[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 94 (Thursday, May 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26281-26283]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11871]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Alaska Region, (R-10), Chugach National Forest, Glacier and 
Seward Ranger Districts, Commercially Guided Helicopter Skiing

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Chugach National Forest proposes to authorize a 5-year 
special use permit to Chugach Powder Guides, Inc. (CPG) for guided 
helicopter skiing on National Forest lands on the Kenai Peninsula near 
Girdwood and Seward, Alaska. Guided helicopter skiing would be 
permitted on 13 zones totaling 342,700 acres on the Glacier and Seward

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Ranger Districts. The season of use would be from approximately 
December 15 through April 20. Three helicoptors would be used and 2,400 
client days would be authorized.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by June 6, 2003. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
in July 2003 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
in September 2003.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Teresa Paquet, Interdisciplinary 
Team Leader, Glacier Ranger District, P.O. Box 129, Girdwood, Alaska 
99587-0129, or FAX comments to 907-783-2094, or send by e-mail to: 
[email protected]. For further information contact Teresa Paquet, 
Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Glacier Ranger District, P.O. Box 129, 
Girdwood, Alaska 99587-0129.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Teresa Paquet, Interdisciplinary Team 
Leader, Glacier Ranger District, P.O. Box 129, Girdwood, Alaska 99587-
0129.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Forest Service is responding to a request by a commercial guide 
service to provide helicopter skiing on the Kenai Peninsula. Chugach 
National Forest lands on the Kenai Peninsula provide many winter 
recreational opportunities including snowmobiling, cross-country 
skiing, ski touring, fixed-wing supported skiing, and helicopter 
supported skiing. Heli-skiing requires untracked powder snow, several 
vertical runs per day and a backcountry experience. Many areas on the 
Kenai have excellent physical characteristics (terrain and snow 
conditions) for helicopter skiing. There is not enough suitable terrain 
on private lands to meet this need. The proposed areas are near a major 
population center, Anchorage, which is needed to support such an 
operation. This proposal would help meet the public demand for quality, 
safe, guided helicopter skiing. Guided helicopter skiing would help 
meet the Chugach National Forest Revised Land and Resource Management 
Plan's goals to (1) maintain quality settings for motorized recreation 
opportunities and (2) provide helicopter access for skiing at 
appropriate locations.
    CPG has submitted an application for a 5-year special use permit 
for outfitting/guiding helicopter skiing on National Forest lands on 
the Kenai Peninsula, near Girdwood and Seward Alaska. The applicant 
requested the use of 13 zones (342,700 acres) during the winter ski 
season (December 15, through April 20). Eight of these zones have been 
used by CPG under temporary permits and five are additional exploratory 
zones. The eight core zones are: Glacier-Winner, West Twentymile, North 
Twentymile, East Twentymile, Placer-Skookum, Grandview, and Bench Peak. 
The five exploratory zones are Seattle Creek, Moose Creek, Ptarmigan, 
Snow River and Mount Ascension. The project area is bordered on the 
west by the Hope Highway, Seward Highway, and the Forest boundary near 
Resurrection River, on the north by the Forest boundary, on the east by 
the divide between the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound and 
non-National Forest land, and on the south by the Forest boundary and 
non-National Forest land.

Proposed Action

    The Chugach National Forest proposes to authorize a 5-year special 
use permit to Chugach Powder Guides, Inc. (CPG) for guided helicopter 
skiing on National Forest lands on the Kenai Peninsula near Girdwood 
and Seward, Alaska. Guided helicopter skiing would be permitted on 13 
use areas totaling 342,700 acres on the Glacier and Seward Ranger 
Districts. The season of use would be from approximately December 15 
through April 20. Three helicopters would be used and 2,400 client days 
per season (1,800 core and 600 exploratory) would be authorized.

Possible Alternatives

    Alternative 1. No Action.
    Alternative 2. Submitted by proponent. 1,800 core clients days 600 
exploratory client days. All use areas. All staging areas and 30 cycles 
(take off and landing) per staging area per day. Timing restrictions in 
Bench Creek West.
    Alternative 3. Proponent's proposal with design features to address 
noise and user conflicts. 1,800 core and 600 exploratory client days. 
No use in Seattle Creek West, Moose Creek West and Ptarmigan West. No 
staging area in Moose Pass. 30 cycles per staging area per day. Timing 
restriction in Seattle Creek East and Bench Peak West.
    Alternative 4. Designed to maintain current helicopter activity. No 
use in Seattle Creek, Ptarmigan, Moose Creek, Mount Ascension and Snow 
River. 1,200 client days. No staging areas in Moose Pass. 30 cycles per 
day per staging area. Timing restrictions in Bench Peak West.
    Alternative 5. Designed to minimize user conflicts. 1,800 core and 
600 exploratory client days. No use in Seattle Creek West, Seattle 
Creek East, Moose Creek West, Ptarmigan West, and Bench Peak West. No 
staging area in Moose Pass. 30 cycles per staging area per day.
    Alternative 6. Designed to minimize noise and social impacts in 
Moose Pass. 1,800 core and 300 exploratory client days. No use in Moose 
Creek, Ptarmigan, Bench Peak West, Seattle Creek West, and Seattle 
Creek East. No staging area in Moose Pass. 30 cycles per staging area 
per day, except Girdwood Airstrip which would have 20 cycles per day.

Responsible Officials

    Michael R. Kania, District Ranger, Seward Ranger District, 334 
Fourth Ave., P.O. Box 390, Seward, Alaska 99664-0390; and James M. 
Fincher, District Ranger, Glacier Ranger District, Forest Station Road, 
PO Box 129, Girdwood, Alaska 99587-0129.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The decision to be made from this analysis is whether or not to 
issue a 5-year permit to Chugach Powder Guides for helicopter skiing on 
the Glacier and Seward Ranger Districts, and if so, for what areas, for 
what period of time and with what restrictions.

Scoping Process

    Public Involvement was initiated in September 2002 with the Chugach 
National Forest Schedule of Proposed Actions. On October 31, 2002, a 
letter describing the proposed action and seeking public comment was 
mailed to over 800 interested individuals, businesses and environmental 
groups. Public meetings, to share information and gather comments 
regarding the proposal, were held at Seward and Moose Pass on November 
22, 2002, and at Hope and Girdwood on December 12, 2002. Additional 
public meetings, to share information and gather comments regarding 
draft Alternatives were held at Moose Pass on April 29, 2003, Seward on 
April 30, 2003, and at Hope and Girdwood on May 1, 2003.

Preliminary Issues

    1. Wildlife. Helicopter operations and skiing activities can 
disturb wildlife. Factors include the distance to disturbance, 
sensitivity of individual species to noise and level of habituation. 
Excessive disturbance can cause harm to overall health, growth rates 
and reproductive success. Some of the species with the greatest 
potential to be impacted in the permit area are brown bear, wolverine, 
mountain goat, and Dall sheep.
    2. Impacts on communities. Lifestyles of rural community residents 
can be negatively impacted by increases in permitted recreation 
activities either

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incrementally over a number of years or by sudden increases in the 
number of helicopter trips. The noise of helicopters during flights 
could affect the quality of life for residents in the following areas: 
Girdwood, Sunrise, Moose Pass, and Seward.
    3. Impacts to recreationists. Heli-skiing activities could 
negatively impact backcountry ground-based recreationists' experience 
by helicopter noise disturbance, increasing avalanche hazards and their 
sudden presence in areas that ground-based recreationists have expended 
effort to reach.
    4. Wilderness recommendations. Permitted landings in roadless areas 
could affect future Wilderness recommendations.
    5. Wildlife cumulative effects. Cumulative effects of various 
recreation activities (motorized and non-motorized) can have 
detrimental effects on wildlife use of habitat in alpine areas.

Permits or Licenses Required

    USDA Forest Service Special Use Permit.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent continues the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Comments 
specific to the proposal and draft Alternatives are being sought.
    Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review: A draft environmental impact statement will be 
prepared for comment. The comment period on the draft environmental 
impact statement will be 45 days from the date the Environmental 
Protection Agency 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 
draft environmental impact statements must structure their 
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so 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, 
553 (1978)). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the 
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised 
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement 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 June 6, 2003, 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 final environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft 
environmental impact statement 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 draft 
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the statement. 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.
    Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, Section 21)


    Dated: May 5, 2003.
Gerald F. Xavier,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 03-11871 Filed 5-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P