[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 134 (Thursday, July 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40722-40723]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13880]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID-420-2824-DD-FM04]


Notice of Intent: To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Eastside Township Fuels and Vegetation Project

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Cottonwood 
Field Office, will be directing the preparation of an EIS for the 
Eastside Township Fuels and Vegetation Project and initiate the formal 
public scoping process. The scoping comment period will commence with 
the publication of this notice and will end 30 days after its 
publication. Comments on the scope of

[[Page 40723]]

the EIS, including concerns, issues, or proposed alternatives that 
should be considered should be submitted in writing to the address 
below, and will be accepted throughout the scoping period. All scoping 
meetings will be announced 15 days in advance through the local news 
media, and newsletters.

DATES: The Draft EIS is expected to be distributed for public review 
and comment in the summer of 2005, and it's anticipated that the Final 
EIS should be completed four to six months later.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the BLM, Cottonwood Field 
Office, Route 3, Box 181, Cottonwood, Idaho 83522, (fax (208) 962-
3275), or e-mail [email protected]. Comments submitted, including 
names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public 
review at the Cottonwood Field Office during regular business hours 
from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. 
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to 
withhold your name and address from public review or disclosure under 
the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the 
beginning of your comments. 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 organizations or businesses, will be made available for public 
inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or to have 
your name added to the mailing list, contact Robbin Boyce at the 
Cottonwood Field Office (see address above), telephone (208) 962-3594 
or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Initial scoping for this project began 
February 6, 2004, when a scoping letter that included a description of 
the proposed action and purpose and need for the project, was mailed to 
interested parties. Based upon the comments from the public, agencies, 
coalitions and Native Americans, and further field review, it was 
determined that further analysis and an EIS was warranted.
    The proposed action implements key components of the National Fire 
Plan as addressed in the 10-year Comprehensive Strategy by reducing 
hazardous fuels conditions, reducing the risk of high intensity 
wildland fire to life, property and natural resources in the Elk City 
wildland--urban interface, and maintaining low intensity fire 
conditions where they exist. The proposed project implements 
recommendations from the Idaho County Wildland Fire and Mitigation Plan 
(2003) prepared by the Clearwater Resource Conservation and Development 
Council. The proposed action would support an upward trend in 
watershed/aquatic conditions as required by the Chief Joseph Management 
Framework Plan, and would entail changing the forest density and 
species composition to maintain and increase forest stand resilience to 
high intensity fire, insects, and disease. This would be achieved by 
applying various silvicultural prescriptions including salvage, patch 
clearcutting, seedtree/shelterwood, pre-commercial and commercial 
thinning, biomass utilization, grapple piling of slash, and prescribed 
burns. Timber harvest and prescribed burning prescriptions would be 
conducted on an estimated 1,300 acres. Road closure, decommissioning, 
and conversion of roads to trails, riparian treatments (plantings and 
stabilization), and in-stream habitat modification would be used to 
improve fish habitat and aquatic conditions.
    Issues previously identified during public scoping for this project 
as well as comments received as a result of this Notice, will be used 
to prepare the EIS. Issues previously identified during public scoping 
for this project include the following:
     Declining forest health due to mortality from insects and 
disease;
     High potential for stand replacing fire; including the 
risk to public safety and potential property loss due to the location 
of residences within the forested areas;
     Desired future conditions for the seral stages of forest 
stands and the need and ability to control weeds;
     Access issues including the need to cross Forest Service 
and private lands;
     Road construction, erosion, and water quality;
     Fisheries (resident, anadromous, and listed species) 
habitat;
     Wildlife habitat; including big game hiding, security, 
thermal cover and travel corridors/connectivity;
     Cultural, heritage and visual resources; and
     Impacts of past and likely future activities in the Elk 
City area.
    More detailed information about this project, including maps, is 
available at the Cottonwood Field Office, Route 3, Box 181, Cottonwood, 
Idaho 83522. If you previously submitted comments, they will be 
considered and you will be retained on the mailing list.

    Dated: May 26, 2005.
K. Lynn Bennett,
State Director, Idaho.
[FR Doc. 05-13880 Filed 7-13-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-66-P