[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 21, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3078-3080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1324]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 13 / Wednesday, January 21, 1998 / 
Notices  

[[Page 3078]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Routt Divide Blowdown Analysis, Medicine Bow-Routt National 
Forest, Hahns Peak/Bears Ears Ranger District, Routt County, CO

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Medicine 
Bow-Routt National Forest will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to assess and disclose the environmental effects of 
proposed salvage logging of a portion of the Routt Divide Blowdown 
outside the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area on the Hans Peak/Bears Ears 
Ranger District. The analysis area location is approximately 24 miles 
north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in portions of sections 3, 4, 5, 
8, 9 and 10 of T9N, R83W; sections 1, 2, and 11 of T9N, R84W; sections 
17, 20, 21, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33 and 34 of T10N, R83W; sections 1, 2, 3, 
4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 34, 35 and 36 of 
T10N, R84W; and sections 33, 34, 35, and 36 of T11N, R84W.
    This Notice of Intent is being issued under the authority of the 
Routt National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan and Final EIS 
of November 1983, which is the current guidance for forest management 
of the area. It is anticipated that the final Revised Land and Resource 
Management Plan for the Routt National Forest will be issued before the 
project decision for the Routt Divide Blowdown Analysis is complete. 
Therefore, information from the draft Proposed Revised Land and 
Resource Management Plan, issued in January 1996, is also included so 
readers can evaluate how the project would fit within guidance provided 
by the revised plan. The project will tier to the plan that is in 
effect when the project decision is made.
    The majority of lands affected by the blowdown event within the 
analysis area are currently allocated to Management Area 4B (wildlife 
habitat), as described in the current Forest Land and Resource 
Management Plan for the Routt National Forest, approved in 1983. There 
are also some inclusions of blowdown within Management Areas 2A 
(semiprimitive motorized recreation) and 6B (range management). The 
North Fork and Middle Fork of Elk River are identified as eligible for 
consideration by Congress for Scenic River designation. Forested lands 
within management areas 4B, 6B and 2A are designated as suitable for 
timber production by the forest plan and do contribute to the Allowable 
Sale Quantity (ASQ) calculation. Following is a summary of the general 
forest plan direction for the area.
    Management Area 4B--Wildlife Habitat: Emphasizes wildlife habitat 
for one or more indicator species. Semiprivate motorized recreation 
opportunities will be provided, but vegetation manipulation and human 
activities are managed to provide optimum habitat for the selected 
species.
    Management Area 2A--Semiprimitive motorized recreation: Emphasizes 
semiprimitive motorized recreation opportunities such as snowmobiling, 
four-wheel driving and motorcycling both on and off roads and trails in 
a naturally appearing environment. Management activities are visually 
subordinate. Timber harvest includes clearcutting and shelterwood and 
will enhance wildlife diversity.
    Management area 6B--Rangeland Management: Emphasizes improving and/
or maintaining rangeland. Improvements may include seeding, burning, 
spraying, crushing, or plowing as well as structural improvements.
    The Forest Plan is being revised as required by the National Forest 
Management Act. The Draft Revised Land and Resource Management Plan for 
the Routt National Forest was issued in January 1996. The preferred 
alternative for the forest plan revision (Alternative C as described in 
the DEIS) allocates the majority of the project area to management area 
5.11 (General Forest and Rangelands--Forest Vegetation Emphasis, which 
provides for a mix of forest products, forage, wildlife habitat and 
recreation), and management area 5.13 (Forest Products, which is 
managed to produce commercial wood products). These lands are included 
in the ASQ calculations as suitable lands. The analysis area also 
includes lands allocated to management area 1.32 (Backcountry 
Recreation with Limited Motorized Winter Use), which provides for 
backcountry recreation opportunities in a natural-appearing landscape 
and continues to consider the North Fork and Middle Fork of Elk River 
as eligible for Scenic River designation. These lands are not included 
in the ASQ calculations as suitable lands.

DATES: Written comments and suggestions should be postmarked or 
received by February 21, 1998. The estimated date for filing the draft 
EIS is March 1998, followed by the final decision in May 1998.

ADDRESSES: The Responsible Official is Jerry E. Schmidt, Forest 
Supervisor; Medicine Bow--Routt National Forest; 925 Weiss Drive; 
Steamboat Springs, CO 80487-9315. Written comments and suggestions 
concerning the scope of the analysis may be sent to him at that 
address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Larry Lindner, Interdisciplinary Team Leader. Phone: 970-870-2220 
(Steamboat Springs, CO) or 307-745-2424 (Laramie, WY).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 25, 1997, approximately 20,000 
acres of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir along the western boundary 
of the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area were subjected to a windthrow 
event. The majority of trees were windthrown in about 40-50 patches 
ranging in size from about 50 to 4,000 acres. Approximately 12,000 
acres of windthrow are within the Mount Zirkel Wilderness and 
approximately 8,000 acres are outside and to the west of the wilderness 
boundary. This Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement concerns a portion of the blowdown that is within the North 
Fork and Middle Fork of Elk River watersheds outside the Mount Zirkel 
Wilderness Area. Additional analysis responsive to the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) will be completed for any activities 
that may be proposed for the remaining blowdown area.


[[Page 3079]]


    Preliminary estimates indicate that as much as 80 million board 
feet of timber may be salvageable within the analysis area. Insects, 
rots and stains are expected to greatly reduce the economic value of 
the logs within a few years. Therefore, a timely decision is needed to 
maximize any economic benefit the people of the United States would 
achieve should the decision be made to salvage the blowdown sawtimber 
or any efforts to do so would be foregone.

Proposed Action

    To restore recreation opportunities, to enhance regeneration of 
stands, and to use blowdown timber through salvage logging 
opportunities in response to the Routt Divide Blowdown event within one 
of the largest patches where road access already exists. The Forest 
Service intends to analyze: (a) The effects of the blowdown to the 
natural, social and economic resources; (b) the opportunities to 
mitigate the effects of the blowdown through salvage logging or other 
methods; and (c) the effects of salvage logging as well as any needed 
mitigation measures.
    Most projects developed by the Forest Service are tailored to fit 
on-the-ground conditions and must meet numerous design constraints, 
such as size and shape of units, etc. The Routt Divide Blowdown was a 
natural disturbance rather than the result of a planned activity by the 
Forest Service. Since the blowdown was an act of nature rather than of 
Forest Service design, some aspects of projects developed in response 
to the blowdown may not look like projects that are regularly 
conceived, designed and implemented by the Forest Service.
    Much of the analysis area has been inventoried as part of the 
analysis process for past and proposed sales, so there is already 
specific data and general information available. The Interdisciplinary 
Team will develop a site specific proposed action as part of its 
analysis for disclosure in the draft EIS. The design of any activities 
proposed for the area must be responsive to the effects of the event 
itself and will be guided by applicable Forest Plan Standards and 
Guidelines. Should circumstances warrant deviation from the Forest Plan 
Standards and Guidelines, an amendment(s) to the Plan subject to the 
NEPA process may be necessary. Some proposed activities may be 
innovative and non-traditional due to the nature of the blowdown 
itself.
    This environmental analysis shall consider the environmental 
consequences of the proposed action, as well as alternatives reasonably 
implemented, while meeting the purpose and need of the action.

Decision To Be Made

    The Medicine Bow-Routt Forest Supervisor will make a decision about 
the selection of one alternative among several concerning whether a 
portion of the Routt Divide Blowdown outside wilderness will be salvage 
logged and what mitigation measures will be required. The issues and 
alternatives developed from public comment and Interdisciplinary Team 
analysis will be clearly disclosed in the Environmental Impact 
Statement. From the project record alone, the Forest Supervisor and 
others who may review the decision, will be able to fully understand 
the consequences of implementing the selected alternative.

Preliminary Issues

--Effects to recreation
--Effects to Mount Zirkel Wilderness area
--Effects to Wild and Scenic River classification
--Effects to Roadless areas
--Effects to National Forest permittees
--Effects to local communities and Forest Users
--Effects to channel stability from increased water yield
--Effects to soil productivity from surface erosion
--Effects to wildlife and fish, including Threatened, Endangered and 
Sensitive species
--Social effects
--Safety
--Regeneration of new forests in the blowdown
--Effects of salvage logging
--Effects of road construction required to salvage logs
--Visual effects (including those resulting from the need to maintain 
roughness, shade and structure within a contiguous large area of 
blowdown)
--Potential that the blowdown material may lead to epidemic levels of 
insect populations and the effects of such an epidemic

Reviewers Obligations

    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 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 Environmental Impact Statement stage but that 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, 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 draft Environmental Impact Statement 
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 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.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the 
public record on this proposed action and will be available for public 
inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and 
considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments will not have 
standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR Parts 215 or 
217. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request 
the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing 
how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality. 
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under the 
FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very limited 
circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service 
will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the 
request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the 
agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the 
comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within 10 
days.

[[Page 3080]]

Responsible Official

    Jerry E. Schmidt, Forest Supervisor; Medicine Bow--Routt National 
Forest; 2468 Jackson Street, Laramie, WY 82070 is the Responsible 
Official. As the Responsible Official, I will decide which, if any of 
the alternatives to be described in the draft Environmental Impact 
Statement will be implemented. I will document the decision and the 
reasons for my selection of the decision in the Record of Decision.

    Dated: January 14, 1998.
Jerry E. Schmidt,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 98-1324 Filed 1-20-98; 8:45 am]
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