Steamboat Ski Area Expansion, Routt National Forest, Routt County, Colorado

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Steamboat Ski Area Expansion, Routt National Forest, Routt

County, Colorado

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact

statement to analyze and disclose the effects of a proposal by the

Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation to expand the existing Steamboat Ski

Area. The Steamboat Ski Area is located on the Routt National Forest

within Routt County, Steamboat Springs, Colorado and is presently

operating under Special Use Permit granted to the Steamboat Ski &

Resort Corporation.

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

by June 15, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Sherry B. Reed, District Ranger,

Hahns Peak Ranger District, P.O. Box 771212, Steamboat Springs,

Colorado, 80477. Oral comments will also be accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Wendy Schmitzer, Project Coordinator, (303) 879-1722 or (303) 879-1870.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: .The proposal of the Steamboat Ski & Resort

Corporation includes expansion of the Steamboat Ski Area into two

separate areas. The east expansion, hereafter referred to as

Morningside Park, would include the installation of one fixed-grip,

triple chairlift. The permit boundary would expand by approximately 170

acres of National Forest land, with approximately 132 acres of skiable

terrain being developed for lower intermediate level skiers to expert

ability skiers. Some clearing of trees would occur during lift

installation and trails would be developed through glading. The terrain

is primarily open but some tree skiing would be available. The north

expansion, hereafter referred to as Pioneer Ridge, would include the

installation of two limited-capacity, detachable lifts. The permit

boundary would expand by 788 acres of National Forest land, with

approximately 640 acres of skiable terrain being developed for

intermediate level skiers to expert ability skiers. Clearing would

occur during lift installation and during trail construction. However,

tree skiing would be emphasized with large pockets of interspersed tree

islands occurring. Some glading will also take place.

The purpose of and need for this expansion is to improve skiing at

the Steamboat Ski Area. The proposed expansions are intended to

increase the variety and amount of skiable terrain at the area without

substantially increasing the capacity of the mountain or adding a new

base area. This will ensure that the ski area remains competitive and

continues to provide a quality skiing experience, responding to

evolving customer preferences. It will also better balance the area's

operations. The need to provide this quality skiing experience arises

from market research which indicates customers strongly prefer the

addition of new and varied skiing terrain.

The decision to be made is whether or not to permit expansion of

the existing Steamboat Ski Area.

The Routt National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan has

identified the area of the proposed ski area expansions as suitable for

winter sports, with a management prescription of 1B, which provides for

existing and potential winter sports sites. ``Management emphasis

provides for downhill skiing on existing sites and maintains selected

inventoried sites for future downhill skiing recreation

opportunities.'' The proposed action is consistent with Forest Plan

direction.

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ``404 Permit'' for dredging and

filling waters and/or wetlands may be required. The Forest Service will

request the U.S. Army Corps and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to

cooperate in the environmental analysis, and may request cooperation

from other State or Federal agencies.

Preliminary issues associated with this proposal include air

quality impacts in a non-attainment airshed; wildlife concerns,

community growth, and visual considerations.

The Forest Service invites comments and suggestions on the scope of

the analysis to be included in the draft environmental impact statement

(DEIS). In addition, the Forest Service gives notice that it is

beginning a full environmental analysis and decision-making process for

this proposal so that interested or affected people may know how they

may participate in the environmental analysis and contribute to the

final decision. The first public ``scoping'' meeting is tentatively

scheduled for early June, 1994, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The

purpose of this meeting is to learn what issues and concerns members of

the public or interested agencies have that are connected to the

proposal and should be considered. Knowledge of these issues and

concerns will help establish the scope of the Forest Service

environmental analysis and define the kind and range of alternatives to

be considered. Forest Service officials and the proponent will describe

and explain the proposed actions and the process of environmental

analysis and disclosure to be followed in evaluating this proposal. The

Forest Service welcomes any public comments on the proposal.

The Responsible Official will be Sherry B. Reed, District Ranger,

Hahns Peak District, Routt National Forest, P.O. Box 771212, Steamboat

Springs, Colorado, 80477.

We expect to publish a draft environmental impact statement in mid

1995, to ask for public comment on the draft material for a period of

45 days, and to complete a final environmental impact statement in late

1995, or early 1996.

The 45-day public comment period on the draft environmental impact

statement will commence on the day the Environmental Protection Agency

publishes a ``Notice of Availability'' in the Federal Register.

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, 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.) Please note that comments

you make on the draft environmental impact statement will be regarded

as public information.

Dated: May 13, 1994.

Sherry B. Reed,

Hahns Peak District Ranger.

[FR Doc. 94-12142 Filed 5-17-94; 8:45 am]

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