[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 97 (Thursday, May 20, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27505-27506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-12692]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Upper Illinois River Landscape Management Projects, Siskiyou 
National Forest, Josephine County, Oregon

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service (USFS), as a cooperating agency, the 
USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM), will prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS). The purpose of the EIS is to analyze and 
disclose the environmental impacts of a site-specific proposal to 
commercially harvest and regenerate timber, construct, reconstruct and 
decommission roads, implement timber stand improvement activities, 
conduct prescribed burns and implement ecosystem restoration projects. 
The activities are proposed in the East Fork and West Fork Illinois 
River Watersheds located on lands administered by the Siskiyou National 
Forest, Illinois Valley Ranger District, and the Bureau of Land 
Management, Medford District, Grants Pass Resource Area, Josephine 
County, Oregon.
    The USFS/BLM Proposed Action will be in compliance with the 
Siskiyou National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (1989), the 
Bureau of Land Management, Medford District, Resource Management Plan 
(1995), and the Northwest Forest Plan (1994) which provide overall 
guidance for forest management in the respective Agency's planning 
areas. This proposal is scheduled for implementation during Fiscal 
Years 2000-2003.
    The Siskiyou National Forest, together with the Bureau of Land 
Management, Medford District, invite written comments concerning the 
scope of the analysis in addition to those comments already received as 
a result of local public participation activities. The Forest Service 
will also give notice of the full environmental analysis and decision-
making process so that interested and affected people are made aware as 
to how they may participate and contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Issues and comments concerning the scope, implementation and 
analysis of the proposed action must be received in writing before June 
25, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Submit written issues with the Proposed Action to Joel King, 
District Ranger, Illinois Valley Ranger District, 26568 Redwood 
Highway, Cave Junction, Oregon 97523, and/or Robert C. Korfhage, Grants 
Pass Resource Area Field Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Medford 
District, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, Oregon 97504.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct questions about the Proposed 
Action and EIS to either the Forest Service or BLM contacts. The Forest 
Service contact is Peter Gaulke, Environmental Coordinator, Siskiyou 
National Forest, PO Box 440, Grants Pass, Oregon 97528, phone (541) 
471-6758. The BLM contact is Doug Parker, Interdisciplinary Team 
Leader, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District, 3040 Biddle Road, 
Medford, Oregon 97504, phone (541) 770-2388.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Upper Illinois River Landscape 
Management Projects planning area contains approximately 37,000 acres 
in the East Fork Illinois River Watershed, and 51,000 acres in the West 
Fork Illinois River Watershed.

    The legal description of the East Fork Illinois River Watershed 
Planning Area is: T.17N., R.05E., Sections, 1-4, 9-11; T.17N., 
R.06E., Section 6; T.18N., R.05E., Sections 1-5, 8-17, 20-36; 
T.18N., R.06E., Sections 5-8, 17-20, 30-31; T.19N., R.05E., Sections 
31-36; T.19N., R.06E., Sections 31-32, Humbolt Meridian; T.39S., 
R.07W., Sections 7-9, 16-21, 29-31; T.39S., R.08W., Sections 11-16, 
20-28, 33-36; T.40S., R.07W., Sections 19-21, 28-32; T.40S., R.08W., 
Sections 2-4, 10-11, 14-15, 21-28, 33-36; T.41S., R.07W., Sections 
5-8, 16-18; T.41S., R.08W., Sections 1-5, 9-17, Willamette Meridian.
    The legal description of the West Fork Illinois River Watershed 
Planning Area is: T.18N., R.03E., Sections 1, 12; T.18N., R.04E., 
Sections 1-5, 8-15, 24: T.18N., R.05E., Sections 5-8, 17-20; T.19N., 
R.04E., Sections 32-36; T.19N., R.05E., Sections 31-32, Humbolt 
Meridian; T.39S., R.08W., Sections 30-31; T.39S., R.09W., Sections 
18-20, 24-36; T.39S., R10W., Sections 24-26, 34-36; T.40S., R.08W., 
Sections 6, 9, 20, 31-32; T.40S., R09W., Sections 1-24, 26-34; 
T.40S., R.10W., Sections 1-2, 12-13, 24-26, 35-36; T.41S., R08W, 
Sections 4-9, 16-18; T,41S., R.09W., Sections 2-10, 12-18; T.41S., 
R.10W., Sections 1-2, 11-13, Willamette Meridian. Within these legal 
descriptions, only Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management 
managed lands will be considered for management activities.

    The Forest Service is proposing to implement activities identified 
on its 5-Year Action Plan within the East Fork Illinois River 
Watershed. Activities include, in part, the Kingfish Timber Sale, Elder 
Trail Timber Sale, and Cougar Ridge Timber Sale, involving 
approximately 2485 acres of harvest units. Silvicultural prescriptions 
include commercial thinning, small group selection and regeneration 
harvests. The Upper Illinois River Landscape Management Projects 
includes precommercial thinning for forest health and stand 
development,

[[Page 27506]]

road decommissioning, prescribed burning for wildlife habitat 
improvement and fuels reduction, and stream restoration activities. 
These proposed activities will involve Matrix (MA-14), Partial 
Retention (MA-13), Riparian Reserve (MA-11) and Late-Successional 
Reserve (MA-8) land allocations.
    Projects activities associated with the Esterly Lakes Landscape 
Project are planned in both the East Fork and West Fork Illinois River 
Watersheds on BLM administered lands. These projects are being planned 
as a part of the implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan and the 
Medford District's Resource Management Plan. The Easterly Lakes 
Landscape Project includes a mix of forest stand thinning to promote 
forest health and desired forest habitat conditions, timber harvesting, 
prescribed burning to reduce fire hazard and manipulate stand 
composition, and young stand management such as thinning and/or 
brushing on BLM administered lands. It will also include the 
restoration of declining special vegetation types and habitats, stream 
and riparian reserve restoration, and various types of roadwork.
    The Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action is to implement 
management direction in the Upper Illinois River planning area and 
specifically focus on:

    (1) A healthy and resilient ecosystem and watershed in the 
planning area.
    (2) Meet Visual Resource Management Objectives.
    (3) Riparian reserves for Aquatic Conservation Strategy 
Objectives, water quality, and fisheries within the project areas in 
the long-term.
    (4) Silvicultural treatments that maintain or improve forest 
health.
    (5) Harvest timber to meet the demand for wood products.
    (6) Unique wildlife or botanical habitats identified in the 
respective planning documents.

    In preparing the EIS, the Forest Service will tier to the Northwest 
Forest Plan, the BLM Medford District's Resource Management Plan, and 
the Siskiyou National Forest's Land and Resource Management Plan as 
amended. The Forest Service will also consider issues submitted to the 
Proposed Action, and develop additional alternatives to the proposed 
action that respond to the significant issues with the Proposed Action. 
The no action alternative will be considered.
    Public participation will be important at several times during the 
analysis. The first time is during the scoping period [Reviewer may 
wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for 
implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environment 
Policy Act (CFR) at 40 CFR 1501.7]. The Agency will be seeking written 
issues with the Proposed Action from Federal, State, and local 
agencies, any affected Indian tribes, and other individuals who may be 
interested in or affected by the Proposed Action. This input will be 
used to develop additional alternatives. The scoping process includes:

     Identifying potential issues;
     Selecting significant issues with the Proposed Action, 
needing in-depth analysis;
     Eliminating insignificant issues; issues that have been 
analyzed and documented in a previous EIS, issues that controvert 
the need for the Proposed Action, or issues that are outside the 
authority of the Responsible Official to decide;
     Exploration of additional alternatives based on the 
issues identified during the scoping process; and
     Identification of potential environmental effects of 
the proposed action and alternatives (i.e. direct, indirect, and 
cumulative effects and connected actions).

    The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and be available for review by July 1999. The 
comment period for the Draft EIS will be 45 days from the date that the 
EPA published the Notice of Availability appears in the Federal 
Register.
    The Forest Service believes it is important to give Reviewers 
notice at this early stage of several court rulings related to public 
participation in the environmental review process. First, a reviewer of 
a Draft EIS must structure their participation in the environmental 
review process of the proposal so that it is specific, meaningful, and 
alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and contentions. Vermont 
Yankee Nuclear Power Corp v. NRDC, 453 U.S. 519,553 (1978). Also, 
environmental objections that could be raised at the draft EIS stage, 
but that are not raised until after completion of the final EIS, 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 60-day comment period so that 
substantive comments and objectives are made available to the Forest 
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider and respond to them 
in the final EIS.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS should 
be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to 
specific pages or chapters of the draft EIS. Comments may also address 
the inadequacy of the draft EIS or the merits of the alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the EIS. 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 60-day comment period ends on the draft EIS, comments 
will be considered and analyzed by the Agency in preparing the final 
EIS. The final EIS is scheduled for completion by October 1999. In the 
final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to the comments 
and responses received during the comment period that pertain to the 
environmental consequences discussed in the draft EIS and applicable 
laws, regulations, and policies considered in making the decsion 
regarding the proposal. A final EIS is expected in November 1999.
    The Forest Service Responsible Official will be Mike Lunn, Siskiyou 
National Forest Forest Supervisor. The Bureau of Land Management 
Responsible Office will be Robert C. Korfhage, Grants Pass Resource 
Area Field Manager. They will consider the final EIS, applicable laws, 
regulations, policies, and analysis files in making their decisions. 
The Responsible Officials will document the decision and rationale in 
their Record of Decision. The Forest Service decision will be subject 
to appeal by the general public under 36 CFR 215. The Bureau of Land 
Management decision will be subject to protest by the general public in 
accordance with 43 CFR Part 5003.

    Dated: May 10, 1999.
J. Michael Lunn,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 99-12692 Filed 5-19-99; 8:45 am]
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