[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 5 (Friday, January 8, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1026-1027]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-109]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Lower Orogrande Project, Clearwater National Forest, Clearwater 
County, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of improvements 
on watershed, vegetation, and wildlife habitat in the Lower Orogrande 
project area on the North Fork Ranger District of the Clearwater 
National Forest. The Lower Orogrande project area is located entirely 
within the Orogrande Creek watershed, which contains the Tamarack 
Creek, Jazz Creek, and Pine Creek sub watersheds as part of the 
headwaters of the North Fork Clearwater River Subbasin.

DATES: Comments on this project must be received, in writing, within 30 
days following the publication of this notice in the Federal Register. 
A 45-day public comment period will follow the release of the draft 
environmental impact statement that is expected in October 2010. The 
final environmental impact statement is expected in May 2011.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and suggestions concerning the scope of 
this project should be sent to Douglas Gober ([email protected]), 
District Ranger, North Fork Ranger District, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, 
ID 83844.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Harbaugh ([email protected]), 
Project Leader, Lochsa Ranger District. Phone: (208) 935-4260.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Lower Orogrande project area contains 
approximately 21,560 acres of National Forest lands. The legal location 
is mostly in portions of Townships 37 and 38 North and Ranges 7 and 8 
East, Boise Meridian, Clearwater County, Idaho. The proposed actions 
would occur on National Forest lands and are all outside

[[Page 1027]]

the boundaries of any inventoried roadless area or any areas considered 
for inclusion to the National Wilderness System as recommended by the 
Clearwater National Forest Plan or by any past of present legislative 
wilderness proposals.
    Purpose and Need for Action is to: (1) Reduce stream sediment (i.e. 
reduce road densities and control erosion sources on roads to be 
retained, especially in RHCAs) and remove barriers to fish passage and 
other aquatic organisms to allow for unrestricted access to historic 
habitats; (2) restore white pine and larch (regeneration harvest), 
improve stand vigor (commercial thinning), and start the trend to 
improve species diversity and balance vegetative successional stages 
across the landscape to create stand conditions that are resilient and 
allow for rapid recovery after disturbances; and (3) promote a trend in 
the balance of successional stages toward the historical range and 
promote a trend towards increased wildlife security.
    The Proposed Action would address improvements to the area's 
watershed, vegetation, and wildlife habitat. Watershed improvements 
include: (1) Decommissioning 6 miles of system roads and 65 miles of 
non-system roads; (2) improving and/or reconstructing up to 5 miles of 
existing roads to fix erosion problems; and (3) replacing 40 undersized 
culverts.
    Up to 30 miles of existing roads would need improvement or 
reconstruction, up to 60 miles of existing roads would need 
reconditioning; all for logging access. No new road construction is 
anticipated at this time. Opportunities for precommercial thinning will 
be identified later in the process.
    Improvements to wildlife habitat would include (1) conducting 
vegetation treatments to promote better successional stage balance. 
This action would correspond directly to the proposed commercial 
thinning and regeneration harvest activities; (2) restricting road 
access (closed to all vehicles year round) on 14.5 miles of existing 
roads to improve elk security. Proposed access restrictions are a 
result of a Road and Trail Analysis being completed for this project; 
and (3) designating additional stands for management as mature and old 
growth forest habitats.
    Possible Alternatives the Forest Service will analyze include a 
``no action'' alternative in which none of the proposed activities 
would be implemented. Additional alternatives that meet the project 
purpose and need may be considered in response to issues raised by the 
public during scoping.
    The Responsible Official is the Forest Supervisor of the Clearwater 
National Forest, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, ID 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 Douglas Gober, District Ranger, North Fork Ranger 
District, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, ID 83844.
    The Scoping Process for the EIS is being intiated with this notice, 
and written comments regarding the analysis should be received within 
30 days following the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register. Additional scoping will follow the release of the DEIS, 
expected in October 2010.
    Preliminary Issues identified that could be affected by proposed 
activities include: Air quality, economic feasibility, fish habitat, 
heritage resources, old growth habitat, soil productivity, spread of 
noxious weeds, threatened/endangered/sensitive and management indicator 
species of wildlife and plants, tribal treaty rights, water quality, 
and wildlife habitat.
    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 Clearwater National 
Forest publishes a legal notice in the Lewiston Morning Tribune 
(Lewiston, Idaho), the Forest's paper of record. A notice of 
availability will also be published 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: January 4, 2010.
Rick Brazell,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2010-109 Filed 1-7-10; 8:45 am]
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