Analysis of Veteran/Boulder Project Area, Black Hills National Forest, Spearfish/Nemo Ranger District, Lawrence and Meade Counties, SD

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Analysis of Veteran/Boulder Project Area, Black Hills National

Forest, Spearfish/Nemo Ranger District, Lawrence and Meade Counties, SD

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to 36 CFR 219.10(g), the District Ranger of the

Spearfish/Nemo Ranger District, Black Hills National Forest, gives

notice of the agency's intent to prepare an environmental impact

statement for the analysis of the Veteran/Boulder Project Area. The

responsible official for this project is John C. Twiss, Forest

Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to District Ranger, Spearfish/Nemo

Ranger District, Black Hills National Forest, 2014 N. Main, Spearfish,

SD 57783.

DATES: This project schedule is as follows: File Draft EIS--May 1998

File Final EIS and Record of Decision signature--August 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Seay, Project

Interdisciplinary Team Leader, 605-642-4622. Additional information,

such as maps, scoping summary and list of issues identified through the

scoping process can be obtained by written request to the Spearfish

Ranger District office, or by phone at the above address and phone

number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Timber harvest and associated activities

within the Veteran/Boulder Project Area (27,463 acres) is proposed by

the Spearfish/Nemo Ranger District. The 1997 Revised Land and Resource

Management Plan (Forest Plan), which guides management of the Black

Hills National Forest, identifies an allowable sale quantity (ASQ) of

timber volume and a desired future condition of the Forest that we are

trying to achieve sometime in the future. The planning team has

identified that there is a need, and opportunities exist, for

activities which would move the project area toward the Desired Future

Condition. Proposed activities include about 3700 acres of timber

harvest, 2000 acres of prescribed burning, 9 miles of new road

construction, 35 miles of road reconstruction, and about 65 miles of

roads to be closed to motor vehicles. The project is predicted to

generate about 15 million board feet of commercial timber and is

intended to emphasize big game habitat and production of timber. It

will also enhance hardwood stands and meadows to maintain diversity,

create additional forage for big game, and treat pine stands to improve

forest health.

This project area includes Beaver Park, an inventoried (RARE II)

roadless area. The Record of Decision (ROD) for the 1997 Forest Plan

did not recommend wilderness designation for Beaver Park, and placed

this area into 4 different management emphasis areas. The majority of

the area (2,637 acres) is to be managed for Backcountry Non-motorized

Recreation, and is not part of the landbase considered suitable for

timber harvest. Another 106 acres was placed into the Sturgis

Experimental Watershed, an area set aside for watershed research, and

is also not part of the suitable landbase. The remaining area was

placed into the landbase considered suitable for timber harvest; 1,795

acres are to be managed for Limited Motorized Use and Forest Production

Emphasis, and 571 acres are to be managed for Big Game Winter Range

Emphasis.

This proposal does include timber harvest and new road construction

within a portion of the former RARE II area, now to be managed for

Limited Motorized Use and Forest Product Emphasis. Most of the known

sites of mountain pine beetle infestations occurring within this

project area are located within this management emphasis area.

The EIS will analyze the Proposed Action, a No Action Alternative

and a third alternative that would not treat any area within the former

RARE II boundary, including areas infested with mountain pine beetles.

The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will

be a minimum of 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 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 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 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.

Dated: April 1, 1998.

J. Thomas Millard,

District Ranger.

[FR Doc. 98-9453 Filed 4-9-98; 8:45 am]

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