[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 212 (Thursday, November 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64509-64511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9016]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Clearwater National Forest; ID; Selway Bitterroot Wilderness 
Invasive Plants Management Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The project proposes to contain and control the spread of non-
native invasive plant species within the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness 
and non-Wilderness lands forming the margins of the Wilderness. 
Chemical and biological treatments are proposed along with other site-
specific methods such as hand pulling and grubbing. All treatments 
would be ground-based.

DATES: Comments concerning this analysis must be received by December 
1, 2006. The draft environmental impact statement is expected in 
October, 2007 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
April, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning this notice or a request to be 
placed on the project mailing list should

[[Page 64510]]

be addressed to: Chad Benson ([email protected]), district Ranger, 
Powell Ranger Station, Lolo, MT 59847. Electronic comments may be 
submitted to: [email protected]. If you choose to 
comment by e-mail, please include your name and regular mailing address 
with your comment. The subject line must contain the name of the 
project for which you are submitting comments (i.e. SBW invasive Plants 
Project). Acceptable formats are MS Word, WordPerfect, or RTF.
    All comments, including names and address when provided, are placed 
in the record and are available for public inspection and copying. The 
public may inspect comments received at the Powell Ranger District 
Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chad Benson, District Ranger, Powell 
Ranger District. Phone: (208) 942-0307. Additional information is also 
available on the Forest Web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/Projects.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Project Area

    The project area consists of the entire Selway Bitterroot 
Wilderness (1,348,000 acres) as well as key areas adjacent to the 
wilderness on the Nez Perce, Clearwater, Bitterroot, and Lolo National 
Forests in western Montana and north central Idaho. Non-wilderness 
areas involve portions of the road and trail network leading into or 
passing through the wilderness and other specifically identified 
priority area. The project area is approximately 1,398,000 acres in 
size.

Purpose and Need for Action

    Non-native invasive plants are a growing problem in the Selway 
Bitterroot Wilderness and surrounding areas. Without efforts to control 
these weeds, they will continue to expand into new areas and the number 
of new weed species will increase. The purpose of this project is to 
prevent the establishment of new invaders and reduce the impacts of 
established invasive plants on native plant community stability, 
sustainability and diversity within the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness.
    Inside the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness, approximately 111,000 
acres are currently occupied to some degree by spotted knapweek sulfur 
cinquefoil, St. Johnswort (goatweed) and oxeye daisy. Spotted knapweek 
accounts for approximately 90 percent of the occupied acres. Newer 
invaders such as Dalmatian toadflax, musk thistle, and meadow hawkweed 
occupy very small acreages at the present time. Outside the Wilderness 
but within the project area, approximately 5,000 acres are occupied by 
invasive species with the potential to expand into new areas of the 
Wilderness.

Proposed Action

    The National Forests of the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness propose to 
apply integrated and adaptive approaches to reduce the effects of non-
native invasive plant species on natural plant communities and 
ecosystems within the project area. Approximately 500 to 1500 acres a 
year are proposed for physical treatments including: chemical 
treatments, hand pulling, and revegetation with native plants. 
Biological control organisms would be applied to approximately 10,000 
additional acres within the project area. Aerial spray application is 
not proposed. Grazing of domestic animals to reduce weeds within the 
Wilderness is not proposed. All treatments and applications would be 
ground-based. The emphasis of the treatments would be to eradicate new 
invaders as they are discovered and to contain the spread of 
established non-native plants.

Possible Alternatives

    The Forest Service will consider alternatives to the proposed 
action including a ``no action'' alternative in which none of the 
proposed activities would be implemented. Additional alternatives being 
considered examine varying levels and locations for the proposed 
activities to achieve the proposal's purpose and need, as well as 
respond to issues and other resource concerns.

Responsible Official

    The Responsible Official is the Forest Supervisor of the Clearwater 
National Forest, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, Idaho 83544. The 
Responsible Official will decide if the proposed project will be 
implemented and will document the decision and reasons for the decision 
in a Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest 
Service Appeal Regulations. The responsibility for preparing the DEIS 
and FEIS has been delegated to the District Ranger, Powell Ranger 
Station, Lolo, MT 59847.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The decision would specify methods and materials to be used or 
applied to contain and control unwanted plant species within the 
project area. The decision would specify the areas to be treated as 
well as the terms and conditions under which treatment methods and 
materials would be applied. Administrative actions to monitor effects 
and effectiveness as well as promote prevention through public 
awareness and education would also be specified. The anticipated life 
of the decision would be 10 to 15 years.

Scoping Process

    Each of the National Forests managing a portion of the Selway 
Bitterroot Wilderness maintains a listing of individuals and 
organizations that have expressed an interest in being informed of and 
providing input to projects including these types of activities or in 
this specific location. All of these contacts will be sent the initial 
scoping document. A legal notice describing the scoping process will be 
published in the paper of record for each of the National Forests.

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: 
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 ruling 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.

[[Page 64511]]

    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: October 26, 2006.
Thomas K. Reilly,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 06-9016 Filed 11-1-06; 8:45 am]
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