[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 6 (Thursday, January 9, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1190-1191]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-427]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Integrated Resource Management Plan for the Spokane Indian 
Reservation, Stevens County, WA

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Spokane Tribe of 
Indians, as co-lead agencies, intend to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) on a proposed update to the Integrated Resource 
Management Plan (IRMP) for the Spokane Indian Reservation. The purpose 
of updating the IRMP is to develop long-term resource management 
policies that will ensure direction and stability for needed sustained 
growth of reservation economics, compatible with traditional values and 
needs for a quality human environment. Details on the project area and 
the proposed action are provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section. This notice also announces a public scoping meeting for the 
content of the EIS.

DATES: Comments on the scope and content of the EIS must arrive by 
February 7, 2003. The public scoping meeting will be held on Thursday, 
January 23, 2003, at 6 p.m.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand carry written comments to Rudy Peone, 
Spokane Tribe Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 480, Wellpinit, 
Washington 99040; or to Ted Hensold, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Spokane 
Agency, P.O. Box 389, Wellpinit, Washington 99040. You may also telefax 
comments to Rudy Peone at (509) 258-9600. Please include your name and 
mailing address with your comments so documents pertaining to this 
project may be sent to you.
    The public meeting will be held at the Fire Management Conference 
Room, 6290 Ford-Wells Road, Wellpinit, Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rudy Peone, 509-258-9042, extension 
14.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The boundaries of the Spokane Indian 
Reservation encompass approximately 157,000 acres, located in southern 
Stevens County, Washington. These include 110,500 acres of tribal trust 
lands, 1,400 acres of tribal fee lands, 24,800 acres of individually 
owned trust (allotment) lands, 14,400 acres of private fee lands, 1,100 
acres of Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) lands above the Lake Roosevelt 
high pool line, and about 4,800 acres covered by Lake Roosevelt, under 
BOR administration. The lands range from dry, ponderosa pine steppe on 
the southern boundary of the Spokane River at 1,300 foot elevation to 
moist, inland coniferous forest on the northern portion of the 
reservation where elevation reaches about 4,000 feet.
    Major land uses include timber management, livestock grazing, 
agriculture, hunting and fishing, recreation, and cultural practices. 
Timber harvesting occurs on about 108,000 acres of commercial forest 
lands.
    The Spokane Tribe first enacted an IRMP in 1994. Its purpose was to 
provide a holistic framework to guide all land management of the 
reservation. It is now approaching its useful end. While the IRMP 
served an important role in managing resources during the formative 
stages of the Tribe's natural resource programs, human population 
growth and various economic activities have placed new and competing 
demands on reservation resources. These changes include encroachment of 
housing into formerly unpopulated areas; local shortages of drinking 
water during dry periods; increased demand for employment related to 
natural resource extraction and use; larger areas impacted by economic 
development; increased visitor and tourist traffic; increasing threats 
to surface and ground water resources by solid waste, sewage discharge, 
timber harvesting and other economic activities; and aesthetic 
degradation.
    The proposed update of the IRMP will integrate more specific 
policies for land uses, natural resources, economic development and 
cultural resources and values on all lands within the boundaries and/or 
under the jurisdiction of the reservation. Services that affect natural 
resources and are affected by land use designations (such as housing, 
utilities, and roads) are also included. The proposed action includes 
specifically and accurately identifying the current needs that affect 
the natural resources on the reservation, projecting needs over the 
next 10 years, and developing the range of feasible alternatives to 
address those needs.
    In addition to no action (continued management under the current 
IRMP), the alternatives will include a mix of possibilities for change 
which relate to each specific resource. Timber harvest options may 
range from a diminished harvest level to allow maximum protection of 
soil, water, cultural and aesthetic resources to an increased harvest 
level to meet economic demands of the Tribe. Housing options may range 
from unrestricted locating of housing through various forms of 
restrictions to protect natural areas. Recreation options may range 
from commercial development of recreation opportunities to attract 
vacationers from around the region to creating opportunities for tribal 
members alone. Range management options may include terminating the 
open range policies versus restricting open range to limited areas or 
pasture leases. Water resources options may include a more flexible 
approach to the current fixed riparian buffers or increasing those 
buffers. Cultural resource management options may range from protecting 
only those resources which are defined in the National Historic 
Preservation Act to defining standards for protection of cultural 
properties and cultural landscapes which are uniquely important to the 
Spokane Tribe.

Public Comment Availability

    Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the mailing address shown in the 
ADDRESSES section, during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents may 
request confidentiality. If you wish us to withhold your name and/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. We will not, however, consider anonymous comments. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Authority

    This notice is published in accordance with section 1503.1 of the

[[Page 1191]]

Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 
1508) implementing the procedural requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), 
and the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the 
exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian 
Affairs by 209 DM 8.1.

    Dated: December 18, 2002.
Neal A. McCaleb,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 03-427 Filed 1-8-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-W7-P