Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest; Snohomish County, WA; Green Mountain Lookout Removal, 25693-25695 [2013-10322]
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sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 85 / Thursday, May 2, 2013 / Notices
The phytosanitary treatments
regulations contained in part 305 of 7
CFR chapter III (referred to below as the
treatment regulations) set out standards
for treatments required in parts 301,
318, and 319 of 7 CFR chapter III for
fruits, vegetables, and other articles.
In § 305.2, paragraph (b) states that
approved treatment schedules are set
out in the Plant Protection and
Quarantine (PPQ) Treatment Manual.2
Section 305.3 sets out a process for
adding, revising, or removing treatment
schedules in the PPQ Treatment
Manual. In that section, paragraph (a)
sets out the process for adding, revising,
or removing treatment schedules when
there is no immediate need to make a
change.
One of the measures that we proposed
in the notice to mitigate the risk
associated with the importation of Barhi
dates from Israel was treating the dates
with cold treatment for Ceratitis
capitata. Because no such cold
treatment schedule for Barhi dates
previously existed in the PPQ Treatment
Manual, in accordance with paragraph
(a) of § 305.3 of the treatment
regulations, the notice also announced
the availability of a treatment evaluation
document (TED) that evaluated the
efficacy of cold treatment for Barhi dates
as a mitigation for C. capitata, and
described a cold treatment schedule for
C. capitata in Barhi dates that we
proposed to add to the PPQ Treatment
Manual.
We solicited comments on the notice
for 60 days ending on March 11, 2013.
We received one comment by that date,
from a private citizen. The commenter
supported the importation of Barhi
dates from Israel into the United States.
Therefore, in accordance with the
regulations in § 319.56–4(c)(2)(ii), we
are announcing our decision to
authorize the importation into the
United States of fresh Barhi dates from
Israel subject to the following
phytosanitary measures:
• The dates may be imported into the
United States in commercial
consignments only;
• The dates must be treated in
accordance with 7 CFR part 305 for C.
capitata; and
• The dates must be accompanied by
a phytosanitary certificate issued by the
national plant protection organization of
Israel stating that the consignment has
begun or has undergone treatment
T107–i, with the additional declaration
2 The Treatment Manual is available on the
Internet at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/
import_export/plants/manuals/index.shtml or by
contacting the APHIS PPQ Manuals Unit, 92
Thomas Johnson Drive, Suite 200, Frederick, MD
21702.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:50 May 01, 2013
Jkt 229001
stating that the fruit in the consignment
was inspected and found free of
Mauginiella scaettae.
These conditions will be listed in the
Fruits and Vegetables Import
Requirements database (available at
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/favir). In
addition to these specific measures,
Barhi dates from Israel will be subject to
the general requirements listed in
§ 319.56–3 that are applicable to the
importation of all fruits and vegetables.
Further, for fruits and vegetables
requiring treatment as a condition of
entry, the phytosanitary treatments
regulations in 7 CFR part 305 contain
administrative and procedural
requirements that must be observed in
connection with the application and
certification of specific treatments.
In addition, in accordance with the
regulations in § 305.3(a)(2), we are
announcing our decision to add a new
cold treatment schedule T107–i for C.
capitata in Barhi dates, as described in
the TED, to the PPQ Treatment Manual.
The new treatment will be listed in the
PPQ Treatment Manual, which is
available at the Web address and
mailing address in footnote 2 of this
document.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7701–7772, and
7781–7786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR
2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.
Done in Washington, DC, this 26th day of
April 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–10384 Filed 5–1–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest;
Snohomish County, WA; Green
Mountain Lookout Removal
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: This project would remove
the historic fire lookout on Green
Mountain and relocate it to Circle Peak,
authorizing the use of motorized
equipment and mechanical transport
within the Glacier Peak Wilderness in
connection with the removal. Green
Mountain Lookout is approximately one
air mile inside Glacier Peak Wilderness,
Darrington Ranger District, Mt. BakerSnoqualmie National Forest. Circle Peak
is on National Forest land outside
Wilderness and approximately six miles
southwest of Green Mountain.
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
25693
Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by June
3, 2013. The draft environmental impact
statement is expected November 2013,
and the final environmental impact
statement is expected March 2014.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Attn: Todd Griffin, Project Leader, Mt.
Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, 2930
Wetmore Avenue, Suite 3A, Everett,
Washington 98201. Comments may also
be sent via email to
toddgriffin@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to
(425) 783–0141.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Todd Griffin, Project Leader, at (360)
677–2258.
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: The Green
Mountain Lookout is located in the
western portion of the 573,000-acre
Glacier Peak Wilderness near
Darrington, Washington. It was built in
1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps
as part of a fire detection system in the
North Cascade Mountains. The lookout
served in this role until 1984 when
aerial fire detection became more
prevalent; the fire staffing was gradually
replaced by wilderness ranger staffing.
In 1964 the North Cascades National
Park Act expanded Glacier Peak
Wilderness to include the point of
Green Mountain on which the lookout
is sited. In 1987, the lookout was listed
on the National Register of Historic
Places. Through the years, natural
elements have taken a toll on the
lookout. Maintenance and restoration
efforts have been on-going for several
decades, with major reconstruction in
1950 and 1998. In 2002, the lookout was
disassembled and removed from Green
Mountain in order to make repairs to a
deteriorating foundation. In 2009, the
repairs to the foundation were
completed, and the lookout was flown
back to its original location at Green
Mountain and placed on the new
foundation.
In 2010, a lawsuit was filed against
the Forest Service seeking declaratory
judgment and injunction requiring the
removal of the lookout. The plantiff
alleged that the Forest Service violated
the Wilderness Act and the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) with
the removal and reassembly of the
lookout, and the use of mechanized
transport. The court agreed with the
plantiff’s claims and ordered the Forest
Service to remove the lookout. In an
amended decision, the court granted a
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\02MYN1.SGM
02MYN1
25694
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 85 / Thursday, May 2, 2013 / Notices
motion that the Forest Service should be
afforded the opportunity to determine
how to move forward to implement the
court’s order to remove the lookout.
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Purpose and Need for Action
The Purpose and Need is to comply
with the Court directive requiring
removal of Green Mountain Lookout
while maintaining compliance with the
Wilderness Act and National Historic
Preservation Act.
1. There is a need for the Forest
Service to comply with the 2012
Summary Judgment by the U.S. District
Court, as amended, requiring the Forest
Service to remove Green Mountain
Lookout (Wilderness Watch v. Y. Robert
Iwamoto and United States Forest
Service, U.S. District Court for Western
Washington, Case NO. C10–1797–JCC,
03/27/2012; as amended 09/20/2012).
2. There is a need to remove Green
Mountain Lookout and restore the
mountain top in such a manner as to
respect the Wilderness character of
Glacier Peak Wilderness while
complying with the court directive
(1964 Wilderness Act and Mt. BakerSnoqualmie National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan (Forest
Plan), Wilderness Forest-wide standards
and guidelines, p. 4–115).
3. There is a need to manage historic
properties and maintain compliance
with the National Historic Preservation
Act, associated regulations and policy,
and the Forest Plan, while complying
with the court directive (36 CFR 800;
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Land and Resource Management Plan
(Forest Plan), Archaeology Forest-wide
Standards and Guidelines, p. 4–99).
Proposed Action
The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National
Forest (MBS) proposes to remove Green
Mountain Lookout from its current
location within Glacier Peak
Wilderness, and relocate the structure to
Circle Peak, a similar mountain top
outside of Wilderness but nearby on
National Forest Service System (NFS)
lands.The Proposed Action would
include three elements in support of the
project’s Purpose and Need. It would:
1. Remove existing lookout at Green
Mountain from Glacier Peak Wilderness
and restore the mountain top. This
element would ensure that the project
would comply with the Summary
Judgment of the Court.
2. Utilize motorized equipment and
mechanical transport within Glacier
Peak Wilderness for the removal of
Green Mountain lookout. The Forest
Service would complete a minimum
requirement analysis (MRA) to
determine whether motorized
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:50 May 01, 2013
Jkt 229001
equipment and mechanized transport
would be necessary for the minimum
administration of the area with respect
to Wilderness values.
3. Construct new foundation and
relocate Green Mountain Lookout onto
nearby Circle Peak. This element would
address the need to manage historic
properties and maintain compliance
with the National Historic Preservation
Act.
Connected actions associated with the
removal of Green Mountain Lookout
would include the following items:
• Designation of a staging area at
Green Mountain Horse Pasture. This site
would be utilized for temporary staging
and storing of equipment and materials.
Clearing of vegetation may be required
at this site to ensure safe ingress and
egress of aircraft.
• Use of heavy and medium lift
helicopters to ferry both personnel and
materials to and from Green Mountain.
Flights would be in support of
relocating Green Mountain Lookout and
restoring mountain top. A project
aviation safety plan would be completed
before implementation.
• Two repeaters (Snohomish County
SAR and Forest Service) currently
housed inside of Green Mountain
Lookout would be taken out of service
and returned to the responsible agency.
• The catwalk attached to Green
Mountain Lookout would be separated
from the main structure and stored
temporarily at Green Mountain Horse
Pasture, where it would be salvaged.
The catwalk will not be re-attached to
the lookout when relocated to Circle
Peak.
• In addition to removing the lookout,
restoration of mountain top would
include demolishing the concrete
foundation and removal of all materials
to the extent possible. Disturbed areas
would be re-vegetated where feasible.
Connected actions associated with
relocation of Green Mountain Lookout
to Circle Peak would include the
following items:
• Designation of a staging area at the
Seed Orchard. This site would be
utilized for temporary staging and
storing of equipment and materials.
Clearing of vegetation may be required
at this site to ensure safe ingress and
egress of aircraft.
• Construction of a concrete
foundation for the placement of Green
Mountain Lookout. Minor soil
excavation and clearing of vegetation
would result from construction of the
foundation.
• Use of heavy and medium lift
helicopters to ferry both personnel and
materials to and from Circle Peak and
the Seed Orchard. Flights would be in
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
support of constructing a new
foundation for the placement of Green
Mountain Lookout. A project aviation
safety plan would be completed before
implementation.
Project implementation is expected to
occur throughout the summer months of
2014. Both Green Mountain and Circle
Peak are at high elevation and would
not permit project activities for most of
the year, excepting July to October when
the sites are normally snow free. It may
be necessary to store the lookout
temporarily at either Green Mountain
horse pasture or the Seed Orchard if
construction of new foundation is not
completed as anticipated. Potential
delays for constructing the new
foundation as scheduled could be
funding or adverse weather conditions if
project extends into October or later. If
funding or inclement weather become
an issue during implementation,
priority would be given to removing the
lookout from Green Mountain and
storing until the project site at Circle
Peak is completed.
Possible Alternatives
1. Use of helicopter to airlift lookout
intact for placement elsewhere on Forest
lands, restore mountain top (Proposed
Action)
2. Incinerate lookout, restore
mountain top
3. Disassemble lookout by hand and
pack out all material, restore mountain
top
4. Disassemble lookout by hand, use
of helicopter for ingress/egress of
personnel and materials, restore
mountain top
5. Donate lookout to local museum, to
include airlifting structure intact,
restore mountain top.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official is the Mt.
Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Supervisor.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Forest Supervisor will make the
following decisions based on the
interdisciplinary analysis: (1) What
method would the Forest Service
remove the lookout; (2) what would be
the ultimate disposition of the lookout;
this depends in part on item (1), the
method of removal.
Preliminary Issues
1. Effects of motorized equipment and
mechanized transport inside of
Wilderness
2. Effects to historic properties
3. Cost to taxpayers.
E:\FR\FM\02MYN1.SGM
02MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 85 / Thursday, May 2, 2013 / Notices
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the
scoping process, which guides the
development of the environmental
impact statement.
It is important that reviewers provide
their comments at such times and in
such manner that they are useful to the
agency’s preparation of the
environmental impact statement.
Therefore, comments should be
provided prior to the close of the
comment period and should clearly
articulate the reviewer’s concerns and
contentions.
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 agency
with the ability to provide the
commenter with project updates.
Dated: April 25, 2013.
Mike Schlafmann,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2013–10322 Filed 5–1–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE M
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To
Conduct an Information Collection
National Agricultural Statistics
Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the intention of the
National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) to seek approval to conduct a
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16:50 May 01, 2013
Jkt 229001
new information collection, the 2013
Current Agricultural Industrial Reports
(CAIR).
Comments on this notice must be
received by July 1, 2013 to be assured
of consideration.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by docket number 0535–
NEW, by any of the following methods:
• Email: ombofficer@nass.usda.gov.
Include docket number above in the
subject line of the message.
• Fax: (202) 720–6396.
• Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD–
ROM submissions to: David Hancock,
NASS Clearance Officer, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Room 5336
South Building, 1400 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250–
2024.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand
deliver to: David Hancock, NASS
Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Room 5336 South
Building,1400 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20250–2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joseph T. Reilly, Associate
Administrator, National Agricultural
Statistics Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, (202) 720–4333.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Current Agricultural Industrial
Reports (CAIR).
OMB Control Number: 0535—NEW.
Type of Request: Intent to Seek
Approval to Conduct a New Information
Collection.
Abstract: The Current Industrial
Reports (CIR) program (0607–0476) was
conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau
previously. It was discontinued on April
30, 2012. The previous approval was for
47 different surveys. These previous
industrial reports included a wide range
of surveys that included commodities
from the following commodity groups:
agriculture, aerospace, appliances,
DATES:
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
25695
pharmaceuticals, textiles and many
more. NASS is requesting the authority
to reinstate eight data collection
instruments previously used by the
Census Bureau. Data from these
instruments will be used to generate
four separate publications. The data
from these surveys will supply data
users with important information on the
utilization of many of the crops,
livestock, and poultry produced in the
United States. NASS currently collects
crop data on acres planted and
harvested, production, price and stocks
for these crops (grains, oilseeds, cotton,
nuts, olives, etc.), along with livestock
data on the number of animals and
poultry produced, slaughtered, prices,
and the amount of meat kept in cold
storage. This new data series will
provide data users with vital
information on how much of these
commodities were processed into fuels,
cooking oils, flour, fabric, etc. These
data are needed to provide a more
complete picture of the importance of
agriculture to the American population.
In order to develop a complete and
comprehensive list of operations, NASS
will also conduct an Operation Profile at
the beginning of the survey process.
This profile will be used to identify
operations that do not meet the criteria
to be included in this group of surveys
also to serve as a training tool. If
warranted the profile can be repeated on
an annual basis, or used selectively to
train new respondents. The training that
will be provided is designed to help
insure consistent, accurate, and
complete data reported on a monthly
basis. The remaining eight different data
collections will be conducted monthly
of all known operations. These surveys
will be conducted as a part of the
Census of Agriculture and are
mandatory as defined under Title 7, Sec.
2204(g).
E:\FR\FM\02MYN1.SGM
02MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 85 (Thursday, May 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25693-25695]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10322]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest; Snohomish County, WA; Green
Mountain Lookout Removal
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This project would remove the historic fire lookout on Green
Mountain and relocate it to Circle Peak, authorizing the use of
motorized equipment and mechanical transport within the Glacier Peak
Wilderness in connection with the removal. Green Mountain Lookout is
approximately one air mile inside Glacier Peak Wilderness, Darrington
Ranger District, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Circle Peak is
on National Forest land outside Wilderness and approximately six miles
southwest of Green Mountain.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by June 3, 2013. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
November 2013, and the final environmental impact statement is expected
March 2014.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Attn: Todd Griffin, Project Leader,
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, 2930 Wetmore Avenue, Suite 3A,
Everett, Washington 98201. Comments may also be sent via email to
toddgriffin@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to (425) 783-0141.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Griffin, Project Leader, at (360)
677-2258.
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: The Green Mountain Lookout is located in the
western portion of the 573,000-acre Glacier Peak Wilderness near
Darrington, Washington. It was built in 1933 by the Civilian
Conservation Corps as part of a fire detection system in the North
Cascade Mountains. The lookout served in this role until 1984 when
aerial fire detection became more prevalent; the fire staffing was
gradually replaced by wilderness ranger staffing. In 1964 the North
Cascades National Park Act expanded Glacier Peak Wilderness to include
the point of Green Mountain on which the lookout is sited. In 1987, the
lookout was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Through
the years, natural elements have taken a toll on the lookout.
Maintenance and restoration efforts have been on-going for several
decades, with major reconstruction in 1950 and 1998. In 2002, the
lookout was disassembled and removed from Green Mountain in order to
make repairs to a deteriorating foundation. In 2009, the repairs to the
foundation were completed, and the lookout was flown back to its
original location at Green Mountain and placed on the new foundation.
In 2010, a lawsuit was filed against the Forest Service seeking
declaratory judgment and injunction requiring the removal of the
lookout. The plantiff alleged that the Forest Service violated the
Wilderness Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) with
the removal and reassembly of the lookout, and the use of mechanized
transport. The court agreed with the plantiff's claims and ordered the
Forest Service to remove the lookout. In an amended decision, the court
granted a
[[Page 25694]]
motion that the Forest Service should be afforded the opportunity to
determine how to move forward to implement the court's order to remove
the lookout.
Purpose and Need for Action
The Purpose and Need is to comply with the Court directive
requiring removal of Green Mountain Lookout while maintaining
compliance with the Wilderness Act and National Historic Preservation
Act.
1. There is a need for the Forest Service to comply with the 2012
Summary Judgment by the U.S. District Court, as amended, requiring the
Forest Service to remove Green Mountain Lookout (Wilderness Watch v. Y.
Robert Iwamoto and United States Forest Service, U.S. District Court
for Western Washington, Case NO. C10-1797-JCC, 03/27/2012; as amended
09/20/2012).
2. There is a need to remove Green Mountain Lookout and restore the
mountain top in such a manner as to respect the Wilderness character of
Glacier Peak Wilderness while complying with the court directive (1964
Wilderness Act and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan), Wilderness Forest-wide
standards and guidelines, p. 4-115).
3. There is a need to manage historic properties and maintain
compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, associated
regulations and policy, and the Forest Plan, while complying with the
court directive (36 CFR 800; Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Land
and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan), Archaeology Forest-wide
Standards and Guidelines, p. 4-99).
Proposed Action
The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (MBS) proposes to remove
Green Mountain Lookout from its current location within Glacier Peak
Wilderness, and relocate the structure to Circle Peak, a similar
mountain top outside of Wilderness but nearby on National Forest
Service System (NFS) lands.The Proposed Action would include three
elements in support of the project's Purpose and Need. It would:
1. Remove existing lookout at Green Mountain from Glacier Peak
Wilderness and restore the mountain top. This element would ensure that
the project would comply with the Summary Judgment of the Court.
2. Utilize motorized equipment and mechanical transport within
Glacier Peak Wilderness for the removal of Green Mountain lookout. The
Forest Service would complete a minimum requirement analysis (MRA) to
determine whether motorized equipment and mechanized transport would be
necessary for the minimum administration of the area with respect to
Wilderness values.
3. Construct new foundation and relocate Green Mountain Lookout
onto nearby Circle Peak. This element would address the need to manage
historic properties and maintain compliance with the National Historic
Preservation Act.
Connected actions associated with the removal of Green Mountain
Lookout would include the following items:
Designation of a staging area at Green Mountain Horse
Pasture. This site would be utilized for temporary staging and storing
of equipment and materials. Clearing of vegetation may be required at
this site to ensure safe ingress and egress of aircraft.
Use of heavy and medium lift helicopters to ferry both
personnel and materials to and from Green Mountain. Flights would be in
support of relocating Green Mountain Lookout and restoring mountain
top. A project aviation safety plan would be completed before
implementation.
Two repeaters (Snohomish County SAR and Forest Service)
currently housed inside of Green Mountain Lookout would be taken out of
service and returned to the responsible agency.
The catwalk attached to Green Mountain Lookout would be
separated from the main structure and stored temporarily at Green
Mountain Horse Pasture, where it would be salvaged. The catwalk will
not be re-attached to the lookout when relocated to Circle Peak.
In addition to removing the lookout, restoration of
mountain top would include demolishing the concrete foundation and
removal of all materials to the extent possible. Disturbed areas would
be re-vegetated where feasible.
Connected actions associated with relocation of Green Mountain
Lookout to Circle Peak would include the following items:
Designation of a staging area at the Seed Orchard. This
site would be utilized for temporary staging and storing of equipment
and materials. Clearing of vegetation may be required at this site to
ensure safe ingress and egress of aircraft.
Construction of a concrete foundation for the placement of
Green Mountain Lookout. Minor soil excavation and clearing of
vegetation would result from construction of the foundation.
Use of heavy and medium lift helicopters to ferry both
personnel and materials to and from Circle Peak and the Seed Orchard.
Flights would be in support of constructing a new foundation for the
placement of Green Mountain Lookout. A project aviation safety plan
would be completed before implementation.
Project implementation is expected to occur throughout the summer
months of 2014. Both Green Mountain and Circle Peak are at high
elevation and would not permit project activities for most of the year,
excepting July to October when the sites are normally snow free. It may
be necessary to store the lookout temporarily at either Green Mountain
horse pasture or the Seed Orchard if construction of new foundation is
not completed as anticipated. Potential delays for constructing the new
foundation as scheduled could be funding or adverse weather conditions
if project extends into October or later. If funding or inclement
weather become an issue during implementation, priority would be given
to removing the lookout from Green Mountain and storing until the
project site at Circle Peak is completed.
Possible Alternatives
1. Use of helicopter to airlift lookout intact for placement
elsewhere on Forest lands, restore mountain top (Proposed Action)
2. Incinerate lookout, restore mountain top
3. Disassemble lookout by hand and pack out all material, restore
mountain top
4. Disassemble lookout by hand, use of helicopter for ingress/
egress of personnel and materials, restore mountain top
5. Donate lookout to local museum, to include airlifting structure
intact, restore mountain top.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official is the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National
Forest Supervisor.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Forest Supervisor will make the following decisions based on
the interdisciplinary analysis: (1) What method would the Forest
Service remove the lookout; (2) what would be the ultimate disposition
of the lookout; this depends in part on item (1), the method of
removal.
Preliminary Issues
1. Effects of motorized equipment and mechanized transport inside
of Wilderness
2. Effects to historic properties
3. Cost to taxpayers.
[[Page 25695]]
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement.
It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions.
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 agency with the ability to provide the commenter with project
updates.
Dated: April 25, 2013.
Mike Schlafmann,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2013-10322 Filed 5-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE M
