[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38132-38133]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-5971]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Norwood Project; Hell Canyon Ranger District, Black Hills 
National Forest; Custer, SD

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Hell Canyon Ranger District of the Black Hills National 
Forest intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a 
proposal to implement multiple resource management actions within the 
Norwood project area as directed by the Black Hills National Forest 
Land and Resource Management Plan. The Norwood project area is 
approximately 46,450 acres in size, with 42,250 acres of National 
Forest lands and 4,200 acres of private land. The South Dakota State 
snowmobile trail system bisects the area and the Beaver Creek cross-
country ski area is within the project area. The project proposes to 
modify stand conditions in the project area to enhance vegetative 
diversity, reduce the risk of mountain pine beetle infestation and 
large scale wildfire, provide for wildlife habitat needs and provide 
for a sustainable supply of commercial timber, while providing for 
management and public access needs.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis will be most 
useful if received within 30 days following publication of this notice. 
The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be available in 
October 2006 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
to be completed by February 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Michael D. Lloyd, District Ranger, 
Back Hills National Forest, Hell Canyon Ranger District, 330 Mount 
Rushmore Road, Custer, South Dakota 57730. Telephone number: (605) 673-
4853. Fax number: (605) 673-5461. Electronic comments must be readable 
in Word, Rich Text or pdf formats and must contain ``Norwood'' in the 
subject line. electronic comments may be e-mailed to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Honors, Project Leader, at the 
address listed above or by phone at (315) 668-3307 or (605) 673-4853.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The actions proposed are in direct response 
to management direction provided by the Black Hills National Forest 
Land and Resource Management Plan, as amended (Forest Plan). The 
Project Area is located along approximately 22 miles of the Wyoming and 
South Dakota border in Pennington County, South Dakota and Weston and 
Crook Counties in Wyoming. The southernmost point of the project area 
is approximately 7 miles directly east of Newcastle, Wyoming.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose and need for action in the Norwood project area is to 
enhance vegetative diversity, reduce the risk of mountain pine beetle 
infestation and large-scale wildfire, provide for wildlife habitat 
needs and provide a sustainable supply of commercial timber consistent 
with Forest Plan direction, while providing for management and public 
access needs. This project is focused on implementing management 
actions that move toward achieving desired conditions and objectives 
embodied in Goals 2 (provide for biologically diverse ecosystems), 3 
(provide for sustained commodity uses) and 10 (establish and maintain a 
mosaic of vegetation conditions to reduce occurrences of large-scale 
fire, insect, and disease events) of the Forest Plan.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action includes the following management actions.
     Commercial thinning on approximately 6,900 acres to 
increase tree growth and vigor, reduce the potential for mountain pine 
beetle infestation and reduce the potential for spreading crown fires.
     Creation and maintenance of within stand diversity in pine 
and mixed spruce sites through use of uneven-aged management 
prescriptions on approximately 600 acres.
     Restoration and maintenance of hardwood and meadow 
habitats by removing conifers from approximately 1,800 acres of these 
habitats.
     Regeneration of mature pine stands on approximately 1,700 
acres and releasing approximately 2,000 acres of regenerated pine 
stands through overstory removal prescription.
     Removal of live pine trees which have mountain pine beetle 
larva in them, on approximately 270 acres, as a suppression method for 
mountain pine beetle infestation.
     Fuels treatments designed to reduce fuel loadings, would 
occur on approximately 5,500 acres with broadcast burning being 
proposed on approximately 2,300 of these acres.
     Reducing the density of the managed road system from 4.0 
miles per square mile to 3.2 miles per square mile. This is to be 
accomplished by obliterating unneeded roads and by converting needed 
undetermined roads to system roads.

Responsible Official

    Michael D. Lloyd, Hell Canyon District Ranger, Black Hills National 
Forest, 330 Mount Rushmore Road, Custer, SD, 57730.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

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

Scoping Process

    The Hell Canyon Ranger District has mailed letters with 
comprehensive scoping documents to adjacent landowners, local and 
tribal government representatives, permittees, organizations and other 
interested or potentially affected parties. The scoping document with 
attached maps is also posted on the Black Hills National Forest 
worldwide Web site, http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/blackhills/. Comments 
submitted in response to this NOI, will be most useful if received 
within 30 days from the date of this notice.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent is part of the scoping process which will 
guide the development of the EIS. Comments received will assist the 
planning team to identify key issues and opportunities used to refine 
the proposal or possible alternatives and mitigation measures. Comments 
on the DEIS will be requested during the 45 day comment period 
following publication of the Notice of Availability in the Federal 
Register, expected in October, 2006.

[[Page 38133]]

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 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.
    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: June 26, 2006.
Brad Exton,
Deputy Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest.
[FR Doc. 06-5971 Filed 7-3-06; 8:45 am]
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