[Federal Register: May 16, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 95)]
[Notices]
[Page 26563-26564]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16my03-32]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Black Hills National Forest, Mystic Ranger District, South
Dakota, Prairie Project Area Proposal and Analysis
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revised notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: This notice revises an earlier Notice of Intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement on a proposal to implement multiple
resource management actions within the Prairie Project Area as directed
by the Black Hills National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan
and National level initiatives and policy such as the National Fire
Plan and the Healthy Forest Initiative. The Prairie Project Area covers
about 29,000 acres of National Forest System land and about 6,300 acres
of interspersed private land within the lower rapid Creek watershed
directly west of Rapid City, South Dakota. Proposed actions include:
Promoting natural fuel breaks (via vegetation treatment) to reduce
potential for large-scale intense wildfire; Reducing fuels that
currently exist and fuel created by vegetation treatment within the
wildland-urban interface; Improving wildlife habitat to protect
critical big game winter range and habitat for a variety of plant and
animal species; Supporting the preceding actions using commercial and
non-commercial Vegetation treatments on an estimated 11,900 acres to
reduce the density of pine trees; Providing a mix of motorized and non-
motorized use opportunities.
DATES: The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be
available for public review by May 2003 and the final environmental
impact statement is expected to be completed by September 2003.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on the DEIS to Robert J. Thompson,
District Ranger, Black Hills National Forest, Mystic Ranger District,
803 Soo San Drive, Rapid City, South Dakota 57702. Telephone Number
(605) 343-1567. Email: mailroom_r2_blackhills@fs.fed.us <mailto:mailroom_r2_blackhills@fs.fed.us>. With
``Prairie'' as subject.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Phill Grumstrup, Project Coordinator,
Black Hills National Forest, Mystic Ranger District, at above address,
phone (605) 343-1567.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
This revised Notice of Intent updates the original NOI which
appeared Friday, July 12, 2002, in the Federal Register (67 FR pg.
46165). The actions proposed are in response to management direction
provided by the Black Hills National Forest Land and Resource
Management Plan (Forest Plan) and National-level initiatives and policy
cited in the summary above. The site specific actions are proposed to
reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfire in this ponderosa pine-
dominated urban-interface setting. The project area lies along the east
side of the Black Hills National Forest and directly west of Rapid
City, South Dakota. Issues include: Fire and fuels hazard in the
wildland-urban interface; support and opposition to vegetation
treatment such as timber harvest; impacts of vegetation treatment and
multiple forest uses on wildlife habitat; conflicting motorized and
non-motorized use and travel management issues; maintaining and
improving developed and dispersed recreation opportunities.
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of and need for the actions proposed in the Prairie
Project is to: Reduce the potential for large-scale intense wildfire,
reduce fuel loads and assure access for fire protection; protect big
game winter range and provide habitat for a variety of plant and animal
species; and provide for a variety of recreation opportunities
including motorized and non-motorized uses while moving toward or
meeting related Forest Plan Goals and Objectives, consistent with
Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines.
Proposed Action
This revised NOI identifies the changes made to the proposed action
since the original NOI was published. Adjustments to the proposed acres
are the result of strong public feedback asking the agency to be
aggressive with fuels reduction and requesting that vegetative
treatments be expanded to areas not initially covered in the proposal.
Expanding the treatments is necessary to efficiently reduce the
potential for catastrophic wildfire to communities at risk in this
wildland-urban interface area. Specific adjustments to the proposed
action are described below. Proposed actions include the following:
[sbull] There is no change in the range of activities and
treatments proposed. The treatment acres relative to fuel breaks and
thinning of ponderosa pine, and prescribed burning have increased.
[sbull] Reduce the potential for large-scale, intense wildfire by
expanding the area treated to reduce the density of pine from the
initially proposed 8,000 acres to about 11,900 acres. This may be done
by using commercial timber harvest to thin out commercial size trees
and using other methods to thin small, non-commercial size trees,
removing conifers from hardwood stands such as aspen, bur oak and birch
and by expanding and/or creating meadows. Thinning trees will reduce
the potential for spreading crown fires by providing fuels breaks,
lessening the risk from insects and disease, and by improving stand
growth and vigor. Wood fiber will be provided to the local economy as a
by-product of these actions.
[sbull] Reduce the amount of fuel that currently exists and fuel
created by vegetation treatment activities. Treatment could include
lopping, chipping, crushing, piling and burning; construction of up to
30 miles of
[[Page 26564]]
constructed fuel breaks adjacent to private property, particularly
those properties with houses and subdivisions; and increased prescribed
burning of 4,000 acres to about 7,500 acres in order to have a greater
impact on reducing fuels and the threat of wildfire.
[sbull] Manage big game winter range by providing openings for
forage and protecting game animals during the critical winter period
over a large portion of the area by expanding area closures to off-road
motorized use seasonally or year-round.
[sbull] Provide a mix of motorized and non-motorized opportunities
in the area by designating some areas for off-road ATV/4-wheeler use
and other areas for non-motorized uses such as hiking, mountain biking
and walk-in hunting.
[sbull] It is anticipated that one or more Forest Plan Amendments
may be necessary to implement the proposed action or action
alternatives.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official for this decision will be John C. Twiss,
Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest, 25041 North Hwy. 16,
Custer, SD 57730.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made is whether or not to implement the proposed
action or alternatives at this time.
Scoping Process
Comments and input regarding the proposal have been received from
the public and other groups and agencies during the 30-day (plus)
public comment period that took place in July and August 2002. Response
to the draft EIS will be sought from the interested public beginning in
May 2003.
Comment Requested
This revised notice of intent simply identifies the adjustment and
refinement of the original proposed action in response to public
comment and feedback. There will be no additional scoping on this
revised NOI. The next opportunity to comment will be on the Draft EIS.
Comments on the DEIS will be requested during the 45 day comment period
following the Notice of Availability, anticipated to be published in
the Federal Register in May 2003 (See discussion below).
Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review
A draft environmental impact statement is being prepared for
comment. The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement
will be for 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency
publishes the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register in May
2003. The Forest Service believes, at this 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.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 1909.15,
Section 21)
Dated: May 12, 2003.
William G. Schleining,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 03-12235 Filed 5-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
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