United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Forest 

Service 

Rogue River-Siskiyou 

National Forest 

Wild Rivers Ranger District 

26568 Redwood Hwy 

Cave Junction, OR 97523 

File Code: 1950-3-1 

Date: March 10, 2009 

 

 

 

Dear National Forest Stakeholder: 

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Tracy Placer Mining Project is now 

available for your review. I invite your review of those predicted effects, the alternatives 

considered and other information presented in this Draft EIS and I welcome your specific 

feedback on the adequacy of the statement or the merits of alternatives discussed or both. 

This Draft EIS has been prepared because Mr. Clifford Tracy (the applicant requesting approval 

of a plan of operations) proposes to exercise his exclusive right to mine for gold a 4.75-acre 

(approx.) placer deposit within his mining claim (ORMC 159735). The proposed surface mine is 

located along the south bank of Sucker Creek, about 11 miles southeast of Cave Junction. The 

proclaimed boundary of the Siskiyou National Forest encompasses all proposed mining 

excavations within Mr. Tracy’s claim, as well as the access road to the mine site, and all 

operations would be conducted on National Forest System lands (within Josephine County). The 

legal description for the proposed placer mine is the NW 1/4 of Section 19, Township 40 South, 

Range 6 West, Willamette Meridian. As proposed, gold mining operations would span as many 

as five years, with work proposed to begin later this year. 

The Draft EIS and Appendices may be directly accessed through the Rogue River-Siskiyou 

National Forest web site. The internet address where these documents are located is: 

www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue-siskiyou/projects/planning/index.shtml. Should you prefer a printed or 

CD copy of the Draft EIS, one may be requested from the Wild Rivers Ranger District office in 

Cave Junction or from the Grants Pass Interagency Office. 

The formal 45-day period allotted for comments on the Draft EIS is set to begin soon. You will 

need to respond to the Draft EIS within this 45-day period for your comments to be considered 

for preparation of the Final EIS. The 45-day period for submission of EIS comments is offered 

under the provisions of 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 215, Notice, Comment and 

Appeal Procedures for National Forest System Projects and Activities. 

The opportunity to comment on the Draft EIS begins with publication of the EIS Notice of 

Availability in the Federal Register and ends on the 45th day following the publication date. The 

estimated date of publication in the Federal Register is Friday, March 20, 2009. The Federal 

Register notice may be obtained on the World Wide Web at: 

www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/frcont09.html or a copy of the notice may be requested at 

Forest Service offices in Cave Junction or Grants Pass. The Federal Register Notice of 

Availability, which specifies the comment period end date, will be published in the “Notices” 

section under the “Environmental Protection Agency” heading. 

 Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper 
To be constructive in helping us complete this environmental analysis, submitted comments need 

to meet the information requirements defined at 40 CFR § 1503.3(a) and 36 CFR § 215.6(a)(3). 

As indicated above, your letter or other form of response must be post-marked on or before the 

end date of the comment period to receive consideration. Please address your comments to John 

Wells, Environmental Coordinator, Wild Rivers Ranger District, 26568 Redwood Highway, 

Cave Junction, Oregon, 97523. 

Should electronic mailing be more convenient, you may send your comments via facsimile to 

(541) 592-4010 or to the following e-mail address: comments-pacificnorthwest-siskiyouwildrivers@fs.fed.us. The subject line of your facsimile or e-mail must contain the following 

title, Tracy Placer Mining Comments, to associate your submission correctly as a response to the 

Tracy Placer Mining Project. Comments also may be hand delivered to 26568 Redwood 

Highway. Office hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, 

Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. For questions, please contact John Wells at (541) 

592-4051 or me at (541) 592-4001. 

I appreciate your interest in the public lands and resources within the Wild Rivers Ranger 

District! 

Sincerely, 

Joel T. King

 

JOEL T. KING 

District Ranger