Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort Master Development Plan, Wasatch- Cache National Forest, Salt Lake Ranger District, Salt Lake County, Utah and Uinta National Forest, Pleasant Grove Ranger District, Utah County, Utah

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort Master Development Plan, Wasatch-

Cache National Forest, Salt Lake Ranger District, Salt Lake County,

Utah and Uinta National Forest, Pleasant Grove Ranger District, Utah

County, Utah

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact

statement on Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort's proposed master

development plan.

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

in writing by June 16, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Michael Sieg, District Ranger, 6944

South 3000 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rob Cruz, District Environmental

Coordinator, (801) 943-9483.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, a ``Special

Use Permit'' permittee is proposing to update its master plan. Much of

the resort's permitted boundary lies on National Forest System Land.

This proposal includes elements on both public and private lands.

Public land elements include the following: upgrade the Big Emma NASTAR

course; regrade and asphalt the Gad Valley parking lot; construct a new

day lodge facility in the lower Gad Valley; upgrade the skier services

facilities on Hidden Peak with a multi-use structure; add additional

snowmaking capacity which would be completed in three phases and total

approximately 110 acres; construct a new Gad III Chairlift; upgrade the

Little Cloud Chairlift to a fixed-grip quad; implement a vegetation

management plan; regrade portions of the following ski trails: Middle

Bassackwards, Madam Annie, ski access to upper Big Emma, Upper

Regulator intermediate route, Big Emma creek crossing, and Modify the

Blackjack Road: construct the following summer trails: Extension to the

barrier-free trail; trails that would augment existing trails on both

sides of Hidden Peak; construct an access road to the top station of

the Gad III lift; construct ski trails associated with the God III

chairlift; improve skier access from Hidden Peak into Peruvian Gulch

and Mineral Basin.

The following private land elements are also included in this

proposal; construct a quad lift and fixed-grip double in Mineral Basin;

develop, improve or maintain the following trails and roads: Chips

Switchback; Lower Men's Downhill Chute; South Ridge widening; construct

new ski trails in Mineral Basin; a snowcat route from the top of Little

Cloud lift down into Mineral Basin; Mineral Basin access tunnel/road;

alter a rock chute in Mineral Basin and install three avalauncher

platforms in Mineral Basin. Associated with the Mineral Basin

expansion, the special use permit would be expanded to include portions

of the Uinta National Forest. A complete description of the proposal

and its elements is available from the Salt Lake Ranger District.

In addition to obtaining a new Ski Area Term Special Use Permit

from the Forest Service, Snowbird may also be required to obtain a

Department of Army 404 permit from the Army Corps of Engineers and

consult with the Environmental Protection Agency. They may also be

required to obtain an amendment of water supply permit agreement from

Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities.

A scoping document will be sent to over 750 individuals,

organizations and government agencies on May 16, 1997, explaining the

decision to conduct an environmental impact statement, and soliciting

comments. Comments received from scoping documents on Snowbird's Three

and Five-year plans will be included in this analysis. Two public

meetings will be held during the scoping period: June 2, 1997 at the

Hampton Inn (10690 South, 160 West) in Sandy, Utah, and June 3, at the

Lehi Public Library, 120 Center Street, Lehi, Utah. Both meetings will

run from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Preliminary issues identified by the

Forest Service interdisciplinary team include effects on visual

quality, effects on wetland and riparian areas, effects on water

quality and quantity, effects on vegetation diversity, effects on fish

and wildlife, effects on traffic and parking in Little Cottonwood

Canyon, recreational conflicts and effects on threatened, endangered

and sensitive species. Two preliminary alternatives have been

identified. The proposed action alternative would permit the

aforementioned projects and require Snowbird to convert to a new Ski

Area Term Special Use Permit. The No Action alternative would continue

the use as currently permitted with no new facilities.

The public is invited to submit comments or suggestions to the

address above. Comments received from individuals, groups and

government agencies received from the September 1993 and May 1995

scoping documents will be incorporated into this analysis. The

responsible officials are Bernie Weingardt and Peter Karp, Forest

Supervisors. A draft EIS is anticipated to be filed in May 1998 and the

final EIS filed in November 1998.

The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will

be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency's

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notice of availability appears in the Federal Register. It is very

important that those interested in this proposed action participate at

that time. To be the most helpful, comments on the draft environmental

impact statement should be as specific as possible and may address the

adequacy of the statements or the merits of the alternatives discussed

(see The 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 reviewers' position and

contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,

533 (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). 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: May 8, 1997.

Michael Sieg,

District Ranger.

[FR Doc. 97-12851 Filed 5-15-97; 8:45 am]

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