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Notices Federal Register

6945 

Vol. 80, No. 26 

Monday, February 9, 2015 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Revision of Land and Resource 

Management Plan for Cibola National 

Forest Mountain Ranger Districts: 

Counties of Bernalillo, Catron, Cibola, 

Lincoln, McKinley, Sandoval, Sierra, 

Socorro, Torrance, and Valencia, New 

Mexico 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to revise the 

Cibola National Forest Mountain Ranger 

Districts Land and Resource 

Management Plan and prepare an 

associated Environmental Impact 

Statement. 

SUMMARY: As directed by the National 

Forest Management Act, the USDA 

Forest Service is revising the existing 

Cibola Land and Resource Management 

Plan (hereafter referred to as Forest 

Plan) through development of an 

associated National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS). This notice 

describes the documents (assessment 

Report, summaries of public meetings, 

preliminary needs-for-change 

statements) available for review and 

how to obtain them; summarizes the 

needs for change to the existing Forest 

Plan; provides information concerning 

public participation and engagement, 

including the process for submitting 

comments; provides an estimated 

schedule for the planning process, 

including the time available for 

comments, and includes the names and 

addresses of agency contacts who can 

provide additional information. 

DATES: Comments concerning the Needs 

for Change and Proposed Action 

provided in this notice will be most 

useful in the development of the revised 

plan and draft EIS if received by April 

3, 2015. The agency expects to release 

a draft revised plan and draft EIS, 

developed through a collaborative 

public engagement process, by late Fall 

2015 or Winter 2015/2016 and a final 

revised plan and final EIS by Summer 

2017. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: 

Forest Planner, Cibola National Forest 

and National Grasslands, 2113 Osuna 

Rd. NE., Albuquerque, NM 87113. 

To learn of locations of meetings and 

related information or to request copies 

of documents, go to http://www.fs.usda.

gov/detail/cibola/landmanagement/

planning/?cid=fsbdev3_065627 or send 

an email to: cibolamtnsplanrevision@fs.

fed.us. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Champe Green, Forest Planner, Cibola 

National Forest and National 

Grasslands, Forest Service, USDA; 505– 

346–3900. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Elaine 

Kohrman, Forest Supervisor, Cibola 

National Forest and National 

Grasslands, 2113 Osuna Rd. NE., 

Albuquerque, NM 87113. 

Nature of the Decision To Be Made 

The Cibola National Forest is 

preparing an EIS to revise the existing 

Forest Plan. The EIS process is meant to 

inform the Forest Supervisor so she can 

decide which alternative best maintains 

and restores National Forest System 

terrestrial and aquatic resources while 

providing ecosystem services and 

multiple uses, as required by the 

National Forest Management Act and 

the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act. 

The revised Forest Plan will describe 

the strategic intent of managing the 

Forest for the next 10 to 15 years and 

will address the identified needs for 

change to the existing land management 

plans. The revised Forest Plan will 

provide management direction in the 

form of desired conditions, objectives, 

standards, guidelines, and suitability of 

lands. It will identify delineation of new 

management areas and geographic areas 

across the Forest; identify the timber 

sale program quantity; make 

recommendations to Congress for 

Wilderness designation; and list rivers 

and streams eligible for inclusion in the 

National Wild and Scenic Rivers 

System. The revised Forest Plan will 

also provide a description of the plan 

area’s distinctive roles and 

contributions within the broader 

landscape, identify watersheds that are 

a priority for maintenance or 

restoration, include a monitoring 

program, and contain information 

reflecting expected possible actions over 

the life of the plan. 

The revised Forest Plan will provide 

strategic direction and a framework for 

decision making during the life of the 

plan, but it will not make site-specific 

project decisions and will not dictate 

day-to-day administrative activities 

needed to carry on the Forest Service’s 

internal operations. The authorization of 

project-level activities will be based on 

the guidance/direction contained in the 

revised plan, but will occur through 

subsequent project specific decisionmaking, including NEPA analysis. 

The revised Forest Plan will provide 

broad, strategic guidance designed to 

supplement, not replace, overarching 

laws and regulations. Though strategic 

guidance will be provided, no decisions 

will be made regarding the management 

of individual roads or trails, such as 

those that might be associated with a 

Travel Management plan under 36 CFR 

part 212. Some issues, although 

important, are beyond the authority or 

control of a Forest Plan and will not be 

addressed during revision. For example, 

no decision regarding locatable mineral 

availability will be made, though 

standards will be brought forward or 

developed that would mitigate impacts 

should an availability decision be 

necessary in the future. 

Needs for Change and Proposed Action 

According to the National Forest 

Management Act, forest plans are to be 

revised on a 10 to 15 year cycle. The 

purpose and need for revising the 

current Forest Plan is (1) the Forest Plan 

is over 29 years old and 14 years beyond 

the intended plan period in NFMA, (2) 

to address changes in economic, social, 

and ecological conditions, new policies 

and priorities, and new information 

based on monitoring and scientific 

research, and (3) to address the 

preliminary needs for change to the 

existing plan, which are summarized 

below. Extensive public and employee 

involvement, along with a science-based 

assessment of the conditions and trends 

of the Forest’s ecological, social, and 

economic resources, have helped to 

identify theses preliminary needs for 

change to the existing Forest Plan. 

The Proposed Action is to revise the 

Forest Plan to address these identified 

needs for change to the existing Forest 

Plan. Alternatives to the Proposed 

Action will be developed to address the 

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6946 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 26 / Monday, February 9, 2015 / Notices 

significant issues that will be identified 

through scoping. 

What follows is a summary of the 

preliminary needs for change. A more 

fully developed description of the 

preliminary needs for change, is 

available for review on the plan revision 

Web site at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/

detail/cibola/landmanagement/

planning/?cid=fsbdev3_065627. 

Throughout the Plan 

There is a need to address, either by 

plan direction or other plan content, 

how all resource management should be 

prioritized given varying levels of 

funding. 

There is a need to redraw the 

management area configuration used in 

the 1985 Plan. There is a need to update 

plan component language for the 

resources, goods, and services provided 

by the Cibola, and to remove plan 

components that are redundant with 

existing law, regulation, or policy. 

There is a need to better recognize 

and potentially enhance the role of the 

Cibola National Forest in supporting 

local economies through both 

commodity production and servicessuch as recreation and tourism. 

Across Multiple Resource Areas 

There is a need to include plan 

direction addressing potential climate 

change effects and invasive species on 

the Cibola and to include a plan 

monitoring program. 

There is a need to provide direction 

for an integrated resource approach to 

the use of planned fire and to address 

fuel accumulations in the Wildland 

Urban Interface (WUI). 

Ecological Integrity 

There is a need to provide direction 

for achieving sustainability and 

resiliency for and minimizing risks to 

vegetation community composition and 

structure and for restoring natural 

disturbance cycles where appropriate. 

There is a need to provide direction 

to promote the achievement and 

maintenance of satisfactory soil 

condition. 

There is a need to provide updated 

management direction for the 

protection, maintenance, and restoration 

of riparian vegetation and channel 

morphology in the plan area and for 

restoration of priority watersheds. 

There is a need to provide direction 

on the sustainable management of 

groundwater, springs, wetlands, riparian 

areas, and perennial waters and their 

interconnections. 

There is a need to update plan 

direction on providing a sustainable 

water supply for multiple uses (wildlife, 

livestock, recreation, and mining) and 

public water supplies. 

There is a need to provide direction 

pertinent to riparian management zones 

around all lakes, perennial and 

intermittent streams, and open water 

wetlands. 

There is a need to update direction 

addressing air quality and forest 

management. 

There is a need to develop plan 

direction to contribute to the recovery 

and conservation of federally recognized 

species, maintain viable populations of 

species of conservation concern, and 

maintain common and abundant species 

within the plan area. 

There is a need to provide direction 

addressing habitat(s) for plant and 

animal species important to tribes and 

other traditional communities. 

There is a need to provide direction 

for managing aquatic passage and 

terrestrial habitat connectivity. 

Cultural and Historic Resources 

There is a need to update direction on 

the stabilization and preservation of 

historic properties and address the role 

of management of historic properties in 

economic development. 

There is a need to update 

management direction for American 

Indian and non-Indian traditional 

cultural properties and sacred sites. 

There is a need to provide direction 

addressing management of historic and 

contemporary cultural uses by federally 

recognized Indian tribes and traditional 

communities not considered under 

tribal relations. 

There is a need to address, at either 

the management or geographic area 

scale, the inventory and management of 

historic properties and other cultural 

resources and uses. 

There is a need to provide direction 

that addresses the alignment of 

management of historic properties and 

landscapes, sacred sites, contemporary 

uses, and tribal cultural needs with 

other resource management objectives 

(particularly but not limited to 

ecosystem restoration). There is a need 

to provide direction on the 

identification and documentation of 

historic properties at risk of damage or 

destruction from catastrophic wildland 

fire. 

There is a need to update direction 

addressing immitigable adverse effects 

to historic properties. 

Areas of Tribal Importance 

There is a need to update direction 

addressing consistency of activities with 

legally mandated trust responsibilities 

to tribes. 

There is a need to update direction 

regarding sacred sites, sacred places, 

natural and cultural resources important 

to tribes, and requests for reburial of 

human remains and cultural items. 

There is a need to update plan 

direction regarding administration of 

temporary closure orders to ensure 

privacy for tribes engaged in cultural 

and ceremonial activities. 

There is a need to update direction on 

design, location, installation, 

maintenance, and abandonment of 

towers, facilities, and alternative 

infrastructure within communication 

and energy generation sites, giving due 

consideration to the value and 

importance of high places 

(mountaintops and ridges) that may be 

sacred sites or important cultural 

landscapes to tribes. 

Multiple Uses 

There is a need to provide plan 

direction for restoration treatments for 

those geographic areas and vegetation 

types that are most outside of the 

natural range of variability while 

considering capability of local 

infrastructure, contractors, and markets. 

There is a need to provide direction 

for management and removal of 

miscellaneous forest products for 

commercial, noncommercial, tribal and/ 

or land grant use. 

There is a need to provide direction 

to the livestock grazing program that 

incorporates adaptive management 

toward ecosystem-based desired 

conditions. 

Recreation 

There is a need to integrate 

sustainable recreation management with 

that of other Forest resources and to 

provide guidance for managing a 

sustainable trails program while 

addressing use conflicts. 

There is a need to provide 

management direction on the 

Continental Divide National Scenic 

Trail. 

There is a need to provide guidance 

for managing recreation activities that 

occur in areas sensitive to resource 

degradation or at risk due to high 

visitation. 

There is a need to update direction on 

managing recreational aviation 

activities, caves, and recreational 

activities associated with wildlife, fish, 

and cultural/historic sites. 

There is a need to update plan 

direction and guidance for 

implementing the Recreation 

Opportunity Spectrum classification 

system and incorporating scenic 

integrity objectives for managing scenic 

resources. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 26 / Monday, February 9, 2015 / Notices 6947 

Designated Areas 

There is a need to update direction for 

managing designated Inventoried 

Roadless Areas, eligible Wild and 

Scenic Rivers, designated Research 

Natural Areas, and for managing 

designated wilderness. 

There is a need to provide direction 

on management of areas that may be 

recommended for wilderness, during 

the interim period while Congress is 

considering designation. 

There is a need to provide direction 

for areas that may be recommended for 

various other designations. 

Infrastructure 

There is a need to update direction on 

the management of infrastructure and 

for road maintenance in watersheds 

identified as being impaired or at-risk. 

Land Status and Ownership, Use and 

Access 

There is a need to update direction for 

obtaining legal access that addresses 

public, private landowner, tribal, land 

grant, and management needs and for 

progressing toward a contiguity of the 

land base and a reduction of small 

unmanageable tracts. 

Energy, Minerals and Special Uses 

There is a need to provide updated 

direction regarding management of 

recreational mining, mineral exploration 

and extraction, and the use of common 

minerals. 

There is a need to update plan 

direction for managing existing or 

proposed transmission corridors and 

renewable energy generation. 

There is a need to provide direction 

addressing safety concerns pertinent to 

maintenance activities associated with 

existing energy and communication 

corridors. 

Public Involvement 

The Cibola NF initiated public 

engagement activities in October 2012 

and held 29 public meetings and 

collaborative work sessions through July 

2014 to explain the plan revision 

process and to solicit comments, 

opinions, data, and ideas from members 

of the public, governmental entities, 

tribes, land grants, and nongovernmental organizations. Six of these 

meetings introduced and explained the 

Cibola’s Forest Plan revision effort and 

called for input and data pertinent to 

the assessment of conditions, trends, 

and risks to sustainability. Ten meetings 

were held to explain the draft 

assessment report subsequent to its 

release in April 2014 and to solicit 

comments, and 13 collaborative work 

sessions followed, focusing on the needs 

for change to the 1985 Cibola Forest 

Plan, based on findings from the 

assessment and comments received. 

Attendance at the 29 meetings 

numbered approximately 600, and 

nearly 1,800 comment letters or forms 

were received either at the meetings or 

by email, postal mail, Web-form, or a 

Web-based interactive mapping tool. 

Comments received were displayed on 

Web-based public reading rooms. Public 

input on both the assessment report and 

initial needs-for-change statements was 

used to update both documents. 

Information to the public was provided 

by a dedicated Forest Plan revision Web 

page and through mailings, flyers, news 

releases, Twitter, and radio and 

television interviews. Any comments 

related to the Cibola’s assessment report 

that are received following the 

publication of this Notice may be 

considered in the affected environment 

sections of the draft and final 

environmental impact statements. 

Scoping Process 

Written comments received in 

response to this notice will be analyzed 

to complete the identification of the 

needs for change to the existing plan, 

further develop the proposed action 

(initial development of the proposed 

revised plan), and identify potential 

significant issues. Significant issues 

will, in turn, form the basis for 

developing alternatives to the proposed 

action. Comments on the preliminary 

needs for change and proposed action 

will be most valuable if received by 

April 3, 2015, and should clearly 

articulate the reviewer’s opinions and 

concerns. Development of the proposed 

revised plan and associated EIS will 

occur with opportunities for public 

engagement throughout the revision 

process. 

Comments received in response to 

this notice, including the names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be part of the public record. Comments 

submitted anonymously will be 

accepted and considered in the NEPA 

process; however, anonymous 

comments will not provide the Agency 

with the ability to provide the 

respondent with subsequent 

environmental documents. See the 

below Objection process material, 

particularly the requirements for filing 

an objection, for how anonymous 

comments are handled during the 

objection process. Refer to the Forest’s 

Web site http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ 

cibola/landmanagement/planning/

?cid=fsbdev3_065627 for information on 

when public meetings will be scheduled 

for refining the proposed action and 

identifying possible alternatives to the 

proposed action. 

Applicable Planning Rule 

Preparation of the revised Forest Plan 

for the Cibola National Forest began 

with the assessment of the conditions 

and trends of the Forest’s ecological, 

social, and economic resources, 

initiated under the planning procedures 

contained in the 2012 Forest Service 

planning rule (36 CFR 219 (2012)). 

Permits or Licenses Required To 

Develop the Proposed Action 

No permits or licenses are needed for 

the development or revision of a forest 

plan. 

Decisions Will Be Subject to Objection 

The decision to approve the revised 

Forest Plan for the Cibola National 

Forest Mountain Ranger Districts will be 

subject to the objection process 

identified in 36 CFR part 219 Subpart B 

(219.50 to 219.62). According to 36 CFR 

219.53(a), those who may file an 

objection are individuals and entities 

who have submitted substantive formal 

comments related to plan revision 

during the opportunities provided for 

public comment during the planning 

process. 

Documents Available for Review 

The Needs for Change documentation, 

the Assessment Report including 

specialist reports, summaries of the 

public meetings and public meeting 

materials, and public comments are 

posted on the Forest’s Web site at: 

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/cibola/

landmanagement/planning/?cid=

fsbdev3_065627. 

As necessary or appropriate, the 

material available on this site will be 

further adjusted as part of the planning 

process using the provisions of the 2012 

planning rule. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1600–1614; 36 CFR 

part 219 [77 FR 21260–21273]. 

Responsible Official. 

Dated: February 2, 2015. 

Elaine Kohrman, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2015–02545 Filed 2–6–15; 8:45 am] 

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