger District Office, 3031 Tongass
Ave., Ketchikan, AK 99901, from 6 p.m.
to 8 p.m. Public meetings and
subsistence hearings are expected in
Ketchikan, Saxman, Hyder, and
Metlakatla during the spring of 2011,
after the DEIS is published in the
Federal Register. The scoping process
will include identifying major issues to
be analyzed in depth, eliminating nonsignificant issues, considering
alternatives based on issues recognized
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59207
during scoping activities, and
identifying potential environmental
effects of the proposed action and
alternatives (i.e. direct, indirect, and
cumulative effects).
Preliminary Issues
Preliminary issues were identified
during collaborative meetings held
before scoping began on this project.
Preliminary issues include the potential
effects of the proposed action on
businesses, wilderness, heritage
resources, and visitors’ experience
(through crowding and noise
disturbance).
Permits or Licenses Required
The Forest Service is not required to
obtain permits or licenses to implement
this project. However, outfitter and
guide permit holders are responsible for
obtaining necessary permits from
federal and state agencies prior to
commencing outfitting and guiding.
Comment Requested
This Notice of Intent initiates the
scoping process, which guides the
development of the environmental
impact statement. Public comments
about this proposal are requested in
order to assist in properly scoping
issues, to determine how best to manage
the resources, and to fully analyze
environmental effects. Please identify
issues of concern to you and the
Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District
communities about recreational use.
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. It is
important that reviewers provide their
comments at such times and in such a
way that they are useful to the Agency’s
preparation of the EIS. Therefore,
comments should be provided prior to
the close of the comment period and
should clearly articulate the reviewer’s
concerns and contentions. The
submission of timely and specific
comments can affect a reviewer’s ability
to participate in subsequent
administrative review or judicial
review. Comments received in response
to this solicitation, including names and
addresses of those who comment, will
be part of the public record for this
proposed action. Comments submitted
anonymously will be accepted and
considered; however, anonymous
comments will not provide the
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 186 / Monday, September 27, 2010 / Notices
respondent with standing to participate
in subsequent administrative review or
judicial review.
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.
[FR Doc. 2010–24179 Filed 9–24–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Modoc County Resource Advisory
Committee
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
The Modoc County Resource
Advisory Committee will meet in
Alturas, CA. The committee is meeting
as authorized under the Secure Rural
Schools and Community SelfDetermination Act (Pub. L. 110–343)
and in compliance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act. The purpose
of the meeting is to review Resource
Advisory Committee Project
Applications.
DATES: The meeting will be held
October 4, 2010, 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
Modoc National Forest Office,
Conference Room, 800 West 12th St.,
Alturas.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kimberly H. Anderson, Forest
Supervisor and Designated Federal
Officer, at (530) 233–8700; or Resource
Advisory Coordinator, Stephen Riley at
(530) 233–8771.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
business meeting on October 4, 2010
will begin at 4 p.m., at the Modoc
National Forest Office, Conference
Room, 800 West 12th St., Alturas,
California 96101. Agenda topics will
include recruiting new project proposals
that meet the intent of Public Law 110–
343. Time will also be set aside for
public comments at the beginning of the
meeting.
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SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:01 Sep 24, 2010
[FR Doc. 2010–24177 Filed 9–24–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–570–890]
Wooden Bedroom Furniture From the
People’s Republic of China: Notice of
Court Decision Not in Harmony With
Final Results of Administrative Review
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce
DATES: Effective Date: September 27,
2010.
SUMMARY: On September 17, 2010, the
United States Court of International
Trade (‘‘Court’’ or ‘‘CIT’’) sustained the
U.S. Department of Commerce’s
(‘‘Department’’) final results of
redetermination pursuant to the Court’s
remand.1 Consistent with the decision
of the United States Court of Appeals for
the Federal Circuit (‘‘CAFC’’) in Timken
Co. v. United States, 893 F.2d 337 (Fed.
Cir. 1990) (‘‘Timken’’), the Department is
notifying the public that the final
judgment in this case is not in harmony
with the Department’s final results of
the administrative review (‘‘AR’’) of the
antidumping duty order on wooden
bedroom furniture (‘‘WBF’’) from the
People’s Republic of China (‘‘PRC’’)
covering the period of review (‘‘POR’’) of
January 1, 2007, through December 31,
2007.2
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Frances Veith, Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Operations, Office
8, Import Administration, International
Trade Administration, U.S. Department
of Commerce, 14th Street, and
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–4295.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August
17, 2009, the Department published its
Final Results. In response to Bon Ten’s
arguments in its administrative case
AGENCY:
Dated: September 20, 2010.
Jeffrey DeFreest,
District Ranger.
ACTION:
Dated: September 20, 2010.
Kimberly H. Anderson,
Forest Supervisor.
Jkt 220001
1 See Dongguan Bon Ten Furniture Co., Ltd. v.
United States, Court No. 09–00396: Final Results of
Redetermination Pursuant To Remand, dated
August 9, 2010 (‘‘Bon Ten v. United States’’).
2 See Wooden Bedroom Furniture from the
People’s Republic of China: Final Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and New
Shipper Reviews, 74 FR 41374 (August 17, 2009)
(‘‘Final Results’’), and accompanying Issues and
Decision Memorandum, as amended by Wooden
Bedroom Furniture From the People’s Republic of
China: Amended Final Results of Antidumping
Duty Administrative Review and New Shipper
Reviews, 74 FR 55810 (October 29, 2009)
(‘‘Amended Final Results’’).
PO 00000
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brief, the Department determined not to
rescind the AR with respect to Bon Ten
because Bon Ten had not demonstrated
that it had no shipments during the
2007 AR POR outside of the single
shipment reviewed during a new
shipper review (‘‘NSR’’) 3 that
overlapped, in part, with the 2007 AR
POR.4 Additionally, because Bon Ten
had not demonstrated its eligibility for
a separate rate in the 2007 AR, the
Department maintained its
determination to treat Bon Ten as part
of the PRC-wide entity.5
On August 14, 2009, Bon Ten
submitted comments alleging that the
Department made a ministerial error
with respect to the Final Results. Bon
Ten’s ministerial error allegation
focused on the Department’s finding in
the Final Results that Bon Ten had not
provided any assertion prior to the
submission of its case brief that it had
no shipments during the 2007 AR POR
outside of the shipment reviewed in the
context of the NSR. Bon Ten argued that
the Department did not consider its
February 5, 2009, submission
concerning its shipments during the
2007 AR POR in that finding.
In the Amended Final Results, the
Department determined that, although it
had inadvertently overlooked Bon Ten’s
February 5, 2009, submission for
purposes of the Final Results, Bon Ten’s
allegation did not reflect a ministerial
error. The Department reasoned that
Bon Ten’s allegation required
reconsideration of a methodological
issue, namely whether the review
should be rescinded with respect to Bon
Ten based upon its February 5, 2009,
submission. Accordingly, the
Department continued to treat Bon Ten
as part of the PRC-wide entity for the
AR in the Amended Final Results.
However, the Department clarified that
Bon Ten lost the separate rate status it
was granted during the NSR starting on
August 1, 2007, which is the first day of
the administrative review that did not
overlap with Bon Ten’s NSR POR (i.e.,
January 1, 2007, through July 31, 2007).6
On October 16, 2009, Bon Ten filed a
complaint with the Court challenging
the Department’s determination not to
rescind the AR with respect to Bon Ten
3 See Wooden Bedroom Furniture from the
People’s Republic of China: Final Results of Fourth
New Shipper Reviews, 73 FR 64916 (October 31,
2008) (‘‘NSR Final Results’’).
4 See Final Results at Comment 29.
5 See id.
6 See Amended Final Results and the
Department’s memorandum entitled, ‘‘Ministerial
Error Memorandum for the Final Results of the
2007 Administrative and New Shipper Reviews of
Wooden Bedroom Furniture from the People’s
Republic of China,’’ dated October 7, 2009, at Issue
4.
E:\FR\FM\27SEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 186 (Monday, September 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59206-59208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24179]
========================================================================
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. 75, No. 186 / Monday, September 27, 2010 /
Notices
[[Page 59206]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District; Tongass National Forest;
Alaska; Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District Outfitter/Guide
Management Plan
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 allocate about 54,000 visitor
days (of the estimated recreation carrying capacity of approximately
148,000 days) annually for outfitter and guide use on the Ketchikan-
Misty Fiords Ranger District. The decision on the EIS will allocate
recreation carrying capacity on the District to outfitters and guides
through special use permits that serve the public need for guide
services. The allocation will set limits for outfitter and guide use
levels, but will not limit or regulate use by unguided visitors. The
alternatives will include the proposed action, no action, and
additional alternatives that respond to issues identified during
scoping. 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 November 1, 2010. The draft environmental impact statement is
expected to be completed in March 2011 and the final environmental
impact statement is expected in August 2011.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Sue Jennings, Interdisciplinary
Team Leader, Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District, 3031 Tongass Ave.,
Ketchikan, AK 99901, Fax: (907) 225-8738 or on-line at comments-alaska-tongass-ketchikan-mistyfiord@fs.fed.us.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sue Jennings, Interdisciplinary Team
Leader, (907) 772-5864, by email: sjennings@fs.fed.us, or Ketchikan-
Misty Fiords Ranger District, 3031 Tongass Ave., Ketchikan, AK 99901.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Acton
In 2007, the Forest Supervisor determined a need existed for
outfitter and guide services within Wilderness Areas on the Tongass. In
2008, a Determination of Need for Commercial Uses on the Ketchikan-
Misty Fiords Ranger District was completed that demonstrated the need
for commercially guided opportunities on the wilderness and non-
wilderness portions of the District.
This action responds to the goals and objectives outlined in the
Forest Plan, which provides standards and guidelines for authorizing
the services of qualified outfitters and guides to the public in areas
with an identified need for the services and the use is compatible with
the objectives and management direction of the affected Land Use
Designation.
A district-wide outfitter/guide plan is needed because the current
permitting process:
Does not satisfy Forest Service direction for issuing
long-term (5-10 year) priority use permits,
Does not provide managers with a district-wide strategy
for reducing conflicts between guided and unguided visitors and
ensuring a range of recreational opportunities are offered across the
District,
Does not allow the Forest Service to respond to special
use permit applications in a timely manner because each application
involves a separate analysis and scoping process consistent with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and
Does not fully address cumulative impacts of outfitter/
guide use on forest resources, including wilderness character.
The purpose of this plan is to:
Determine visitor capacity estimates and outfitter and
guided use allocations for 28 recreation use areas on the Ketchikan-
Misty Fiords Ranger District,
Provide opportunities for guided use while minimizing
resource impacts and conflicts between guided and unguided visitors,
Satisfy Forest Service requirements for issuance of long-
term, priority use permits,
Provide standards and indicators for monitoring social
conditions across the District,
Develop an adaptive management strategy for adjusting
guided use allocations based on monitoring information collected during
the life of this plan, and
Improve the Forest Service's ability to process permits in
a timely manner.
If there is a demonstrated need for commercial service(s) and these
services are deemed appropriate, the Forest Service may issue Special
Use Authorizations (SUAs) to individual(s) or organization(s) (USDA
2008a, p.3-20) to provide the services. This action also responds to
Forest Service policy (FSM 2720 and FSH2709.11), which allows for
issuance of priority use permits, after a needs assessment and resource
capacity analysis have been completed to identify the public or agency
need for outfitting and guiding activities and to assess the amount of
use that may be conducted without detrimental social and environmental
impacts. Multi-year priority use permits allow outfitters and guides to
make financial commitments necessary to continue providing service to
the public.
The overall goal of the project is to work with the public to
provide opportunities for guided and unguided use, while minimizing
conflicts and protecting forest resources.
Proposed Action
The action proposed by the Forest Service to meet the purpose and
need is to authorize outfitter and guide operations through the
issuance of special use permits based on the Determination of Need for
Commercial Uses on the Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District (2008),
visitor capacity estimates, and guided use allocations for the
District's 28 recreation use areas.
This proposed action would authorize the issuance of commercial
outfitter/guide permits for KMRD. The proposed action allocates zero to
75 percent of the visitor capacity in the 28 use areas to outfitters
and guides during the summer season and zero to 40 percent during the
spring and fall seasons. Overall, the proposal would allocate
approximately 54,000 visitor days annually for outfitter and guide use
on the KMRD (5,124
[[Page 59207]]
visitor days in the spring, 44,420 visitor days in the summer, and
4,456 visitor days in the fall). Some of the areas with a proposed
allocation of 75 percent are in wilderness areas that are little used
by unguided visitors. Due to very low outfitter and guide use in the
winter, there are no winter allocations proposed with this project;
winter permitting will follow the current process.
The Proposed Action includes the ability to use adaptive management
to maintain a range of quality recreation experiences across the
District and a balance between guided and unguided use. Adaptive
management may result in increased or decreased allocations for
specific recreation use areas based on standards and the level of
effects.
All outfitter and guide operations will be subject to area-wide and
site-specific mitigation measures to protect natural and historic
resources and minimize crowding and conflicts between guided and
unguided visitors.
For those operators who have demonstrated satisfactory performance,
the District Ranger may issue priority use permits based on the guided
use allocations, for a period of up to 10 years, in accordance with FSH
2709.11, Chapter 40. Authorized use may also be temporary in nature
(authorized for less than one year).
Possible Alternatives
A full range of alternatives will be considered including a ``No
Action'' alternative in which no change from the current management of
the outfitter and guide special uses program would occur; outfitter and
guide special use permits would continue to be issued on a temporary
basis. Based on preliminary issues gathered through collaborative
meetings prior to scoping, two additional alternatives are under
consideration. One alternative may allocate one-half of the estimated
carrying capacity to outfitters and guides across the 28 recreation use
areas. Another alternative may propose minimal (15 percent) allocations
in some wilderness-recreation-use-areas, no allocations in some
sensitive areas and areas heavily used by unguided visitors, 25 percent
use in the Margaret Bay Use Area, and 50 percent allocation in other
areas during the summer season. These alternatives could be adjusted
and/or additional alternatives proposed based on comments received
during scoping.
Responsible Official
The Ketchikan-Misty Fiords District Ranger is the responsible
official for this proposal: Ketchikan-Misty Fiords District Ranger,
3031 Tongass Ave., Ketchikan, AK 99901.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The District Ranger will decide how to manage the outfitter and
guide special use program by allocating a portion of the total
estimated recreation carrying capacity for commercial use, while
protecting forest resources and taking into account the needs of
unguided visitors.
Given the purpose and need, the District Ranger will review the
proposed action and the other alternatives in order to make the
following decisions:
The locations, limitations, management, and allocations
for outfitter and guide permits and opportunities on the Ketchikan-
Misty Fiords Ranger District, for the next five to ten years;
The extent, type, amount, and location of outfitter and
guide use to allocate within the Misty Fiords Wilderness Area;
How best to manage outfitter and guide use on the KMRD to
minimize potential impacts to all resources; and
What, if any, mitigation measures and monitoring are
needed.
The District Ranger will also decide whether and how to use
adaptive management to potentially increase or decrease allocations for
specific recreation use areas in order to maintain a range of quality
recreation experiences across the District and a balance between guided
and unguided use.
Scoping Process
The public will have an opportunity to participate at several
points during the analysis, including the scoping period after
publication of the Notice of Intent and the draft EIS in the Federal
Register. Notification of these opportunities will also appear in
subsequent issues of the Tongass National Forest's Schedule of Proposed
Activities; letters to agencies, organizations, and individuals who
have previously indicated their interest in such activities; and in the
Ketchikan Daily News. A public meeting is planned in Ketchikan on
October 26, 2010 at the Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District Office,
3031 Tongass Ave., Ketchikan, AK 99901, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Public
meetings and subsistence hearings are expected in Ketchikan, Saxman,
Hyder, and Metlakatla during the spring of 2011, after the DEIS is
published in the Federal Register. The scoping process will include
identifying major issues to be analyzed in depth, eliminating non-
significant issues, considering alternatives based on issues recognized
during scoping activities, and identifying potential environmental
effects of the proposed action and alternatives (i.e. direct, indirect,
and cumulative effects).
Preliminary Issues
Preliminary issues were identified during collaborative meetings
held before scoping began on this project. Preliminary issues include
the potential effects of the proposed action on businesses, wilderness,
heritage resources, and visitors' experience (through crowding and
noise disturbance).
Permits or Licenses Required
The Forest Service is not required to obtain permits or licenses to
implement this project. However, outfitter and guide permit holders are
responsible for obtaining necessary permits from federal and state
agencies prior to commencing outfitting and guiding.
Comment Requested
This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. Public comments
about this proposal are requested in order to assist in properly
scoping issues, to determine how best to manage the resources, and to
fully analyze environmental effects. Please identify issues of concern
to you and the Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District communities about
recreational use.
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. It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such
times and in such a way that they are useful to the Agency's
preparation of the EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to
the close of the comment period and should clearly articulate the
reviewer's concerns and contentions. The submission of timely and
specific comments can affect a reviewer's ability to participate in
subsequent administrative review or judicial review. Comments received
in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of
those who comment, will be part of the public record for this proposed
action. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered;
however, anonymous comments will not provide the
[[Page 59208]]
respondent with standing to participate in subsequent administrative
review or judicial review.
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: September 20, 2010.
Jeffrey DeFreest,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 2010-24179 Filed 9-24-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
