[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 69 (Friday, April 9, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18866-18867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-7703]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 69 / Friday, April 9, 2004 / 
Notices  

[[Page 18866]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Allegheny National Forest, Bradford Ranger District; 
Environmental Impact Statement: Willow Creek All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) 
Trail Expansion Project

AGENCY: Bradford Ranger District, Allegheny National Forest, Forest 
Service (USFS), Department of Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, 
Allegheny National Forest (ANF), Bradford Ranger District is issuing 
this notice to advise the public that the agency intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Willow Creek All-
Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Trail Expansion Project (WCATEP). The proposed 
trail improvements and expansion would be located on the Bradford 
Ranger District of the ANF in northwestern Pennsylvania. Trail 
construction and associated activities are being considered and 
analyzed within a project area of approximately 18,163 acres located 
both the Willow Creek and Sugar Run Watersheds in Corydon Township 
within McKean County. The purpose of this proposed project is to 
implement management direction as outlined in the ANF Land and Resource 
Management Plan by addressing site-specific needs and opportunities to 
expand the forest's 108-mile existing ATV/OHM trail system. The 
proposed project is under consideration to respond to a fast growing 
recreation activity on the forest, the high use on the existing ATV/OHM 
trails system, and the demand for more ATV trail miles.
    Description of the Proposed Action: The USDA Forest Service, ANF, 
Bradford Ranger District is proposing rehabilitation work on the 
existing 10.8-mile Willow Creek ATV/OHM Trail and development of 
approximately 44 miles of additional ATV trail within the Marshburg/
Stickney Intensive Use Area (Management Areas 2.0, 3.0, and 6.1). The 
current trail system does not provide adequate trail riding 
opportunities for families seeking multiple day riding experiences with 
direct access camping. New trail development would focus on family 
oriented trail riding at the beginner/intermediate level. Camping 
opportunities would include seven designated dispersed sites with 
direct access to the trail system, plus the development of four staging 
areas. These areas would provide families with overnight camping, 
hardened parking areas, toilet facilities, and information kiosks. At 
project completion, there would be two trailhead facilities in the 
project area for day use parking. An existing trailhead in the north 
would be expanded, and a new trailhead facility would be constructed in 
the south. The following activities would be proposed in the project 
area:
     Reconstruct 10.8 miles of existing trail;
     Construct 44 miles of new trail;
     Utilize 0.6 miles of existing Allegheny 
Snowmobile Loop (ASL) for summer ATV season;
     Utilize 5.7 miles of existing gated Forest Road 
for summer ATV season;
     Develop two trailhead parking areas for day use 
(50 vehicles with trailers per trailhead);
     Develop four staging areas with overnight 
camping opportunities (5-10 acres each);
     Implement approximately 1,800 feet of joint use 
(ATV/motor vehicle) on Forest Roads 176, 173, and 435 to utilize 
existing stream crossings;
     Connect seven dispersed camping sites to the ATV 
trail system;
     Construction of .7 miles of new road from FR 
176a to proposed staging areas off of FR 679.
    Construction of this project is expected to occur during the 
construction seasons of 2006-2007, provided that funding is available.
    Scoping Process: As advertised in The Bradford Era (March 26, 
2004), the USDA Forest Service will host a public scoping meeting in 
Bradford, PA, on April 27, 2004, from 7 to 9 p.m., for the proposed 
Willow Creek ATV Trail Expansion Project. The meeting will be held at 
the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (300 Campus Drive, Bradford, 
PA 16701) in the University Room, which is a fully accessible facility. 
The purpose of the public scoping meeting is to provide the opportunity 
for the public to participate in the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) process and for the USDA Forest Service to present the history 
of the proposed project and the proposed action; solicit information, 
concerns, and recommendations from the public; and begin an open 
dialogue with the public regarding this proposed project. For planning 
purposes, we ask that parties interested in speaking at the public 
scoping meeting notify the USDA Forest Service no later than 4 p.m. on 
April 26, 2004, by calling Mr. Mark Conn at the telephone number below. 
All remarks will be limited to a single 3- to 5-minute time frame. 
Comment cards also will be provided at the meeting to allow interested 
parties to submit written comments.
    Interested parties also are invited to provide written comments on 
the proposed project via post or electronic mail. Written comments must 
be postmarked or received within 30 days beginning the day following 
publication of this notice. Comments should be sent to: Bradford Ranger 
District, 29 Forest Service Drive, Bradford, PA 16370. Telephone: (814) 
362-4613; fax: (814) 362-2761.
    Oral or hand-delivered comments are acceptable. Comments may be 
mailed electronically in a common digital format to our office at: 
[email protected]. When commenting by e-
mail, please list ``Willow Creek EIS'' on the subject line and include 
your name and mailing address.
    Background Information: Demand for OHV trails is at an all time 
high across the United States. There are few legal riding areas in the 
eastern United States, even though demand for such opportunities is 
high. The ANF trail system is well known nationally with riders coming 
from as far away as Colorado, Florida, and Texas. However, the majority 
of users originate from the northeast and Mid-Atlantic States 
(Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York). In Pennsylvania, there are (234) 
miles of trail on State Forest Land, 150 acres of

[[Page 18867]]

open riding (no trails) on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land, and 108 
miles on the ANF. Ohio offers (116) miles of ATV trail (Wayne National 
Forest). New York has no public ATV trails.
    The ANF has offered OHV trails since the late 1970s. ATVs were 
developed in the 1980s and sales in Pennsylvania significantly 
increased with time (registered ATVs in Pennsylvania number 
approximately 180,000, unregistered exceeds approximately 485,000). 
Pennsylvania leads the eastern United States in ATV sales and ranks 
third nationally. Demand for more OHV trail miles on the forest is 
high.
    ANF personnel have observed sharp increases in ATV riding over the 
last decade. The ANF Recreation Strategy (2002) identified ATV riding 
as the fastest growing recreation activity on the forest. The 1986 ANF 
Forest Plan lists a goal of 350 miles of summer motorized ATV/OHM 
trails by 2006. The current trail system totals 108 miles. There are 
five separate trails within four Intensive Use Areas (IUAs) throughout 
the forest. The Forest Plan limits designation of summer-motorized 
trails to the five IUAs, which encompass approximately 20 percent of 
the ANF's land base.
    The USDA Forest Service identified the Marshburg/Stickney IUA as a 
priority for managing ATV recreational opportunities to meet the 
growing demand while assuring protection of natural resources. The 
existing 10.8-mile Willow Creek ATV Trail is located within this IUA. 
It is classified as ``More Difficult,'' which is recommended for 
intermediate riders. The trail was not designed for riders of various 
skill levels and does not provide a full day riding opportunity. A 
contract trail assessment completed in 2000 by Trails Unlimited of 
Arcadia, California, determined that the Marshburg/Stickney IUA had the 
capability of providing a multiple mile trail system.
    The proposed project would be a cooperative effort, made possible 
by a 2003 is being made possible through a multiple partnership grant 
agreement from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural 
Resources to McLean County and administered by the U.S. Forest Service. 
Partners are looking forward to the expected economic development that 
this project should provide to the local communities.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information about the public 
scoping meeting or the proposed project in general, please visit our 
Web site (http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/allegheny) or contact: Mr. 
Mark Conn, Forest Trails Planner/Coordinator, Allegheny National 
Forest, Warren, PA 16365, E-mail: [email protected], phone: (814) 723-
5150.

    Dated: March 31, 2004.
Kevin B. Elliott,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 04-7703 Filed 7-8-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3416-11-M