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[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18197-18198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-1788]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Intermountain Region, Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National 
Forests; Supplement to the Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Revised Land and Resource Management Plans and Amendment to the Revised 
Payette Land and Resource Management Plan

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplement to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Southwest Idaho Ecogroup 
(SWIEG) Revised Land and Resource Management Plans (LRMP) that may 
result in an amendment to the Payette LRMP.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare a supplement to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Southwest Idaho Ecogroup 
(SWIEG) Revised Land and Resource Management Plans and may amend the 
Payette Revised LRMP. This supplement is being conducted in order to 
comply with the Chief's appeals decision of March 9, 2005. It is 
intended to present additional information for the Payette National 
Forest portion of the SWIEG concerning: (1) The viability of Rocky 
Mountain bighorn sheep (bighorn sheep) at the planning unit scale; (2) 
compliance with the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area Act (HCNRA); 
(3) 36 CFR 292.48; (4) compliance with the National Forest Management 
Act (NFMA); and (5) 36 CR 219.19. The amendment would add direction to 
the Payette Revised LRMP to address the viability concerns for bighorn 
sheep.

DATES: Comments on the draft supplement to the FEIS and amendment to 
the Payette Revised LRMP must be received within 90 days after 
publication of the draft supplement to the FEIS for the Southwest Idaho 
Ecogroup Revised Land and Resource Management Plans (SWIEG FLRMPs) and 
the draft amendment to the Payette LRMP. The draft supplement to the 
SWIEG FLRMPs EIS and the draft amendment to the Payette LRMP are 
expected in June 2007 and the final supplement and amendment are 
expected in December 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Pattie Soucek, Land Management 
Planner, Payette National Forest, 800 W. Lakeside Avenue, McCall, Idaho 
83638-3602; or via telephone at (208) 634-0700; or you may hand-deliver 
your comments to the Payette Forest Supervisor's Office, located at 800 
W. Lakeside Avenue in McCall during normal business hours from 7:30 
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. 
Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an e-mail 
message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), and Word (.doc) 
to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pattie Soucek, Land Management 
Planner, Payette National Forest, at the address above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 9, 2005, the Chief of the Forest 
Service made the decision on the administrative appeals for the Payette 
Revised LRMP. The Chief reversed the Regional Forester's decision to 
approve management direction for the Hells Canyon Management Area (MA) 
as it pertains to bighorn sheep and its habitat. The Regional Forester 
was instructed to reanalyze bighorn sheep viability within the Payette 
NF, amend the SWIEG FEIS accordingly, and evaluate and adopt as 
necessary, changes in the management direction for the Hells Canyon MA 
and adjacent areas. The analysis and evaluation must

[[Page 18198]]

be extensive enough to support determinations of compliance with 
applicable law and regulation, specifically the Hells Canyon NRA Act, 
36 CFR 219.19 and 36 CFR 292.48.
    In response to these instructions, the Forest Service has 
reanalyzed bighorn sheep viability at the Payette National Forest 
planning unit scale. The viability analysis considered the well 
distributed bighorn sheep habitat and its proximity to know bighorn 
sheep populations. Direct, indirect and cumulative impacts to bighorn 
sheep from permitted domestic sheep grazing have been assessed and home 
range population modeling completed. The Forest Service has also 
reviewed applicable laws and regulations for compliance, specifically 
the Hells Canyon NRA Act, 36 CFR 292.48, the National Forest Management 
Act, and 36 CFR 219.19. The Forest Service has reviewed the 2003 SWIEG 
FLRMPs FEIS, in accordance with FSH 1909.15, Chapter 10, Section 18.
    The analysis for the revised FLRMPs, and this updated bighorn sheep 
analysis, were developed using the principles and scientific methods 
generated during the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management 
Project. In addition, the updated analysis incorporates the findings of 
two expert panels. Additional information utilized for this analysis 
includes 10 years of site-specific data gathered during an ongoing 
monitoring effort of 154 telemetry collared bighorn sheep in the Hells 
Canyon area and visual observations of bighorn sheep in the Salmon 
River Mountains along with the management of permitted domestic sheep 
grazing allotments. The Forest Service will prepare a supplement to the 
FEIS by presenting and analyzing additional information concerning the 
viability of bighorn sheep for the Payette Forest planning unit and 
compliance with Federal law; specifically, the Hells Canyon National 
Recreation Area Act (HCNRA), the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), 
36 CFR 292.48, and 36 CFR 219.19.
    In July 2003, a separate Record of Decision (ROD) was issued for 
each of the three SWIEG Forests (Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth). The 
RODs implemented Alternative 7 from the Final EIS. During Forest Plan 
Revision, the risk for disease transmission between bighorn sheep and 
domestic sheep was identified as a significant issue for the future 
viability of bighorn sheep in the 2003 SWIEG FLRMPs FEIS. In response 
to the issue, alternatives were developed and analyzed in detail that 
removed high risk areas for disease transmission from suitability for 
domestic sheep grazing. Alternative 7 was selected for implementation 
in the Record of Decision. This Alternative did not remove the high 
risk for disease transmission areas from domestic sheep grazing 
suitability.
    Purpose and Need for Action: This supplement to the EIS will not 
change the purpose and need as described in the SWIEG FLRMPs FEIS on 
pages 1-4 through 1-8.
    Proposed Action: The supplement will not change the proposed action 
which was described in the SWIEG FLRMPs FEIS on pages 1-1 through 1-3.
    Responsible Official: The Responsible Official is Suzanne C. 
Rainville, Payette Forest Supervisor, Payette National Forest, 800 W. 
Lakeside Avenue, McCall, ID 83638-3602.
    Nature of Decision To Be Made: The Responsible Official will review 
the supplement to the FEIS and determine what changes will be made to 
the Revised Payette National Forest Plan to address the significant 
issue of the risk of disease transmission to bighorn sheep. The 
Responsible Official will also determine if the Revised LRMP is 
applicable to Federal laws and regulations.
    Scoping Process: Extensive public involvement occurred during the 
development of the revised Forest Plans over the last 10 years in the 
form of news releases, field tours, and public meetings. No additional 
scoping is planned for this supplement.
    Comment Requested: a legal notice will be published in the 
newspaper of record and a Notice of Availability will be published in 
the Federal Register to inform the public when the draft supplement to 
the SWIEG FLRMPs FEIS is available for review and comment. The draft 
supplement to the SWIEG FLRMPs FEIS will be distributed to all parties 
that received the 2003 SWIEG FLRMPs FEIS, RODs and/or the Payette LRMP 
and to those parties that filed an appeal of the 2003 decisions.
    The comment period on the draft supplement to the SWIEG FLRMPs FEIS 
will be 90 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency 
publishes the Notice of Availability of the draft documents in the 
Federal Register. Comments must be received by the close of the 90-day 
comment period so that concerns are made available to the Forest 
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to 
them in the final supplement to the SWIEG FLRMPs FEIS.
    To assist the Forest Service, it is helpful if comments refer to 
specific pages of the draft supplement and/or draft amendment. 
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. (40 CFR 1501.7 and 
1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 21)

    Dated: April 4, 2007.
Suzanne C. Rainville,
Forest Supervisor, Payette National Forest.
[FR Doc. 07-1788 Filed 4-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
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