First Creek Basin Restoration Project, Wenatchee National Forest, Chelan County, WA

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

First Creek Basin Restoration Project, Wenatchee National Forest,

Chelan County, WA

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service, USDA, will prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) to analyze and disclose the environmental impacts of a

site-specific proposal for the First Creek Basin Restoration Project.

The proposed action is partially located within the original Slide

Ridge Roadless Area, approximately 15 miles northwest of the town of

Chelan, in the First Creek, Baldy, and Granite Falls Creek drainages on

the Chelan Ranger District of the Wenatchee National Forest. The

purpose of the EIS will be to develop and evaluate a range of

alternatives for ecosystem restoration activities within the First

Creek Basin. Alternatives may include fuel reduction activities,

seeding, reforestation, slope stabilization, wildlife habitat

restoration, stream channel stabilization, timber harvest, road/trail

construction, and road/trail obliteration.

The alternatives will include a no action alternative, and at least

one alternative that maintains the unroaded character of the proposed

project area. Other alternatives will be designed to respond to

relevant issues. The proposed project will be consistent with direction

given in the Wenatchee National Forest Land and Resource Management

Plan, as amended by the April 13, 1994, Record of Decision for

Amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Planning

Documents Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl. This Forest

Service proposal is scheduled for implementation in 1995-1997. The

agency invites written comments on the scope of this project. In

addition, the agency gives notice of this analysis so that interested

and affected people are aware of how they may participate and

contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope and implementation of this

proposal must be received by April 28, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions concerning the scope

of the analysis to Al Murphy, District Ranger, Chelan Ranger District,

PO Box 189, Chelan, Washington 98816.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions and comments about this EIS should be directed to Lisa Gowe

or John Lampereur, Interdisciplinary Team Leaders, Chelan Ranger

District, PO Box 189, Chelan, Washington 98816; phone 509-682-2576.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the summer of 1994, part of the 135,000

acre Tyee Complex wildfire burned through the analysis area, leaving

[[Page 14419]] thousands of acres of intensely-burned vegetation,

altered soils, and increased fuel loads. The slopes in the area are

steep and subject to severe erosion. This analysis was initiated to

identify treatments that will lessen long-term losses in productivity

and increase the rate of recovery of the ecosystems in the area. The

analysis area is approximately 14,210 acres in size. About 280 acres of

the area are unoccupied spotted owl habitat, with approximately 100

acres of this habitat being within a Late Successional Reserve. In

addition, about 6,400 acres of the analysis area is unroaded.

The proposed action is to treat: (1) Approximately 4,700 acres in

the ponderosa pine zone; (2) approximately 1,600 acres in the mesic

Douglas-fir zone; and (3) approximately 340 acres in the high elevation

zone. Treatments will be made through a combination of activities

including: fuel disposal through the use of prescribed fire; harvest of

dead and damaged trees; thinning; and slope stabilization. This

proposal will include helicopter yarding as the preferred method of

tree removal, but may require the construction of approximately 3 miles

of temporary access roads. A transportation plan for the unroaded

portion of the project area would also be developed.

To date, the following key issues have been identified:

Roadless Area management

Late Successional Reserves

Public safety and property

Economics

Cultural resources

Control of noxious weeds

Channel protection/restoration

Access management

Forest fuel management

Scenic quality

Recreation opportunities

Wildlife habitat

Revegetation

Water quality

Biodiversity/forest health

Fish/water/soil stability

The decision to be made through this analysis is where, how, and to

what extent should the various vegetation management, fuels reduction

and slope stabilization treatments be implemented within the First

Creek analysis area, and what roading, if any, should occur within the

currently unroaded area.

A range of alternatives will be considered, including a no action

alternative, and an alternative that maintains the unroaded character

of the area. Other alternatives will be developed in response to issues

received during scoping. All alternatives will need to respond to

specific conditions in the First Creek Basin.

Public participation will be especially important at several points

during the analysis. The Forest Service will be seeking information,

comments, and assistance from Federal, State, tribes, and local

agencies, as well as individuals or organizations who may be interested

in or affected by the proposed actions. This information will be used

in preparation of the draft EIS. The scoping process includes:

1. Identifying potential issues.

2. Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.

3. Eliminating non significant issues or those which have been

covered by a relevant previous environmental process.

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 draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for public review in June,

1995. At that time, copies of the draft EIS will be distributed to

interested and affected agencies, organizations, tribes, and members of

the public for their review and comment. EPA will publish a notice of

availability of the draft EIS in the Federal Register.

The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date

the EPA notice appears in the Federal Register. It is very important

that those interested in the management of the Wenatchee National

Forest participate at that time.

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 also helpful if comments refer to

specific pages or chapters of the draft EIS. Comments may also address

the adequacy 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 those points).

At this early stage, the Forest Service believes it is important to

give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public

participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of

a draft EIS 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 these court rulings, it is

very important that those interested in this proposed action

participate by the close of the 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.

The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in August 1995. In the

final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to comments and

responses received during the comment period that pertain to the

environmental consequences discussed in the draft EIS and applicable

laws, regulations, and policies considered in making the decision

regarding this proposal. Sonny O'Neal, Forest Supervisor, Wenatchee

National Forest, is the responsible official. As the responsible

official he will document the decision and reasons for the decision in

the Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest Service

appeal regulations (36 CFR 215).

Dated: March 9, 1995.

Mark Morris,

Administrative Officer.

[FR Doc. 95-6628 Filed 3-16-95; 8:45 am]

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