[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 240 (Thursday, December 15, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-30835]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 15, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service

 

Boise River Wildlife Recovery Project, Boise National Forest, 
Idaho

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service announces the 
availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the 
Boise River Wildlife Recovery Project, Boise National Forest. The 
responsible official for the DEIS is Acting Forest Supervisor Cathy 
Barbouletos. The DEIS describes and displays an analysis of three 
alternatives to manage approximately 141,000 acres of National Forest 
System land burned in the summer of 1994. The project area is northeast 
of Boise, Idaho on the Idaho City and Mountain Home Ranger Districts.

    Comments/time frame: Reviewers of the draft should provide the 
Boise National Forest with their comments during the review period 
which will last for 45 days after this notice of availability. 
Responding within this time frame will enable forest personnel to 
analyze and respond to your comments in the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS) and avoid undue delay in the decisionmaking process. 
Reviewers have an obligation to structure their participation in the 
review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts the agency 
to the reviewers' position and contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear 
Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also, environmental 
objections that could have been raised at the draft stage may be waived 
if not raised until after completion of the final environmental impact 
statement. City of Angoon vs. Hodel (9th Circuit, 1986) and Wisconsin 
Heritages, Inc. vs. Harris, 490 F Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wisc. 1980). 
Comments on the DEIS should be as specific as possible. It is also 
helpful if reviewers refer their comments to specific pages and/or 
chapters in the DEIS.

    Availability: Copies of the DEIS or copies of a summary are 
available upon request from the Boise National Forest, 1750 Front 
Street, Boise, Idaho 83702; Idaho City Ranger District P.O. Box 129, 
Idaho City, Idaho 83631; Mountain Home Ranger District, 2180 American 
Legion Boulevard, Maintain Home, Idaho 83647 or by calling (208) 364-
4300 to leave a message.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS describes three alternatives to 
treat approximately 141,000 acres of National Forest System Land. The 
Rabbit Creek, Bannock Creek and Star Gulch Wilderness burned a total of 
184,500 acres in July, August, and September of 1994. The DEIS assess 
opportunities to salvage the economic value of fire killed and 
imminently dead trees in combination with treatments to promote 
regeneration of trees on forested areas, maintain or improve hydrologic 
conditions of affected watersheds, and protect long-term soil site 
productivity.

    Recovery Assessment Schedule: This is Phase II of a four phase 
ecosystem approach to wildlife recovery. Phase I included burned area 
emergency analysis and rehabilitation. This phase, Phase II, is an 
assessment of the opportunities to treat killed timber in the recovery 
effort, Phase III will assess resource management opportunities which 
are not time dependent (i.e. trail bridge replacement, access 
management) and Phase IV will assess long-term effects at a landscape 
scale and re-evaluate adjacent decisions surrounding the wildfires.

    Contact: Further information can be obtained by contacting Project 
Leader Terry Padilla, Idaho City Ranger District, Boise National 
Forest, PO Box 129, Idaho City, ID 83631, Telephone, (208) 364-4330.

    Response Official: Cathy Barbouletos, Acting Forest Supervisor, 
Boise National Forest, 1750 Front Street, Boise, ID 83702.

    Dated: December 8, 1994.
Cathy Barbouletos,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 94-30835 Filed 12-14-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M