[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 164 (Wednesday, August 26, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43094-43095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-20341]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 164 / Wednesday, August 26, 2009 / 
Notices  

[[Page 43094]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Superior National Forest, Gunflint Ranger District, Minnesota; 
South Fowl Lake Snowmobile Access Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this project is to develop a safe, legal 
snowmobile access from the McFarland Lake area to South Fowl Lake on 
the Gunflint Ranger District, Superior National Forest. This project 
was previously scoped and analyzed in an Environmental Assessment (EA) 
in 2005. A Decision Notice on the project was issued in February 2006. 
The decision was litigated and the Minnesota District Court required 
that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be prepared to ``evaluate 
more thoroughly the sound impact in the BWCAW''. This Notice of Intent 
begins the process for completing the required EIS and fulfilling the 
court order. Your comments on scoping this EIS will be most useful if 
they contain new information or issues on the scope of this project 
that were not submitted in previous comments on this project.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by September 24, 2009. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is 
expected January 2010, and the Final Environmental Impact Statement is 
expected April 2010.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Dennis Neitzke, Gunflint District 
Ranger, RE: South Fowl Lake Snowmobile Access Project EIS, at 2020 W. 
Highway 61, Grand Marais, MN 55604. Comments may also be sent via e-
mail to comments-eastern [email protected], or via facsimile 
to (218) 387-3246.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Taylor, Forest Environmental 
Coordinator, at (218) 626-4368 or [email protected]. Go to http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/projects/sf.php for the previously 
prepared EA and Decision Notice for this project.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of this project is to develop a safe, legal snowmobile 
access from the McFarland Lake area to South Fowl Lake on the Gunflint 
Ranger District, Superior National Forest. This access would fill the 
public's desire of access without threatening private land or damaging 
the wilderness resources. The Forest Service is undertaking this 
project because the Tilbury Trail is not legal, is closed, and a safe 
route does not exist. A route designated by the Forest Service, in 
cooperation with the Minnesota DNR and Cook County, will restrict use 
to a safer route, better able to handle the existing use.
    This project was previously scoped and analyzed in an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) in 2005. A Decision Notice on the project was issued 
February 2006. The decision was litigated and the Minnesota District 
Court required that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be prepared 
to ``evaluate more thoroughly the sound impact in the BWCAW'' (Civil 
No. 06-3357 JRT/RLE page 28). This Notice of Intent begins the process 
for completing the required EIS and fulfilling the court order. A more 
complete history of this project is available through the EA and 
Decision Notice at http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/projects/sf.php.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is described as Alternative 2 in the previously 
completed Environmental Assessment for this project. The snowmobile 
trail begins at McFarland Lake and travels to the east. The public 
parking area for the John Lake would be used to service this trail. It 
crosses the Arrowhead Trail, the Border Route hiking trail, and the 
former Tilbury trail before moving southeast, ascending to a bench on 
the ridge above the Royal River. The route follows the ridge in an 
east-southeast direction about 1.3 miles, then down-slope northeast to 
level ground and directly east to South Fowl Lake. The total length 
would be approximately 2.22 miles (2.8 acres opened), with 1.62 miles 
on Federal land and .6 miles on State land. The entire length would be 
new construction, completely outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
Wilderness. One thousand feet of the route where it ascends the west 
side of the ridge would be the standard 16-foot clearing, but the 
remainder would be a maximum of 10 feet (8-foot tread) to minimize 
resource impacts. The John Lake public parking area is satisfactory as 
a snowmobile trailhead and would be graded and resurfaced with crushed 
gravel.

Possible Alternatives

    Several Alternatives were identified by scoping for the previously 
completed EA. These will be brought forward into the EIS. These include 
the proposed action alternative, a no action alternative, a south 
route, and a shortened route. Detailed descriptions and maps of these 
alternatives may be found in the EA (available at http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/projects/sf.php).

Responsible Official

    Gunflint District Ranger.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The decision to be made is whether to or not to develop a safe, 
legal snowmobile access from the McFarland Lake area to South Fowl Lake 
on the Gunflint Ranger District, Superior National Forest. The decision 
will include:
    1. What actions would be used to address the purpose and need;
    2. Where and when those actions would take place;
    3. What mitigation measures and monitoring requirements would be 
required.

Preliminary Issues

    Issues identified in the previously completed EA include 
Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Species; Soil Resources; Off-
Highway Vehicles; Forest Vegetation; Wilderness Values; Human Use 
Patterns and Safety; Land Ownership and Economics. These issues will be 
carried forward for analysis in the Environmental Impact Statement. The 
Wilderness Values section will include further disclosure of effects of 
noise to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

[[Page 43095]]

Scoping Process

    This project was previously scoped for the preparation of the 2005 
EA. The issues identified in scoping for the EA will be brought forward 
for effects disclosure in the EIS. In addition, response to comments 
submitted on the EA may be found at Appendix D to the Decision Notice 
(available at http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/projects/sf.php). Your comments on scoping this EJS will be most useful if they 
contain new information or issues on the scope of this project that 
were not submitted in previous comments on this project.
    The scoping process will include: (1) Identification of potential 
issues; (2) identification of issues to be analyzed in depth; and (3) 
elimination of insignificant issues, or those which have been covered 
by a previous environmental review. Based on the results of scoping and 
the resource capabilities within the project area, alternatives, 
including a no-action alternative, will be developed for the draft 
environmental impact statement.
    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. It is 
important that reviewers provide their comments on the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement at such times and in such manner that 
they are useful to the agency's preparation of the Environmental Impact 
Statement. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of 
the comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's 
concerns and contentions. The submission of timely and specific 
comments can affect a reviewer's ability to participate in subsequent 
administrative appeal or judicial review.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record 
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide 
the respondent with standing to participate in subsequent 
administrative review or judicial review.

    Dated: August 17, 2009.
James W. Sanders,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E9-20341 Filed 8-25-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M