Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 127 /Thursday, July 2, 1998 / Notices 36207

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Knox-Brooks Timber Sales and Road

Rehabilitation; Superior Ranger

District, Lolo National Forest; Mineral

County, Montana

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare

environmental impact statement.

AUTHORITY: 40 CFR 1508.22.

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will

prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) for timber harvesting,

prescribed burning, road access

changes, and watershed rehabilitation in

a 38,000-acre area near St. Regis,

Montana.

DATES: Initial comments concerning the

scope of the analysis should be received

in writing within 30 days following

publication of this notice. Comments

received during the initial scoping will

be considered in the analysis and do not

need to be resubmitted during this

comment time period.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to

Cindy Chapman Enstrom, District

Ranger, Superior Ranger District, Box

460, Superior, MT 59872.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bruce Erickson, Knox-Brooks

Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Superior

Ranger District, as above, or phone:

(406) 822–4233.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

responsible official who will make

decisions based on this EIS is Charles C.

Wildes, Forest Supervisor, Lolo

National Forest, Building 24 Fort

Missoula, Missoula, MT 59804. He will

decide on this proposal after

considering comments and responses,

environmental consequences discussed

in the Final EIS, and applicable laws,

regulations, and policies. The decision

and reasons for the decision will be

documented in a Record of Decision.

The Forest Service proposes to

harvest approximately 51,000 hundred

cubic feet of timber from about 3180

acres, (about 1050 of those acres to be

burned after harvest), to reconstruct or

recondition about 50 miles of road and

stabilize and/or obliterate about 37

miles of existing road (primarily to

mitigate existing water quality and fish

habitat impacts), and to add new

yearlong road closures to about 4 miles

of currently open roads. New road

construction would be limited to about

2 miles of permanent road and about 5

miles of temporary road.

Lands affected are within the

Twelvemile Creek and Twin Creek

drainages, tributary to the St. Regis

River, between DeBorgia and St. Regis,

Montana. The project area is bounded

by Interstate 90 to the south and the

divide between Plains/Thompson Falls

and Superior Ranger Districts to the

north.

The purpose of this proposal is to

carry out the goals and direction given

in the Lolo National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan with

ecosystem management principles. Key

elements of the purpose and need are:

(1) Treat pine stands considering the

mountain pine beetle epidemic moving

through the area by altering timber

stands to reduce mountain pine beetle

hazard and by providing a mix of age

classes so the continuity of susceptible

stands is reduced for future outbreaks;

(2) Rehabilitate water quality and

fisheries habitat through improving

channel stability, reducing sources of

sediment, reducing erosion and

improving drainage on existing roads

that are needed for long-term

management, and reclaiming roads that

are not needed; and

(3) Contribute to the short-term output

goals and long-term forest plan

expectations for timber production.

The decision to be made is to what

extent, if at all, the Forest Service

should conduct timber harvest,

prescribed burning, road construction or

reconstruction, road reclamation, and

road closures in the Twelvemile Creek

and Twin Creek drainages, given the

above purpose and need. This is a sitespecific project decision, not a general

management plan nor a programmatic

analysis.

Public scoping has been conducted on

most elements of this proposal both

with this proposal and an earlier version

of this proposal.

While quite a number of issues have

been identified for environmental

effects analysis, the following issues

have been found significant enough to

guide alternative development and

provide focus for the EIS:

(1) Water quality and fisheries habitat

effects resulting from timber harvest and

road construction and rehabilitation

activities;

(2) Wildlife habitat effects (including

hunting season bull elk security)

resulting from timber harvest and road

construction and rehabilitation

activities; and

(3) Economic effect on local

communities resulting from different

access methods and resulting timber

values.

The proposed action could have both

beneficial and adverse effects on these

resources. In addition to the proposed

action, a range of alternatives will be

developed in response to issues

identified during scoping. Other

alternatives planned for detailed study

are:

(1) No action;

(2) Harvest only from existing roads

(no new roads or temporary roads) with

no harvesting in bull elk security areas;

and add year-round road closures to

three existing roads; and

(3) Harvest from existing roads and

from short-term and temporary roads on

gentle ridgetops and upper sideslopes,

harvest with no regeneration cuts in bull

elk security areas, and add year-round

road closures to three existing roads.

Public participation is important to

the analysis. People may visit with

Forest Service officials at any time

during the analysis and prior to the

decision. No formal scoping meetings

are planned. However, two periods are

specifically designated for comments on

the analysis:

(1) During this scoping process and

(2) During the draft EIS comment

period.

During the scoping process, the Forest

Service is seeking information and

comments from Federal, State, and local

agencies and other individuals or

organizations who may be interested in

or affected by the proposed action. A

scoping document will be mailed to

parties known to be interested in the

proposed action. The agency invites

written comments and suggestions on

this action, particularly in terms of

issues and alternatives.

The Forest Service will continue to

involve the public and will inform

interested and affected parties as to how

they may participate and contribute to

the final decision. Another formal

opportunity for response will be

provided following completion of a

draft EIS.

The draft EIS should be available for

review in November, 1998. The final EIS

is scheduled for completion in

February, 1999.

The comment period on the draft EIS

will be 45 days from the date the

Environmental Protection Agency

publishes the notice of availability in

the Federal Register.

The Forest Service believes it is

important, at this early stage, 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 it is

meaningful and alerts the agency to the

reviewer’s position and contentions.

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v.

NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also,
36208 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 127 /Thursday, July 2, 1998 / Notices

environmental objections that could be

raised at the draft environmental impact

statement stage but are not raised until

after completion of the final

environmental impact 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 v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334,

1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these

court rulings, it is very important those

interested in this proposed action

participate by the close of the 45-day

comment period so 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

concerns 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. 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.

I am the responsible official for this

environmental impact statement. My

address is Lolo National Forest,

Building 24, Fort Missoula, Missoula

MT 59804.

Dated: June 18, 1998.

Charles C. Wildes,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 98–17665 Filed 7–1–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Clearwater Ecosystem Management

and Timber Sale Projects; Seeley Lake

Ranger District, Lolo National Forest,

Missoula County, Montana

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service,

will prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) to disclose the

environmental effects of timber harvest,

reforestation, temporary road

construction, road access changes

including closures, and prescribed and

ecosystem management burning in a

7,000 acre project area approximately 12

miles northeast of Seeley Lake,

Montana.

DATE: Written comments and

suggestions should be received on or

before August 3, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

and suggestions on the proposed

management activities or a request to be

placed on the project mailing list to

Timothy G. Love, Ranger District, Lolo

National Forest, HC 31, Box 3200,

Seeley Lake, MT 59868.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sharon Klinkhammer, EIS Team Leader,

District Silviculturist, Lolo National

Forest, Phone (406) 677–3925.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

responsible official who will make

decisions based on this EIS is Charles

Wildes, Forest Supervisor, Lolo

National Forest, Building 24, Fort

Missoula, Missoula, MT, 59804. He will

decide on this proposal after

considering comments and responses,

environmental consequences, applicable

laws, regulations, and policies. The

decision and rationale for the decision

will be documented in a Record of

Decision.

The Forest Service proposes to

harvest 3 million board feet of timber

from 550 acres. Approximately 300

acres will be in openings ranging from

5–100 acres. Openings will retain

approximately one-third of the trees

growing on the site. Trees in these

openings will then be burned to create

fire-killed dead and the areas

regenerated. To accomplish this,

approximately 2 miles of temporary

road will be built. An estimated 6.5

miles of road will be obliterated after

harvest and additional road closures put

into effect. In addition, ecosystem

management burning on approximately

250 acres to improve wildlife Habitat is

planned. Area affected is within the

Upper and East For Clearwater River

Drainages approximately 12 miles

northeast of Seeley Lake, MT.

The purpose of this proposal is to

carry out the goals and direction stated

in the Lolo National Forest Plan using

ecosystem management principles. The

objectives are to:

• Reduce road densities in order to

meet inter-agency access standards for

grizzly bear.

• Reduce the risk of mature lodgepole

stands to mountain pine beetle

mortality, to maintain the health and

vigor of seral species stands, and to

contribute to the forest plan

expectations for timber production

through harvesting.

• Reduce existing sources of sediment

to water and fisheries resources caused

by existing roads.

• Reintroduce and simulate low and

moderate intensity fires in firedependent ecosystems in order to create

fire-killed dead trees on the landscape

and improve wildlife habitat.

• Treat noxious weeds.

• Create vistas of Swan mountains

along the Clearwater Loop Road

• Precommercially thin young stands

to achieve desired species composition

and density.

Public scoping was conducted on

most elements of this proposal during

June, 1997. Since then the proposal has

been reduced in scale and modified.

Issues and comments identified during

this earlier scoping process will be

carried forward and addressed in this

analysis.

The following key issues were

identified and will be used to develop

alternatives and assess environmental

consequences:

1. The project area has high value

grizzly bear habitat, important bull trout

spawning habitat, sensitive soils, and

high value water quality. The current

density of roads is high enough to result

in adverse effects on those resources.

The density of open and closed roads

exceeds the inter-agency standard for

grizzly bears. Culverts and drainage

features on many of the roads in the

project area are inadequate for the high

volume run-off typical to the area. To

meet current resource standards, roads

in the project area need: (1) an overall

reduction in density; (2) removal or

upgrade of roads or culverts most at risk

of failing during high run-off events;

and (3) an upgrade of drainage features

to reduce sediment during run-off

events.

2. Management of the project area is

subject to a number of laws, standards,

interim regulations, and special

allocations. The area is within occupied,

essential grizzly bear habitat (USDI,

1993). Road densities exceed the

standard for grizzly bear habitat. While

the Clearwater River is not a ‘‘Water

Quality Limited’’ segment as

determined by Montana State in the

current 305(b) Report, Seeley Lake,

approximately 12 miles down-stream is

identified as Water Quality Limited. The

USDI Fish, Wildlife Service made a

decision to list bulltrout as a threatened

species within the Columbia River Basin

in early June, 1998. Current road

densities and past management

activities have resulted in a decrease in

large woody debris and an increase in

sediment within streams of the analysis

area.