Oregon Creek Ecosystem Management Project, Tahoe National Forest, Yuba and Sierra Counties, CA

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Oregon Creek Ecosystem Management Project, Tahoe National Forest,

Yuba and Sierra Counties, CA

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will

prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for proposed timber

harvest, plantation thinning, fuels reduction, and wildlife habitat

improvement projects for areas in the Oregon Creek Watershed and an

area in part of the North Yuba watershed in accordance with the

requirements of 36 CFR 219.19. The project areas are located within

portions of T.18N., R.8, 9, & 10E., T.19N., R.9 & 10E., MDB&M.

The agency invites comments and suggestions on the scope of the

analysis. In addition, the agency gives notice of the full

environmental analysis and decision-making process that will occur on

the proposal so that interested and affected people are aware of how

they may participate and contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Comments should be made in writing and received by February 22,

1994.

ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning the project should be directed

to Jean Masquelier, District Ranger, Downieville Ranger District, North

Yuba Ranger Station, 15924 Hwy 49, Camptonville, CA 95922.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bob Willour, Resource Officer, Downieville Ranger District,

Camptonville, CA 95922, telephone (916) 478-6253.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Oregon Creek Analysis Area is about

25,000 acres in size. It incorporates the land in the Oregon Creek

Watershed and is located two miles southwest of Comptonville and east

to the junction of Pliocene and Henness Pass roads. The area is

dominated by vast, uniform ponderosa pine plantations and brush fields

that were a result of the 17,000-acre Mountain House Fire of 1959.

This project was chosen by the Forest Service's Regional Office

(Region 5) to be conducted as an Ecosystem Management Project. It was

selected due to the opportunities and challenges that this area has for

multiple resource management. There exists an opportunity to increase

the diversity within the many young pine plantations; this would

improve wildlife habitat and derive needed wood fiber. Watershed

problems, fire hazards within a mixed land ownership landscape, range

problems, and wildlife habitat conditions represent some of the

challenges and opportunities for improvements that will be looked at

during this analysis.

In preparing the environmental impact statement, the Forest Service

will identify and analyze a range of alternatives for treatment of the

dense stands of young trees that address the issues developed for these

sites. One of the alternatives will be no treatment. Other alternatives

will consider differing levels of plantation thinning, timber harvest,

new road construction and reconstruction, fuel hazard reduction, and

wildlife habitat improvement projects. An ecological approach will be

used to achieve multiple-use management of the Oregon Creek area. It

also means that the needs of people and environmental values will be

blended in a such way that the Oregon Creek area would represent a

diverse, healthy, productive, and sustainable ecosystem.

Public participation will be important during the analysis,

especially during the review of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement. The Forest Service is seeking information, comments, and

assistance from Federal, State, and local agencies and other

individuals or organizations who may be interested in or affected by

the proposed action. This input will be used in preparation of the

draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). The scoping process

includes:

1. Identifying potential issues.

2. Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.

3. Eliminating insignificant issues or those which have been

covered by a relevant previous environmental analysis.

4. Exploring additional alternatives.

5. Identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed

action and alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and cumulative effects

and connected actions).

6. Determining potential cooperating agencies and task assignments.

The following list of issues has been identified through initial

scoping:

(1) To what extent will future options for the management of

California spotted owls be maintained?

(2) To what extent can the potential for large catastrophic

wildfires, like the 17,000-acre Mountain House Fire of 1959, be reduced

within the project area?

(3) To what extent can the forest health be improved in the Oregon

Creek project area? In addition, what level of timber commodities could

result from forest health improvement projects and other timber

management proposals?

(4) To what extent will long-term transportation management

objectives be met for the area?

(5) To what extent will the views from North Yuba River, Middle

Yuba River, Oregon Creek, and Highway 49 be affected? What visual

character will result from the proposed activities, and to what extent

will these activities affect views from private land within the study

area?

(6) To what extent will the outstandingly remarkable historical

values that made Oregon Creek eligible as a Wild and Scenic River and

classified as a recreation river be affected by the proposed activities

with the study area?

(7) To what extent will water quality in the Oregon Creek and the

Humbug Creek watersheds be affected by the proposed activities?

(8) To what extent will air quality in the Oregon Creek and North

Yuba River drainages, and in the towns of Camptonville, Forest City,

Pike, and Alleghany, be affected by proposed activities?

(9) To what extent will long-term productivity be affected by

proposed activities?

Comments from other Federal, State, and local agencies,

organizations, and individuals who may be interested in, or affected by

the decision, are encouraged to identify other significant issues.

Public participation has been previously solicited through mailing

letters to mining claim owners, private land owners, and special use

permittees within the Downieville Ranger District boundaries; posting

information in local towns; and mailing letters to local timber

industries, politicians, school boards, country supervisors, and

environmental groups. Written comments that have already been received

will still be considered when analyzing alternatives and impacts.

Continued participation will be emphasized through individual contacts.

No public meetings are scheduled.

The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for public review by

approximately the middle of March, 1994. The comment period on the

draft EIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA 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 EIS stage but that are not raised until after completion of the

final EIS 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 the

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 EIS.

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS should

be as specific as possible. It is helpful if comments refer to specific

pages or chapters of the draft EIS 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.

The final EIS is expected to be available by the middle of June,

1994. The responsible official, who is the Tahoe National Forest

Supervisor, will document the decision and reasons for the decision in

the Record of Decision.

Dated: December 20, 1993.

Judie L. Tartaglia,

Deputy Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 93-355 Filed 1-6-93; 8:45 am]

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