22670 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 78 / Friday, April 22, 2011 / Notices 

with the ability to provide the 

respondent with subsequent 

environmental documents. 

Dated: April 18, 2011. 

Alan D. Olson, 

Acting Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9871 Filed 4–21–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Black Hills National Forest, Hell 

Canyon Ranger District, South Dakota, 

Vestal Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement on a proposal to use multiple 

vegetation treatments focused on 

reducing the threat to ecosystem 

components including forest resources 

from an existing insect epidemic 

(mountain pine beetle), creating a 

landscape condition that reduces the 

potential for high severity wildfire 

adjacent to the at-risk community of 

Custer, SD. The proposal is being 

planned for the 43,516 acre Vestal 

Project that includes about 25,726 acres 

of National Forest System land and 

about 17,790 acres of interspersed 

private land. The project area is located 

surrounding the city of Custer, SD. This 

project will be conducted as an 

authorized project under Section 102 of 

the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 

2003 (HFRA). Actions proposed for the 

Vestal Project would occur on National 

Forest System lands only. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis would be most useful if 

received by 30 days following the date 

of this notice. The draft environmental 

impact statement is expected to be 

available for public review by November 

2011 and the final environmental 

impact statement is expected to be 

completed by March 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Lynn D. Kolund, District Ranger, Black 

Hills National Forest, Hell Canyon 

Ranger District, 330 Mount Rushmore 

Road, Custer, South Dakota 57730. 

Telephone Number: (605) 673–4853. Email: comments-rocky-mountain-blackhills-hell-canyon@fs.fed.us. Electronic 

comments must be readable in Word, 

Rich Text or PDF formats. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If 

you have any questions or need 

additional information, please contact 

Kelly Honors, Team Leader or Lynn D. 

Kolund, District Ranger, at the Hell 

Canyon Ranger District office in Custer, 

SD at (605) 673–4853. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

actions proposed are in direct response 

to management direction provided by 

the Black Hills National Forest Land 

and Resource Management Plan (Forest 

Plan). The site specific actions are 

designed, based on Forest Plan 

Standards and Guidelines, to move 

existing resource conditions in the 

Vestal Project toward meeting Forest 

Plan Goals and Objectives. The project 

area is located surrounding the at-risk 

community of Custer, SD. 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The primary purpose for action in the 

Vestal project is to reduce the threat to 

forest resources from the existing 

mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic. 

This action is needed because there is 

a rapidly increasing MPB outbreak 

occurring within the project area which 

is resulting in substantial levels of pine 

mortality. Existing stand conditions 

across the project area are largely at 

medium to high risk for MPB caused 

mortality. 

A secondary purpose of this project is 

to protect local communities and 

watersheds from large-scale wildfire. 

This action is needed because the 

project area is located within and 

surrounding the town of Custer, SD and 

overall fire hazard in the area is high 

due to dense stand conditions and dead, 

dry fuels resulting from MPB caused 

mortality. Approximately 40 percent of 

lands in the project area are privately 

owned, with an estimated 3,194 private 

structures. 

Proposed Action 

• Thin and harvest approximately 

19,779 acres of pine stands using a 

variety of methods to treat mountain 

pine beetle (MPB) infested stands, 

reduce the overall density of pine trees 

and create a mosaic of structural stages 

across the landscape. Both commercial 

harvest and non-commercial thinning 

will be used to reduce the stand density, 

and associated fuel hazard conditions 

and susceptibility to mountain pine 

beetle infestations. 

• Reduce the amount of fuels that 

currently exist and that are modified by 

mountain pine beetle caused mortality 

by creation of fuelbreaks on 180 acres 

and deadfall treatment on 24,110 acres. 

Deadfall treatments could include 

lopping, chipping, crushing, piling and 

burning, and mastication of fuels. 

Prescribed broadcast burning on 

approximately 1,761 acres is also 

planned to disrupt the continuity of 

surface and canopy fuels. The deadfall 

treatment and prescribed burning would 

occur on sites also proposed for other 

mechanical treatments. 

• Remove conifers from hardwood 

stands and meadows on approximately 

1,889 acres and convert pine stands to 

aspen on 126 acres to provide additional 

wildfire protection by enhancing natural 

fuel breaks. 

• Removal of live pine trees which 

have mountain pine beetle larva in them 

across the entire project area and as a 

stand alone treatment on approximately 

3,655 acres. This is a suppression 

method for mountain pine beetle 

infestations. 

• Conversion of 0.6 miles of 

unauthorized road to system road to 

facilitate treatments, and closure of 

approximately 0.9 miles of system road 

to protect resources. 

Responsible Official 

Lynn D. Kolund, District Ranger, Hell 

Canyon Ranger District, Black Hills 

National Forest, 330 Mount Rushmore 

Road, Custer, South Dakota 57730. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The decision to be made is whether or 

not to implement the proposed action or 

possible alternative at this time. 

Scoping Process 

The Hell Canyon Ranger District has 

mailed letters with comprehensive 

scoping documents to local and tribal 

government representatives, permittees, 

organizations and others. A public 

notice will also be published in local 

newspapers. The scoping document 

with attached maps will also be posted 

on the Black Hills National Forest Web 

site. A public meeting is scheduled for 

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 from 5–7 

p.m. at the Custer High School, Custer, 

South Dakota. Scoping comments 

submitted based on this NOI will be 

most useful if received within 30 days 

from the date of this notice. 

Comment Requested 

This notice of intent is part of the 

scoping process which will guide the 

development of the EIS. Comments 

received will assist the planning team to 

identify key issues and opportunities 

used to refine the proposal or develop 

possible alternatives. Comments on the 

DEIS will be requested during the 45 

day comment period following 

publication of the Notice of Availability 

in the Federal Register, expected in 

November, 2011. 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 78 / Friday, April 22, 2011 / Notices 22671 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review 

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 45- 

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. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

21. 

Dated: April 18, 2011. 

Dennis Jaeger, 

Deputy Forest Supervisor, Black Hills 

National Forest. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9743 Filed 4–21–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Custer County Resource Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Custer County Resource 

Advisory Committee will meet in 

Custer, South Dakota. The committee is 

meeting as authorized under the Secure 

Rural Schools and Community SelfDetermination Act (Pub. L. 110–343) 

and in compliance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act. The purpose 

of the meeting is review of project 

proposals to be implemented in 2012. 

DATES: The meeting will be held May 

10, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

1019 N 5th Street at the Office of the 

Forest Supervisor. Written comments 

should be sent to 330 MT Rushmore 

Rd., Custer, South Dakota 57730. 

Comments may also be sent via email to 

lkolund@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 

605–673–5461. 

All comments, including names and 

addresses when provided, are placed in 

the record and are available for public 

inspection and copying. The public may 

inspect comments received at 330 MT 

Rushmore Rd., Custer, SD. Visitors are 

encouraged to call ahead to 605–673– 

4853 to facilitate entry into the building. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lynn Kolund, District Ranger, Hell 

Canyon Ranger District, 605–673–4853, 

lkolund@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 

Standard Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is open to the public. The 

following business will be conducted: 

Review of Project Proposals for 

implementation in 2012. Persons who 

wish to bring related matters to the 

attention of the Committee may file 

written statements with the Committee 

staff before or after the meeting. Public 

input sessions will be provided and 

individuals who made written requests 

by May 5, 2011, will have the 

opportunity to address the Committee at 

those sessions. 

Dated: April 15, 2011. 

Lynn Kolund, 

District Ranger. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9757 Filed 4–21–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Lincoln County Resource Advisory 

Committee Meeting 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Lincoln County Resource 

Advisory Committee will meet in Libby, 

MT. The committee is authorized under 

the Secure Rural Schools and 

Community Self-Determination Act 

(Pub. L. 110–343) (the Act) and operates 

in compliance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act. The purpose 

of the committee is to improve 

collaborative relationships and to 

provide advice and recommendations to 

the Forest Service concerning projects 

and funding consistent with the title II 

of the Act. The meeting is open to the 

public. The purpose of the meeting is to 

review 2011 project proposals. 

DATES: May 4, 2011, 6 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: Forest Supervisor’s Office, 

31374 Hwy 2, Libby, Montana. Written 

comments may be submitted as 

described under Supplementary 

Information. 

All comments, including names and 

addresses when provided, are placed in 

the record and are available for public 

inspection and copying. The public may 

inspect comments received at the Forest 

Supervisor’s Office. Please call ahead to 

406–283–7764 to facilitate entry into the 

building to view comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Janette Turk, Committee Coordinator, 

Kootenai National Forest at (406) 283– 

7764, or e-mail jturk@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 

Standard Time, Monday through Friday. 

Requests for reasonable accommodation 

for access to the facility or proceedings 

may be made by contacting the person 

listed For Further Information. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

following business will be conducted: A 

review of 2011 project proposals. If the 

meeting date or location is changed, 

notice will be posted in the local 

newspapers, including the Daily 

Interlake, based in Kalispell, Montana. 

Anyone who would like to bring related 

matters to the attention of the committee 

may file written statements with the 

committee staff before or after the 

meeting. The agenda will include time 

for people to make oral statements of 

three minutes or less. Individuals 

wishing to make an oral statement 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES