[Federal Register: October 1, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 189)]
[Notices]
[Page 55737-55738]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01oc07-27]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Bitterroot National Forest, Ravalli County, MT, Travel Management
Planning
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environment impact statement.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act,
notice is hereby given that the Forest Service, Bitterroot National
Forest will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement to disclose
the environmental consequences of the proposed travel management
planning. The proposed action would provide approximately 2,487 miles
of wheeled motorized recreation opportunities on the Bitterroot
National Forest while maintaining 1,030,405 acres of non-motorized
areas. The proposed action would also provide approximately 341 miles
of open snowmobile routes and 608,031 acres open to snowmobile use.
DATES: Specific comments on the proposed action should be received by
November 23, 2007. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
to be available for the public in August 2008, and the final
environmental impact statement is expected to be available in May 2009.
The Motor Vehicle Use Map is scheduled to be available on or before
December 2009.
[[Page 55738]]
ADDRESSES: Submit written, faxed, or e-mail comments by: (1) Mail--
Travel Management Planning Team; Stevensville Ranger District; 88 Main;
Stevensville, Montana 59870 (2) fax--(406) 777-7423; (3) e-mail--
comments- northern-bitterroot@fs.fed.us
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Ritter, Stevensville District
Ranger (406) 777-5461 or Sandy Mack, Project Team Leader (406) 777-7415
(see ADDRESSES above)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose
The objectives of the project are to: 1. Change the existing
motorized recreation designations provide quality motorized recreation
experiences while protecting natural resources and providing non-
motorized recreation opportunities.
Provide motorized loop routes that offer a quality
recreational experience, with the focus on using old roads and linkages
with only minor resource impacts.
Provide areas for non-motorized recreation experiences.
Close routes to motorized use that have resource concerns
that can't reasonably be mitigated.
2. Close routes that offer little value as a motorized experience
and have resource concerns.
3. Clarify and simplify the motor vehicle use designations.
4. Comply with the 2005 Travel Management Rule.
Proposed Action
The proposed action establishes clear, standardized designations of
where motorized recreation is appropriate, sustainable and desirable on
the Bitterroot National Forest. It would provide 2,487 miles of routes
open to wheeled motorized use including: 25 mi. of roads open to all
vehicles, yearlong or seasonal (mixed-motorized); 1,479 mi. of roads
open to highway legal vehicles only, yearlong or seasonal; 746 mi. of
trails open to vehicles 50 or less in width, yearlong or
seasonal; 237 mi. of trails open to motorcycles, yearlong or seasonal.
It would also provide 1,030,405 acres of non-motorized use (\1/2\ mile
or more from wheeled motorized use designations) across the Forest. The
proposed action would provide 58 miles of groomed snowmobile trails,
341 miles of open snowmobile routes and 608,031 acres open to
snowmobile use.
Alternatives to the proposed action will be developed based on
public comments.
Responsible Official
The responsible official for the Travel Management Planning Project
is Dave T. Bull, Forest Supervisor, Bitterroot National Forest 1801 N.
First, Hamilton 59840-3114.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Responsible Official will determine whether or not to proceed
with the proposed motorized use designations.
Scoping Process
Comments will be accepted during the 60-day scoping period as
described in this notice of intent. To assist in commenting, a coping
package providing more detailed information on the project proposal has
been prepared and is available to interested parties. Contact Sandy
Mack, Project Leader at the address listed in this notice of intent if
you would like to receive a copy. The information is also available on
the web at http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/bitterroot/projects/ motorized--rec.shtml,
and at each District Office and at the public libraries in Darby,
Hamilton, Stevensville and Missoula. the Forest will schedule public
meetings in November, prior to the end of the public comment period.
Meeting times and locations will be announced at a later date.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process that guides the
development of the environmental impact statement.
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 at least 45 days from the date the
Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in
the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft environmental impact statements must structure their
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490
F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings,
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action
participate by the close of the 24 day comment period so that
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to
them in the final environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives
formulated and discussed in the statement. 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, 2007.
Barry Paulson,
Deputy Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 07-4805 Filed 9-28-08; 8:45 am]
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