65060 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 237 / Wednesday, December 10, 1997 / Notices

Part of this portion of the project will

be to eliminate or close other roads in

the area. These roads are currently

closed to public use. Most roads that

will not be needed for timber

management within ten years or more

would have hazardous fills pulled back

to the contour, drainage structures

removed and be barricaded with a

permanent structure. Many of them

have been overgrown with brush and

trees.

ATV Trail Development

The district would like to look at the

possibility of designating or developing

acceptable ATV routes to provide this

recreation opportunity. The Eagle Bird

area offers several miles of potential

ATV opportunities along existing roads,

if those roads were closed to general

vehicle traffic and managed as ATV

routes. When used in conjunction with

open system roads, these routes could

offer loop opportunities, as well as

connections to the Coeur d’Alene River

and Superior Ranger Districts to the

north. The attached maps show

potential ATV routes on both open and

restricted system roads. Following

management activities within the area,

identified system roads would be closed

to general vehicle traffic to provide ATV

opportunities. Approximately one mile

of single-track trail would also be

widened to provide an additional ATV

loop opportunity.

Single-Track Trail Management

The area would continue to provide

single-track trails for mixed use by

hikers, horseback riders, mountain

bicyclists and motorcyclists. These

routes are identified on the attached

map.

Float Trailhead Development

A float trailhead would be developed

on the St. Joe River Road to provide

river access for Skookum Canyon, a

popular destination for whitewater

enthusiasts during high spring runoff.

Located at an existing roadside parking

area northeast of Tourist Creek, the

trailhead would provide a pathway to

the river and singing.

Preliminary Issues

We expect issues and concerns with

this project to include the impacts on

wild-life, fish, water quality, and

recreation, as well as road construction,

clearcutting and economic feasibility.

Issues will be developed and analyzed

based on public comment and the

interdisciplinary team’s analysis of

effects on resources. Alternatives will be

developed to modify or eliminate the

impacts from proposed activities and

still meet the purpose for this project.

Additionally, some of the vegetation

treatment may result in openings of over

60 acres. While we would like

comments that would affect alternatives

early, comments on the size of openings

and their effects will be accepted for 60

days after publication of this notice.

The draft environmental impact

statement is expected to be filed with

the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) and available for public review in

March 1998. The final environmental

impact statement is expected to be

completed in May 1998.

The comment period on the draft

environmental impact statement will be

45 days from the date the

Environmental Protection Agency

publishes the notice of availability in

the Federal Register.

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 and 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

statement stage but that are not raised

until after completion of the final

environmental 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

concern 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. Reviews 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.

The United States Department of

Agriculture (USDA) prohibits

discrimination in its programs on the

basis of race, color, national origin, sex,

religion, age, disability, political beliefs,

and marital or familial status. (Not all

prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Persons with disabilities who require

alternative means of communication of

program information (braille, large

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact

USDA’s TARGET Center ad (202) 720–

2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint, write the

Secretary of Agriculture, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Washington,

DC 20250, or call 1–800–245–6340

(voice) or 202–720–1127 (TDD). USDA

is an equal employment opportunity

employer.

Dated: December 1, 1997.

Bradley Burmark,

St. Joe Deputy District Ranger.

[FR Doc. 97–32313 Filed 12–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration

Amendment to Certification of Central

Filing System—Idaho

The Statewide central filing system of

Idaho has been previously certified,

pursuant to Section 1324 of the Food

Security Act of 1985, on the basis of

information submitted by the Idaho

Secretary of State, for farm products

produced in that State (52 FR 49056,

December 29, 1987).

The certification is hereby amended

on the basis of information submitted by

Pete T. Cenarrusa, Secretary of State, for

additional farm products produced in

that State as follows:

herbs

This is issued pursuant to authority

delegated by the Secretary of

Agriculture.

Authority: Sec. 1324(c)(2), Pub. L. 99–198,

99 Stat. 1535, 7 U.S.C. 1631(c)(2); 7 CFR

2.18(e)(3), 2.56(a)(3), 55 FR 22795.

Dated: December 3, 1997.

Tommy Morris,

Acting Deputy Administrator, Packers and

Stockyards Programs.

[FR Doc. 97–32321 Filed 12–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–KD–P