[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 95 (Friday, May 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26563-26564]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12235]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Black Hills National Forest, Mystic Ranger District, South 
Dakota, Prairie Project Area Proposal and Analysis

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Revised notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: This notice revises an earlier Notice of Intent to prepare an 
environmental impact statement on a proposal to implement multiple 
resource management actions within the Prairie Project Area as directed 
by the Black Hills National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 
and National level initiatives and policy such as the National Fire 
Plan and the Healthy Forest Initiative. The Prairie Project Area covers 
about 29,000 acres of National Forest System land and about 6,300 acres 
of interspersed private land within the lower rapid Creek watershed 
directly west of Rapid City, South Dakota. Proposed actions include: 
Promoting natural fuel breaks (via vegetation treatment) to reduce 
potential for large-scale intense wildfire; Reducing fuels that 
currently exist and fuel created by vegetation treatment within the 
wildland-urban interface; Improving wildlife habitat to protect 
critical big game winter range and habitat for a variety of plant and 
animal species; Supporting the preceding actions using commercial and 
non-commercial Vegetation treatments on an estimated 11,900 acres to 
reduce the density of pine trees; Providing a mix of motorized and non-
motorized use opportunities.

DATES: The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be 
available for public review by May 2003 and the final environmental 
impact statement is expected to be completed by September 2003.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on the DEIS to Robert J. Thompson, 
District Ranger, Black Hills National Forest, Mystic Ranger District, 
803 Soo San Drive, Rapid City, South Dakota 57702. Telephone Number 
(605) 343-1567. Email: [email protected]. With 
``Prairie'' as subject.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Phill Grumstrup, Project Coordinator, 
Black Hills National Forest, Mystic Ranger District, at above address, 
phone (605) 343-1567.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    This revised Notice of Intent updates the original NOI which 
appeared Friday, July 12, 2002, in the Federal Register (67 FR pg. 
46165). The actions proposed are in response to management direction 
provided by the Black Hills National Forest Land and Resource 
Management Plan (Forest Plan) and National-level initiatives and policy 
cited in the summary above. The site specific actions are proposed to 
reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfire in this ponderosa pine-
dominated urban-interface setting. The project area lies along the east 
side of the Black Hills National Forest and directly west of Rapid 
City, South Dakota. Issues include: Fire and fuels hazard in the 
wildland-urban interface; support and opposition to vegetation 
treatment such as timber harvest; impacts of vegetation treatment and 
multiple forest uses on wildlife habitat; conflicting motorized and 
non-motorized use and travel management issues; maintaining and 
improving developed and dispersed recreation opportunities.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of and need for the actions proposed in the Prairie 
Project is to: Reduce the potential for large-scale intense wildfire, 
reduce fuel loads and assure access for fire protection; protect big 
game winter range and provide habitat for a variety of plant and animal 
species; and provide for a variety of recreation opportunities 
including motorized and non-motorized uses while moving toward or 
meeting related Forest Plan Goals and Objectives, consistent with 
Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines.

Proposed Action

    This revised NOI identifies the changes made to the proposed action 
since the original NOI was published. Adjustments to the proposed acres 
are the result of strong public feedback asking the agency to be 
aggressive with fuels reduction and requesting that vegetative 
treatments be expanded to areas not initially covered in the proposal. 
Expanding the treatments is necessary to efficiently reduce the 
potential for catastrophic wildfire to communities at risk in this 
wildland-urban interface area. Specific adjustments to the proposed 
action are described below. Proposed actions include the following:
    [sbull] There is no change in the range of activities and 
treatments proposed. The treatment acres relative to fuel breaks and 
thinning of ponderosa pine, and prescribed burning have increased.
    [sbull] Reduce the potential for large-scale, intense wildfire by 
expanding the area treated to reduce the density of pine from the 
initially proposed 8,000 acres to about 11,900 acres. This may be done 
by using commercial timber harvest to thin out commercial size trees 
and using other methods to thin small, non-commercial size trees, 
removing conifers from hardwood stands such as aspen, bur oak and birch 
and by expanding and/or creating meadows. Thinning trees will reduce 
the potential for spreading crown fires by providing fuels breaks, 
lessening the risk from insects and disease, and by improving stand 
growth and vigor. Wood fiber will be provided to the local economy as a 
by-product of these actions.
    [sbull] Reduce the amount of fuel that currently exists and fuel 
created by vegetation treatment activities. Treatment could include 
lopping, chipping, crushing, piling and burning; construction of up to 
30 miles of

[[Page 26564]]

constructed fuel breaks adjacent to private property, particularly 
those properties with houses and subdivisions; and increased prescribed 
burning of 4,000 acres to about 7,500 acres in order to have a greater 
impact on reducing fuels and the threat of wildfire.
    [sbull] Manage big game winter range by providing openings for 
forage and protecting game animals during the critical winter period 
over a large portion of the area by expanding area closures to off-road 
motorized use seasonally or year-round.
    [sbull] Provide a mix of motorized and non-motorized opportunities 
in the area by designating some areas for off-road ATV/4-wheeler use 
and other areas for non-motorized uses such as hiking, mountain biking 
and walk-in hunting.
    [sbull] It is anticipated that one or more Forest Plan Amendments 
may be necessary to implement the proposed action or action 
alternatives.

Responsible Official

    The Responsible Official for this decision will be John C. Twiss, 
Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest, 25041 North Hwy. 16, 
Custer, SD 57730.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The decision to be made is whether or not to implement the proposed 
action or alternatives at this time.

Scoping Process

    Comments and input regarding the proposal have been received from 
the public and other groups and agencies during the 30-day (plus) 
public comment period that took place in July and August 2002. Response 
to the draft EIS will be sought from the interested public beginning in 
May 2003.

Comment Requested

    This revised notice of intent simply identifies the adjustment and 
refinement of the original proposed action in response to public 
comment and feedback. There will be no additional scoping on this 
revised NOI. The next opportunity to comment will be on the Draft EIS. 
Comments on the DEIS will be requested during the 45 day comment period 
following the Notice of Availability, anticipated to be published in 
the Federal Register in May 2003 (See discussion below).

Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review

    A draft environmental impact statement is being prepared for 
comment. The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement 
will be for 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency 
publishes the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register in May 
2003. The Forest Service believes, at this 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 45 day 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.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, 
Section 21)

    Dated: May 12, 2003.
William G. Schleining,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 03-12235 Filed 5-15-03; 8:45 am]
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