[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 130 (Friday, July 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39987-39988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16300]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National 
Grassland; Boulder and Gilpin County, CO; Eldora Mountain Resort Ski 
Area Projects

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National 
Grassland is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to 
consider and disclose the anticipated environmental effects of 
implementing select projects from the 2011 Master Plan for Eldora 
Mountain Resort (Eldora). Through the identification of opportunities 
and constraints at the ski area, the proposed projects are designed to 
allow Eldora to meet guest expectations for a safe, quality, 
recreational experience by providing appropriate lifts, terrain, and 
guest services at the resort.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by August 6, 2012. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
to be available for public review in June 2013 and the final 
environmental impact statement is expected in April 2014.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Eldora EIS Projects; Eldora EIS 
NEPA Contractor; P.O. Box 2729; Frisco, CO 80443. Comments may also be 
sent via email to: [email protected], or by facsimile to (970) 668-
5798. Include ``Eldora EIS Projects'' in the subject line. Comments may 
also be submitted online at www.EldoraEIS.com. The scoping notice and 
map can be reviewed/downloaded at www.EldoraEIS.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information related to the 
proposed project can be obtained from the project Web site, 
www.EldoraEIS.com, by contacting the Eldora EIS NEPA Contractor, Travis 
Beck, at (970) 668-3398 ext. 103, or by emailing: [email protected]. 
Further information will also be made available at two public open 
houses: one on July 18, 2012, from 5-8 p.m. at the Boulder Ranger 
District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee 
National Grassland, located at 2140 Yarmouth Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301; 
and one on July 19, 2012, from 5-8 p.m. at the Nederland Community 
Center, located at 750 Highway 72 North, Nederland, CO 80466.
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Purpose and Need for Action: The Forest Service is preparing an EIS 
to respond to Eldora's request to implement projects from their 
accepted Master Plan. In the Master Plan, Eldora identified 
deficiencies in several areas that detract from the guest experience 
and skier safety at the resort. In order to meet the needs and 
expectations of existing and potential guests and provide a safe skiing 
experience, the Forest Service has identified a purpose and need to: 
(1) Improve the reliability of lift and terrain offerings; (2) address 
skier safety concerns during prevalent wind events; (3) provide 
additional Intermediate to Expert ability level terrain and a new, more 
natural terrain experience; (4) provide new and upgraded lift 
infrastructure to improve the quality of the alpine ski experience; and 
(5) expand and improve on-mountain guest services.
    Proposed Action: The project area includes approximately 615 acres 
of National Forest System (NFS) lands and 435 acres of private lands. 
The Forest Service only maintains jurisdiction over the NFS lands; 
however, to fulfill its obligations under the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) the Forest Service will analyze the entire project 
area for direct, indirect and cumulative effects. The proposed projects 
would add approximately 105 acres of traditional terrain and include 
approximately 80 acres of gladed terrain projects. Much of the 
traditional terrain construction will require tree removal for the area 
of the trails, approximating 105 acres of removal, although a more 
accurate quantity of tree removal will be disclosed in the EIS as all 
proposed trails may not necessitate complete tree removal. Each project 
component is discussed below. Additional detail can be viewed at 
www.EldoraEIS.com.
    1. Placer Express Lift and Trails--Install a new six-person 
chairlift and create approximately 30 acres of traditional terrain and 
approximately 30 acres of gladed terrain projects. A Forest Plan 
amendment would be required to adjust the Special Use Permit (SUP) 
boundary to include approximately 70

[[Page 39988]]

acres in the northwestern portion of the Placer Pod. To facilitate 
construction, on-going maintenance and emergency access, a bridge 
crossing Middle Boulder Creek and two road segments would be 
constructed to connect Hessie Road (north of Middle Boulder Creek) to 
the proposed Placer Express bottom terminal site. The bridge would be 
gated year-round and restricted to administrative use.
    2. Additional Back Side Terrain--Construct three new traditional 
trails (two Intermediate and one Expert ability level trail), a new 
gladed area (Bryan Glades II), and an addition to the Salto Glades on 
the back side of the resort. New terrain in this area would provide 
approximately 20 acres of new traditional terrain and approximately 30 
acres of gladed terrain projects.
    3. Trail Widening--Widen Lower Diamondback and Lower Ambush trails 
on the back side of Eldora to improve skier circulation.
    4. Jolly Jug Lift and Trails--Install a new four or six-person 
chairlift and construct seven new Intermediate trails (approximately 55 
acres of terrain) and approximately 20 acres of Intermediate ability 
level glades. A Forest Plan amendment would be required to adjust the 
SUP boundary to include approximately 17 acres of the southern portion 
of the Jolly Jug Pod.
    5. Snowmaking--Expand snowmaking coverage to include all new 
traditional trails (not in any of the gladed areas) totaling 
approximately 105 acres.
    6. Roads and Utilities--Build new road spurs and install utilities 
to construct and maintain the following proposed lifts and facilities: 
Placer Express Lift, Jolly Jug Express Lift, Challenge Lift, The 
Lookout Facility, and Challenge Mountain Facility. Construction and 
maintenance access for the proposed Jolly Jug Express bottom terminal 
would utilize an existing road. The existing snowmaking infrastructure 
would deliver drinking water to The Lookout and Challenge Mountain 
facilities, as is the current method for The Lookout Facility. On-site 
septic systems would accommodate sewage deposal for the proposed 
Lookout Facility and Challenge Mountain Facility.
    7. Corona Lift--Remove the existing four-person Corona Lift and 
replace with an upgraded six-person chairlift.
    8. Challenge and Cannonball Lifts--Remove the existing Challenge 
and Cannonball lifts and replace with a single, upgraded six-person 
chairlift in an alignment that provides direct out-of-base access to 
the summit of Challenge Mountain.
    9. The Lookout Facility--Remodel the Lookout facility increasing 
from 3,000 square feet to between 7,700 and 9,700 square feet.
    10. The Challenge Mountain Facility--Construct a new approximately 
850 seat guest services facility, between 16,000 and 20,000 square feet 
in size, at the summit of Challenge Mountain.
    11. Parking--Construct additional guest parking on private lands. 
This project component is not subject to ARP authorization.
    12. Vegetation Management Projects--Eldora is currently preparing a 
Vegetation Management Plan in accordance with the SUP. Vegetation 
management projects may be incorporated into this EIS as components of 
the proposed action or may be incorporated into a separate, future NEPA 
project.
    Responsible Official: The responsible official is the Forest 
Supervisor for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee 
National Grassland.
    Nature of Decision To Be Made: Based on the analysis that will be 
documented in the forthcoming EIS, the responsible official will decide 
whether or not to implement, in whole or in part, the proposed action 
or another alternative that may be developed by the Forest Service as a 
result of scoping.
    Permits or Licenses Required: Based on proposed projects, a Clean 
Water Act Section 404 Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may 
be required prior to potential implementation of project components.
    Scoping Process: This notice of intent initiates the scoping 
process, which guides the development of the environmental impact 
statement. The Forest Service is soliciting comments from Federal, 
State, and local agencies and other individuals or organizations that 
may be interested in or affected by implementation of the proposed 
projects. Public questions and comments regarding this proposal are an 
integral part of this environmental analysis process. Input provided by 
interested and/or affected individuals, organizations and governmental 
agencies will be used to identify resource issues that will be analyzed 
in the Draft EIS. The Forest Service will identify significant issues 
raised during the scoping process, and use them to formulate 
alternatives, prescribe mitigation measures and project design 
features, or analyze environmental effects.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments 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.
    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.

    Dated: June 27, 2012.
Sylvia Clark,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 2012-16300 Filed 7-5-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P