Gardin-Taco Ecosystem Restoration Projects, Colville National Forest, Pend Oreille and Stevens Counties, Washington

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Gardin-Taco Ecosystem Restoration Projects, Colville National

Forest, Pend Oreille and Stevens Counties, Washington

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 effects of

proposed restoration projects including commercial timber harvest, pre-

commercial thinning, prescribed fire, road construction, road

reconstruction, road closures, road obliterations, range improvements,

range allotment planning, and planting. All proposed projects are

located on National Forest System lands in the Tacoma, Cusick, and

Gardiner Creek watersheds of the Newport Ranger District. The proposal

is in compliance with the 1988 Colville National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan as amended by the Regional Forester's

amendments and the Inland Native Fish Strategy. These proposals are

tentatively planned for implementation in fiscal years 1999 through

2004. The proposed project area is approximately 25 miles northwest of

Newport, Washington.

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

no later than January 15, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments concerning the management of this area

to Robert L. Vaught, Forest Supervisor, 765 South Main, Colville, WA

99114, phone: 509-684-7000, fax: 509-684-7280 or to Dan Dallas,

District Ranger, 315 North Warren, Newport, WA 99156 (phone: 509-447-

7300; fax: 509-447-7301).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nancy Glines, Interdisciplinary Team Leader, 315 North Warren, Newport,

WA 99156 (phone: 509-447-7300, fax: 509-447-7301).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action includes commercial

timber harvest, pre-commercial thinning, prescribed fire, road

construction, road reconstruction, road closures, road obliteration,

range improvements, allotment management planning, and planting. This

project is not located in or adjacent to an inventoried roadless area.

Restoration of ecosystem function provides the underlying need for

the project. The purpose is to restore ecosystem function wherever

possible and to the greatest extent possible; to restore ecosystem form

where function cannot be restored at this time; and to reduce adverse

impacts where possible. When possible, we will accomplish these

objectives with a commercial timber sale.

This project was initiated in January 1998. The Forest Service

began the preparation of an environmental assessment including local

public. This initial scoping yielded the following preliminary issues:

roads and road management, noxious weeds, recreation use and U.S. Air

Force use of the area, livestock uses, and vegetation management near

streams.

The preliminary alternatives being considered are: (1) No action,

(2) accomplishing the purpose and need with prescribed fire as the only

tool, (3) accomplishing the purpose and need using all available tools,

(4) accomplishing the purpose and need with special emphasis on

minimizing the risk of the spread of noxious weeds, and with special

mitigation for recreation users, (5) accomplishing the purpose and need

while minimizing road construction, (6) accomplishing the purpose and

need with no new road construction.

The Draft EIS should be available in February or March 1999, and

the Final Environmental Impact Statement should be available in June or

July 1999.

The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will

be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency

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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 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 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 very 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 them 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 statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft

environmental impact statement 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 these points.

The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in June or July 1999. 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. The Responsible Official is Robert L. Vaught,

Forest Supervisor, 765 South Main, Colville, WA 99114, phone: 509-684-

7000, fax: 509-684-7280. 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 part 215.

Dated: December 14, 1998.

Robert L. Vaught,

Forest Supervisor, Colville National Forest.

[FR Doc. 98-34094 Filed 12-23-98; 8:45 am]

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