United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Forest 

Service 

Black Hills 

National 

Forest 

Mystic Ranger District 

8221 South Highway 16 

Rapid City, SD 57702 

Phone 605-343-1567 Fax 605-343-7134

 Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper

File Code: 1950-Pactola Project Area 

Date: April 22, 2011 

Greetings from the Black Hills National Forest: 

Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) personnel recently completed a Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement (DEIS) for the Pactola Project Area. The project area lies west of Pactola Lake and 

approximately 10 miles west of Rapid City, SD. The project area encompasses approximately 

26,017 acres. The project area consists of 24,863 acres of National Forest System lands, with 

1,154 acres of interspersed private lands. 

The project’s main focus is to help protect communities and resources by reducing the threat to 

ecosystem components, including forest resources, from the existing mountain pine beetle (MPB) 

epidemic and by reducing hazardous fuels. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003 

(H.R. 1904) provides improved statutory processes for hazardous fuel reduction projects and healthy 

forest restoration on National Forest System lands. 

Title I of the HFRA focuses primarily on expedited hazardous fuel treatment projects on NFS lands 

that are at risk of wildland fire, including insect infestations. The Pactola Project qualifies as an 

authorized hazardous fuel reduction project under HFRA Section 102(a)(4). This section of the Act 

specifies what project characteristics authorize a given project to be planned and implemented under 

various provisions of the Act. 

The purpose of and need for the Pactola Project is to: 

• Reduce the threat to ecosystem components, including forest resources, from the existing 

mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic 

• Move toward achieving desired land and resource conditions, as provided by the Forest Plan 

• Restore resource conditions to a healthy, resilient fire-adapted ecosystem 

• Help protect local communities and resources from large-scale wildfire. 

I have enclosed a copy of the Pactola Project Area DEIS. Chapters 1 and 2 provide background and 

comparison of alternatives for many readers to judge the relative merits of the various alternative 

approaches to reducing the rapidly expanding mountain pine beetle epidemic, the potential for severe 

wildfire, and other issues. At this time, the Forest Service has not identified a preferred alternative. 

More detail on the effects of alternatives is presented in Chapter 3. 

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) provides for a 45-day public review/comment 

period for a DEIS. Comments on the Pactola Project Area must be in writing and postmarked or 

emailed no later than 45 days after the Notice of Availability is published in the Federal Register, 

which is expected to be on May 6, 2011. Comments on the DEIS should be specific and address 

the adequacy of the document and the merits of the alternatives discussed (40 CFR 1503.3). I 
would greatly appreciate if you would take the time from your busy schedule to review and 

comment on the Pactola Project Area DEIS. So, for example, if you prefer some aspects of an 

alternative but disagree with others, please be as specific as possible when sending your comments. 

The Final EIS for this project will be subject to the Objection process pursuant to Forest Service 

regulations (36 CFR 218). Those who provide comments on the DEIS may participate in the

Objection process. 

Please send comments to: Robert Thompson, District Ranger, Mystic Ranger District, Pactola 

Project, 8221 South Highway 16, Rapid City, SD 57702. Or, if preferred, you may email your 

comments to: comments-rocky-mountain-black-hills-mystic@fs.fed.us with “Pactola Project” as the 

subject. The DEIS is also available on the BHNF web site at http://go.usa.gov/g4a. 

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact me or Katie Van 

Alstyne at the Mystic Ranger District office in Rapid City at (605)-343-1567, or write to us at the 

above address. Thank you for your time and interest in the management of your National Forest. 

Sincerely, 

/s/Robert J. Thompson 

ROBERT J. THOMPSON 

District Ranger 

Enclosure: 

Pactola Project Area DEIS 

Pactola Project Area DEIS Comment Form