Cold Springs Project, Rocky Mountain Region, Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest, Albany County, WY and Converse County, WY

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) on a proposal to improve forest health by tree harvest,

and treatment of excess fuels to manage an increasing catastrophic

wildfire potential, and to accomplish other connected and/or related

action(s), including wildlife habitat improvement and improved access

development and travel management, within the Cold Springs analysis

area on the Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest in Albany and Converse

counties, Wyoming, which are now ripe for decision.

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, in cooperation with the State of Wyoming and other

federal agencies, a full environmental analysis of this proposal, an

alternative to it that will examine the effects of doing nothing, i.e.,

a ``no action'' alternative to the proposal, and other alternatives as

may be determined to be appropriate in order to analyze significant

issues that may surface during scoping and the initial public comment

period. Interested or affected persons may participate in, and

contribute to this analysis, and to the final decision. A public

meeting will be held in January, 1997 at the new Douglas Ranger

District Office at 2250 East Richards Avenue, Douglas, Wyoming on a

date and time to be determined. The purpose of this meeting is to

present, describe and discuss site-specific information about the

proposed action and the analysis area, and to provide an opportunity

for the public and agencies to ask questions and comment about issues

that should be considered in the analysis. Interested persons may

contact the District Ranger at the address or telephone number given

below after December 5, 1996, to learn the date and time.

The issues raised at this meeting and during the scoping phase of

the analysis will establish the scope of the environmental analysis and

help the responsible official develop a reasonable range of

alternatives to be considered. The Forest Service welcomes and will

consider all timely public or agency comments on this proposal.

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

scope of the analysis may be written or oral, and should be received by

February 3, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Malcolm Edwards, District Ranger,

Douglas Ranger District, 809 S. 9th Street, Douglas, Wyoming 82633.

Oral comments can be made by calling (307) 358-4690.

RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL: Jerry E. Schmidt, Forest Supervisor, Medicine

Bow/Routt National Forest, 2468 Jackson St., Laramie, Wyoming, 82070.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Steenson, Environmental

Coordinator, at (307) 358-4690.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposal for the Cold Springs project

includes individual tree harvest, by salvage and stand thinning, and

stand regeneration methods, of an estimated 8 mmbf (million board

feet), associated road construction and/or reconstruction over an

estimated at 9.0 miles, right(s)-of-way acquisition, fuels treatment,

wildlife habitat enhancements, and related actions. The tree harvest is

intended to promote a healthy forest stand condition, salvage dead and

dying trees that are accessible and useable, and provide commercial

wood products to industry, improve tree age class distribution and

increase the acres of young trees in the area, and benefit wildlife

species that use forest stands and non-forest areas in all successional

stages. The Cold Springs analysis area contains two(2) relatively large

land areas that are minimally-roaded by historic, two-track roads, and

have what may be described as a ``roadless character'', and are,

therefore, suitable for analysis in an EIS.

The decision to be made is whether, and by what means, to proceed

with tree harvest by timber sale(s), associated access and road

construction activities, stand regeneration and wildfire hazard

reduction, and other connected and related actions to achieve project

goals and objectives.

The Medicine Bow National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan

includes provisions for two(2) timber sales currently decided and/or

now in NEPA analysis in what has more recently become known as the Cold

Springs analysis area. These sales are the Box Elder (1997) and

Russell's Camp (1997) sales. The cumulative effects of these planned

sale offerings will be analyzed together with any other site-specific

proposals for tree removal by commercial sale offerings that may be

made a part of the pending Cold Springs environmental assessment.

The Forest Service currently manages the NFS lands within the

analysis area under ``Management Prescriptions 1A, 2A, 5B, 6B and 9A.''

The proposed action is consistent with the management standards and

guidelines, goals and objectives for these management areas and the

Medicine Bow National Forest Plan.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is expected to be

available after August, 1997; the Final Environmental Impact Statement

and Record of Decision after December, 1997.

A 60-day public comment period on the DEIS 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 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 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 stage, but are not

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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 rulings, it is important

that persons who are interested in this proposal participate by the

close of the 60-day comment period so that the Forest Service has all

substantive comments and objections available at a time when it can

meaningfully consider them, and can respond to them in the Final EIS.

To assist the responsible official in identifying and considering

issues about the proposed action, comments on the Draft EIS should be

specific to the analysis area and the actions considered. It is helpful

if comments reference specific chapters, sections and page numbers.

Comments may address the adequacy of the analysis documented in the

draft, or the merits of the alternatives formulated and discussed.

Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality

(CEQ) Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the

National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 1503.3) in addressing these

points. All comments made on a DEIS are regarded as public information.

Dated: November 25, 1996.

Jerry E. Schmidt,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 96-31501 Filed 12-11-96; 8:45 am]

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