Threemile Stewardship Project; Custer National Forest, Ashland Ranger District; Powder River and Rosebud Counties, Montana

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Threemile Stewardship Project; Custer National Forest, Ashland

Ranger District; Powder River and Rosebud Counties, Montana

AGENCY: Forests Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of the Threemile

Stewardship Project. This project will focus on moving ecosystems

toward their desired conditions through management activities that

would maintain or improve the diversity of ponderosa pine, woody draw

and grassland vegetative communities. The project was selected for

Stewardship Contracting. The Forest Service is the lead agency for the

preparation of this document.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received

in writing by February 29, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Elizabeth A. McFarland, District

Ranger, Ashland Ranger District, P.O. Box 168, Ashland, Montana 59003.

Or send electronic mail comments to rhecker/[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ronald E. Hecker, Project Coordinator,

(406) 784-2344 or rhecker/[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Threemile Stewardship Project is one of

nine stewardship ``end'' result contract demonstration projects in the

northern Region of the Forest Service that is authorized under Section

347 of the 1999 Appropriations Bill.

The focus of this project is moving ecosystems toward their desired

condition through management activities that would maintain or improve

the diversity of the ponderosa pine, woody draw and grassland

vegetative communities. This project is designed to achieve vegetation

management of these plant communities through the use of partnerships

and collaboration as defined through Stewardship Contracting (Section

347, 1999 Appropriations Bill).

The objective of this project is the performance of services to

achieve land management goals on the National Forest System lands that

meet local and rural community needs (improve conditions on the land

while providing for local jobs). Land management goals may include, but

are not limited to:

Commercial and non-commercial cutting or removal of trees

to promote healthy forest stands, woody draws, and grasslands and/or to

reduce fire hazard;

Prescribed burning to improve the composition, structure,

condition and health of forests stands, woody draws and grasslands;

Road maintenance and reclamation of un-needed roads;

Control of noxious weeds; and

Restoration and maintenance of wildlife habitat.

The Stewardship proposal would look at the over-all needs of the

32,200 acres within the project area, which is located between Ten Mile

Creek and US Highway 212 on the southeast portion of the Ashland Ranger

District. The focus is ``outcomes'' and not ``outputs''. The value of

forest products removed would be used as an offset against the cost of

services received (exchange of goods for services on a value for value

basis). An example might be trading saw logs for treatment of noxious

weeds or road rehabilitation.

Along with the issuance of a project-scoping letter, later this

month, an information meeting is scheduled for February 10, 2000, at

the Ashland Ranger District, to provide the public with additional

information about the project and process. Written or oral responses

will be accepted until February 29, 2000.

The Responsible Official for this EIS for decision is Nancy T.

Curriden, Forest Supervisor, 1310 Main Street, P.O. Box 50760,

Billings, Montana 49105.

The comment period on the draft environment impact statement will

be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes

the notice of availability in the Federal Register.

A Draft EIS is schedules for release to the public for comment in

August 2000, and the Final EIS is scheduled for completion in December

2000.

The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers

notice at this early stage of several court rulings related to public

participation in the environmental review process. First,

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reviewers or 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. Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v.

Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 ( E. D. Wis. 1980). Because of these

courts 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

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.

Dated: January 7, 2000.

Nancy T. Curriden,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 00-798 Filed 1-12-00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-11-M