[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 63 (Friday, April 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16731-16732]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7486]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Young Dodge SEIS; Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, MT
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare a Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Young Dodge project. The Young Dodge
project includes urban interface fuels treatments, vegetation
management, watershed rehabilitation activities, wildlife habitat
improvement, and access management changes, including road
decommissioning. The project is located in the Young Dodge planning
subunit on the Rexford Ranger District, Kootenai National Forest,
Lincoln County, Montana, and seven miles northwest of Eureka, Montana.
The Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS for this project was
published in the Federal Register (70 FR 14315) on February 22, 2008,
and the notice of the Final EIS (70 FR 38131) on May 1, 2008. The
Record of Decision on this project was administratively appealed to the
Regional Forester per 36 CFR part 215. The Regional Forester reversed
the decision on July 24, 2008, citing insufficient evidence or
rationale to explain why an analysis of potential effects on the
goshawk was not warranted. A Supplemental EIS is being prepared to
further address potential effects of the Young Dodge project on
wildlife species.
ADDRESSES: The line officer responsible for this analysis is: Glen M.
McNitt, District Ranger, Eureka Ranger Station, Rexford Ranger
District, 949 Highway 93 North, Eureka, MT 59917.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat Price, Team Leader, Rexford Ranger
District, at (406) 296-2536.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Young Dodge project area is
approximately seven miles northwest of Eureka, Montana, within all or
portions of T37N R28W and part of T37N R29W, PMM, Lincoln County,
Montana. The purpose and need for the project is to: (1) Reduce fuel
accumulations, both inside and outside the Wildland-Urban Interface, to
decrease the likelihood that fires would become stand-replacing
wildfires; (2) Restore historical vegetation species and stand
structure; and (3) Restore historical patch sizes. Other considerations
are: (4) Identify the minimum transportation system necessary to
provide safe, reasonable, and efficient access for Forest Service
administrative activities and fire suppression, recreation use and
public access, and private land owners and utility companies; (5)
Manage the transportation system to reduce effects to threatened,
endangered, sensitive, and management indicator species habitat and
security; streams, riparian areas, and wetlands; big game winter range;
and old growth habitat, and to minimize road maintenance costs; (6)
Evaluate recreation facilities and opportunities to meet growing and
anticipated demand; and (7) Evaluate existing and proposed Special Use
Permits.
The Young Dodge Record of Decision (ROD) was released at the same
time as the Final EIS and the legal notice of decision was published in
the newspaper of record on May 1, 2008. The ROD selected Alternative 1
and authorized the following: (1) Removal of commercial timber products
from 29 units totaling approximately 3,069 acres in order to reduce
fuel accumulations, both within and outside of the wildland-urban
interface, to decrease the likelihood that wildfires would become large
stand-replacing wildfires, and to restore historical vegetation
patterns, stand structure, and patch sizes on the landscape. Another
1,053 acres may have commercial products removed in units identified in
the ``Prescribed Burn with Mechanical Pre-Treatment'' category; (2)
Salvage of up to 200 acres of incidental mortality resulting from
prescribed fire, if necessary. This salvage would be expected to take
place in or adjacent to treatment units authorized under this decision;
(3) Use of site-specific silvicultural prescriptions, logging systems,
fuel treatments, riparian habitat conservation areas, and reforestation
practices; (4) Underburning without harvest in 19 units totaling
approximately 4,000 acres in order to achieve fuel reduction
objectives; (5) Road maintenance activities on portions of 100 miles of
roads in order to reduce impacts to soil and water resources;
decommissioning of approximately 12 miles of roads to provide
beneficial effects to the watersheds; placing approximately 27 miles of
roads in intermittent stored service status to restore natural drainage
patterns and reduce maintenance costs; reconstruct approximately 0.4
miles of existing roads; and adding about 9 miles of ``unauthorized''
roads to the National Forest Road System; (6) Construction of a boat
ramp, parking area, and restroom to provide access on the west shore of
Koocanusa Reservoir; (7) Rerouting and reconstructing approximately one
and a half miles of non-motorized hiking trail and construct a small
parking area; (8) Renovation of the Robinson Mountain Lookout to
include it in the cabin rental program; (9) A project-specific Forest
Plan amendment to Management Area (MA) 12 Wildlife and Fish standard
7 to allow regeneration harvest in big game movement corridors
adjacent to previous harvest openings and openings greater than 40
acres; (10) A project-specific Forest Plan amendment to MA 12 Timber
Standard 2 to allow harvest adjacent to units that do not
provide suitable hiding cover; and (11) A project-specific Forest Plan
amendment to MA 12 Facilities Standard 3 to allow open road
density to exceed 0.75 mi/mi\2\ during project implementation and post-
project.
The SEIS is intended to provide additional documentation of the
effects of the Young Dodge project on goshawk to the public.
A Draft SEIS is expected to be available for public review and
comment in April 2010; and a Final SEIS in June 2010. The comment
period for the Draft SEIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA
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
[[Page 16732]]
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 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.
Responsible Official
The Forest Supervisor of the Kootenai National Forest, 31374 U.S.
Highway 2, Libby, MT 59923, is the Responsible Official for this
project. The Record of Decision will identify the land management
activities to be implemented in the project area including urban
interface fuels treatments, vegetation management, watershed
rehabilitation activities, wildlife habitat improvement, access
management changes, including road decommissioning, monitoring, and
whether or not a Forest Plan amendment is necessary. The Forest
Supervisor will make a decision on this project after considering
comments and responses, environmental consequences discussed in the
Final SEIS, and applicable laws, regulations and policies. The decision
and supporting reasons will be documented in a Record of Decision.
Dated: March 24, 2010.
Paul Bradford,
Forest Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2010-7486 Filed 4-1-10; 8:45 am]
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