[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 24, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20624-20625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-10058]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Northwest Howell Project; Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, 
Forest and Florence Counties, Wisconsin

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental 
impacts of proposed land management activities, and corresponding 
alternatives, within the Northwest Howell project area.
    The purpose of the Northwest Howell project is to implement land 
management activities that are consistent with direction in the Nicolet 
National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) and 
respond to specific needs identified in the project area. The project-
specific needs include addressing: forest age, structure and 
composition, reforestation, providing wood fiber and forest products, 
road closures, Pine River Wild River Corridor enhancements, and fish 
and wildlife habitat maintenance and improvement.
    The Northwest Howell project area is located primarily on National 
Forest System lands, administered by the Eagle River-Florence Ranger 
District, surrounding Alvin, Wisconsin. The majority of the project 
area encompasses several management areas that emphasize maintaining a 
mix of forest types including early successional species, uneven-aged 
hardwoods and upland pines. Additionally, the project includes a 
management area that emphasizes protecting and enhancing the qualities 
of certain rivers that could be eligible for consideration as Federally 
designated Wild and Scenic Rivers. The Northwest Howell project 
contains a portion of the Pine River, which is designated by the State 
of Wisconsin as a State Wild River. The legal description for the 
project area is: Township 39 North, Range 14 East, Sections 2-4; 
Township 40 North, Range 12 East, Sections 11-14, 23-24; Township 40 
North, Range 13E Sections 1-26; Township 40 North, Range 14 East, 
Sections 1-35; Township 41 North, Range 13 East, Sections 14, 15, 21-
29, 32-36; and Township 41 North, Range 14 East, Sections 17-36, 
Township 40 North, Range 15 East, Section 6; and Township 41 North, 
Range 15 East, Sections 30-32 Fourth Principal Meridian.

DATES: Comments concerning the proposed land management activities 
should be received by June 15, 2001, to receive timely consideration in 
the preparation of the draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments concerning the proposed land 
management activities or requests to be placed on the project mailing 
list to: E.B. Fitzpatrick III, District Ranger, Eagle River-Florence 
Ranger District, HC 1 Box 83, Florence, Wisconsin 54121.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shirley Frank, Northwest Howell 
Project Leader, Eagle River-Florence Ranger District, HC 1 Box 83, 
Florence, Wisconsin 54121, phone (715) 528-4464 ext. 27.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information presented in this notice is 
included to help the reviewer determine if they are interested in or 
potentially affected by the proposed land management activities. The 
information presented in this notice is summarized. Those who wish to 
provide comments, or are otherwise interested in or affected by the 
project, are encouraged to obtain additional information from the 
contact identified in the For Further Information Contact section.
    Proposed Actions--The proposed land management activities (proposed 
actions) include the following, with approximate acreage and mileage 
values: Forest age, structure, and composition--selection harvest 6,108 
acres, thin 800 acres, clearcut harvest 513 acres, overstory removal 
harvest 367 acres, and shelterwood harvest 127 acres (other actions 
needed include 1.9 miles of road construction and 23.6 miles of road 
reconstruction; Reforestation--prescribe burn 47 acres for natural 
regeneration of jack pine, hand-scalp and under-plant 200 acres of 
white pine, eastern hemlock, cedar and other species in the 
understories of existing stands, mechanical site preparation and 
planting of 68 acres of jack pine, temporarily fence 20 acres of under-
planted areas, manual site preparation of 416 acres within aspen 
clearcuts and 147 acres of canopy gaps within selection harvests; Road 
Closures--close, allow to re-vegetate and remove from the Forest's 
inventoried road system 19.3 miles of roads; Fish and Wildlife Habitat 
Maintenance and Improvement--place approximately 75 whole tree 
structures along the shoreline and place about 40 crib structures near 
the shoreline of Steven's Lake, place approximately 50 whole tree 
structures along the shore line of Quartz Lake, place about 20 crib 
structures and 30 half-log structures within Quartz Lake, maintain 375 
acres in existing permanent upland openings using by hand-cutting, 
mowing or burning, and plant fruit-bearing shrubs on approximately 
fifty percent of these sites.
    Responsible Official--The District Ranger of the Eagle River-
Florence Ranger District, E.B. Fitzpatrick III, is the Responsible 
Official for making project-level decisions from the project.
    Decision Space--Decision-making will be limited to specific 
activities relating to the proposed actions. The primary decision to be 
made will be whether or not to implement the proposed actions or 
another action alternative that responds to the project's purpose and 
needs.

[[Page 20625]]

    Preliminary Issues--Comments from Native American Indian tribes, 
the public, and other agencies were considered in identifying the 
following preliminary issues: effects to threatened, endangered, and 
sensitive species; effects to management indicator species, effects to 
wild and scenic river corridor characteristics; effects from road 
construction and road closures; effects to motorized recreational 
access.
    Public Participation--The Forest Service is seeking comments from 
Federal, State, and local agencies, as well as local Native American 
tribes and other individuals or organizations that may be interested in 
or affected by the proposed actions. Comments received in response to 
this notice will become a matter of public record. While public 
participation is welcome at any time, comments on the proposed actions 
received by June 15, 2001, will be especially useful in the preparation 
of the draft EIS. Timely comments will be used to identify: potential 
issues with the proposed actions, alternatives to the proposed actions 
that respond to the identified needs and significant issues, and 
potential environmental effects of the proposed actions and 
alternatives considered in detail. In addition, the public is 
encouraged to contact and/or visit Forest Service officials at any time 
during the planning process.
    Relation to Forest Plan Revision--The Chequamegon-Nicolet National 
Forest is in the process of revising and combining the existing Land 
and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans) for the Chequamegon 
National Forest and the Nicolet National Forest, which were 
administratively separate at the time the Forest Plans were developed. 
A Notice of Intent to revise and combine the Forest Plans was issued in 
1996. As part of this process, various inventories and evaluations are 
occurring. Additionally, the Forest is in the process of developing 
alternative land management scenarios that could change the desired 
future conditions and management direction for the Forest. A Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will be published in the near 
future that will disclose the consequences of the different land 
management direction scenarios considered in detail. As a result of the 
Forest Plan revision effort, the Forest has new and additional 
information beyond that used to develop the existing Forest Plans. This 
information will be used where appropriate in the analysis of this 
project to disclose the effects of the proposed activities and any 
alternatives developed in detail.
    The decisions associated with the analysis of this project will be 
consistent with the existing Forest Plan, unless amended, for the 
Nicolet. Under regulations of the National Environmental Policy Act (40 
CFR 1506.1), the Forest Service can take actions while work on a Forest 
Plan revision is in progress because a programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement--the existing Forest Plan Final EIS, already supports 
the actions. The relationship of this project to the proposed FP 
revision will be considered as appropriate as part of this planning 
effort.
    Estimated Dates for Filing--The draft EIS is expected to be filed 
with the Environmental Protection Agency and available for public 
review in December, 2001. A 45-day comment period will follow 
publication of a Notice of Availability of the draft EIS in the Federal 
Register. Comments received on the draft EIS will be used in 
preparation of the final EIS, expected in July, 2002. A Record of 
Decision (ROD) will also be issued at that time along with the 
publication of a Notice of Availability of the final EIS and ROD in the 
Federal Register.
    Reviewer's Obligation to Comment--The Forest Service believes it is 
important at this early stage to give reviewers notice of several court 
rulings related to public participation in the environmental review 
process. First, reviewers of the draft EIS must structure their 
participation in the environmental review of the proposal in such a way 
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, 513 (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 45-day comment period 
of the draft EIS in order that substantive comments and objections are 
available to the Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully 
consider them 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 should be as specific as possible. 
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.

    Dated: April 18, 2001.
Lynn Roberts,
Forest Supervisor, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
[FR Doc. 01-10058 Filed 4-23-01; 8:45 am]
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