[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 184 (Thursday, September 23, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51504-51511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24758]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Revised Land and Resource Management Plan; San Juan National 
Forest, Colorado

AGENCY: USDA Forest Service.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
in conjunction with revision of the land and resource management plan 
for the San Juan National Forest, located in Archuleta, Conejos, 
Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, and San 
Juan Counties, Colorado.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement in conjunction with the revision of its Land and Resource 
Management Plan (hereafter referred to as Forest Plan or Plan) for the 
San Juan National Forest.
    This notice describes the specific portions of the current Forest 
Plan to be revised, environmental issues considered in the revision, 
estimated dates for filing the environmental impact statement, 
information concerning public and tribal participation, and the names 
and addresses of the agency officials who can provide additional 
information.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received 
in writing by January 31, 2000. The agency expects to file a draft 
environmental impact statement with the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) and make it available for public, agency, and tribal government 
comment in the spring of 2001. A final environmental impact statement 
is expected to be filed in the fall of 2002.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Thurman Wilson, Team Leader, 
Forest Plan Revision Team, San Juan National Forest, 15 Burnett Court, 
Durango, CO 81301.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thurman Wilson, Planning Team Leader, 
(970) 385-1246.
    Responsible Official: Lyle Laverty, Rocky Mountain Regional 
Forester at P.O. Box 25127, Lakewood, CO 80225-0127.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Part 36 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) 219.10(g), the Regional Forester for the Rocky 
Mountain Region gives notice of the agency's intent to prepare an 
environmental impact statement for the revision effort described above. 
According to 36 CFR 219.10(g), land and resource management plans are 
ordinarily revised on a 10- to 15-year cycle. The existing Forest Plan 
was approved on September 29, 1983, with a significant amendment on May 
15, 1992.
    The Regional Forester gives notice that the Forest is beginning an 
environmental-analysis and decision-making process for this proposed 
action

[[Page 51505]]

so that interested or affected people can participate in the analysis 
and contribute to the final decision.
    Opportunities will be provided to discuss the Forest Plan revision 
process openly with the public. The public is invited to help identify 
issues and define the range of alternatives to be considered in the 
environmental impact statement. Forest Service personnel and/or neutral 
facilitators will lead these discussions, helping to describe issues 
and the preliminary alternatives. They will also explain the 
environmental analysis process and the disclosures of that analysis, 
which will be available for public review. Written comments identifying 
issues for analysis and the range of alternatives will be encouraged.
    The United States has a unique legal relationship with Indian 
tribal governments, as set forth in the Constitution of the United 
States, treaties, statutes, Executive orders, and court decisions. As 
part of the overall effort to uphold the federal trust responsibility 
to tribal sovereign nations, the Forest Service will establish regular 
and meaningful consultation and collaboration with tribal nations on a 
government-to-government basis. The Forest Service will work with 
tribal governments to address issues concerning Indian tribal self-
government and sovereignty, natural and cultural resources held in 
trust, Indian tribal treaty and Executive order rights, and any issues 
that significantly or uniquely affect their communities.
    The public and tribal governments have already identified a number 
of issues. Additional issue identification (scoping) and alternative-
development meetings will be held in early 2000. Specific dates, times, 
and locations for the meetings will be posted on the San Juan National 
Forest's web site: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/srnf/ and announced in 
mailings to those on the forest plan revision mailing list. Requests to 
be on the mailing list should be sent to: Forest Plan Revision Team, 
San Juan National Forest, 15 Burnett Court, Durango, CO 81301.
    Forest plans describe the intended management of National Forests. 
Agency decisions in these plans do the following:
     Establish multiple-use goals and objectives (36 CFR 
219.11).
     Establish forestwide management requirements (standards 
and guidelines) to fulfill the requirements of 16 U.S.C. 1604 applying 
to future activities (resource integration requirements, 36 CFR 219.13 
to 219.27).
     Establish management areas and management area direction 
(management area prescriptions) applying to future activities in that 
management area (resource integration and minimum specific management 
requirements) 36 CFR 219.11(c).
     Establish monitoring and evaluation requirements (36 CFR 
219.11(d)).
     Determine suitability and potential capability of lands 
for resource production. This includes designation of suitable 
timberland and establishment of allowable timber sale quantity (36 CFR 
219.14 through 219.26).
     Where applicable, recommend designations of special areas 
such as Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers to Congress.
    The authorization of project-level activities on the Forest occurs 
through project decisionmaking, the second stage of forest land 
management planning. Project-level decisions must comply with National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures and must include a 
determination that the project is consistent with the Forest Plan.
    In addition to the programmatic decisions described above, the 
Forest is considering:
     Making site-specific decisions on travel management 
through identification of specific management for individual roads and 
trails, and
     Analyzing currently vacant range allotments for potential 
closures.
    Any site-specific decisions made from the analysis in the Forest 
Plan would be in a separate decision document and the responsible 
official would be the Forest Supervisor.

Need for Changes in the Current Forest Plan

    It's been approximately fifteen years since the current Forest Plan 
was approved and almost seven years since the completion of a 
significant amendment. Experience and monitoring have shown the need 
for changes in management direction for some resources or programs. 
Several sources have highlighted needed changes in the current Forest 
Plan. These sources include:
     Public involvement that has identified new information and 
public values.
     Tribal government involvement that has identified new 
information and American Indian values.
     Monitoring and scientific research that have identified 
new information and knowledge gained.
     Implementation of the current Forest Plan, which has 
identified management concerns to find better ways for accomplishing 
desired conditions.
     Changes in law, regulations, and policies.

Major Revision Topics

    Based on the information sources identified above, the combined 
effect on the needed changes demands attention through plan revision. 
The revision topics that have been identified so far are described 
below.

Biological Diversity

    How should ecosystems comprising the San Juan National Forest be 
managed in order to ensure biological diversity, long-term 
productivity, and ecosystems health? Humans and human activity are 
integral parts of ecosystems and will be considered in the analysis of 
this topics.
Questions To Address
     How should the full variety of life in an area including 
the ecosystems, plants, and animal communities' species and genes, and 
the processes through which organisms interact with one another and 
their environment be maintained?
     Should the forest be managed within the historical range 
of variability for characteristics such as fire size and frequency, 
size and distribution of openings and mix of plants and animals?
     Is the relative health and vigor of vegetation declining 
compared to historic levels? If so, should anything be done?
     Have ponderosa pine and mixed conifer stands changed 
significantly in proportion of species, tree size, and ecosystems 
processes?
     Is there a desired condition of the forest that management 
activities should focus on attaining?
     Are some species, such as cottonwood and aspen, declining 
significantly?
     Are there ways to affect forest health in areas with steep 
slopes or isolated areas?
     How much of the forest should be maintained in old-growth 
conditions and how should it be distributed in time and space?
     Are large, relatively undisturbed areas needed to provide 
adequate habitat for some species? If so, how large should they be and 
what conditions are needed? What human activities would be appropriate? 
Should reserves, core areas, and corridors be provided for wildlife? If 
so, what size, shape, and distribution are needed?
     Are some types of ecosystems found on the San Juan 
National Forest at risk of not being maintained over time?

[[Page 51506]]

     What threatened, endangered, and sensitive species are 
found on the San Juan National Forest?
     What management direction is needed to preserve viable 
populations of these species? What are the effects of activities such 
as timber harvesting, grazing, mining, and recreation on threatened, 
endangered, and sensitive species?
     What role should non-native species play in the San Juan's 
ecosystems? How is the spread of noxious weeds affected by activities 
such as road construction and use, livestock grazing, timber harvest, 
mineral development, fire, recreation, and hunting? What should be done 
about noxious weeds or other non-desired, non-native species?
     What management direction is needed to identify, protect, 
and make available the traditional forest plant and animal products 
that Native American people expect through exercising their treaty 
rights, or rights provided to them through Executive order? How do 
various activities occurring on the National Forest, such as prescribed 
fire, noxious-weed elimination, logging, grazing, recreation, road 
construction, mining, and oil and gas extraction, affect the 
availability of traditional forest products?

Timber Management

    How should forested areas of the San Juan National Forest be 
managed to maintain or improve ecological conditions with providing a 
sustainable and predictable supply of wood products? Developing a 
balance between cutting and removing trees to provide raw materials for 
wood products and protecting a wide variety of other resource values is 
critical. People's needs for wood products, other uses of the forest, 
and the ecological well being of the forest must all be considered.
Questions To Address
     What lands are suitable for timber harvesting? How much 
should be cut? Can the Forest Service ensure a predictable supply of 
timber for use? What logging methods should be use? What tree species 
and sizes should be cut? Should old-growth forests be harvested?
     How should timber harvesting be balanced with other 
considerations, such as scenery, heritage resources, water quality, 
soil productivity, wildlife and fisheries habitat, biological 
diversity, and ecosystem health (composition, structure, and function) 
and sustainability? What are the effects of logging and associated road 
construction on these desired forest conditions and uses?
     Should logging occur in unloaded areas?
     Are new roads needed for harvesting? If so, to what 
standards should they be built? Should roads be maintained or 
obliterated after logging sue? Should logging roads be open or closed 
to the general public?
     What are the appropriate specifications and constraints 
(standards and guidelines) for logging? What kinds of restoration 
practices should occur after logging and road building?
     What are the economic impacts (jobs and income) of timber 
sales in the local community? Can the Forest Service offer timber sales 
that are financially efficient (revenues exceed costs), financially 
viable to prospective purchasers, and supportive of locally owned mills 
and contractors?

Grazing

    How should the San Juan National Forest's rangelands be managed to 
maintain or improve ecological conditions, while providing a 
sustainable supply of forage of both domestic and wild animals? 
Allowing any opportunity for ranchers to graze their herds on the 
forest for part of the year must be balanced with supplying habitat and 
food or wild animals, maintaining water quality, safeguarding heritage 
resources, allowing other uses, and preserving the ecological health of 
the forest. The potential for change in the amount, timing, and 
practices of National Forest grazing may effect private land 
development, open space, and traditional lifestyles.
Questions To Address
     What lands are capable and suitable for livestock grazing? 
How much grazing should be allowed? What types of grazing systems and 
practices should be used? Should these vary between wilderness and the 
rest of the forest?
     What are the appropriate specifications and constraints 
(standards and guidelines) for grazing? What grazing activities and 
levels are appropriate in riparian areas? What kinds of restoration 
practices should accompanying grazing? What types of range improvements 
are appropriate?
     How should livestock grazing be balanced with other 
desired forest conditions or uses, such as recreation, scenic quality, 
heritage resources, water quality, wildlife and fisheries habitat, 
timber management, and ecosystem health and sustainability? What are 
the effects of grazing on other uses of the forest?
     What are the relationships between domestic livestock and 
elk and deer? How should forage be allocated between them? What are the 
relationships between livestock grazing and the southwest willow 
flycatcher? Should domestic sheep be excluded from areas to reduce the 
likelihood of spreading diseases to wild sheep?
     What types of vegetation should grazing lands be managed 
to produce or maintain? What are the effects of grazing on the spread 
of noxious weeds? How can noxious weeds associated with grazing be 
controlled? What are the relationships between livestock grazing and 
fire? Has grazing altered the role of fire in the forest's ecosystems?
     What are the economic impacts in the local community of 
livestock grazing? Can the Forest Service provide grazing that is 
financial efficient (revenues exceed costs) and financially viable to 
ranchers and still maintain desirable conditions for other uses of the 
San Juan National Forest?
     What are the relationships between grazing on National 
Forest and private lands? What are the potential impacts on open space 
and private land development of changes in National Forest grazing 
policies?

Minerals and Energy

    How can ecological conditions and other uses of the forest be 
balanced with providing mineral and energy products? Most of the forest 
is available for (hard rock) mineral exploration and development under 
the Mining Law of 1872, unless areas are specifically withdrawn. The 
Forest Service needs to determine what areas are suitable and available 
for oil and gas leasing and what stipulations should be placed on 
exploration and development.
Questions To Address
     What lands are suitable for oil and gas leasing? What 
stipulations should be included in leases? What lands should be 
withdrawn from mineral entry because of conflicts with other National 
Forest uses?
     What types of activities or practices are suitable? What 
mitigation measures are needed? What kinds of restoration practices 
should occur after mining and oil and gas exploration or development?
     How should mineral and energy exploration and development 
be balanced with other considerations, such as heritage resources, 
aesthetics, water quality, wildlife and fisheries habitat, human 
health, and ecosystem health and sustainability? What are the effects 
of exploration, development, and associated road construction on other 
uses of the forest?

[[Page 51507]]

     What are the effects of mining and oil and gas activities 
on people outside the local area?
     What kind of direction is needed for recreational panning 
or dredging?
     What special considerations are needed in wilderness?
     Is mining financial efficient (revenues exceed costs) for 
the government? Can the Forest allow mining that is financially viable 
to prospective purchasers? What are the economic impacts in the local 
community of mining and oil and gas exploration and development?

Watershed

    How can protecting watershed values, including soil resources, be 
balanced with the need for activities that potentially disturb the 
ground? What is the condition or riparian areas on the National Forest? 
San Juan National Forest lands are important watersheds that contribute 
greatly to both the quantity and quality of downstream water.
Questions To Address
     How do various activities occurring on the forest affect 
water quality and quantity, soil resources, and riparian areas?
     What is the appropriate balance between watershed 
protection and activities that can disturb the ground, such as road 
construction, logging, fire, grazing, recreation use, mining, and oil 
and gas extraction?
     What are the appropriate specifications and constraints 
(standards and guidelines) for activities that disturb the ground? What 
kinds of mitigation measures are needed for these activities? What 
kinds of restoration practices should occur after ground-disturbing 
activities?
     How can we identify our most valuable riparian resources? 
How can we protect their integrity?
     Are these areas of the forest, such as abandoned mines, 
needing reclamation? If so, what should be done? What are the effects 
of wildfires on watershed conditions? Are any special strategies needed 
for the prevention or control of wildfires to protest watersheds?
     Where is it appropriate to manage for consumptive uses 
versus non-consumptive uses? To what extent should water development 
occur on the San Juan National Forest?
     What are the effects of water diversion on the ecosystem? 
What are the effects of water storage (reservoirs, ponds, and water 
tanks) on the ecosystem?
     What is the importance of water produced from the San Juan 
National Forest in surrounding and downstream communities, including 
tribal communities?

Wildlife

    How can the habitat needs of a wide spectrum of fish and animals be 
balanced with a variety of other forest uses? National Forest lands are 
important habitat for many types of wildlife and fish, including some 
threatened, endangered, or sensitive species. The National Forest 
habitat is becoming increasingly important due to loss of habitat on 
private lands. Fish and wildlife, and their habitat, are affected by a 
variety of forest uses, such as timber harvesting, grazing, and 
recreation, and by natural events, such as wildfire.
Questions To Address
     How do various activities occurring on the National 
Forest, such as logging, grazing, and prescribed fire, affect wildlife 
and fish habitats? What is the appropriate balance between providing 
adequate habitats and allowing activities that can affect habitats, 
such as road construction, logging, fire, grazing, recreation, mining, 
and oil and gas extraction?
     What are the appropriate specifications and constraints 
(standards and guidelines) for activities that affect habitat? What 
kinds of mitigation measures are needed for activities that affect 
habitat? What kinds of restoration practices should occur after 
habitat-disturbing activities?
     What is the connection between forest and private land in 
providing habitat and migration corridors? What are the implications of 
private land development for management of National Forest lands? What 
kinds of cooperation are needed between the Forest Service, other 
agencies, and private landowners to maintain adequate habitat?
     How do wildlife affect the ecosystem? Should anything be 
done to affect population sizes?
     What areas are important for big-game winter range? How 
should they be managed? How is winter range changing? What areas are 
used as wildlife migration routes? How should these areas be managed? 
What are the implications of increased development of private lands on 
big-game winter range and migration corridors?
     How should neotropical birds habitat be managed and 
monitored? Do National Forest activities affect neotropical birds?
     How should conflicts between different species be handled 
(for example, rainbow versus Colorado River cutthroat trout)?
     How should roads be managed to maintain or improve 
wildlife and fish habitat? How does burning logging slash affect 
wildlife habitat?
     Should portions of the forest be closed to hunting, either 
to maintain a sanctuary for wildlife or to reduce conflicts with other 
recreations?
     Should non-native species (for examples, ruffed grouse and 
rainbow trout) be stocked on the forest?
     Should predator species be protected?
     Do wildlife-harassing dogs pose a significant problem? If 
so, what should be done about it?
     Are any changes needed in water rights to protect or 
enhance fisheries?
     Should fish stocking take place in wilderness, especially 
pristine areas? If so, how?
     What is the connection between tourism and wildlife and 
fish? What are the economic impacts to wildlife and fish?
     What is the role of education in solving human-wildlife 
conflicts'?

Fire

    How should the Forest Service react to natural wildfires and what 
types of prescribed (controlled) fires should be initiated? The role of 
fire in the ecosystem has changed over the past century. The Forest 
Service's attitudes about fire have been changing over the last decade. 
Whereas in the past, fire was considered an undesirable occurrence to 
be controlled, it is now increasingly seen as having a natural role in 
the ecosystem which management can seek to emulate or guide.
Questions To Address
     What was the historic role of fire in the forest's 
ecosystem? How has that changed? What effect has changes in fire 
occurrence had on the composition, structure, and functions of the San 
Juan National Forest's ecosystems? Should anything be done to adjust 
for these changes?
     Can a mix of logging and fire be used to maintain and 
restore ecosystem conditions? Can fire be used as a tool to establish a 
desired structure and composition of vegetation? How much fire is 
appropriate? What conditions are needed for successful prescribed 
burning?
     What are the relationships between:

--Fire, insects, and disease?
--Grazing and fire?
--Thinning trees, slash burning, and wildfire potential?


[[Page 51508]]


     How does fire affect air quality, soil stability and 
productivity, water quality, threatened, endangered, or sensitive plant 
and animal species, heritage resources, and other forest resources?
     Should anything be done to reduce the potential for large 
wildfires? What kinds of wildfire suppression or control strategies 
should be used? How aggressively should fires be fought?
    What level of expense is appropriate for fire suppression? Is fire 
suppression economically efficient?
     How should National Forest lands near private land 
development be managed in regard to fire risks? What kind of 
cooperation is needed between the Forest Service, other agencies, 
private landowners, and the public? What kind of access is needed for 
fire protection?
     What areas and timeframes are most appropriate for using 
prescribed fire? What specific techniques are most appropriate for 
prescribed fire? What should be done to prepare an area before 
prescribed fire?
     How does smoke from prescribed fires affect tourism?
     How can the San Juan National Forest best work with the 
public to implement an effective fire management program?

Heritage Resources

    How can heritage resources best be protected? Heritage resources 
provide a major source of public education, recreation, and cultural 
identity in this country. Nine concentrations of very unique and 
significant archaeological regions exist among thousands of cultural 
resources located Forestwide. Five of the nine concentration areas are 
already designated as archaeological districts listed on the National 
Register of Historic Places. The remaining four areas are proposed 
additions to the already existing National Register districts. Only two 
of the nine areas are managed to emphasize the preservation or 
conservation of the individual cultural properties and the surrounding 
landscape, whereas the other seven areas are managed to emphasize other 
resources.
Questions To Address
     Should the landscape containing cultural resource 
properties defining an archaeological district that is eligible for, or 
already listed on, the National Register of Historic Places be 
designated as a heritage area with a land management prescription that 
emphasizes the properties' unique and nonrenewable character?
     What is the appropriate balance between providing for site 
preservation or conservation and recreational enjoyment, and allowing 
other activities that can affect the use of the cultural site and its 
setting, such as logging, fire, mining, oil and gas extraction, 
grazing, and dispersed recreation? What are the appropriate 
specifications, and constraints (standard and guidelines) for 
activities affecting cultural properties and their setting?
     Should each of the nine heritage areas share one common 
land management prescription, or should there be greater flexibility in 
these prescription to facilitate management of other resource types and 
use types?
     Does heritage-area designation increase the risk of loss 
of cultural materials from these nine cultural landscapes?
     What kinds of cooperation are needed between the Forest 
Service, the tribes, other agencies, and private individuals to protect 
these areas?
     Since each of the proposed heritage areas is defined by 
resources that are prehistoric Native American, what kinds of social 
values need to be emphasized at each of the nine heritage areas? If 
there are conflicting values to be managed at specific sites or areas, 
how do conflicts in multiple cultural values get resolved?
     If the heritage areas are identified as appropriate for 
meeting heritage tourism goals, what types of recreational and 
interpretive opportunities or experiences should be developed at the 
heritage areas? Should fees be charged for the recreational use of 
heritage areas?

Recreation

    What levels of various types of recreation can be maintained while 
sustaining a healthy and diverse ecosystem? How can wildness be 
provided to sustain the human need for solitude, retreat, and renewal? 
Although uses of the San Juan National Forest have historically 
emphasized commodity activities, recent social, economic, and 
demographic transformations have significantly increased the demand for 
recreational uses.
Questions To Address
     What mix and emphasis of recreation opportunities on the 
National Forest accommodates a wide variety of users while ensuring 
resource protection? What areas are appropriate for various recreation 
uses?
     What is the carrying capacity of the forest? How much 
recreation use can be sustained from both an ecological standpoint and 
a visitor enjoyment perspective? Do any limits need to be placed on 
certain areas or types or use? Should fees be charged for recreation 
use?
     How do various recreation uses affect each other, 
ecosystems, and other forest uses?
     What are appropriate levels of use for different kinds of 
recreation activities? How must of available capacity for each type of 
recreation should be allocated to commercial (outfitter-guides), and 
institutional users versus individual users?
     What should the Forest Service do to interpret recreation, 
as well as other resources and opportunities?
    How can National Forest and private sector recreation opportunities 
best fit with each other?
    How should major recreation corridors like the Dolores River, West 
Dolores River, Lone Dome, Highway 550, and the designated All-American 
Road, the San Juan Skyway, be managed? What kinds of opportunities do 
we want to provide there?
     What are appropriate development levels for campgrounds, 
picnic areas, trailheads, etc.? How many facilities (campgrounds, road, 
etc.) can be maintained under reasonable budget expectations?
     How can quality and quantity of recreation experiences be 
balanced?
     What are the impacts of demographic changes and new and 
future technologies on recreation?
     How accessible is the forest and how accessible should it 
be? How should facilities be upgraded to accommodate all users 
(including disabled)?
     Should potentially conflicting recreation uses, such as 
mountain biking and horse riding, occur in the same areas or be 
segregated?
     Should hunting be allowed everywhere or should it be 
restricted?
     What are recreation's economic impacts on local economies?
     How much opportunity for backcountry recreation should be 
provided outside wilderness?
     What are the effects of motorized use in the backcountry 
and how much is appropriate?
     What are the effects of dogs in the backcountry and 
wilderness? Should they be restricted?
     What is the role of education in resolving recreation and 
wilderness problems?
     How can recreation opportunities be provided in a way that 
limits conflicts with heritage resources?

Travel Management

    What degree and types of access should be developed through the 
trail

[[Page 51509]]

and road system of the San Juan National Forest, and how can travel 
conflicts be minimized? Under what conditions should motorized travel 
be allowed off of existing road and trails? What are the effects of 
various means of travel on wildlife and erosion? Increasing 
recreational use has resulted in more travel by diverse user groups. 
Education needed by users is also part of this issue.
    While no single solution will fit the entire National Forest, some 
travel areas may be shared by mixed uses, while other uses because of 
their unique impacts, may need to be separated. Human activities can 
impact wildlife corridors and habitats.
Questions To Address
     What are the appropriate methods of travel for each part 
of the forest? Should some methods of travel be segregated?
     Should any areas (as opposed to roads and trails) have 
travel restrictions? Should weather affect travel restrictions?
     What are the implications of rapidly changing technology 
for travel management?
     Can a travel management policy be developed that is 
understandable and enforceable? Can better travel maps be produced? How 
should the Forest Service designate allowable travel methods and inform 
the public?
     How do various methods of travel affect the forest's 
ecosystems? How do various methods of travel affect other forest 
visitors?
     How do methods of travel affect the spread of noxious 
weeds?
     Are there any pack animals (horses, mules, pack goats, 
llamas) that aren't appropriate uses in the forest?
     To what levels or standards should roads and trails be 
maintained? How can roads and trails be maintained to an adequate level 
with declining budgets and fewer timber sales that include road 
maintenance by the purchaser?
     What can be done about road damage during hunting seasons?
     Are ATV's causing conflicts, especially during hunting 
seasons?
     How much access to the forest is needed, and what types? 
How should the Forest Service deal with increased pressure to access 
private inholdings? How can the increasing demands for access to remote 
sites for electronic sites be best addressed?
     Can some balance be found between people wanting to plow 
snow from roads to their property (within the National Forest) and 
people wanting to ski and snowmobile on those roads?
     How can the Forest Service provide a wide range of 
recreational opportunities to people that are physically restricted 
from traveling far other than by motorized means?
     How many roads does the forest need? What is the 
appropriate road density? What are the appropriate road standards? How 
many areas should have unroaded versus roaded characteristics?
     Should any existing roads or trails be closed (permanently 
or seasonally)? Should any existing roads or trails be obliterated? 
What rationale should be used in making these determinations?
     How should roads and trails be managed? What are the 
effects of roads and trails on fish and wildlife, soil and water, 
heritage resources, recreation, and other forest resources?
     How do the Forest Service's travel management policies 
affect private property within the forest boundary?
     How much signing should be provided and what types?

Scenery

    How can scenic attributes guide the appropriate and sensitive 
management of the San Juan National Forest? Everyone experiences forest 
lands in a visual sense. For some people the San Juan National Forest 
is a scenic backdrop to daily, community life. It is part of most local 
residents' and visitors' quality of life. It is also the reason that 
many have sought residence in the area. For some, visual indications 
are evidence of either a dynamic, healthy ecosystem, or of an 
overworked, overused landscape.
Questions To Address
     What human activities and natural events affect scenic 
quality? Which are short-term versus long-term impacts? How much weight 
should be given to short-term versus long-term effects?
     How does scenic quality change naturally over time? What 
ecosystem dynamics affect it? Does this have any management 
implications?
     What is the relationship between air quality and scenic 
quality? What is the role of fire in this relationship? Should the 
Forest Service have a role in setting air-quality guidelines?
     How can scenic and cultural attractions, such as historic 
mines, cabins, and cultural sites, be preserved?
     Should scenic quality be maintained or enhanced, 
especially along major travel routes and the designated scenic byway? 
If so, where and how?
     What is the appropriate amount and type of signing? Should 
it vary depending on an area's management emphasis?
     Should some activities have buffer zones around them so 
that they are visually less evident?
     How can littering and trash be controlled in the forest?
     How does timber harvesting and slash treatment affect 
scenic quality? What types of timber harvesting and slash treatment are 
best from a visual standpoint?

Stewardship, Volunteerism, and Education

    What is the role of stewardship, volunteerism, and education in 
managing public lands? This issue is woven throughout most of the other 
issues and considerations. Increasingly, community members and groups 
are interested and involved in voluntary, forest-stewardship 
opportunities. Public education has also been suggested as a means of 
improving the management of ecosystem resources, through increased 
awareness of impacts and reduction in conflicting uses. Volunteerism 
reinforces the small-town community ethic, gives people ownership in 
the forest, and is becoming an essential way of achieving community 
resource-conservation objectives.
Questions To Address
     What is sustainable stewardship?
     What is the role of partnerships in forest management?
     How can people feel more ownership in the forest?
     What can people do to help the forest?
     Can local people be educational links between the forest 
and tourists?
     What is the role of volunteers in forest management?
     What role should the forest play in environmental 
education?
     Should the National Forest have environmental education 
centers or other facilities?
     What are the implications of the demographic shift from a 
rural to an increasingly urban society on environmental education?
     What kinds of interpretive signing are needed:
     Can signs be used to help protect fragile resources?
     What types of conflict management or resolution are needed 
to build long-term positive relationships?

Social Values

    What is the appropriate balance between various uses of the 
National Forest? People value the San Juan for a variety of reasons, 
including as a scenic backdrop, a place to recreate and to find 
spiritual renewal, and as a source of livelihood.

[[Page 51510]]

Questions To Address
     How can the local quality of life best be sustained?
     How can the cultural relationships people have with the 
forest best be sustained?
     How can traditional cultural places and sacred sites 
important to Native Americans best be identified and managed?
     What role should the Forest Service have in addressing 
social issues that are community and regional in scope (for example, 
affordable housing and the homeless)?
     How responsive should the Forest Service be to the social, 
political, and economic environment of this region? What is the 
appropriate balance between National and more local interests?
     How should the Forest Service work with state and local 
governments in addressing local social problems?
     Can the Forest Service provide a stable management 
program?
     What role does the San Juan NF play in the local economy?

Sense of Place

    How should unique or special areas of the San Juan National Forest 
be designated and managed, and how should their outstanding values be 
preserved for future generations?
Questions To Address
     How should areas that are currently unroaded and 
undeveloped be managed in the future?
     What areas should be recommended for addition to the 
National Wilderness Preservation system?
     What additional areas should be given a scenic byway 
designation?
     What areas are eligible for inclusion in the National Wild 
and Scenic Rivers?
     What kinds of designations should be applied to special 
and unique areas of the forest?
     What special management considerations apply to urban 
interface areas?
     Which, if any, additional areas should be considered for 
Research Natural Area (RNA) status?
     How should the newly designated Piedra Special Area be 
managed?
     Does the Purgatory Ski Area prescription need boundary 
adjustments?
     Should the Wolf Creek Ski Area boundary be adjusted to 
include lands within the San Juan National Forest?
     How should lands designated as potential ski areas in the 
current Forest Plan be managed with the Wolf Creek Valley and East Fork 
areas no longer proposed for ski area development?

What To Do With This Information

    This revision effort is being undertaken to develop management 
direction to:
     Provide goods and services to people, and
     Sustain ecosystem functions.
    The Forest Plan revision for the San Juan National Forest will be 
done using a concept that has locally been labeled ``community-
ecosystem stewardship'' and is more broadly known as ``collaborative 
stewardship.'' Community-ecosystem stewardship is a style of land 
management characterized by:
     Sharing power and accepting mutual responsibility.
     Sustaining long-term interdependencies of communities, 
economies, public lands, and cultures.
     Facilitating an appropriate integration of desired 
community and ecological futures.
     Integrating scientific information with community 
knowledge.
     Adapting to the future based on past experiences.

Framework for Alternatives To Be Considered

    A range of alternatives will be considered when revising the Forest 
Plan. The alternatives will address different options to resolve 
concerns raised as the revision topics listed above. A reasonable range 
of alternatives will be evaluated and reasons given for eliminating 
some alternatives from detailed study. A ``no-action alternative'' is 
required, meaning that management would continue under the existing 
Plan. Alternatives will provide different ways to address and respond 
to public issues, management concerns, and resource opportunities 
identified during the scoping process. In describing alternatives, 
desired vegetation and resource conditions will be defined. Resource 
outputs will be estimated in the Forest Plan based on achieving desired 
conditions. Preliminary information is available to develop 
alternatives; however, there will be additional public, agency, and 
tribal government involvement and collaboration for alternative 
development.

Consulting and Collaborating With Tribal Governments

    The Forest Service will establish regular and meaningful 
consultation and collaboration with tribal nations on a government-to-
government basis. The Forest Service will work with tribal governments 
to address issues concerning Indian tribal self-government and 
sovereignty, natural and cultural resources held in trust, Indian 
tribal treaty and Executive order rights, and any issues that 
significantly or uniquely affect their communities. Correspondence, 
meetings, and field trips will be used in this effort. The Forest 
Service hopes to assemble a group composed of tribal representatives to 
also work in a collaborative manner.

Involving the Public

    An atmosphere of openness is one of the objectives of the public-
involvement process, in which all members of the public feel free to 
share information with the Forest Service regularly. All parts of this 
process will be structured to maintain this openness.
    The Forest Service is seeking information, comments, and assistance 
from individuals, organizations, tribal governments, and federal, 
state, and local agencies who are interested in or may be affected by 
the proposed action (36 CFR 219.6). The Forest Service is also looking 
for collaborative approaches with members of the public who are 
interested in forest management. Federal and state agencies and some 
private organizations have been cooperating in the development of 
assessments of current biological, physical, and economic conditions. 
This information will be used to prepare the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS). The range of alternatives to be considered in the 
DEIS will be based on public issues, management concerns, resource 
management opportunities, and specific decisions to be made.
    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 notice, and public-scoping 
opportunities will be offered in numerous locations. Public-
participation activities will include (but will not be limited to) 
requests for written comments, open houses, focus groups, field trips, 
and collaborative forums.
    Public participation will be sought throughout the revision process 
and will be especially important at several points along the way. The 
first formal opportunity to comment is during the scoping process (40 
CFR 1501.7). Scoping includes (1) identifying potential issues, (2) 
from these, identifying significant issues or those that have been 
covered by prior environmental review, (3) exploring alternatives in 
addition to No Action, and (4) identifying the potential environmental 
effects of the proposed action and alternatives.

[[Page 51511]]

Release and Review of the EIS

    We expect the DEIS to be filed with the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) and to be available for public, agency, and tribal 
government comment in the spring of 2001. 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 90 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 participate in the environmental review of the proposal 
in such a way that their participation 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 
three-month 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 relating to 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. Comments may also 
address the adequacy of the DEIS or the merits of the alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the statements. In addressing these points, 
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.
    After the comment period on the DEIS ends, 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 the 
summer of 2002. 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.

    Dated: September 15, 1999.
Lyle Laverty,
Regional Forester, Rocky Mountain Region, USDA Forest Service.
[FR Doc. 99-24758 Filed 9-22-99; 8:45 am]
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