This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

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section.

Notices Federal Register

67616

Vol. 62, No. 248

Monday, December 29, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Sawtooth Ridge Trail and Improvement

Project, Okanogan and Wenatchee

National Forest, Okanogan County, WA

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service

will prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) for the Sawtooth Ridge

Trail and Improvement Project. The

proposed action is to develop new trails,

improve existing trails, and improve

campgrounds and other areas to provide

a diverse network of trails for motorized

and non-motorized trail use and protect

resources in the Sawtooth nonwilderness backcountry

The EIS will develop and evaluate a

range of alternatives for providing

motorized and non-motorized trails and

access within the analysis area. The

alternatives will include the no-action

alternative, involving no change in

current management, and no

construction of new trails or

improvement of existing trails, and

additional alternatives in response to

issues identified during the scoping

process.

To date, a number of issues have been

identified. The major issues focus on the

following: on congestion at Horsehead

Pass from Eagle Lake to Boiling Lake;

conflicts between specific user groups;

intrusion of recreationists into remote

wildlife habitat within the late

successional reserve (LSR); damage to

riparian areas, stream banks, wet

meadows, and other sensitive areas; lack

of links between trailheads for

motorcycles; and lack of trailhead and

campground facilities to meet user

needs.

This EIS will be consistent with and

tier to the Okanogan and Wenatchee

National Forest Land and Resource

Management Plans (Forest Plan) and the

Record of Decision for Amendments to

Forest Service and Bureau of Land

Management Planning Documents

Within the Range of the Northern

Spotted Owl (Northwest Forest Plan).

The agency invites written comments

on this project. In addition, the agency

gives notice of this analysis so that

interested and affected people are aware

of how they may participate and

contribute to the decision making

process.

DATE: Comment concerning this

proposal must be received by January

30, 1998.

ADDRESS: Submit written comments and

suggestions to Margi Gromek, Writer/

Editor, Chelan Ranger District, 428 West

Woodin Avenue, Chelan, Washington

98816.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions concerning proposed

action and environmental analysis to

Jim Archambeault, Project Coordinator,

Methow Valley Ranger District, P.O. Box

188, Twisp, Washington 98856, phone

509–997–9738, or Margi Gromek,

Writer/Editor, Chelan Ranger District,

428 West Woodin Avenue, Chelan,

Washington 98816, phone 509–682–

2576.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

purpose of this project is to provide

trails and facilities for diverse motorized

and non-motorized use in a mostly subalpine, semi-primitive recreation setting

in the 77,000 acre Sawtooth nonwilderness backcountry. The need for

the project is shown by: increasing use

by all user groups in the area; conflicts

between motorized and non-motorized

users; commitments made in the Forest

Plan to provide motorized, sub-alpine,

semi-primitive recreation in the area;

and concerns about soil and aquatic

resources, particularly in LSRs and

riparian areas.

The proposed action includes the

following activities:

—Reduce congestion on Horsehead Pass

from Eagle Lake to Boiling Lake by

widening the trail and/or constructing

turnouts.

—Construct a non-motorized user trail

from the end of the Summer Blossom

trail to the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth

Widerness boundary near Boiling

Lake.

—Construct a motorized trail crossing

Sawtooth Ridge near Bryan Butte from

Foggy Dew drainage to the Summer

Blossom/South Navarra area.

—Provide legal access from Crater Creek

and Foggy Dew trailhead to Foggy

Dew Campground and from Safety

Harbor to South Navarre trailhead on

or adjacent to existing Forest Service

roads.

—Improve Crater Creek trailhead and

Foggy Dew Trailhead and

campground to meet the needs of trail

users, including adding group sites

and possible closure on some sites not

meeting the Northwest Forest Plan’s

aquatic conservation strategy.

—Restrict travel to designated trails to

protect interior and remote habitats in

LSRs, and Safety Harbor and Falls

Creek areas; and

—Re-route trails, use educational signs

and/or close trails in riparian areas

and around lakes.

This EIS will be consistent with and

tier to the amended Forest Plans which

provide forest-wide and management

area specific standards and guidelines

and desired future conditions for the

various lands on the Okanogan and

Wenatchee National Forests.

The Okanogan Forest Plan primarily

allocates the analysis area to

Management Area 4M, which

emphasizes year round semiprimitive

motorized recreation opportunities in a

generally unroaded setting. The

remaining part of the project area on the

Okanogan National Forest side is

allocated to Management Area 5, which

provides recreation and scenic viewing

opportunities in a roaded natural

setting; Management Area 25, which

emphasizes intensive timber and range

management; Management Area 14,

which emphasizes wildlife habitat

diversity, including deer winter range,

while producing merchantable wood

fiber; Management Area 26 which

emphasizes deer winter range; and

Management Area 26 which emphasize

deer winter range; and Management

Area 17, which emphasizes developed

recreation opportunities in a roaded,

extensively modified setting.

The Wenatchee Forest Plan allocates

its portions of the analysis area to RM–

1, ST–2, Re–2a, and GF:

—RM–1 emphasizes intensive range

management;

—ST–2 provides for near natural

appearing foreground and middle

ground along scenic travel corridors;
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 248 / Monday, December 29, 1997 / Notices 67617

—RE–2a emphasizes dispersed,

unroaded recreation in a semiprimitive setting having existing or

potential trails for motorbikes, hikers

and horseback riders;

—GF emphasizes long-term growth and

production of commercially valuable

wood products at a high level of

investment in silvicultural practices.

The Northwest Forest Plan primarily

allocates the area to late successional

reserve, which is managed to protect

and enhance conditions of latesuccessional and old-growth forest

ecosystems. Other lands in the project

area are allocated to matrix and

administratively withdrawn in the

Northwest Forest Plan. Matrix is

designed to provide connectivity

between the LSRs, and habitat for

species needing both late successions

and younger forests. Administratively

withdrawn areas are areas identified in

the current Forest Plans where

management emphasis precludes

scheduled timber harvest. All

allocations in the Northwest Forest Plan

are overlayed with Riparian Reserve

direction designed to maintain and

restore riparian structures and

functions, benefit riparian dependent

and other species, enhance habitat

conservation for species dependent on

transition zones between upland and

riparian areas, improve travel and

dispersal corridors for many terrestrial

animals and plants, and provide for

greater watershed connectivity.

Most of the lands affected lie within

the Sawtooth Roadless Area,

inventoried in Appendix C of the

Okanogan Land and Resource

Management Plan, final EIS.

The analysis will develop a range of

alternatives to address the significant

issues, from the no-action alternative

which would not construct or improve

any facilities and would not change

current management of the trail

network, to alternatives that address the

significant issues to varying degrees.

Public participation will be especially

important at several points during the

analysis. The Forest Service is seeking

information, comments and assistance

from Federal, State, Indian Tribes, local

agencies, and other individuals or

organizations who may be interested in

or affected by the proposed project. This

input will be used in preparation of the

draft EIS. The scoping process began in

April, 1996, and resulted in significant

issues being raised that could relate to

significant impacts to the environment.

The scoping process includes:

1. Identifying potential issues;

2. Identifying significant issues to be

analyzed in depth;

3. Identifying issues which have been

covered by a relevant previous

environmental analysis;

4. Exploring additional alternatives

based on themes which will be derived

from issues recognized during scoping

activities;

5. Identifying potential environmental

effects (i.e., direct, indirect and

cumulative effects, and connected

actions);

6. Determining potential cooperating

agencies and task assignments;

7. Notifying interested members of the

public of opportunities to participate in

the process. Public involvement

includes keeping the public informed

through the media and/or written

material.

The draft EIS is expected to be filed

with the Environmental Protection

Agency 9EPA) and to be available for

public review by July, 1998. Your

comments and suggestions are

encouraged and should be in writing.

The comment period on the draft EIS

will be 45 days from the date the EPA

publishes the notice of availability in

the Federal Register.

The Forest Service believes it is

important to give reviewers notice at

this early stage of several court rulings

related to public participation in the

environmental review process. First,

reviewers of a draft EIS must structure

their participation in the environmental

review of the proposal so that it is

meaningful and alerts an 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 EIS stage but that are

not raised until after completion of the

final EIS 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 EIS.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on the draft EIS 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 EIS or the merits

of the alternatives formulated and

discussed in the statement. (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.)

The final EIS is scheduled to be

completed by January, 1999. In the final

EIS, the Forest Service is required to

respond to comments and responses

received during the comment period

that pertain to the environmental

consequences discussed in the draft EIS

and applicable laws, regulations, and

policies considered in making a

decision regarding the proposal. Sam

Gehr, Forest Supervisor for the

Okanogan National Forest, and Sonny

O’Neal, Forest Supervisor for the

Wenatchee National Forest are the

responsible officials. The responsible

officials will document the decision and

rationale for the Sawtooth Ridge Trail

and Improvement Project decision in

the Record of Decision, which will be

subject to Forest Service Appeal

Regulations (36 CFR Part 215).

Dated: December 16, 1997.

Allen N. Garr,

Acting Forest Supervisor, Okanogan National

Forest.

Dated: December 18, 1997.

Paul Hart,

Acting Forest Supervisor, Wenatchee

National Forest.

[FR Doc. 97–33664 Filed 12–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

Maximum Dollar Amount on Loan and

Grant Awards Under the Rural

Economic Development Loan and

Grant Program for Fiscal Year (FY)

1998

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBS) hereby

announces the maximum dollar amount

on loan and grant awards under the

Rural Economic Development Loan and

Grant program for FY 1998. The

maximum dollar award on zero-interest

loans for FY 1998 is $750,000. The

maximum dollar award on grants for FY

1998 is $330,000. The maximum loan

and grant awards stated in this notice

are effective for loans and grants made

during the fiscal year beginning October

1, 1997, and ending September 30, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia Wing, Loan Specialist, Rural