[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 64 (Monday, April 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16419-16421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7977]


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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 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 64 / Monday, April 5, 1999 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Upper Blue Stewardship Project; White River National Forest, 
Summit County, Colorado

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
in conjunction with planning the Upper Blue Stewardship Project 
(hereafter referred to as the Stewardship Project).

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, White River National Forest, gives 
notice of the agency's intent to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of timber 
harvest, prescribed fire, watershed rehabilitation, road construction/
re-construction/closure/obliteration, trail reconstruction, non-system 
trail obliteration, historic site interpretation, a 4 cfs water 
diversion from the Miner's Creek drainage to the North Barton Gulch, 
and a hut site location in conjunction with designing the Stewardship 
Project for the Dillon Ranger District of the White River National 
Forest. These proposed actions are being considered together because 
they represent either connected or cumulative actions as defined by the 
Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.25). This notice 
describes the proposed actions, environmental issues considered, 
estimated dates for filing the environmental impact statement, 
information concerning public participation, and the names and 
addresses of the agency officials who can provide additional 
information.
    Poject Area: The Stewardship Project is using an interdisciplinary 
approach to manage 14,000 acres between the towns of Frisco, CO to the 
north and Breckenridge, CO to the south, Highway 9 to the east, and the 
top of the Tenmile Range to the west. The area is located in T5S, R77W, 
Sec. 31. T6S, R78W, Sec. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 
22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 33, 34, 35, and 36 on the Dillon Ranger 
District of the White River National forest, Summit County, CO. The 
elevation in the area is between 9,000-12,933 feet.
    Background: The project area was heavily logged during the mining 
era (1860-1940). Many trees were removed &/or burned, particularly 
Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine due to their superior lumber qualities. 
The result is a dense, even-aged forest between 80-140 years old that 
is dominated by lodgepole pine. The forest lacks diversity of tree 
species, age classes, structure (mixed-size forests, young stands, old 
growth), and understory species. The lack of diversity affects both 
forest health (it is more susceptible to insects, disease and fire), 
and habitat for wildlife species.
    Preliminary issues: Issues identified to date include: proximity of 
the proposal to private property, commercial harvest of trees in a 
recreation setting, quantity of system and non-system roads and trails, 
water quality, RARE II roadless area, riparian condition, impacts to 
heritage resources, existing and potential impacts to visual quality, 
potential spread of noxious weeds, air quality impacts from burning, 
potential hut site locations, recreation user conflicts, water 
depletions, providing a ditch for the Town of Breckenridge water 
diversion, and affects on threatened, endangered, sensitive and 
management indicator species.
    Purpose & Need: This Stewardship Project aims to improve forest 
health, visual quality, wildlife habitat, and fire resilience through 
greater species and structural diversity; to promote responsible 
recreation use; and to evaluate a ditch permit application from the 
Town of Breckenridge. The Project uses a variety of techniques to 
improve the health of the forest and species diversity, while 
protecting and enhancing the heritage, recreation, visual, watershed 
and wildlife resources. The Forest Service hopes to develop a strong 
partnership with local government, private land owners and forest users 
to help implement the necessary treatments on the ground.
    The EIS will tier to the Land and Resource Management Plan for the 
White River National Forest 2nd Printing Updated through 08/01/90.
    Proposed Action: Three-quarters-mile of new road construction may 
be needed. No road construction is planned within the Rare II roadless 
boundary. A total of 1.5 miles of system road and 5.5 miles of non-
system roads will be closed or obliterated. Non-system trails will be 
obliterated or added to the system, depending upon public input.
    The Summit Huts master plan of 1989 approved a conceptual location 
of an overnight hut in the Gold Hill area. This analysis will look at 
site specific impacts of the Gold Hill location, and 3-4 alternative 
sites. All five of the possible hut sites are within RARE II (roadless 
area review and evaluation) identified areas, though three of the sites 
are in former timber sale areas. All of the five possible hut sites are 
within 1B management prescription which emphasizes downhill or cross 
country skiing opportunities.
    The Town of Breckenridge proposes to divert up to 4 cfs of water 
from the Miners Creek drainage to the North Barton drainage, in order 
to draw more water from the Blue River while maintaining minimum stream 
flow. This will involve using 2,400 feet of an existing ditch built in 
the early 1900's, constructing approximately 1500 feet of new ditch, 
and running the water down an existing tributary of the Blue River.
    Interpretive sites are planned along major trails. Riparian areas 
may be expanded by 50 acres through removal of encroaching conifers.
    All vegetation management units will follow visuals mitigation, 
where possible, by modifying existing and created openings to be 
irregular in shape, mimicking natural openings (including utilities 
corridors). Edges will be feathered at varying densities, to reduce 
sharp transition between openings and forest. Slash treatment will 
emphasize the tops of the trees where fine fuels exist. These activity 
fuels exist. These activity fuels will be treated by lopping and 
scattering, piling and burning or broadcast burning. Activity fuels 
will be treated to be less than 10 tons per acre near private property 
and less than 20 tons per acre in lodgepole units. Higher fuel levels 
will be allowed in areas that are surrounded by lower fuels areas.
    Noxious weed management will include an integrated approach 
including preventative measures such as

[[Page 16420]]

re-seeding and cleaning equipment to prevent spread, as well as 
treatment of existing populations through mechanical, cultural, 
biological, and chemical methods based on the species to be treated, 
extent of infestation, and site specific conditions.
    Aspen Units--Increase aspen by 300 acres over a 1,600 acre area by 
removing conifer overstory to promote aspen understory &/or aspen 
sprouting. Look for opportunities to increase aspen near private 
property boundaries, and existing clearcuts and utilities corridors. 
Openings created will be no larger than 10 acres. Removal of the 
conifers can be done by commercial, or noncommercial sale of the logs, 
force account felling or girdling of the trees, burning, &/or Christmas 
tree sales. There are two methods to do this, aspen release and aspen 
regeneration.
    Aspen release will remove the conifer overstory to allow aspen 
understory to dominate the site. A young aspen forest will remain. 
Conifer islands (where 10-15 trees are grouped together) will be left 
to enhance landscape mosaic and increase structural diversity. Around 
the unit boundary, up to a 30 meter strip will be cleared, to allow for 
aspen colonization.
    Aspen regeneration will occur in areas where few live, and some 
dead aspens remain. Group selection cuts will be made in areas where 
aspen root still exist, so the aspen can recolonize the site.
    Spruce/Fir Units--Increase spruce/fir forests by 1,000 acres over a 
1,880 acre area by removing lodgepole pine overstory to promote spruce/
fir understory. A young spruce/fir forest will remain. A patchy, mosaic 
effect will be created. Trees will be harvested commercially, collected 
for firewood, felled or girdled and left on site for nutrient cycling. 
Tin, 1,000 acres of spruce/fir--lodgepole pine mix through a 
combination of prescribed fire, force account, and commercial harvest.
    Ponderosa Pine Units--Increase ponderosa pine by 150 acres over a 
190 acre area, at or below 9,200 ft. in elevation. Some existing 
clearcuts will be planted with ponderosa pine. Approximately 80 acres 
of new habitat for ponderosa pine will be created using clearcutting &/
or burning, and planting ponderosa pine in several areas. Remove 
lodgepole commercially, for public firewood, or by felling and burning.
    Douglas-Fir Units--Increase Douglas-fir to be present in 250 acres 
over a 270 acre area. Thin the lodgepole and underplant Douglas-fir in 
areas where remanent Douglas-fir trees have been found. Lodgerpole will 
be removed by force account or commercially. If areas are found where 
Douglas-fir is already present, clear an area of 1 tree height around 
it to allow for natural regeneration of Douglas-fir.
    Lodgepole Pine Units--Create more early seral stage (young stands) 
and mixed age classes by treating 1,740 acres over a 2,680 acre area. 
Regenerate approximately 25% of each unit. Regenerate by removing 
overstory conifers in up to 2 acre patches. The remaining units will be 
thinned, with variable tree spacing of 8-16 feet between each remaining 
tree. Trees will be removed by commercial harvest, collected for 
firewood, burned, felled or girdled and left on site for nutrient 
cycling.
    Involving the Public: Pursuant to Part 36b Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) 219.10(g), the Forest Supervisor for the agency's 
intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the Stewardship 
Project described above. The Forest Service is seeking information, 
comments, and assistance from individuals, organizations and federal, 
state, and local agencies who may be interested in or affected by the 
proposed action (36 CFR 219.6).
    Public participation will be solicited by notifying in person and/
or by mail known interested and affected publics. News releases will be 
used to give the public general noticed, and public scoping meeting 
will occur. Public participation activities will include (but are not 
limited to) requests for written comments, open houses, and field 
trips. The public is invited to help identify issues and define the 
range of alternatives to be considered in the environmental impact 
statement.
    A reasonable range of alternatives will be evaluated and reasons 
will be given for eliminating some alternatives from detailed study. A 
``no-action alternative'' is required, meaning that management will not 
change the present condition. Alternatives will provide different ways 
to address and respond to public issues, management concerns, and 
resource opportunities identified during the scoping process. Scoping 
comments and existing condition reports will be used to develop 
preliminary alternatives; however, additional public involvement and 
collaboration will be done for final alternative development.

DATES: An issue identification (scoping) meeting is scheduled for April 
20, 1999 from 4:00-7:00 PM. An alternative development meetings will be 
held May 20, 1999 from 5:00-8:00 PM. Both meetings will be in the 
Buffalo Mountain Room at the Summit County Commons Building off of 
Highway 9 (37 CR 1005) in Frisco, CO 80443. Comments concerning the 
scope of the analysis should be received in writing by May 3, 1999. In 
June and July a field trip(s) can be scheduled to look at particular 
concerns or alternatives in the field (such as non-system trail 
closures). Please respond if you are interested in attending field 
trip(s).

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Upper Blue Stewardship Project, 
Dillon Ranger District P.O. Box 620, Silverthorne, CO 80498.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen Phelps, Gwenan Stephens, or 
Alissa Roeder D'Onofrio, at (970) 468-5400. For road and trail 
questions and concerns, contact Angela Glenn (970) 262-3446.

Release and Review of the EIS

    The DEIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) and to be available for public comment in December 1999. 
At that time, the EPA will publish a notice of availability for the 
DEIS in the Federal Register. The comment period on the DEIS will be 45 
days from the date the EPA publishes the notice of availability in the 
Federal Register.
    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 
the DEIS 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 DEIS stage but are not raised until after 
completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 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 FEIS.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed actions, comments on the DEIS should be as 
specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific 
pages or chapters of the draft statement.

[[Page 16421]]

Comments may also address the adequacy of the DEIS or the merits of the 
alternatives formulated and discussed in the statements. 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.
    After the comment period ends on the DEIS, comments will be 
analyzed, considered, and responded to by the Forest Service in 
preparing the Final EIS. The FEIS is scheduled to be completed in 
February 2000. The responsible official will consider the comments, 
responses, environmental consequences discussed in the FEIS, and 
applicable laws, regulations, and policies in making decisions 
regarding these revisions. The responsible official will document the 
decisions and reasons for the decisions in a Record of Decision for the 
revised Plan. The decision will be subject to appeal in accordance with 
36 CFR 217.

Responsible Official

    Martha J. Ketelle, Forest Supervisor, White River National Forest, 
PO Box 948, Glenwood Springs, CO. 81602-0948 ``As the Responsible 
Official, I will decide which, if any, of the proposed projects will be 
implemented. I will document the decision and reasons for the decision 
in the Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest 
Service appeal regulations.''

    Dated: March 22, 1999.
Daniel Hormaechea,
Acting Forest Supervisor, White River National Forest.
[FR Doc. 99-7977 Filed 4-2-99; 8:45 am]
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