Environmental Impact Statement for Issuance of a Special Use Permit for the Continued Operation of the Winchester Canyon Gun Club; Los Padres National Forest, California, 25129-25131 [2012-10192]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 82 (Friday, April 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25129-25131]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10192]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Environmental Impact Statement for Issuance of a Special Use 
Permit for the Continued Operation of the Winchester Canyon Gun Club; 
Los Padres National Forest, California

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Reissuance of a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS).

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, Los Padres National Forest, gives 
notice of intent to conduct an analysis and prepare an EIS for 
reissuance of a 20-year special use permit for the Winchester Canyon 
Gun Club (WCGC). This notice announces the beginning of scoping, 
describes the proposed action and the decision to be made, and 
estimates the dates for filing the draft and final EIS. This notice 
also provides information concerning public participation and the names 
and addresses of Agency officials, who can provide information. The 
Agency issued an NOI in the Federal Register (Vol. 74, No. 230, 
Wednesday, December 2, 2009). However, issuance of the draft EIS has 
been delayed. Because of this delay, the Agency is reissuing the NOI to 
ensure timely scoping and a timely release of the documents.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by June 11, 2012. The draft EIS is expected in the fall of 2012 and the 
final EIS is expected the end of 2012.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Los Padres National Forest, 6755 
Hollister Avenue, Suite 150, Goleta, CA 93117, attention: Jeff Bensen. 
Comments may also be sent via email to comments-pacificsouthwest-los-padressanta-barbara@fs.fed.us or via facsimile to (805) 561-5729. 
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including the names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record 
for this proposed action.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
may be directed to Jeff Bensen, Project Team Leader, Los Padres 
National Forest, 6755 Hollister Avenue, Suite 150, Goleta, CA 93117; 
telephone: (805) 961-5744; email: commentspacificsouthwest-los-padres-

[[Page 25130]]

santabarbara@fs.fed.us. 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 time 
Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The WCGC has been authorized to operate on the Los Padres National 
Forest by a special use permit since the late 1960s. The last term 
permit expired in 1995, and from that time on, the WCGC has been 
authorized by annual special use permits. In 2007, an environmental 
assessment pertaining to the issuance of a 20-year special use permit 
was completed, and a Decision Notice/Finding of No Significant Impact 
was issued. The decision was appealed, and the R5 Regional Forester 
sent the decision back to the Los Padres National Forest for further 
analysis. The purpose of this action is to reinitiate the proposed 
action in an EIS.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action would authorize the renewal of a 20-year 
special use permit for the WCGC. The proposed action would require 
changes pertaining to historic activities and a reduction in the number 
of shooting facilities, as well as, the number of acres covered under 
the special use permit from what had been authorized previously. The 
total size of the permit area would be reduced from 140 acres, as 
previously permitted, to 96 acres. Maps are available upon request that 
display the location of the project area, the existing facilities, and 
the features of the proposed action. The permit would authorize the 
following existing facilities:

 Clubhouse with a barbecue area
 Restroom buildings
 Two access roads and gates
 Fire equipment and storage containers
 50-, 100-, 200-yard rifle and pistol ranges
 Three target range firing line covers
 Parking areas
 Three trap ranges, one skeet range, and a sporting clay course
 Skeet, trap, and sporting clay shot-fall zones
 Safety fences, barriers, and berms
 Permit area perimeter fences and signs
 Generator building
 Propane tank and enclosure

    Shooting activities would be restricted to the existing rifle and 
pistol ranges, three trap ranges, one skeet range, and a sporting clay 
course, as listed above. Shotgun ranges would be used in a manner 
minimizing the size of shot-fall areas, minimize the areas of lead 
contamination, and minimize the area where lead must be collected and 
recycled. Sporting clay activities would be conducted in a manner 
ensuring that the shot fall would overlap the trap and skeet range 
shot-fall areas. The proposed action would not authorize use of the 
historic long-bore range in the San Jose basin.
    The range would be open year-round, with use authorized from 
sunrise to sunset. The WCGC would offer access to both club members and 
the public. Club members would be allowed to access the permit area for 
appropriate target shooting seven days a week. The public would be 
allowed shotgun use on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, with rifle/
pistol use on Saturday and Sunday. The WCGC would also offer the rifle 
and pistol ranges to local law enforcement agencies and military 
affiliates, such as ROTC.
    An access trail leading into the trap and skeet shot-fall areas 
would be constructed on the steep northern portion of the proposed 
permit area. The trail would be 50 inches wide and approximately \1/3\ 
mile long. The trail would allow the WCGC to monitor lead deposition 
and collect and recycle lead shot. Initial lead shot recovery 
activities would be within 50 feet of the centerline of the trail, 
focusing primarily on areas of shot concentration.
    The objective of the proposed action is to isolate the WCGC from 
the adjoining San Jose basin to the greatest extent possible, maximize 
the physical separation of the two areas, and mitigate unavoidable 
effects. In 2011, the San Jose basin area was recommended as a 
Traditional Cultural Landscape (TCL), underlining the importance of 
this objective, and it will be managed as an area of cultural 
importance. A barrier fence constructed at the ridgeline between the 
proposed WCGC boundary and the San Jose basin would stop clay target 
and shot wad (shooting) debris, but noise and some lead shot would 
still carry into the basin area. This is discussed in greater detail 
below. The Forest Service and the WCGC are jointly developing an 
Environmental Stewardship Plan (ESP), which will incorporate a schedule 
of actions to mitigate effects of the target range on the San Jose 
basin.
    In the San Jose basin, the existing 200-, 300-, and 600-yard-long 
bore ranges with target structures and impact berms will be permanently 
removed. Use of these ranges by the WCGC has been denied by the Forest 
Service since 1998. The structures have remained idle since that time. 
To access the range, an existing unused access road, which is \1/2\-
mile long, will be re-opened to remove the structures and soil 
containing lead from the berms. Minimal work would be done to open the 
road to utilize a dump truck and a backhoe/loader to remove the steel 
and wooden target frames, retaining walls, impact berms, and associated 
target range materials. Contaminated soil at each of the three target 
structures would be removed from the basin area. It is expected at 
least the top 12 inches of soil will need to be removed. The 
contaminated soil and structural timbers will be hauled to the existing 
rifle and pistol ranges where the material will be used to reinforce 
the target berms and improve the safety/dividing barriers between the 
ranges. Once the removal project is completed, the area of the three 
target structures will be re-contoured, a culvert on the road would be 
removed, and the road and target areas would be ripped and put to bed. 
It is expected the road and target sites will naturally re-vegetate 
with significant recovery within several years.
    Continuing impacts to the San Jose basin are lead shotfall and 
shooting noise. A portion of the skeet range shot fall area overlaps 
into the northwest edge of the San Jose basin. The overlap would 
continue with mitigation measures to minimize lead and shooting debris 
accumulation in the basin area. The overlap is a wedge shaped 4.2 acre 
area. This area of continued impact is a reduction from 55 acres the 
WCGC was historically permitted to use in the basin area when the long 
bore range was included. Mitigation measures are listed below and 
include construction of a 12-foot high 200-foot long barrier fence 
along the ridgeline between the skeet range and the San Jose basin to 
stop shooting debris (target clays and shot wads) and some lead shot 
from entering the basin area. Mitigations also include monthly clean-up 
of any shooting debris entering the basin, and planned collection of 
lead shot in the shot fall area. The potential effects of this lead 
cleanup will be analyzed in the EIS. To partially mitigate the impact 
of noise, an MOA with the local Tribe has been developed to provide 
noise free days. The EIS will also analyze the impacts of noise to 
surrounding areas.
    The ESP incorporates the findings from this environmental document 
to identify environmental concerns, evaluate and prioritize appropriate 
actions, and generate a list of short- and long-term action items and 
the steps necessary to implement each item to protect and manage the 
permitted area.

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The ESP incorporates the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 
guidelines entitled ``Best Management Practices for Lead at Outdoor 
Shooting Ranges.'' In addition, the ESP contains the following:
     Conduct an annual evaluation of progress by the WCGC and 
the Forest Service toward the environmental stewardship goals.
     Establish a testing and monitoring schedule for soil pH at 
target backstops and shotgun shot-fall zones. Soil pH will be 
maintained between 6.5 and 8.5.
     Establish a soil testing and monitoring schedule for lead 
content and stability on the site.
     Install physical barriers such as silt dams and berms as 
needed at target backstops and shot-fall zones to prevent lead 
migration off-site through groundwater and surface water.
     Use only ``environmentally friendly'' clay targets.
     Do not allow target clays and wads to accumulate on the 
trap, skeet, and sporting clay fields. The accumulated 
``environmentally friendly'' and ``black'' targets on the accessible 
areas at the trap, skeet, and sporting clay zones will be cleaned up 
and removed from the site. This project will be completed 3 to 4 years 
after the permit is issued, and subsequent routine removal of the 
target debris will be established in the ESP.
     Collect and recycle lead at the rifle/impact berms.
     Collect and recycle lead from the trap and skeet ranges 
and shot-fall zones.
     Construct a 12-foot-high, 200- foot-long barrier fence on 
the eastern edge of the skeet range to stop shooting targets and some 
lead shot from crossing into the San Jose basin.
     Coordinate with the local Native American communities to 
establish ``no shooting days'' to mitigate the impact of noise.
     Remove the target frame racks and permanently discontinue 
use of the 200-, 300-, and 600-yard ranges in the basin, and remove the 
materials, contaminated soil, and access road when the rehabilitation 
project is completed.
     Construct a 50-inch-wide access trail into the north-
facing trap and skeet range shot-fall zone for lead collection. Lead 
shot collection will initially be conducted within 50 feet of the trail 
up and downslope from the trail.
     Collect lead in the skeet range shot-fall overlap area in 
the San Jose basin by trimming brush only enough to facilitate access 
to areas of shot accumulation on the soil surface.
     Collect and remove lead for recycling using hand screening 
or small mechanized screening equipment if available. The collection 
methods will be consistent with the recommendations listed in the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency's guidelines entitled ``Best Management 
Practices for Lead at Outdoor Shooting Ranges.'' Lead shot collection 
and ground disturbance will be monitored and conducted to reduce the 
potential for off-site migration of lead.
    All facilities will be available and accessible to all people 
without discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, 
religion, age, disability, political beliefs, or marital or familial 
status. An operation and maintenance plan, safety plan, and fire plan 
will be developed by both the WCGC and the Forest Service, attached to 
the permit, and monitored to ensure compliance.

Possible Alternatives

    A full range of alternatives will be considered, including non-
renewal of the permit, renewal of the permit, and renewal of the permit 
with modifications. In addition, alternatives in response to issues 
generated during the scoping process will be considered. All 
alternatives will comply with the Los Padres National Forest Land 
Management Plan.

Responsible Official

    Peggy Hernandez, Forest Supervisor, Los Padres National Forest, 
Goleta, California, is the responsible official for this EIS and its 
Record of Decision. As the responsible official, the Forest Supervisor 
will document the decision and the reason for the decision in the 
Record of Decision. The decision will be subject to Forest Service 
Appeals Regulations (36 CFR Part 215).

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The responsible official will make a decision by considering the 
following:
    1. Whether the proposed action will proceed as proposed, with 
modifications, or not at all; and
    2. What associated mitigation measures and monitoring requirements 
will be required.

Preliminary Issues

    Preliminary issues identified during earlier public involvement 
include the following:
    1. Potential impacts of lead and other shooting contaminants on-
site:
     (a) At affected areas of San Jose basin from long-bore ranges, and
     (b) From continued operation of existing facilities proposed to 
remain;
    2. Potential for off-site migration of lead and other shooting 
contaminants;
    3. Impacts on cultural sites in the San Jose basin;
    4. Target range safety;
    5. Target range potential for starting wildfires; and
    6. Need for a controlled regulated shooting facility.

Scoping Process

    All scoping comments submitted to the Forest Service in response to 
the NOI dated December 2, 2009, will be carried through to this current 
scoping period. Previous respondents are not required to provide 
duplicate comments; however, all new comments relevant to this proposed 
action are encouraged and welcome. This scoping process guides the 
development of the EIS. The Forest Supervisor is seeking public and 
agency comment on the proposed action to identify issues that could 
arise. These issues may lead to other alternatives or additional 
mitigation measures and monitoring requirements. Comments may be 
provided at any time during the planning process, but it is important 
that reviewers provide their comments at a time and in a manner that 
will be most 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 in response to this 
Notice does not confer status for subsequent administrative appeal but 
does provide important information for preparation of the document and 
may be of importance for judicial review.

    Dated: April 19, 2012.
Peggy Hernandez,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2012-10192 Filed 4-26-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P