[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55331-55332]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-18792]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 182 / Wednesday, September 21, 2005 / 
Notices  

[[Page 55331]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project, Darby Ranger 
District, Bitterroot National Forest in Ravalli County, MT

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, Bitterroot National Forest, will 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document the 
analysis and disclose the environmental impacts of the proposed Trapper 
Land Stewardship Project. The project area is located in Ravalli 
County, west of Darby, Montana. The project analysis area encompasses 
approximately 34,300 acres between the Trapper Creek and Bunkhouse 
Creek drainages of the Bitterroot River watershed. The proposed project 
would manage vegetation to address urban interface needs, insect and 
disease infestations, dead and dying vegetation; travel systems will 
also be evaluated to reduce sedimentation, restore aquatic passage and 
provide managed recreation opportunities including ATV and motorcycle 
travel loops. Site-specific Bitterroot Forest Plan amendments are 
proposed for: snag standards, Forest Wide Elk Habitat Effectiveness 
(EHE) standards, and-Forest-wide thermal cover standards. Approximately 
6000 acres between Trapper and Bunkhouse drainages of the Bitterroot 
River watershed are proposed for vegetation treatments. We will also be 
working with scientists from the Rocky Mountain Research Station and 
the Leopold Wilderness Institute to provide opportunities to evaluate 
our ability to influence fire spread with vegetation management and the 
effects of our management on the ecosystem.
    Public Involvement: The public is invited to comment on the 
Proposed Action or meet with Chuck Oliver at any point in time during 
the 30-day comment period beginning on the date of the publication of 
the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register. Contact Chuck Oliver at 
(406) 821-3913 or e-mail [email protected] to schedule a meeting. To 
get on the mailing list contact Elizabeth Ballard (406) 777-5461, or 
email [email protected].

DATES: Initial comments concerning the proposed action and the scope of 
analysis should be received in writing, no later than 30 days from the 
publication of this notice of intent.

ADDRESSES: Submit written, oral, or e-mail comments by: (1) Mail--
Trapper Bunkhouse BEMRP Project; Chuck Oliver, District Ranger; Darby 
Ranger Station; 712 N. Main; Darby, Montana 59829 (2) phone--(406) 821-
3913; (3) [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Ballard, Acting North Zone 
Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Stevensville Ranger District, Bitterroot 
National Forest, 88 Main St. Stevensville, MT, 59870, phone (406) 777-
5461, or e-mail [email protected].
    Responsible Official: David T. Bull, Forest Supervisor, Bitterroot 
National Forest, Hamilton, MT 59807.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Trapper Bunkhouse Project is proposed to respond to the goals 
and objectives of the Bitterroot Community Wildfire Protection Plan and 
the Bitterroot National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.
    The purpose and need objectives of the proposed Trapper Bunkhouse 
project are to Reduce the probability for uncharacteristically large, 
high-intensity wildlife fires within historic low intensity, frequently 
fire regime areas on the landscape and especially in the urban 
interface.
    Provide economic value to the community and provide funding 
opportunities for other projects related to watershed, soil restoration 
and fuel reduction by capturing economic value of beetle killed and 
infested trees as well as green tree thinning.
    Provide motorized recreation opportunities (firewood, ATV's and 
motorcycle, driving) while protecting resources such as soils, 
sensitive species, and water resources. Improve watershed and aquatic 
conditions.
    In addition, this project provide an opportunity to conduct 
research to evaluate our ability to influence fire spread with 
vegetation management and the effects of our management on the 
ecosystem.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is designed to reduce potential impacts and to 
accomplish the project objectives. The types of vegetation management 
treatments that may be implemented on the landscape to meet the 
objectives include, but are not limited to: Salvage of dead and dying 
trees; green tree removals such as commercial and non-commercial 
thinning (including removal of insect and disease infested trees); 
slashing, hand piling, prescribed burning, herbicide application for 
noxious weeds, and sporax application of Ponderosa Pine stumps to 
prevent spread of annosus root diseases. The total proposed vegetation 
treatment acres is approximately 6000.
    Approximately 250 acres of proposed research treatment are planned 
to be included within these treatment areas. Research treatment options 
include: Mechanical or hand thin ladder fuel trees and large competing 
trees to different levels, or prescribed burn only. Thinning treatments 
include the following associated treatments: (a) Fuel reduction by 
mechanical removal, pile and burn, or prescribed burn; (b) skid trails 
treated with mulch or slash mats or left untreated; (c) treating pile 
burn microsite with mulch and/or unburned soil or left untreated.
    The types of access management treatments that may be implemented 
on the landscape to meet the objectives include, but are not limited 
to: Road reconstruction for timber harvest purposes, closing or 
obliterating un-needed roads or routes, construction of trails, 
changing access through restrictions or road closures, culvert 
replacement or removal, and development of parking areas. Approximately 
1-2 miles of new trail construction may be necessary to connect 
existing routes to one another. Approximately 2-3 miles of new trail 
construction may be necessary on existing road prisms. Approximately 2-
3 miles of unauthorized routes would be rehabilitated and closed. 
Approximately 4-33 road crossings would be modified.

[[Page 55332]]

Parking areas in 2 to 3 areas would be established or modified.

Possible Alternatives

    Preliminary alternatives which have been identified include the 
proposed action and the no action alternatives.

Responsible Official

    David T. Bull, Forest Supervisor, Bitterroot National Forest, 1801 
N. First, Hamilton, MT 59840.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official will determine whether or not to proceed 
with the proposed project activities.

Scoping Process

    Comments will be accepted during the 30-day scoping period as 
described in this notice of intent. To assist in commenting, a scoping 
letter providing more detailed information on the project proposal has 
been prepared and is available to interested parties. Contact Chuck 
Oliver, Darby District Ranger at the address listed in this notice of 
intent if you would like to receive a copy. An open house in Darby, 
Montana is planned on October 12, 2005 in Darby, Montana. This will be 
an opportunity for you to interact with team members to clarify the 
proposed project.

Preliminary Issues

    Impacts to the viewshed from the town of Darby.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement.

Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review

    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 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.
    Additional public comment will be accepted after publication of the 
DEIS anticipated early in 2006. The Environmental Protection Agency 
will publish the Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement in the Federal Register. The Forest will also publish 
a legal notice of availability in the Ravalli Republic, Hamilton, 
Montana. The comment period on the Draft EIS will begin the day after 
the legal notice is published. The Final EIS and Decision are expected 
late in 2006.

    Dated: September 15, 2005.
David T. Bull,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 05-18792 Filed 9-20-05; 8:45 am]
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