11508 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 47 / Thursday, March 11, 2010 / Notices 

identified by stakeholders and are 

essential to sustaining the ecological 

function and productive capacity of 

NFsMS lands. Proposed management 

strategies focus on using best 

management practices for sustaining 

and improving watershed areas within 

national forest control while working 

cooperatively with other agencies and 

landowners to improve statewide 

watershed health. Proposed objectives 

include the restoration of approximately 

10 miles of stream channel every 5 years 

in conjunction with culvert replacement 

to improve aquatic organism passage, 

and the improvement of approximately 

10–15 acres of degraded watershed areas 

each year. 

7. Maintain sustainable infrastructure 

and access—It is proposed that the main 

priorities for managing the roads, trails, 

and facilities that make up the NFsMS 

infrastructure would involve the safety 

and maintenance of existing systems. 

This would include addressing the 

backlog of repairs and upgrades, 

improvements for environmental 

protection, disposal of facilities that are 

no longer needed, and rehabilitation of 

user-created trails and roads. 

Infrastructure additions are anticipated 

to be limited and dependent on funding 

availability. 

8. Maintain sustainable recreation— 

Proposed strategies for sustaining 

outdoor recreation opportunities on the 

NFsMS under anticipated funding levels 

focus on maintaining and improving 

existing dispersed recreation 

opportunities and developed recreation 

sites, with the addition of new facilities 

and amenities dependent on expanding 

local and State-wide partnerships. 

9. Provide stable economic benefits— 

The national forest activities that 

generate the majority of the revenues 

that feed back into the local economy in 

Mississippi come from timber, minerals, 

and recreation. As a result of the 

proposal to restore native ecosystems to 

appropriate sites and maintaining 

healthy and resilient forests, it is 

anticipated that there would be a steady 

flow of economic benefits similar to 

those received in recent years. 

10. Adapt to changing conditions— 

An increase in extreme weather events 

is the climate change factor most likely 

to affect the NFsMS in the next 10–15 

years. Proposed strategies include 

reducing vulnerability by maintaining 

and restoring resilient native 

ecosystems, enhancing adaptation by 

reducing serious disturbances and 

taking advantage of disruptions, using 

preventative measures to reduce 

opportunities for forest pests, and 

mitigating greenhouse emissions by 

reducing carbon loss from hurricanes. 

H. Preliminary Alternatives 

Information gathered during this 

comment period, as well as other 

feedback, will be used to identify issues 

that will serve as a focus for developing 

alternatives to be analyzed in the draft 

EIS. 

I. Public Involvement 

The public is invited to provide 

comments on this NOI, especially 

regarding the scope of analysis for the 

items identified under Need for Change 

and Proposed Action sections above. 

Additional information is available on 

the National Forests in Mississippi Web 

site: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/ 

mississippi/. 

Notice of public meeting times and 

places will be posted on the above Web 

site and will also be published in the 

newspaper of record (legal notice 

section) for National Forests in 

Mississippi (Clarion-Ledger—Jackson, 

Mississippi). 

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 revised plan 

and the EIS. Therefore, comments on 

the proposed action and need for change 

will be most valuable if received by May 

7, 2010 and should clearly articulate the 

reviewers’ concerns. The submission of 

timely and specific comments can affect 

a reviewer’s ability to participate in 

subsequent administrative or judicial 

review. At this time, we anticipate using 

a pre-decisional objection process for 

administrative review. 

Comments received in response to 

this solicitation, including the 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. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1600–1614; 36 CFR 

219.35 [74 FR 67073–67074]. 

Dated: March 2, 2010._ 

Margrett L. Boley, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2010–4932 Filed 3–10–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Revision of Land Management Plan for 

the Uwharrie National Forest 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Revise the 

Land and Resource Management Plan 

and Prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement. 

SUMMARY: As directed by the National 

Forest Management Act, the USDA 

Forest Service is preparing the Uwharrie 

National Forest’s revised land 

management plan (forest plan) and will 

also prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) for this revised forest 

plan. This notice briefly describes the 

nature of the decision to be made, the 

need for change and proposed action, 

and information concerning public 

participation. It also provides estimated 

dates for filing the ElS and the name 

and address of the responsible agency 

official and the individuals who can 

provide additional information. Finally, 

this notice briefly describes the 

applicable planning rule and how plan 

revision work completed under the 2008 

planning rule will be used or modified 

for completing this plan revision. The 

revised forest plan will supersede the 

current forest plan that was approved by 

the Regional Forester in May 1986. The 

current forest plan will remain in effect 

until the revised forest plan takes effect. 

DATES: Comments concerning the need 

for change and proposed action 

provided in this notice will be most 

useful in the development of the draft 

revised forest plan and EIS if received 

by May 7, 2010. The agency expects to 

release a draft revised forest plan and 

draft EIS for formal comment by 

October, 2010 and a final revised forest 

plan and final EIS by September, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent via 

e-mail: comments-southern-north 

carolina@/fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 

828–257–4263. Send or deliver written 

comments to: National Forests in North 

Carolina, Attention: Uwharrie Plan 

Revision Team, 160A Zillicoa Street, 

Asheville, NC 28801. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ruth Berner, Forest Planner, National 

Forests in North Carolina, 160A Zillicoa 

Street, Asheville, NC, (828) 257–4862. 

Information regarding this revision is 

also available at the National Forests in 

North Carolina Web site: http:// 

www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/uwliarrie_plan/

index.htm. 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: 

A. Name and Address of the 

Responsible Official 

The responsible official who will 

approve the Record of Decision is 

Elizabeth Agpaoa, Regional Forester, 

1720 Peachtree Road NW., Atlanta, 

Georgia, 30309. 


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B. Nature of the Decision To Be Made 

The Uwharrie National Forest is 

preparing an EIS to revise the current 

forest plan. The EIS process is meant to 

inform the Regional Forester so that she 

can decide which alternative best meets 

the diverse needs of people while 

protecting the forest’s resources, as 

required by the National Forest 

Management Act and the Multiple Use 

Sustained Yield Act. The revised forest 

plan will describe the strategic intent of 

managing the Uwharrie National Forest 

into the next 10 to 15 years and will 

address the need for change described 

below. The revised forest plan will 

provide management direction in the 

form of goals (desired conditions), 

objectives, suitability determinations, 

standards, guidelines, and a monitoring 

plan. It may also make new special 

interest area designations and 

recommendations. 

It is also important to identify the 

types of decisions that will not be made 

within the revised forest plan. The 

authorization of project-level activities 

on the forests is not a decision made in 

the forest plan but occurs through 

subsequent project specific decision 

making. The designation routes and 

trails for motorized vehicle travel, 

equestrian and mountain bike use are 

not considered during plan revision, but 

will be addressed through subsequent 

planning processes. Some issues (e.g., 

hunting regulations), although 

important, are beyond the authority or 

control of the Uwharrie National Forest 

and will not be considered. 

C. Need for Change and Proposed 

Action 

According to the National Forest 

Management Act, forest plans are to be 

revised on a 10 to 15 year cycle. The 

purpose and need for revising the 

current forest plan are (1) the forest plan 

is over 20 years old, and (2) since the 

forest plan was approved in 1986, there 

have been changes in economic, social, 

and ecological conditions, new policies 

and priorities, and new information 

based on monitoring and scientific 

research. Extensive public and 

employee collaboration, along with 

science-based evaluations, identified the 

need for change in the current forest 

plan. This need for change has been 

organized into three revision themes 

that focus on the sustainability of 

ecological, social, and economic 

systems: (1) Restoring the forest to a 

more natural ecological condition, (2) 

better managing heritage resources, and 

(3) providing outstanding and 

environmentally friendly outdoor 

recreation opportunities, with excellent 

trails and facilities. The need for change 

is described fully in the Draft Analysis 

of the Management Situation document, 

which is available on the forests’ Web 

site: http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/ 

uwharrie_plan/index.htm. 

The Proposed Action is to revise the 

current forest plan to address the 

following three revision themes: 

Revision Theme 1—Restoring Tile 

Forest to a More Natural Ecological 

Condition 

Restoring Native Ecosystems 

Existing Forest ecosystems include 

native pine and hardwood communities, 

but also include loblolly pine 

communities on sites that once 

supported longleaf pine and oak hickory 

forests. The 1986 Plan emphasized 

timber production and one result was 

additional loblolly planting. By 

refocusing the emphasis onto restoration 

of native ecosystems, the proposed 

action includes re-introduction of 

longleaf pine and oak hickory forests on 

appropriate sites. 

Woodlands and open, prairie like 

conditions also existed in the Uwharrie 

area in the past and supported a variety 

of sun-loving species that are now rare 

in the current more closed-canopy 

conditions. The Endangered 

Schweinitz’s sunflower is one such 

species. The proposed action includes 

creating more open woodland 

conditions to support these rare species, 

thus better contributing to native 

biological diversity. 

Using Fire as a Tool 

Restoring natural fire regimes is 

important in sustaining some native 

ecosystems such as longleaf pine and 

the open woodland conditions utilized 

by other rare plants. The proposed 

action increases the use of prescribed 

fire for better maintenance of these 

native plant communities. 

Controlling Non-Native Invasive Plants 

The 1986 Plan did not emphasize 

controlling non-native invasive plant 

species. The proposed action sets 

objectives for addressing this issue. 

Consistent Acorn Production 

There is a relatively limited supply of 

oaks in the age range when acorns are 

most abundantly produced. The 

proposed action includes periodic 

vegetation management to maintain a 

more consistent amount of oaks with 

prime acorn production capabilities. 

Selective Stream Restoration 

Opportunities exist to improve stream 

channel stability and aquatic habitat. 

The proposed action emphasizes 

proactive restoration of streams and 

aquatic habitats. 

Revision Theme 2—Better Managing 

Heritage Resources 

Studying History 

There are more than 1,600 recorded 

heritage resources on the Uwharrie. 

These resources include artifacts and 

archeological sites that document 

human use of the area for more than 

14,000 years. The Forest was home for 

people who extracted its resources and 

the Forest holds abundant evidence of 

their activities and habitations. Their 

effects on the landscape and the 

environment’s effects on the people can 

only be understood with further study 

of these resources. 

Protecting History 

Unauthorized disturbance and 

collection of artifacts is prohibited 

under the Archeological Resources 

Protection Act of 1979, which protects 

all artifacts and sites over 100 years of 

age located on Federal lands. The 

proposed action includes direction to 

mitigate impacts to high priority sites. 

Interpreting History 

Opportunities abound for historic 

interpretation (Thomburg property, 

Crump Farm, Arrowhead Trail, 

goldmines) and for scientific research 

(prehistoric quarries and bogs/upland 

swamps). Bogs and upland swamps are 

likely to contain well-preserved data to 

interpret past environments. The 

proposed action includes direction to 

create additional opportunities for 

heritage resource interpretation. 

Revision Theme 3—Providing 

Outstanding and Environmentally 

Friendly Outdoor Recreation 

Opportunities, With Excellent Trails 

and Facilities 

Growth as a Tourist Destination 

The Uwharrie is the top tourist 

destination in Montgomery County, and 

one of several popular tourist 

destinations in Randolph County. There 

may be tourism related opportunities to 

provide more economic benefits to local 

communities. The proposed action 

includes direction to provide wellmaintained tourism-related 

infrastructure that would continue to 

attract visitors. 

Nature Hikes and Day Use More 

Popular 

Many visitors to the Uwharrie seek a 

place to walk, view nature, and perhaps 

picnic, swim, or fish. The Forest, with 

its lake and river frontage, rolling 

topography, and facilities, is currently 


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11510 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 47 / Thursday, March 11, 2010 / Notices 

providing a variety of these desired 

opportunities. These opportunities can 

help support the health and well-being 

of the populations of forest visitors. The 

proposed action emphasizes the 

Uwharrie National Recreation Trail, 

Badin Lake Recreation Area, the many 

trail systems, and the Uwharrie River. 

Forest Roads and Trails in Need of 

Improvement 

There may be opportunities to 

improve the existing Forest road and 

trail system, to enhance public access 

while minimizing visitor conflicts and 

resource damage. The proposed action 

focuses considerable attention on the 

trail systems, and includes a desire for 

moving equestrian and mountain bike 

use to a designated trail system. OHVs 

are already limited to a designated 

system. 

Providing Visitor Information 

The proposed action places more 

emphasis on visitor information that 

could increase visitor enjoyment and be 

a useful tool in controlling visitor 

impacts. 

D. Public Involvement on the Proposed 

Action 

Extensive public involvement and 

collaboration on revising the Uwharrie’s 

Forest Plan has already occurred. 

Discussions with the public regarding 

needed changes to the current forest 

plan began with a series of public 

meetings in 2005 and 2006. This input, 

along with science-based evaluations, 

was used to determine a need for change 

and a proposed plan. Correspondence, 

news releases, comment periods, and 

other tools were used to gather feedback 

from the public, forest employees, tribal 

governments, federal and state agencies, 

and local governments. A Proposed 

Land Management Plan for the 

Uwharrie National Forest was issued for 

a 90-day public comment period 

beginning February 15, 2007. Before the 

end of that comment period, the 2005 

Forest Service planning rule was 

enjoined by federal court. Preparation of 

the revised plan was halted at that time. 

A new planning rule was implemented 

on April 21, 2008 allowing the planning 

process to be resumed. A second 

Proposed Land Management Plan for the 

Uwharrie National Forest was then 

issued for a 90-day comment period on 

February 23, 2009, following the 

direction of the 2008 Planning Rule. The 

2008 planning rule was also enjoined by 

a federal court. The planning process for 

revising the Uwharrie’s Forest Plan is 

now moving forward using the 

requirements of the 1982 planning rule 

(see the discussion below for more 

information on the sequence of events 

and the determination that the Uwharrie 

National Forest can continue the 

planning process using the provisions of 

the 1982 planning rule). The Forest 

Service is now soliciting comments on 

a new proposal to revise the Uwharrie 

National Forest Land and Resource 

Management Plan. This proposal 

reflects the work that has previously 

been accomplished and adjusted to meet 

the requirements of the 1982 rule. A 

copy of the proposal can be found on 

the Web site described at the end of this 

notice. 

E. Issues and Preliminary Alternatives 

Information gathered during this 

comment period, as well as other 

feedback, will be used to prepare the 

draft EIS. At this time, the Uwharrie 

National Forest is seeking input on the 

proposed action. From these comments 

the Forest Service will identify issues 

that will serve as a focus for developing 

alternatives to be analyzed in the EIS. 

F. Scoping Process 

Comments on the need for change, 

issues, proposed action, and 

preliminary alternatives will be most 

valuable if received by May 7, 2010 and 

should clearly articulate the reviewer’s 

concerns. Comments received in 

response to this solicitation, including 

the names and addresses of those who 

comment, will be part of the public 

record. The submission of timely and 

specific comments can affect a 

reviewer’s ability to participate in any 

subsequent administrative or judicial 

review. At this time, we anticipate using 

a pre-decisional objection process for 

administrative review. Comments 

submitted anonymously will be 

accepted and considered. 

G. Applicable Planning Rule 

Preparation of the revised forest plan 

for the Uwharrie National Forest 

originally began with the publication of 

a Notice of Initiation in the Federal 

Register on November 18, 2005 [70 FR 

69931] and was initiated under the 

planning procedures contained in the 

2005 Forest Service planning rule (36 

CFR 219 (2005)). On March 30, 2007, 

the United States District Court for the 

Northern District of California enjoined 

the Forest Service from implementing 

the 2005 planning rule and the revision 

of the Uwharrie’s Forest Plan under the 

2005 rule was suspended in response to 

that injunction. On April 21, 2008, the 

Forest Service adopted a new planning 

rule that allowed resumption of the 

revision process if it conformed to the 

new planning rule (36 CFR 

219.14(b)(3)(ii) (2008)). On February 25, 

2009, a Notice of Adjustment for 

Resuming the land management 

revision process and Notice of 

Commencement of a 90-day comment 

period for the Uwharrie National Forest 

Proposed Land Management Plan was 

published in the Federal Register [74 

FR 8500]. Then on June 30, 2009, the 

2008 planning rule was enjoined by the 

United States District Court for the 

Northern District of California (Citizens 

for Better Forestry v. United States 

Department of Agriculture, No. C 08– 

1927 CW (N.D. Cal. June 30, 2009)) and 

the revision of the Uwharrie’s Forest 

Plan was again suspended. The 

Department of Agriculture has 

determined that the 2000 planning rule 

is now back in effect. The 2000 planning 

rule’s transition provisions (36 CFR 

219.35), amended in 2002 and 2003, 

clarified by interpretative rules issued 

in 2001 and 2004, and reissued on 

December 18, 2009 [74 FR 67059– 

67075], allow use of the provisions of 

the planning rule in effect prior to the 

effective date of the 2000 Rule 

(November 9, 2000), commonly called 

the 1982 planning rule, to amend or 

revise forest plans. The Uwharrie 

National Forest has elected to use the 

provisions of the 1982 planning rule, 

including the requirement to prepare an 

ElS, to complete its forest plan revision. 

H. Other Prior Plan Revision Efforts 

Although the 2008 planning rule is no 

longer in effect, the information 

gathered from public collaboration 

efforts and most of the analysis 

conducted prior to the court’s 

injunction in June 2009 is still useful for 

completing the plan revision using the 

provisions of the 1982 planning 

regulations. 

Æ Under the 2005 and 2008 planning 

rules, a Comprehensive Evaluation 

Report (CER) was completed that 

formed the basis for the need to change 

and the proposed plan that was 

available for public comment in 2007 

and 2009. This analysis has been 

updated with additional information to 

meet the requirements of the Analysis of 

Management Situation (AMS) 

provisions of the 1982 planning rule. 

The information from this Draft 

Analysis of the Management Situation 

report was then used to update the 

proposed action. As the planning 

process continues, comments received 

during the scoping process, plus any 

new information or areas identified as 

needing to be changed, will be used to 

supplement the AMS documents. Other 

AMS requirements will also continue to 

be worked on as the planning process 

proceeds. 


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Æ Information on the life history, 

threats, habitat needs and population 

trends of a number of terrestrial and 

aquatic species contained in the forest 

planning records for ecosystem and 

species diversity assessments will 

continue to be used as a reference in the 

planning process as appropriate to meet 

the requirements of the 1982 planning 

rule. This is scientific information and 

is not affected by the change of the 

planning rule. This information will be 

updated with any new available 

information. 

Æ Public comments previously 

submitted in writing, or recorded at past 

public meetings, related to the revision 

of the Uwharrie’s Forest Plan since 2005 

will be used to help identify issues and 

concerns and to help develop 

alternatives to address these issues and 

concerns. 

I. Documents Available for Review 

The proposed action, background 

reports, assessments, datasets, and 

public comments are posted on the 

Forest’s Web site at: http:// 

www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/uwharrie_plan/

index.htm. As necessary or appropriate, 

this material will be further adjusted as 

part of the planning process using the 

provisions of the 1982 planning rule. 

(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1600–1614; 36 CFR 

219.35 [74 FR 67073–67074]). 

Dated March 3, 2010. 

Marisue Hilliard, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2010–5101 Filed 3–10–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–ES–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest; 

Mt. Ashland Ski Area Expansion, 

Jackson County, OR 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement to analyze and correct NFMA 

and NEPA violations found by the 

United States Court of Appeals for the 

Ninth Circuit in CV–05–03004–PA, to 

conditionally authorize expansion of the 

Mt. Ashland Ski Area. 

SUMMARY: In September 2004, the Forest 

Service issued a Record of Decision 

(ROD) for the Mt. Ashland Ski Area 

(MASA) expansion, selecting 

Alternative 2 with some modifications 

adopted from Alternative 6. The Forest 

Service received twenty-eight notices of 

appeal to the ROD. In December 2004, 

the Forest Service denied all 

administrative appeals to the ROD. In 

January 2005, Oregon Natural Resources 

Council (ONRC) filed suit against the 

Forest Service and Regional Forester 

Linda Goodman seeking declaratory and 

injunctive relief on the grounds that the 

MASA expansion project violated both 

the NEPA and the NFMA. On February 

9, 2007, after considering cross motions 

for summary judgment, a United States 

District Court entered summary 

judgment against ONRC. ONRC filed a 

timely notice of appeal to the Ninth 

Circuit Court of Appeals. Upon review, 

the Court of Appeals remanded the case 

to the district court and instructed it to 

promptly enjoin the MASA expansion 

project contemplated in the 2004 ROD 

until the Forest Service corrected the 

NFMA and NEPA violations found in 

Opinion CV–05–03004–PA. 

DATES: Under 40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4), there 

is no formal scoping period for this 

action. The Draft Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) 

is expected March 2010 and the Final 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement is expected May 2010. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Johnson, Siskiyou Mountains 

Ranger District, Rogue River-Siskiyou 

National Forest, 645 Washington Street, 

Ashland, Oregon, 97520, Telephone 

(541) 552–2900; FAX (541) 552–2922. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Court 

of Appeals identified several NFMA and 

NEPA claims, including failure to 

conduct a proper Biological Evaluation 

for the Pacific fisher that addresses the 

five steps referenced in the Land and 

Resource Management Plan (LRMP). 

The Court of Appeals found it necessary 

to understand the type of habitat the 

Pacific fisher requires for food, shelter 

and reproduction. A link between 

mapping of habitat and habitat needs 

must be made in order to use habitat as 

a proxy for population census. Potential 

impacts of displacing fisher and 

damaging habitat in the corridor 

between the Siskiyous and Southern 

cascades must be understood. 

Cumulative effects of foreseeable future 

projects on fisher habitat must be 

understood. The Court of Appeals also 

found failure to appropriately designate 

Riparian Reserve and Restricted 

Watershed land allocations and to 

properly analyze against LRMP 

standards and guidelines for soils. 

Landslide Hazard Zone 2 should have 

been designated as Riparian Reserve. 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The purpose and need for this 

supplemental document is to analyze 

and correct specific violations identified 

by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals 

which will allow a determination on 

whether and to what extent analysis of 

supplemental information might alter 

the decision to allow ski area expansion. 

This action is needed to address the 

appropriateness of the previous decision 

and to be responsive to the Court of 

Appeals Opinion and district court 

injunction. 

Responsible Official 

The Rogue River-Siskiyou and 

Klamath National Forests are jointly 

responsible for public land management 

of the Special Use Permit area. The 

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest 

has been authorized to make decisions 

regarding implementation of ski area 

expansion activities at Mt. Ashland 

under the terms of a February 4, 2004 

Intra Agency Agreement (No. 03–IA– 

11061002–005), between the Klamath 

National Forest and the Rogue RiverSiskiyou National Forest and renewed 

on May 12, 2009 Intra Agency 

Agreement (09–IA–11061001–003). 

Decision Framework 

The Forest Service will use the results 

of supplemental analysis to determine if 

and how the violations identified by the 

Ninth Circuit will affect the 2004 

decision. The Forest Service will decide 

whether to withdraw the 2004 decision, 

or issue a new or supplemental 

decision. If a new or supplemental 

decision is issued following preparation 

of the Final Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement, that 

decision will be subject to appeal in 

accordance with 36 CFR 215. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review 

A Draft SEIS will be prepared for 

comment. Comments received on the 

Draft SEIS will be considered in the 

preparation of the Final SEIS. The Draft 

SEIS is now expected to be filed with 

the Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) and to be available for public 

review in March 2010. The comment 

period on the Draft SEIS will be 45-days 

from the date EPA publishes the Notice 

of Availability in the Federal Register. 

At the end of the comment period on 

the Draft SETS, comments will be 

analyzed and considered by the Forest 

Service in preparing the Final SEIS. The 

Final SETS is scheduled to be 

completed by May 2010. The Forest 

Service believes 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 


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