Southwestern Region, New Mexico, La Cueva Proposed Projects

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Southwestern Region, New Mexico, La Cueva Proposed Projects

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Carson National Forest is planning to prepare an

environmental impact statement on a proposal to allocate old growth,

apply vegetation treatments and use prescribed fire in certain forested

stands, construct new roads and reconstruct roads to access these

stands, redesignate an existing motorized trail and construct a new

trail for motorized use and close roads on the La Cueva analysis area

in the Rio Pueblo Canyon, Camino Real Ranger District. The need for

this proposal is based upon the comparison of existing conditions and

desired conditions for the La Cueva analysis area.

DATES: Comments in response to this Notice of Intent concerning the

scope of the analysis should be received in writing by February 1,

1995.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to USDA Forest Service, Carson

National Forest, PO Box 558, Taos, New Mexico 87571, ATTN: Forest

Planner.

RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL: Leonard Lucero, the Forest Supervisor for the

Carson National Forest, will be the responsible official and will

decide whether or not to:

Allocate old growth, if so, how much, where.

Harvest sawtimber and other wood products, if so, where,

what treatments will be used, what associated road construction, what

post sale treatments (pre-commercial thinning, prescribed burning,

etc.) will occur.

Allow prescribed fire, if so, where and under what

conditions.

Redesignate the La Cueva Canyon trail to non-motorized use

only.

Construct a new trail for motorized use.

Physically close roads within the analysis area, if so how

many miles, and where.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Forest Planner (505) 758-6210.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the difference

between existing and desired conditions. This proposal is designed to

move closer to the desired condition.

Twenty percent of forested acres would be allocated to old growth

to meet the objectives of the Carson Forest Plan.

Some trees would be harvested for timber, made available for

fuelwood and/or thinned for the purpose of:

Moving towards a desired VSS class distribution that

reduces the amount of VSS class 3 and 4 and increases the amount of

Class 1, 2 and 5 to create [[Page 4146]] more biodiversity in the La

Cueva analysis area.

Supplying more forage producing understories for wildlife

in summer and winter range and livestock where early seral conditions

have been inhibited by tree density and/or dense canopy cover.

Providing foraging areas for both wildlife and livestock

away from springs and riparian areas in order to improve the condition

of these special features.

Regenerating pure aspen stands which would create more

habitat diversity and perpetuate a major vegetative component within

the analysis area.

Regenerating ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir trees in their

natural range. These forest types provide quality habitat to the hairy

woodpecker, turkey, elk and Abert's squirrel.

Selectively removing some trees infested with mistletoe or

damaged by spruce budworm to keep insect and disease populations at a

level which does not predispose stands to potential catastrophic

damage. Providing a supply of firewood, vigas, aspen products and saw

timber to help meet the demand for wood products on the Camino Real

Ranger District for a period of five to seven years.

Prescribed fire would be introduced in selected areas fro the

purpose of:

Introducing low intensity fires back into the ecosystem to

move the VSS Class distribution towards the desired condition and to

perpetuate plant species adapted to periodic episodes of fire.

Stimulating mature oak to produce palatable, tender shoots

for wildlife browse species.

Creating a mosaic of tree sizes and densities, where

clumps of even-aged trees with interlocking branches are dispersed

throughout some stands.

Reducing fuel loading in areas inaccessible to fuelwood

gathering to reduce the potential for a catastrophic fire.

Road reconstruction and new construction, including a road down the

ridge between La Cueva and Flechado Canyons, would provide access to

areas where the VSS class distribution can be moved towards the desired

condition, where forage is needed, where various types of wood products

could be extracted and where fuel loading is high. These roads would be

closed to highway vehicles once proposed activities have ceased.

The redesignation of the La Cueva Canyon Trail as a non-motorized

trail would improve the quality of life for residents who have houses

at or near the La Cueva trailhead and reduce conflicts between these

homeowners and the motorized recreationists who use the area.

The construction of a motorized trial connecting with the new road

along the ridge between La Cueva and Flechado would serve as a

replacement for the La Cueva Canyon trail which would be removed from

the motorized trail system (See previous paragraph), maintaining the

same opportunities for motorized use in the analysis area.

All existing and newly constructed roads would be effectively

closed after management activities have been completed within the

analysis area. This is in keeping with the Carson Forest Plan which has

a guideline which specifies that road management/wildlife integration

should be managed to provide 60 percent big game habitat effectiveness

by leaving approximately 1.0 mile/square mile of roads open to public

use in big game summer range.

Preliminary issues include effects on habitat effectiveness along

the ridge separating La Cueva and Flechado canyons where a new road is

proposed; the long-term effects on wildlife along the ridge where the

new road will be designated as a motorized trail; the effects on the

function of existing old growth proposed for timber harvesting; and the

effects on soil productivity and water quality where a motorized trail

is proposed. These issues will be refined and developed in detail as

scoping proceeds. Comments on this issues and suggestions for

additional issues are welcome in response to this Notice of Intent.

A preliminary scoping meeting was held prior to the development of

the desired condition statement and proposal. Several months later,

approximately 150 letters were send out to the public and other federal

and state agencies for their comments on the proposal and a field trip

was held. An interdisciplinary team has been selected to do the

environmental analysis, prepare and accomplish scoping and public

involvement activities. Comments on the nature and timing of scoping

and public participation activities would be beneficial to the team in

preparation of the scoping plan. Additional public notice will be given

of specific planned activities when the scoping and public involvement

plan is developed.

Preliminary alternatives may include continuation of present

management in the area (no action); redesignating the La Cueva trail as

non-motorized without building a new trail; relocating part of the La

Cueva trail; confining harvesting and road building to the northern

most part of the analysis area; creating the desired diversity on the

ridge top(s) without harvesting or road building; and not treating any

existing old growth stands. The interdisciplinary team will be

developing the range of alternatives to be considered and comments on

the range of alternatives to be considered will be beneficial.

Additional opportunities to comment on alternatives will be provided as

the process proceeds.

It is anticipated that the environmental analysis and preparation

of draft and final environmental impact statement will take about one

year. The draft environmental impact statement can be expanded in the

summer of 1995 and the final environmental impact statement can be

expected in the winter 1995.

A ninety day comment period pursuant to 36 CFR 219.10(b) will be

provided for the public to make comments on the draft environmental

impact statement. The comment period will begin when the Environmental

Protection Agency's Notice of Availability appears in the Federal

Register. This comment period will be in addition to scoping and other

public participation opportunities that will be provided throughout the

process. A record of decision will be prepared and filed with the final

environmental impact statement. A ninety day appeal period pursuant to

36 CFR 217.8(a) will be applicable.

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. To be the most

helpful, comments on the draft environmental impact statement should be

specific as possible and may address the adequacy of the statement or

the merits of the alternatives discussed (see Council on Environmental

Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the

National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3).

In addition, Federal court decisions have established that

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 US 519, 553

(1978). Environmental objections that could have been raised at the

draft stage may be waived if not raised until after completion of the

final environmental impact statement. City of Angoon v. Hodel, (9th

Circuit, 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp.

1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). [[Page 4147]] The reason for this is to

ensure 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.

Dated: January 4, 1995.

Leonard L. Lucero,

Forest Supervisor, Carson National Forest.

[FR Doc. 95-1374 Filed 1-19-95; 8:45 am]

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