Malheur National Forest; Blue Mountain Ranger District; Grant County, Oregon; Magone Project Environmental Impact Statement, 8055-8057 [2015-03027]
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Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 80, No. 30
Friday, February 13, 2015
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
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
February 9, 2015.
The Department of Agriculture has
submitted the following information
collection requirement(s) to OMB for
review and clearance under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13. Comments
regarding (a) whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of burden including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility and
clarity of the information to be
collected; (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments regarding this information
collection received by March 16, 2015
will be considered. Written comments
should be addressed to: Desk Officer for
Agriculture, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), New
Executive Office Building, 725—17th
Street NW., Washington, DC 20502.
Commenters are encouraged to submit
their comments to OMB via email to:
OIRA_Submission@OMB.EOP.GOV or
fax (202) 395–5806 and to Departmental
Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail
Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250–
7602. Copies of the submission(s) may
be obtained by calling (202) 720–8958.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB control
number and the agency informs
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Jkt 235001
potential persons who are to respond to
the collection of information that such
persons are not required to respond to
the collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
Title: Importation of Baby Squash and
Baby Courgettes from Zambia.
OMB Control Number: 0579–0347.
Summary of Collection: Under the
Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701), the
Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to
carry out operations or measures to
detect, eradicate, suppress, control,
prevent, or retard the spread of plant
pests new to the United States or not
known to be widely distributed
throughout the United States. APHIS
fruits and vegetables regulations allow
the importation into the continental
United States of baby squash and baby
courgettes from Zambia. As a condition
of entry, both commodities would have
to be produced in accordance with a
systems approach that would include
requirements for pest exclusion at the
production site, fruit fly trapping inside
and outside the production site, and
pest excluding packinghouse
procedures. Both commodities would
also be required to be accompanied by
a phytosanitary certificate with an
additional declaration stating that the
baby squash and baby courgette have
been produced in accordance with the
proposed requirements.
Need and Use of the Information:
APHIS will collect information using
the following: Physanitary Certificate,
Records and Monitoring, Labeling on
Cartons and Inspection of Greenhouses.
Description of Respondents: Business
or other for-profits; Federal
Government.
Number of Respondents: 2.
Frequency of Responses:
Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 4.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
Title: Importation of Eggplant from
Israel.
OMB Control Number: 0579–0350.
Summary of Collection: Under the
Plant and Protection Act (7 U.S.C.
7701), the Secretary of Agriculture is
authorized to carry out operation or
measures to detect, eradicate, suppress,
control, prevent, or retard the spread of
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plant pests new to the United States not
known to be widely distributed
throughout the United States. APHIS’
fruits and vegetables regulations allow
the importation of commercial
shipments of fresh eggplant from Israel.
As a condition of entry, the eggplant
must be grown under a system approach
that would include requirements for
pest exclusion at the production site,
fruit fly trapping inside and outside the
production site, and pest-excluding
packinghouse procedures.
Need and Use of the Information:
APHIS uses the following information
activities to allow for the importation of
commercial consignments of fresh
eggplant from Israel into the United
States while continuing to provide
protection against the introduction of
quarantine pests: Phytosanitary
Certificate (foreign) Trapping Records;
Inspection of Pest-Exclusionary
Structures by Israel NPPO’s, Labeling of
Boxes, and Approved Pest-Exclusionary
Structure. Failure to collect this
information would cripple APHIS’
ability to ensure that eggplant from
Israel is not carrying plant pests.
Description of Respondents: Foreign
Government, Business and other forprofit.
Number of Respondents: 2.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 5.
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015–02988 Filed 2–12–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Malheur National Forest; Blue
Mountain Ranger District; Grant
County, Oregon; Magone Project
Environmental Impact Statement
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Forest Service will
prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to disclose the
environmental effects of commercial
and non-commercial vegetation
management activities, prescribed
burning, road activities, recreation
SUMMARY:
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8056
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 30 / Friday, February 13, 2015 / Notices
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
opportunity improvements, and other
restoration activities. Other design
criteria are included to protect resources
and facilitate management activities.
The project is located on the Blue
Mountain Ranger District, Malheur
National Forest, Grant County, Oregon,
approximately 7 miles north of the town
of John Day, Oregon.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received within
30 days from the date of publication in
the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Dave Halemeier, District Ranger, Blue
Mountain Ranger District, c/o Sasha
Fertig, P.O. Box 909, John Day, OR
97845. Comments may also be sent via
email to comments-pacificnorthwestmalheur-bluemountain@fs.fed.us; or
submitted via facsimile to 541–575–
3319.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sasha Fertig, Lead NEPA Planner, Blue
Mountain Ranger District, 431 Patterson
Bridge Road, P.O. Box 909, John Day,
OR 97845. Phone: 541–575–3061. Email:
sashafertig@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: The
Magone project planning area
encompasses approximately 27,000
acres in the Grub Creek and East Fork
Beech Creek subwatersheds that drain
into the Upper John Day River. The legal
description for the project planning area
includes Townships 11 and 12 South,
Ranges 31 and 32 East, Willamette
Meridian, Grant County, Oregon.
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose and need for the Magone
Project was developed by comparing the
management objectives and desired
conditions in the Malheur Forest Plan to
the existing conditions in the project
planning area related to forest resiliency
and function. Comparison of the
existing and desired condition indicates
the specific needs to: (1) Restore forest
structure, composition, and density
toward more resilient vegetative
conditions given the historical fire
regime; (2) reduce the fuel loadings by
reducing the density and connectivity of
standing vegetation, surface fuels, and
ladder fuels; (3) maintain or improve
habitat for fish and wildlife species
present in the project planning area; (4)
improve one or more of the nine
roadless area characteristics within the
Nipple Butte inventoried roadless area;
and (5) provide for a variety of social
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values and opportunities in the
watershed, including availability of
traditional use plants, a variety of wood
products, enhanced recreation
experiences around Magone Lake, and
forest management employment
opportunities.
Proposed Action
The Forest proposed action includes
silviculture treatments, prescribed
burning, road activities, recreation
opportunity improvements, and Magone
Lake restoration activities to address the
purpose and need. These activities
would occur over approximately the
next 10 years. The proposed action
includes:
(1) Commercial thinning (5,500 acres),
non-commercial thinning (1,200 acres),
post and pole removal (400 acres),
biomass removal (may occur within
units designated for commercial and
non-commercial thinning), and
mountain mahongany and bitterbursh
enhancement (within commercial and
non-commercial thinning units).
Silviculture treatments would help
restore forest structure, composition,
and density toward more resistant and
resilient vegetative conditions.
(2) Prescribed fire on up to 28,500
acres to reduce and maitain fuel
loadings. Treated stands would see a
combination of burning piled material
and underburning (approximately 5,800
acres). Those stands not mechanically
treated would be managed exclusively
with the use of prescribed burning. As
conditions and stand characteristics
allow, natural ignitions within the
planning area would be used to meet the
objectives of prescribed burning. In the
project planning area, the Grant County
Community Wildfire Protection Plan
identified 2 county roads and the
Malheur National Forest identified 4
Forest Service roads as potential escape
route/safety corridors in the event of a
wildland fire. Fuel breaks would be
created and maintained using a
combination of mechanical treatments
and prescribed burning. Additionally,
the decreased fuel loadings in
strategically placed, shaded fuel breaks
would afford suppression forces a
higher probability of success controlling
wildfires.
(3) Approximately 85 miles of road
would be maintained for haul and 9
miles of temporary road would be
constructed (and rehabilitated following
use). The following changes to the road
system are also proposed:
Decommissioning 1.3 miles of road,
closing 2.3 miles of currently open road,
closing currently open roads and codesignating those roads as trails (1.3
miles), and converting a road to a trail
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Sfmt 4703
(1.2 miles). These changes would reduce
water quality issues, close roads that are
already effectively closed on the ground,
and decommission and close roads that
are within the Nipple Butte inventoried
roadless area (IRA).
(4) A variety of recreation
opportunities would be developed to
enhance recreational experiences in the
project planning area. An expanded trail
system would be centered around the
Magone Lake developed recreation area.
Several connecting trail options would
provide for longer hikes, varied returns,
and a more broad recreation experience.
New construction of single-track bicycle
trails within the Nipple Butte IRA
would connect with existing bicycle
trails and the other newly constructed
trails. All of the trails would be singletrack bicycle and hiker trails with
measures to prevent any off-highway
vehicle (OHV) use. Approximately 50
miles of trail would be designated, with
42 miles of that being new trail
construction. New interpretive signs
would be placed at Four Corners and
the Magone Lake Campground. Fishing
and recreational boating opportunities
would be enhanced with expansion of
the existing floating boat dock located at
the boat launch, modifying the existing
two piece floating dock adjacent to the
campground, and placing a new floating
fishing dock on the east side of Magone
Lake.
(5) The proposed action also includes
restoration activities within Magone
Lake to increase near shore habitat
complexity for fish. Fish cribs and fish
sticks (bunches of 3 to 5 trees) would be
placed on the ice during winter, to sink
into the lake during ice melt.
Preliminary connectivity corridors
have been identified between late and
old structure stands to allow for
movement of old-growth dependent
species. The goal of creating
‘‘connectivity’’ is to manage stands in
corridors at higher canopy densities
when compared to more intensively
managed stands located outside of
corridors. Corridors established for oldgrowth dependent species in the project
planning area would allow for big game
migratory and dispersal movements, as
well as providing higher cover rates and
forage. The designated connectivity
corridors are approximately 1,900 acres
in size.
The Magone Project will also include
a variety of project design criteria that
serve to mitigate impacts of activities to
forest resources, including wildlife,
soils, watershed condition, aquatic
species, riparian habitat conservation
areas, heritage resources, visuals,
rangeland, botanical resources, and
invasive plants. The proposed action
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 30 / Friday, February 13, 2015 / Notices
may also include amendments to the
Malheur National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan, as
amended.
Possible Alternatives
The Forest Service will consider a
range of alternatives. One of these will
be the ‘‘no action’’ alternative in which
none of the proposed action would be
implemented. Additional alternatives
may be included in response to issues
raised by the public during the scoping
process or due to additional concerns
for resource values identified by the
interdisciplinary team.
Responsible Official
The Forest Supervisor of the Malheur
National Forest, 431 Patterson Bridge
Road, John Day, OR 97845, is the
Responsible Official. As the Responsible
Official, I will decide if the proposed
action will be implemented. I will
document the decision and rationale for
the decision in the Record of Decision.
I have delegated the responsibility for
preparing the draft EIS and final EIS to
the District Ranger, Blue Mountain
Ranger District.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Nature of Decision To Be Made
Based on the purpose and need, the
Responsible Official reviews the
proposed action, the other alternatives,
the environmental consequences, and
public comments on the analysis in
order to make the following decision:
(1) Whether to implement timber
harvest and associated fuels treatments,
prescribed burning, and watershed
work, including the design features and
potential mitigation measures to protect
resources; and if so, how much and at
what specific locations;
(2) What, if any, specific project
monitoring requirements are needed to
assure design features and potential
mitigation measures are implemented
and effective, and to evaluate the
success of the project objectives. A
project specific monitoring plan will be
developed.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the
scoping process, which guides the
development of the environmental
impact statement. The interdisciplinary
team will continue to seek information,
comments, and assistance from Federal,
State, and local agencies, Tribal
governments, and other individuals or
organizations that may be interested in,
or affected by, the proposed action.
There is a collaborative group in the
area that the interdisciplinary team will
interact with during the analysis
process.
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21:56 Feb 12, 2015
Jkt 235001
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.
Dated: February 6, 2015.
Steven K. Beverlin,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2015–03027 Filed 2–12–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Black Hills National Forest Advisory
Board
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Black Hills National
Forest Advisory Board (Board) will meet
in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Board
is established consistent with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act of
1972 (5 U.S.C. App. II), the Forest and
Rangeland Renewable Resources
Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1600 et.
seq.), the National Forest Management
Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 1612), and the
Federal Public Lands Recreation
Enhancement Act (Pub. L. 108–447).
Additional information concerning the
Board, including the meeting summary/
minutes, can be found by visiting the
Board’s Web site at: https://
www.fs.usda.gov/main/blackhills/
workingtogether/advisorycommittees.
DATES: The meeting will be held
Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at 1:00
p.m.
All meetings are subject to
cancellation. For updated status of
meeting prior to attendance, please
contact the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Mystic Ranger District, 8221 South
Highway 16, Rapid City, South Dakota.
Written comments may be submitted as
described under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION. All comments, including
names and addresses, when provided,
are placed in the record and available
for public inspection and copying. The
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
8057
public may inspect comments received
at the Black Hills National Forest
Supervisor’s Office. Please call ahead to
facilitate entry into the building.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Scott Jacobson, Committee Coordinator,
by phone at 605–673–9216, or by email
at sjjacobson@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 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.,
Eastern Standard Time, Monday
through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
purpose of the meeting is to provide:
(1) Motorized Travel Fees for FY 16—
Working Group Update;
(2) FY 15–19 MPB/Fuels Restoration
Areas—Recommendation;
(3) Over Snow Use Forum;
(4) Lakes Enhancement Project
Update; and
(5) Northern Long Eared Bat Proposed
Listing Update.
The meeting is open to the public.
The agenda will include time for people
to make oral statements of three minutes
or less. Individuals wishing to make an
oral statement should submit a request
in writing by February 16, 2015 to be
scheduled on the agenda. Anyone who
would like to bring related matters to
the attention of the Board may file
written statements with the Board’s staff
before or after the meeting. Written
comments and time requests for oral
comments must be sent to Scott
Jacobson, Black Hills National Forest
Supervisor’s Office, 1019 North Fifth
Street, Custer, South Dakota 57730; by
email to sjjacobson@fs.fed.us, or via
facsimile to 605–673–9208.
Delayed Notice: Due to organizational
changes within the agency, this notice
has not been published within 15
calendar-days of the February 18th
meeting.
Meeting Accommodations: If you are
a person requiring reasonable
accommodation, please make requests
in advance for sign language
interpreting, assistive listening devices
or other reasonable accommodation for
access to the facility or proceedings by
contacting the person listed in the
section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT. All reasonable
accommodation requests are managed
on a case by case basis.
Dated: February 9, 2015.
Craig Bobzien,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2015–03023 Filed 2–12–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 30 (Friday, February 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8055-8057]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03027]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Malheur National Forest; Blue Mountain Ranger District; Grant
County, Oregon; Magone Project Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of commercial and
non-commercial vegetation management activities, prescribed burning,
road activities, recreation
[[Page 8056]]
opportunity improvements, and other restoration activities. Other
design criteria are included to protect resources and facilitate
management activities. The project is located on the Blue Mountain
Ranger District, Malheur National Forest, Grant County, Oregon,
approximately 7 miles north of the town of John Day, Oregon.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
within 30 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Dave Halemeier, District Ranger,
Blue Mountain Ranger District, c/o Sasha Fertig, P.O. Box 909, John
Day, OR 97845. Comments may also be sent via email to comments-pacificnorthwest-malheur-bluemountain@fs.fed.us; or submitted via
facsimile to 541-575-3319.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sasha Fertig, Lead NEPA Planner, Blue
Mountain Ranger District, 431 Patterson Bridge Road, P.O. Box 909, John
Day, OR 97845. Phone: 541-575-3061. Email: sashafertig@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: The Magone project planning area encompasses
approximately 27,000 acres in the Grub Creek and East Fork Beech Creek
subwatersheds that drain into the Upper John Day River. The legal
description for the project planning area includes Townships 11 and 12
South, Ranges 31 and 32 East, Willamette Meridian, Grant County,
Oregon.
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose and need for the Magone Project was developed by
comparing the management objectives and desired conditions in the
Malheur Forest Plan to the existing conditions in the project planning
area related to forest resiliency and function. Comparison of the
existing and desired condition indicates the specific needs to: (1)
Restore forest structure, composition, and density toward more
resilient vegetative conditions given the historical fire regime; (2)
reduce the fuel loadings by reducing the density and connectivity of
standing vegetation, surface fuels, and ladder fuels; (3) maintain or
improve habitat for fish and wildlife species present in the project
planning area; (4) improve one or more of the nine roadless area
characteristics within the Nipple Butte inventoried roadless area; and
(5) provide for a variety of social values and opportunities in the
watershed, including availability of traditional use plants, a variety
of wood products, enhanced recreation experiences around Magone Lake,
and forest management employment opportunities.
Proposed Action
The Forest proposed action includes silviculture treatments,
prescribed burning, road activities, recreation opportunity
improvements, and Magone Lake restoration activities to address the
purpose and need. These activities would occur over approximately the
next 10 years. The proposed action includes:
(1) Commercial thinning (5,500 acres), non-commercial thinning
(1,200 acres), post and pole removal (400 acres), biomass removal (may
occur within units designated for commercial and non-commercial
thinning), and mountain mahongany and bitterbursh enhancement (within
commercial and non-commercial thinning units). Silviculture treatments
would help restore forest structure, composition, and density toward
more resistant and resilient vegetative conditions.
(2) Prescribed fire on up to 28,500 acres to reduce and maitain
fuel loadings. Treated stands would see a combination of burning piled
material and underburning (approximately 5,800 acres). Those stands not
mechanically treated would be managed exclusively with the use of
prescribed burning. As conditions and stand characteristics allow,
natural ignitions within the planning area would be used to meet the
objectives of prescribed burning. In the project planning area, the
Grant County Community Wildfire Protection Plan identified 2 county
roads and the Malheur National Forest identified 4 Forest Service roads
as potential escape route/safety corridors in the event of a wildland
fire. Fuel breaks would be created and maintained using a combination
of mechanical treatments and prescribed burning. Additionally, the
decreased fuel loadings in strategically placed, shaded fuel breaks
would afford suppression forces a higher probability of success
controlling wildfires.
(3) Approximately 85 miles of road would be maintained for haul and
9 miles of temporary road would be constructed (and rehabilitated
following use). The following changes to the road system are also
proposed: Decommissioning 1.3 miles of road, closing 2.3 miles of
currently open road, closing currently open roads and co-designating
those roads as trails (1.3 miles), and converting a road to a trail
(1.2 miles). These changes would reduce water quality issues, close
roads that are already effectively closed on the ground, and
decommission and close roads that are within the Nipple Butte
inventoried roadless area (IRA).
(4) A variety of recreation opportunities would be developed to
enhance recreational experiences in the project planning area. An
expanded trail system would be centered around the Magone Lake
developed recreation area. Several connecting trail options would
provide for longer hikes, varied returns, and a more broad recreation
experience. New construction of single-track bicycle trails within the
Nipple Butte IRA would connect with existing bicycle trails and the
other newly constructed trails. All of the trails would be single-track
bicycle and hiker trails with measures to prevent any off-highway
vehicle (OHV) use. Approximately 50 miles of trail would be designated,
with 42 miles of that being new trail construction. New interpretive
signs would be placed at Four Corners and the Magone Lake Campground.
Fishing and recreational boating opportunities would be enhanced with
expansion of the existing floating boat dock located at the boat
launch, modifying the existing two piece floating dock adjacent to the
campground, and placing a new floating fishing dock on the east side of
Magone Lake.
(5) The proposed action also includes restoration activities within
Magone Lake to increase near shore habitat complexity for fish. Fish
cribs and fish sticks (bunches of 3 to 5 trees) would be placed on the
ice during winter, to sink into the lake during ice melt.
Preliminary connectivity corridors have been identified between
late and old structure stands to allow for movement of old-growth
dependent species. The goal of creating ``connectivity'' is to manage
stands in corridors at higher canopy densities when compared to more
intensively managed stands located outside of corridors. Corridors
established for old-growth dependent species in the project planning
area would allow for big game migratory and dispersal movements, as
well as providing higher cover rates and forage. The designated
connectivity corridors are approximately 1,900 acres in size.
The Magone Project will also include a variety of project design
criteria that serve to mitigate impacts of activities to forest
resources, including wildlife, soils, watershed condition, aquatic
species, riparian habitat conservation areas, heritage resources,
visuals, rangeland, botanical resources, and invasive plants. The
proposed action
[[Page 8057]]
may also include amendments to the Malheur National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan, as amended.
Possible Alternatives
The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of
these will be the ``no action'' alternative in which none of the
proposed action would be implemented. Additional alternatives may be
included in response to issues raised by the public during the scoping
process or due to additional concerns for resource values identified by
the interdisciplinary team.
Responsible Official
The Forest Supervisor of the Malheur National Forest, 431 Patterson
Bridge Road, John Day, OR 97845, is the Responsible Official. As the
Responsible Official, I will decide if the proposed action will be
implemented. I will document the decision and rationale for the
decision in the Record of Decision. I have delegated the responsibility
for preparing the draft EIS and final EIS to the District Ranger, Blue
Mountain Ranger District.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
Based on the purpose and need, the Responsible Official reviews the
proposed action, the other alternatives, the environmental
consequences, and public comments on the analysis in order to make the
following decision:
(1) Whether to implement timber harvest and associated fuels
treatments, prescribed burning, and watershed work, including the
design features and potential mitigation measures to protect resources;
and if so, how much and at what specific locations;
(2) What, if any, specific project monitoring requirements are
needed to assure design features and potential mitigation measures are
implemented and effective, and to evaluate the success of the project
objectives. A project specific monitoring plan will be developed.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. The
interdisciplinary team will continue to seek information, comments, and
assistance from Federal, State, and local agencies, Tribal governments,
and other individuals or organizations that may be interested in, or
affected by, the proposed action. There is a collaborative group in the
area that the interdisciplinary team will interact with during the
analysis process.
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.
Dated: February 6, 2015.
Steven K. Beverlin,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2015-03027 Filed 2-12-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
