[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 63 (Friday, April 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16731-16732]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7486]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Young Dodge SEIS; Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, MT

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare a Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Young Dodge project. The Young Dodge 
project includes urban interface fuels treatments, vegetation 
management, watershed rehabilitation activities, wildlife habitat 
improvement, and access management changes, including road 
decommissioning. The project is located in the Young Dodge planning 
subunit on the Rexford Ranger District, Kootenai National Forest, 
Lincoln County, Montana, and seven miles northwest of Eureka, Montana. 
The Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS for this project was 
published in the Federal Register (70 FR 14315) on February 22, 2008, 
and the notice of the Final EIS (70 FR 38131) on May 1, 2008. The 
Record of Decision on this project was administratively appealed to the 
Regional Forester per 36 CFR part 215. The Regional Forester reversed 
the decision on July 24, 2008, citing insufficient evidence or 
rationale to explain why an analysis of potential effects on the 
goshawk was not warranted. A Supplemental EIS is being prepared to 
further address potential effects of the Young Dodge project on 
wildlife species.

ADDRESSES: The line officer responsible for this analysis is: Glen M. 
McNitt, District Ranger, Eureka Ranger Station, Rexford Ranger 
District, 949 Highway 93 North, Eureka, MT 59917.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat Price, Team Leader, Rexford Ranger 
District, at (406) 296-2536.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Young Dodge project area is 
approximately seven miles northwest of Eureka, Montana, within all or 
portions of T37N R28W and part of T37N R29W, PMM, Lincoln County, 
Montana. The purpose and need for the project is to: (1) Reduce fuel 
accumulations, both inside and outside the Wildland-Urban Interface, to 
decrease the likelihood that fires would become stand-replacing 
wildfires; (2) Restore historical vegetation species and stand 
structure; and (3) Restore historical patch sizes. Other considerations 
are: (4) Identify the minimum transportation system necessary to 
provide safe, reasonable, and efficient access for Forest Service 
administrative activities and fire suppression, recreation use and 
public access, and private land owners and utility companies; (5) 
Manage the transportation system to reduce effects to threatened, 
endangered, sensitive, and management indicator species habitat and 
security; streams, riparian areas, and wetlands; big game winter range; 
and old growth habitat, and to minimize road maintenance costs; (6) 
Evaluate recreation facilities and opportunities to meet growing and 
anticipated demand; and (7) Evaluate existing and proposed Special Use 
Permits.
    The Young Dodge Record of Decision (ROD) was released at the same 
time as the Final EIS and the legal notice of decision was published in 
the newspaper of record on May 1, 2008. The ROD selected Alternative 1 
and authorized the following: (1) Removal of commercial timber products 
from 29 units totaling approximately 3,069 acres in order to reduce 
fuel accumulations, both within and outside of the wildland-urban 
interface, to decrease the likelihood that wildfires would become large 
stand-replacing wildfires, and to restore historical vegetation 
patterns, stand structure, and patch sizes on the landscape. Another 
1,053 acres may have commercial products removed in units identified in 
the ``Prescribed Burn with Mechanical Pre-Treatment'' category; (2) 
Salvage of up to 200 acres of incidental mortality resulting from 
prescribed fire, if necessary. This salvage would be expected to take 
place in or adjacent to treatment units authorized under this decision; 
(3) Use of site-specific silvicultural prescriptions, logging systems, 
fuel treatments, riparian habitat conservation areas, and reforestation 
practices; (4) Underburning without harvest in 19 units totaling 
approximately 4,000 acres in order to achieve fuel reduction 
objectives; (5) Road maintenance activities on portions of 100 miles of 
roads in order to reduce impacts to soil and water resources; 
decommissioning of approximately 12 miles of roads to provide 
beneficial effects to the watersheds; placing approximately 27 miles of 
roads in intermittent stored service status to restore natural drainage 
patterns and reduce maintenance costs; reconstruct approximately 0.4 
miles of existing roads; and adding about 9 miles of ``unauthorized'' 
roads to the National Forest Road System; (6) Construction of a boat 
ramp, parking area, and restroom to provide access on the west shore of 
Koocanusa Reservoir; (7) Rerouting and reconstructing approximately one 
and a half miles of non-motorized hiking trail and construct a small 
parking area; (8) Renovation of the Robinson Mountain Lookout to 
include it in the cabin rental program; (9) A project-specific Forest 
Plan amendment to Management Area (MA) 12 Wildlife and Fish standard 
7 to allow regeneration harvest in big game movement corridors 
adjacent to previous harvest openings and openings greater than 40 
acres; (10) A project-specific Forest Plan amendment to MA 12 Timber 
Standard 2 to allow harvest adjacent to units that do not 
provide suitable hiding cover; and (11) A project-specific Forest Plan 
amendment to MA 12 Facilities Standard 3 to allow open road 
density to exceed 0.75 mi/mi\2\ during project implementation and post-
project.
    The SEIS is intended to provide additional documentation of the 
effects of the Young Dodge project on goshawk to the public.
    A Draft SEIS is expected to be available for public review and 
comment in April 2010; and a Final SEIS in June 2010. The comment 
period for the Draft SEIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA 
publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such a way that they are useful to the Agency's preparation of 
the EIS. 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

[[Page 16732]]

reviewer's ability to participate in subsequent administrative review 
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.
    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.

Responsible Official

    The Forest Supervisor of the Kootenai National Forest, 31374 U.S. 
Highway 2, Libby, MT 59923, is the Responsible Official for this 
project. The Record of Decision will identify the land management 
activities to be implemented in the project area including urban 
interface fuels treatments, vegetation management, watershed 
rehabilitation activities, wildlife habitat improvement, access 
management changes, including road decommissioning, monitoring, and 
whether or not a Forest Plan amendment is necessary. The Forest 
Supervisor will make a decision on this project after considering 
comments and responses, environmental consequences discussed in the 
Final SEIS, and applicable laws, regulations and policies. The decision 
and supporting reasons will be documented in a Record of Decision.

    Dated: March 24, 2010.
Paul Bradford,
Forest Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2010-7486 Filed 4-1-10; 8:45 am]
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