[Federal Register: July 5, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 128)]
[Notices]
[Page 38132-38133]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05jy06-32]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Norwood Project; Hell Canyon Ranger District, Black Hills
National Forest; Custer, SD
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS).
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SUMMARY: The Hell Canyon Ranger District of the Black Hills National
Forest intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a
proposal to implement multiple resource management actions within the
Norwood project area as directed by the Black Hills National Forest
Land and Resource Management Plan. The Norwood project area is
approximately 46,450 acres in size, with 42,250 acres of National
Forest lands and 4,200 acres of private land. The South Dakota State
snowmobile trail system bisects the area and the Beaver Creek cross-
country ski area is within the project area. The project proposes to
modify stand conditions in the project area to enhance vegetative
diversity, reduce the risk of mountain pine beetle infestation and
large scale wildfire, provide for wildlife habitat needs and provide
for a sustainable supply of commercial timber, while providing for
management and public access needs.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis will be most
useful if received within 30 days following publication of this notice.
The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be available in
October 2006 and the final environmental impact statement is expected
to be completed by February 2007.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Michael D. Lloyd, District Ranger,
Back Hills National Forest, Hell Canyon Ranger District, 330 Mount
Rushmore Road, Custer, South Dakota 57730. Telephone number: (605) 673-
4853. Fax number: (605) 673-5461. Electronic comments must be readable
in Word, Rich Text or pdf formats and must contain ``Norwood'' in the
subject line. electronic comments may be e-mailed to:
comments-rocky-mountain-black-hills-hell-canyon@fs.fed.us.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Honors, Project Leader, at the
address listed above or by phone at (315) 668-3307 or (605) 673-4853.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The actions proposed are in direct response
to management direction provided by the Black Hills National Forest
Land and Resource Management Plan, as amended (Forest Plan). The
Project Area is located along approximately 22 miles of the Wyoming and
South Dakota border in Pennington County, South Dakota and Weston and
Crook Counties in Wyoming. The southernmost point of the project area
is approximately 7 miles directly east of Newcastle, Wyoming.
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose and need for action in the Norwood project area is to
enhance vegetative diversity, reduce the risk of mountain pine beetle
infestation and large-scale wildfire, provide for wildlife habitat
needs and provide a sustainable supply of commercial timber consistent
with Forest Plan direction, while providing for management and public
access needs. This project is focused on implementing management
actions that move toward achieving desired conditions and objectives
embodied in Goals 2 (provide for biologically diverse ecosystems), 3
(provide for sustained commodity uses) and 10 (establish and maintain a
mosaic of vegetation conditions to reduce occurrences of large-scale
fire, insect, and disease events) of the Forest Plan.
Proposed Action
The proposed action includes the following management actions.
Commercial thinning on approximately 6,900 acres to
increase tree growth and vigor, reduce the potential for mountain pine
beetle infestation and reduce the potential for spreading crown fires.
Creation and maintenance of within stand diversity in pine
and mixed spruce sites through use of uneven-aged management
prescriptions on approximately 600 acres.
Restoration and maintenance of hardwood and meadow
habitats by removing conifers from approximately 1,800 acres of these
habitats.
Regeneration of mature pine stands on approximately 1,700
acres and releasing approximately 2,000 acres of regenerated pine
stands through overstory removal prescription.
Removal of live pine trees which have mountain pine beetle
larva in them, on approximately 270 acres, as a suppression method for
mountain pine beetle infestation.
Fuels treatments designed to reduce fuel loadings, would
occur on approximately 5,500 acres with broadcast burning being
proposed on approximately 2,300 of these acres.
Reducing the density of the managed road system from 4.0
miles per square mile to 3.2 miles per square mile. This is to be
accomplished by obliterating unneeded roads and by converting needed
undetermined roads to system roads.
Responsible Official
Michael D. Lloyd, Hell Canyon District Ranger, Black Hills National
Forest, 330 Mount Rushmore Road, Custer, SD, 57730.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made is whether or not to implement the proposed
action or an alternative to the proposed action at this time.
Scoping Process
The Hell Canyon Ranger District has mailed letters with
comprehensive scoping documents to adjacent landowners, local and
tribal government representatives, permittees, organizations and other
interested or potentially affected parties. The scoping document with
attached maps is also posted on the Black Hills National Forest
worldwide Web site, http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/blackhills/. Comments
submitted in response to this NOI, will be most useful if received
within 30 days from the date of this notice.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent is part of the scoping process which will
guide the development of the EIS. Comments received will assist the
planning team to identify key issues and opportunities used to refine
the proposal or possible alternatives and mitigation measures. Comments
on the DEIS will be requested during the 45 day comment period
following publication of the Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register, expected in October, 2006.
[[Page 38133]]
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 Environmental Protection Agency
publishes the notice of availability 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: June 26, 2006.
Brad Exton,
Deputy Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest.
[FR Doc. 06-5971 Filed 7-3-06; 8:45 am]
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