Indian River Timber Sale(s), Tongass National Forest, Chatham Area, Sitka and Hoonah Ranger Districts, AK

SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement to disclose the environmental impacts of

proposed actions within the Indian River project area. The proposed

action provides for:

(1) Construction of approximately 10.5 miles of new road from a

road pool of 23.9 miles, and reconstruction of approximately 23.5 miles

of existing road in conjunction with two or more timber sales; (2)

harvest of 91 units covering 2,358 acres of timber from a unit pool of

178 units containing 70.7 million board feet net sawlog volume over

3,355 acres, and regeneration of new stands of trees; and (3) re-

construction and use of log transfer facilities located at Sunshine

Cove (terminus of Forest Development Road 7500) and development of a

new log transfer facility in the Ten Mile area (terminus of Forest

Development Road 7502). This level of development would result in the

harvest of approximately 34 million board feet of sawlog and utility

timber volume over a three year period following approval of this

document and award of contract(s). The proposed action is one

alternative to achieve the purpose and need for the project. A map of

the unit and road pool, and proposed action is available from the

address provided.

The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from

Federal, State, and local agencies as well as individuals and

organizations who may be interested in, or affected by, the proposed

action.

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

in writing by December 8, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Indian River Planning Team, USDA

Forest Service, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, Alaska 99835.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Linn W. Shipley, Team Leader, USDA Forest Service, 204 Siginaka Way,

Sitka, AK 99835, (907) 747-6671.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

This environmental impact statement will tier to the 1979 Tongass

Land Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement, including the

1985-86 and 1991 amendments. The Tongass Land Management Plan provides

the overall guidance (Goals, Objectives, Standards, and Management Area

direction) to achieve the desired future condition for the area in

which the project is proposed.

The Indian River Project Area is located about 56 air miles north

of Sitka, Alaska, 22 miles south of Hoonah, Alaska, and 2 miles from

Tenakee Springs, Alaska on the northeastern part of Chichagof Island.

The Project Area encompasses all or part of Value Comparison Units

204, 216, 220, 221, and 222 as designated in the Tongass Land

Management Plan. These Value Comparison Units are located within

Management Areas C29, C30, and C32 as described in the Tongass Land

Management Plan. The project area is administered by the Sitka and

Hoonah Ranger Districts of the Chatham Area, Tongass National Forest,

Alaska.

Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action

The purpose and need for the Indian River project is to implement

the Tongass Land Management Plan by making 25 million board feet to 45

million board feet of sawlog and utility timber volume available from

the project area; to provide a sustained level of wood products to meet

local, national, and international demand; and to improve the timber

productivity of the project area. A comparison of the desired future

condition for the project area (as identified in the Tongass Land

Management Plan) with the existing condition shows the need to convert

suitable stands of old-growth timber to managed productive stands

capable of long-term timber production. This environmental impact

statement may result in two or more timber sales under the independent

sale program or in offerings to the Ketchikan Pulp Company under the

terms and conditions of its long-term timber sale contract.

Decisions To Be Made

Gary A. Morrison, Forest Supervisor, Chatham Area, is the

Responsible Official and will decide whether or not to authorize timber

harvest within the Indian River Project Area. He will decide: (1) If

the design of the timber sale offerings are consistent with meeting

resource protection standards and guidelines in the Tongass Land

Management Plan; (2) how much timber volume to make available; (3) the

location and design of the collector and local road system needed to

develop the project area; (4) the location and design of timber harvest

units and log transfer facilities; (5) mitigation and monitoring

measures for sound resource management; and (6) whether there may be a

significant restriction on subsistence uses, and if so, other

determinations required by section 810 of the Alaska National Interest

Lands Conservation Act.

Management Objectives

Management objectives that the Proposed Action is designed to

address:

1. Ecosystems--Design timber management and associated activities

to minimize disturbance in existing ecosystems and maintain viable,

well distributed populations of desired vertebrate species. Unit and

road designs may include partial harvest prescriptions that imitate

natural disturbance patterns, silvicultural thinning plans to maintain

structure and plant communities within managed units, and avoidance of

sensitive areas within the Project Area.

2. Critical Deer Winter Range--Design timber management and

associated activities to minimize disturbance in critical deer winter

range within the Project Area.

3. Subsistence--Design timber management and associated activities

to maintain opportunities to use subsistence resources by minimizing

reductions in the abundance and distribution of harvestable subsistence

resources, maintain reasonable access

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and use of subsistence resources in an effective and efficient manner,

and minimize competition between users within the Project Area.

4. Karst and Cave Resources--Design timber management and

associated activities to protect and maintain, to the extent practical,

significant caves and karst resources that are vulnerable to

disturbance within the Project Area.

5. Social and Economic--Design timber harvest and associated

activities to maintain or enhance social and economic values of local

residents of Tenakee Springs and nearby communities.

6. Visual--Design timber harvest and associated activities to

maintain inventoried visual quality objectives as seen from Tenakee

Inlet near the mouth of Indian River, the area known as the mouth of

10-Mile Creek, and the coastline near Tenakee Springs.

7. Cumulative Impacts--Design timber harvest and associated

activities to mitigate cumulative resources impacts of this project and

other related management activities and adjacent to the Project Area.

Permits

To proceed with the timber harvest as proposed, various permits

must be obtained from other agencies. The agencies and their

responsibilities are as follows: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the

responsibility for approval of discharge of dredged or fill materials

into the waters of the United States (section 404 of the Clean Water

Act), and approval of construction of structures or work in navigable

waters of the United States (section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act

of 1899); the Environmental Protection Agency has responsibility for

the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System review (section 402

of the Clean Water Act). Other agencies which will participate are as

follows: State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources has

responsibility for authorization for occupancy and use of tidelands and

submerged lands; State of Alaska, Department of Environmental

Conservation has responsibility for the Solid Waste Disposal Permit

(section 402 of Clean Water Act, (18 ACC 60.230)) and the Certificate

of Reasonable Assurance (section 401 of Clean Water Act); U.S. Coast

Guard has responsibility for Coast Guard Bridge Permits (in accordance

with the General Bridge Act of 1946) required for all structures

constructed within the tidal influence zone. Both the Environmental

Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will participate

as cooperating agencies in preparation of the environmental impact

statement. We are requesting authorization from the City of Tenakee

Springs for use of an existing log transfer facility site located on

city-owned tidelands at Sunshine Cove.

Process Steps

Preparation of the environmental impact statement will include the

following steps: (1) Public notification and scoping (approximately 45

days beginning on the date of publication of this Notice in the Federal

Register;) (2) identification of significant issues related to the

proposed action to be analyzed in depth; (3) development of a

reasonable range of alternatives to the proposed action which meet the

stated purpose and need for the proposed action and address significant

issues; and (4) identification of the potential environmental effects

of the alternatives.

For step 1, scoping announcements will be published during the week

of October 29, 1995 in the Juneau Empire and Sitka Daily Sentinel, and

copies of the announcement will be mailed to interested persons. This

announcement will describe the timing and location of the proposed

project and will request comments. It will also contain specific

information about the location and timing of public involvement

meetings. Scoping meetings will be held in Tenakee Springs, Angoon, and

Hoonah, Alaska in November 1995.

For step 2, the Interdisciplinary Team will review comments

received during the scoping period to determine issues which are

significant and within the scope of this project.

Step 3 will consider a range of alternatives developed to address

significant issues. One of these will be the ``No Action'' alternative,

in which there is no harvest or road building activity. Other

alternatives may consider various levels and locations of harvest and

regeneration in response to issues and non-timber objectives.

In step 4, the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of each

alternative will be analyzed and documented. In addition, site specific

mitigation measures for each alternative will be identified and their

effectiveness evaluated.

Public Participation Encouraged

In addition to commenting on the proposed action and the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement when it is released, agencies and other

interested persons or groups are invited to contact Forest Service

officials at any time during the planning process.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be filed

with the Environmental Protection Agency in June 1996. The comment

period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be 45 days from

the date the Environmental Protection Agency 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 alters 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 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 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 Environmental Impact Statement. Comments may also address the

adequacy of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement or the merits of

the alternatives formulated and discussed in the document. Reviewers

may wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations

for implementing the procedural provisions of the National

Environmental Policy Act, 40 CFR 1503.3, in addressing these points.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision is

expected to be released in December 1996. The Forest Supervisor for the

Chatham Area of the Tongass National Forest will, as the responsible

official for the environmental impact statement, make a decision

regarding this proposal considering the comments, responses,

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and environmental consequences discussed in the Final Environmental

Impact Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The

decision and supporting reasons will be documented in the Record of

Decision.

Gary A. Morrison,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 95-26985 Filed 10-31-95; 8:45 am]

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