[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 178 (Friday, September 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52540-52542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-4552]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Intermountain Region, Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National 
Forests; Amendment to the 2003 Land and Resource Management Plans

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of proposed 
nonsignificant amendments to the three Southwest Idaho Ecogroup (SWIE) 
2003 Land and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans). Amendments to 
the 2003 Forest Plans for the Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National 
Forests will add, and/or modify existing, management direction, as 
needed, to implement a comprehensive, Forest Plan-level, wildlife 
conservation strategy (WCS). This WCS will identify both short- and 
long-term management strategies and priorities for maintaining and 
restoring habitats associated with terrestrial wildlife species. The 
proposed nonsignificant amendments will provide management direction 
and guidance that focuses on those habitats, and their associated 
species, identified in the WCS as being of greatest conservation 
concern during the current planning period (i.e., next 10-15 years).

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
within 30 days following the date of publication of this NOI. The Draft 
EIS is expected to be available in mid- to late-winter 2008 for a 90-
day comment period. The single Final EIS and three RODs, one for each 
Forest Plan, are expected to be completed by late summer 2008.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Randall Hayman, Forest Planner, 
Boise National Forest; 1249 South Vinnell Way, Suite 200; Boise, Idaho 
83709; or by fax at 208-373-4111; or you may hand-deliver your comments 
to the Boise Forest Supervisor's Office, located at 1249 South Vinnell 
Way, Suite 200, Boise, during normal business hours from 7:30 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. 
Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an e-mail 
message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc) to: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randall Hayman, Forest Planner, Boise 
National Forest at the address above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Separate RODs for revised Forest Plans were 
issued in July 2003 for each of the SWIE National Forests (Boise, 
Payette, and Sawtooth). The RODs implemented Alternative 7, as 
identified in the single FINAL EIS that disclosed the environmental 
effects of the seven alternative Forest Plan strategies considered for 
these three National Forests. Implementation of the three revised 
Forest Plans began in September 2003.
    Analyses supporting Forest Plan Revision identified wildlife 
habitats that had declined from historical conditions and associated 
these habitats with species of conservation concern (2003 Final EIS, 
pp. 3-255 to 3-289). Based on an update to the 2003 multi-scale 
analysis initiated in 2005, the Forest Supervisors for the three 
Forests are in

[[Page 52541]]

the process of identifying priorities for maintaining and restoring 
habitats during the current 10-15 year planning period, as part of the 
comprehensive WCS. The WCS will also identify priorities for longer-
term maintenance and restoration for other habitats that have 
experienced varying levels of decline.
    The analysis supporting the revised Forest Plans, and subsequent 
updates to this multi-scale analysis, were developed using the 
principles and scientific methods generated during the Interior 
Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (Boise Forest Plan, p. II-
41; Payette Forest Plan, p. II-41; Sawtooth Forest Plan, p. II-38). The 
updated analysis also incorporates new information generated after the 
Forest Plans were revised in July 2003, including best available 
science as of this date. New information includes mid-scale assessments 
such as the 2005 Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies for the 
States of Idaho and Utah, respectively, and the 2006 Conservation Plan 
for the Greater Sage Grouse in Idaho.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The SWIE revised Forest Plans identified the need to include 
management direction to focus restoration activities in habitats for 
species of concern (Boise and Payette Forest Plans, p. II-10 and, 
Sawtooth Forest Plan, p. II-9). However, while the 2003 Forest Plans 
include general direction that addresses this need, they do not include 
specific direction that spatially prioritizes one habitat area over 
another at scales smaller than Forest Plan management areas. 
Recognizing the importance of completing this task, the Responsible 
Official included, in each of the 2003 Plans, Forest Plan wildlife 
objective (WIOB03), which calls for prioritizing wildlife habitat to be 
restored at a mid- or Forest-scale using information from sources such 
as species habitat models and fine scale analyses.
    Therefore, the purpose of this action is twofold: (1) To amend 
management direction and/or other components of the SWIE Forest Plans 
to reflect findings and priorities identified in the WCS as needed to 
guide Forest Plan implementation for the remainder of this planning 
period; and (2) to update the wildlife assessments pertaining to 36 CFR 
219.19 (1982) as needed to reflect findings in updated analyses, as 
well as outcomes anticipated from implementing the amended Forest 
Plans.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is to implement nonsignificant Forest Plan 
amendments that will include new or modified management direction and/
or other components of the three Forest Plans, as needed, to reflect 
findings and priorities identified in the WCS to guide Forest Plan 
implementation for the remainder of this planning period.

Responsible Officials

    The Responsible Officials are the three Forest Supervisors for the 
Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests:
    Richard A. Smith, Forest Supervisor for the Boise National Forest, 
USDA--Forest Service; 1249 South Vinnell Way, Suite 200, Boise, Idaho 
83709.
    Suzanne C. Rainville, Forest Supervisor for the Payette National 
Forest, USDA--Forest Service; 800 West Lakeside Avenue, McCall, Idaho 
83638.
    Jane P. Kollmeyer, Forest Supervisor for the Sawtooth National 
Forest, USDA--Forest Service; 2647 Kimberly Road East, Twin Falls, 
Idaho 83301.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Officials will review the Final EIS and determine 
if the 2003 Plan for his/her respective Forest should be amended and/or 
modified, or if the current Forest Plan should remain unchanged.

Scoping Process

    Written comments must be received within 30 days from the day 
following publication of this NOI in the Federal Register. Providing 
comments within this time period ensures that they will be available to 
the Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them 
during preparation of the specific proposed amendments and Draft EIS.
    Additional opportunities for public participation will be provided 
following completion of specific proposed amendments, prior to release 
of the Draft EIS. Information and status updates of this amendment 
process, including specific proposed amendments, will begin to be 
posted on the Web site, http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/boise/, by early winter 
2007.

Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review

    A legal notice will be published in the newspaper of record for 
each National Forest and a Notice of Availability (NOA) will be 
published in the Federal Register to inform the public when the Draft 
EIS is available for review and comment. The Draft EIS will be 
distributed to all parties who respond during the scoping process, or 
who otherwise notify the agency at some point following publication of 
this NOI of their interest to continue to receive information 
pertaining to this proposal.
    The comment period on the Draft EIS will end 90 days from the date 
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the NOA 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 EISs 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 EIS 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 90-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 EIS 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 EIS 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)


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    Dated: September 7, 2007.
Richard A. Smith,
Forest Supervisor, Boise National Forest.
[FR Doc. 07-4552 Filed 9-13-07; 8:45 am]
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