[Federal Register: December 30, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 250)]
[Notices]
[Page 79561-79562]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Interface Recreation Trails Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revised notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: This is a revision of the notice of intent published on
November 22, 2000 (pages 76332-76333). This notice documents changes in
the information in the previous notice of intent. The changes are: (1)
A change in the responsible official from the District Ranger to the
Forest Supervisor, and (2) A delay in filing the draft and final
environmental impact statement.
The Forest Service intends to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental consequences of the
proposed Interface Recreation Trails Project on the Calaveras Ranger
District of the Stanislaus National Forest. The agency proposes to
design a system of recreation routes, determine the uses that can occur
on each route in the system, and develop measures to protect natural
resources on approximately 8,700 acres on National Forest System lands.
Hiking, horseback riding, mountain bike riding, off-highway vehicle
riding, and highway licensed vehicle riding are the uses being
considered in this analysis. The purpose of the proposal is to provide
a variety of recreation opportunities for route users while protecting
the natural resources, minimizing conflicts between recreationists and
others.
DATES: The comment period for this analysis closed January 8, 2001.
This is not a solicitation for comments. The draft environmental impact
statement is expected February 2003 and the final environmental impact
statement is expected June 2003.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Robert W. Griffith, District
Ranger, Calaveras Ranger District, Stanislaus National Forest, USDA
Forest Service, PO Box 500, Hathaway Pines, California, 95233.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Casselberry, Planning Team
Leader, telephone: (209) 795-1381, extension 321. Email:
gcasselberry@fs.fed.us.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The existing trail system in the Interface Area developed primarily
as a result of users adopting old logging and mining roads, skid
trails, fuel breaks, and abandoned water ditches for their trail use.
Over time, users constructed additional trails to access new areas,
avoid impassable sections of existing trails, form loops and connectors
with other trails, and provide the desired variety of challenges and
experiences.
Over the last 30 years, local residents, second homeowners, and
their friends have used and enjoyed this system of routes for both non-
motorized and motorize recreation. During the mid-1990s, the need for a
designed trail system and a site-specific management analysis for the
Interface Area became evident. Increased trails use, resource impacts
on some trail segments, trail-user conflict, and complaints from
residents such as those with homes near Forest Road 5N95Y or near trail
system access points from subdivisions prompted the Forest Service to
begin project-level analysis and planning in the area.
The purpose or goal in designing the recreation route system,
designating uses, and developing resource protection measures is to
provide a variety of recreation opportunities for all trail users,
while protecting natural resources, minimizing conflicts between trail
users and others.
Proposed Action
The proposed project is located in Calaveras County, California
within the Calaveras Ranger District of the Stanislaus National Forest
in portions of sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 26, T.4N.,
R.14E., a portion of section 18, T.4N., R.15E., portions of sections
13, 24, 25, 26, 35, 36, T.5N., R.14E., and portions of sections 7, 8,
17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, T.5N., R.15E., MDB&M. It is adjacent to the
western boundary of the communities of Hathaway Pines, Avery, Arnold,
and White Pines.
Under the current proposal being analyzed, non-motorized and
motorized recreation use (shared use) will continue to be allowed on
19.5 miles of existing trails and roads. 16.6 miles of existing trails
and roads will be designated and available for non-motorized recreation
use only. 17.4 miles of existing roads will be routes for highway-
licensed vehicles only. There will be 10.0 miles of multiple use routes
and 10.7 miles of non-motorized trails constructed. 26.5 miles of
existing trails and roads will be closed. Five gates will be closed to
public motorized traffic. One mile of Forest Road 5N95Y will be
chipsealed. Parking areas will be established on Forest Road 5N52, and
County Road 323 to access the trail system. A low-water crossing and
approach will be constructed at Slick Rock Crossing. Street legal
vehicles only zones that are a minimum of \1/4\ mile wide will be
established adjacent to subdivisions. A permanent public easement for
the segment of the trail that crosses private land located in the SW\1/
4\ of the NE\1/4\ of section 30, T.5N., R.15E. will be sought from the
landowner. Regulatory orders will be developed to enforce trail use
restrictions, trail closures, street legal zone restrictions, and gate
closures.
Possible Alternatives
A range of alternatives to the proposed action will be considered.
The alternatives will be designed to provide different ways to address
and respond to significant issues and to fulfill the purpose and need
for action. A reasonable range of alternatives will be evaluated and
reasons given for eliminating some alternatives from detailed study. A
no action alternative is required. Under the no action alternative, the
recreation route system, recreation route uses, and Forest Service
management practices would continue unchanged, just as they are today.
Responsible Official
The Forest Supervisor, Stanislaus National Forest, 19777 Greenley
Road, Sonora, California, 95370-5909 is the Responsible Official who
will decide what actions are to be implemented to provide a variety of
recreation opportunities for route users within the project area. He
will document his decisions and rationale in a Record of Decision.
[[Page 79562]]
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made is whether to implement the proposed action
as described above, to meet the purpose and need for action through
some other combination of activities, or take no action at this time.
Scoping Process
This revised notice of intent is not a solicitation for public
comment. The comment period for this analysis closed January 8, 2001
and no additional comments will be considered until the draft
environmental impact statement is available for public review. The
scoping process was used to identify potential issues related to the
proposed action, significant issues to be analyzed in depth,
alternatives to the proposed action, and potential environmental
effects of the proposed action and its alternatives.
Preliminary Issues
Three preliminary issues have been identified: (1) Disturbances by
human presence and noise on the trails and roads may adversely impact
wildlife species, (2) sounds of motorized vehicles on the trails and
roads may have a negative impact on adjacent landowners, and (3)
opportunities for recreation may be affected by the trail and road
mileage available as well as by the uses allowed on each route.
Comment Requested
This Revised Notice of Intent is not a solicitation for public
comment. The comment period for this analysis closed January 8, 2001
and no additional commnets will be considered until the draft
environmental impact statement is made available for public review.
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, 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.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook
1909.15, Section 21
Dated: December 20, 2002.
Glenn Gottschall,
Acting Forest Supervisor--Stanislaus National Forest.
[FR Doc. 02-32808 Filed 12-27-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
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