[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62984-62985]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-25662]



[[Page 62984]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR-090-5900 GP2-0103]


Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
Within the Upper Siuslaw River Sub-Unit of a Late-Successional Reserve 
on Lands Administered by the Eugene District in Lane and Douglas 
Counties, OR

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Eugene District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a Cooperating Agency, is 
developing a plan for forest and aquatic ecosystem restoration within a 
Late-Successional Reserve (LSR) in the Coast Range Mountains west of 
Eugene, Oregon (LSR-267). The purpose of the plan will be to design a 
long-term management approach and specific actions needed to achieve 
the LSR goals and Aquatic Conservation Strategy objectives set out in 
the Northwest Forest Plan. BLM will develop a restoration plan for the 
Upper Siuslaw River sub-unit of LSR-267, and will analyze the impacts 
of the proposed plan and alternatives in an EIS.
    BLM invites written comments on the scope of the analysis for a 
restoration plan for the Upper Siuslaw River sub-unit of LSR-267. BLM 
will give notice of the availability of the environmental impact 
statement and decision-making process that will occur so that 
interested and affected people will be aware of how they may 
participate and contribute to the final decision. These notices will be 
published in local newspapers and mailed to known persons or groups of 
interest in the local area.
    The Upper Siuslaw LSR Restoration plan is intended to be developed 
in conformance with the 1995 Eugene District Resource Management Plan 
(RMP). This plan is not expected to require any amendment or revision 
of the RMP, and therefore the provisions of 43 CFR 1610.5-5 and 1610.6 
do not apply.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received 
in writing by November 8, 2002, to ensure timely consideration. 
Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the Eugene District office during 
regular hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except 
holidays, and may be published as part of the environmental analysis or 
other related documents. Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or address from 
public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, 
you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written 
comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. 
All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organization 
or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Rick Colvin, P.O. Box 10226, 
Eugene, OR, 97440; or e-mail to: [email protected] Attn: Rick Colvin.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Colvin at (541) 683-6600 or 1-
888-442-3061.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 1994 Northwest Forest Plan established a 
network of Late-Successional Reserves (LSRs) designed to protect and 
enhance late-successional and old-growth forest ecosystems on Federal 
forests within the range of the northern spotted owl. The Northwest 
Forest Plan allows certain activities within LSRs if they are neutral 
or beneficial to late-successional habitat characteristics. The 
Northwest Forest Plan requires preparation of an LSR Assessment prior 
to most management actions. The LSR Assessment for the planning area 
was completed in 1997.
    Silvicultural treatments, including thinning and underplanting, may 
speed the development of late-successional forest structural 
characteristics and may improve habitat conditions for threatened and 
endangered species, including the northern spotted owl and marbled 
murrelet. Aquatic restoration may be accelerated by creation of in-
stream habitat structures, riparian thinning to restore large conifers, 
and improved road management, including culvert replacement. Additional 
information on the role of active management in restoring late-
successional forest characteristics and healthy aquatic ecosystems is 
available in the Northwest Forest Plan and supporting documents and in 
the watershed analysis and LSR Assessment for this planning area.
    The Upper Siuslaw LSR Restoration plan will address management of 
the approximately 25,000 acres of BLM-managed lands within LSR 267 in 
the upper portion of the Siuslaw River fifth-field watershed. 
Intermingled with these federal lands are privately-owned lands.
    In preparing the EIS, BLM will identify and consider a range of 
management actions including commercial and non-commercial forest 
thinning, snag and coarse woody debris creation, road decommissioning, 
culvert replacement, and in-stream habitat restoration. A No Action 
alternative which would involve no active management will be analyzed 
in detail. Other preliminary alternatives include: Continuation of the 
current management approach; restoration limited to forest plantations 
and road management, with no commercial timber harvest; restoration 
focused on recovery of threatened and endangered species; restoration 
that would reduce forest stand densities as quickly as possible; 
restoration based on multi-entry and multi-trajectory thinning.
    Preliminary issues identified include:

--How would thinning affect development of late-successional forest 
habitat characteristics?
--What are the effects of restoration activities on the northern 
spotted owl, marbled murrelet, and coho salmon habitat?
--What level of risk to existing late-successional forest would result 
from restoration activities?
--How would actions meet the objectives of the Aquatic Conservation 
Strategy?
--How much new road construction would be needed to implement 
restoration actions?
--How would road decommissioning and road management actions alter 
public access to BLM lands?
--How would restoration actions affect the presence and spread of 
noxious weeds?
--What would be the economic effects of restoration activities?
--What would the restoration program cost?

    Input from the scoping process will be used to determine the scope 
of the analysis, consistent with the requirements of 40 CFR 1501.7 and 
1508.22. The scoping process includes:

--Defining the scope of the analysis and nature of the decision to be 
made;
--identifying the issues for consideration within the environmental 
impact statement;
--exploring possible alternatives;
--identifying potential environmental effects;
--identifying groups or individuals that would be interested in or 
affected by the proposed plan.

    BLM is also interested in suggestions from the public about how 
they would like to be involved in the environmental analysis and 
decision-making process.

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BLM will seek information, comments, and assistance from Federal, 
State, and local agencies and other individuals or organizations 
interested in or affected by the proposed plan.
    In August 2000, BLM mailed preliminary information to known persons 
or groups of interest in the local area. Since that time, BLM has also 
solicited public participation through a series of public meetings and 
field trips and plans to hold more meetings and field trips. BLM has 
also mailed a periodic newsletter about this LSR Restoration Project to 
known persons or groups of interest in the local area. In response to 
these efforts, BLM has received comments on the scope of the 
environmental analysis, possible alternatives, and issues for 
consideration. BLM will use those comments received prior to this 
notice together with comments received in response to this notice in 
determining the scope of the analysis.
    The responsible official for this proposal is: Steven Calish, Field 
Manager, South Valley and Coast Range Resource Areas, Eugene District, 
BLM.

Julia Dougan,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 02-25662 Filed 10-8-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-AG-P