Southeast Galena Restoration, Malheur National Forest, Grant County, Oregon

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Southeast Galena Restoration, Malheur National Forest, Grant

County, Oregon

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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

statement (EIS) on a proposal to improve the ecosystem health within a

portion of the 127,000 acre Galena Watershed. The proposed restoration

activities will be in compliance with the 1990 Malheur National Forest

Land and Management Plan (Forest Plan), as amended, which provides

overall guidance for management of this area. Proposed restoration

activities are located on the Long Creek Ranger District within the

Galena Watershed. The watershed is located about 20 air miles northeast

of John Day, Oregon. Implementation of proposed restoration activities

are scheduled to begin in late fiscal year 2001. The Malheur National

Forest invites written comments and suggestions on the scope of the

analysis. The agency will give notice of the full environmental

analysis and decision making process on the proposal so interested and

affected members of the public may participate and contribute in the

final decision.

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

in writing by August 16, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and suggestions concerning the

management of this area to Douglas V. Robin, District Ranger, PO Box

849, John Day, Oregon 97845.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed project

and scope of analysis should be directed to: Michael Hutchins, Resource

Planner, PO Box 849, John Day, Oregon 97845, phone 541-575-3000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose and need for activities are,

one, improve the health, vigor, and resiliency of forest vegetation to

insects, disease, and wildfire. Two, reduce road related impacts,

specifically impacts to water quality, fish habitat, and wildlife

habitat. Three, improve riparian conditions in reaches of streams that

do not presently meet riparian management objectives (RMOs).

The proposed action includes a variety of activities to meet the

three purpose and need statements. One, improve stand conditions so

they are more resilient to insects, disease, and wildfire. Restoration

activities include prescribed fire to reduce excess fuel accumulations

and reducing stocking levels through thinning to reduce severity of

future wildfires. Another component of improving watershed health is

reducing existing noxious weed sites through manual, mechanical, and

chemical methods and reducing the potential for additional sites

becoming established. Two, reduce road related impacts to water

quality, fish habitat, and wildlife habitat. Specific actions include

closing or decommissioning roads excess to resource needs, especially

existing roads within sensitive areas such as riparian habitat

conservation areas (RHCAs). An access and travel management (ATM) plan

would be prepared to meet this action. Some roads may only need

seasonal closures during wet months if they are needed for resource

needs and do not cause adverse impacts to resources when they are open.

Three, improve riparian conditions in streams not meeting RMOs by

planting riparian vegetation and protecting plantings from browsing;

increasing large wood to deficient reaches (possibly with helicopters

and other equipment); performing instream activities such as installing

baffles, log weirs, culverts capable of passing fish; rehabilitating

key channels where flow regime has been modified by past activities;

and reintroducing fire to key RHCAs.

The Galena Watershed is comprised of about 127,000 acres, of which

about 10,200 acres are privately owned and about 4,000 acres are

administered by other Federal agencies. Of the 113,000 acres

administered by the Malheur National Forest, about 56,800 acres are

proposed to be analyzed for possible restoration activities by this

EIS. About 29,475 acres (52%) are in management area 1--general forest,

about 10,580 acres (19%) are in management area 4--big game winter

range maintenance, about 1,125 acres (2%) are in management area 7--

scenic area, about 1,900 acres (3%) are in management area 13--old

growth, about 1,730 acres (3%) are in management area 14--visual

corridors, about 2,900 acres (5%) are in management area 21--wildlife

emphasis with non-scheduled timber harvest, and about 9,090 acres (16%)

are within RHCAs. The Southeast Galena Restoration EIS will focus

restoration activities within the following subwatersheds: Davis/

Placer, Vinegar, Vincent, Little Boulder/Deerhorn, Tincup/Little Butte,

Butte, Granite Boulder, Beaver/Ruby (portion unburned by the Reed or

Summit Fires), Dry/Sunshine (portion on south side of Middle Fork John

Day River), and Coyote/Balance (portion on south side of MFJD River).

Preliminary issues identified will include effects on threatened,

endangered, and proposed species; riparian habitat conservation areas

(RHCAs); water quality; stand conditions (especially as they relate to

increased insect populations and fuel levels); roadless areas; road

densities; and forest wood products.

The scoping process will include: (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 previous

environmental analysis; (4) exploring additional alternatives; and (5)

identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed action and

alternatives (i.e. direct, indirect, and cumulative effects and

connected actions).

A full range of alternatives will be considered, including a no-

action alternative. The no-action alternative will serve as a baseline

for comparison of alternatives. This alternative will be no change from

the current management of the Forest and will be fully analyzed. The

proposed action will be considered and additional alternatives

developed around the proposed action to address significant issues

identified during the scoping and public involvement process. Issues

gathered may vary action alternatives in the number, location, and type

of project activities.

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Comments received in response to this notice, including the names

and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the

public record on this proposal and will be available to public

inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and

considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments will not have

standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR part 215 and

217. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d); any person may request

the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing

how the freedom of information act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality

should be aware that, under FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in

only limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The

Forest Service will inform the requester of the agency's decision

regarding the request for confidentiality, and where the request is

denied, the agency will return the submission and notify the requester

that the comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address

within a specified number of days.

Public meetings are anticipated to occur following issuance of the

draft EIS. Public meetings will be announced in the Malheur National

Forest's newspaper of record, the Blue Mountain Eagle.

The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from other

Federal, State, and Local agencies; Tribes; organizations; and

individuals who may be interested in or affected by the proposed

action. This input will be used in the preparation of the draft EIS.

Comments will be appreciated throughout the analysis process. The

draft EIS will be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

and is anticipated to be available for public review by June 2000. The

comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date of EPA's

Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. It is important that

those interested in the management of the Malheur National Forest

participate at that time.

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 EISs 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

completion of the final EIS, may be waived or dismissed by the courts.

City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F. 2d 1016, 1002 (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 important that those

interested in this proposed action participate by the close of the 45-

day comment period so 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.

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 these points).

After the 45 day comment period ends on the draft EIS, the comments

will be analyzed and considered by the Forest Service in preparing the

final EIS. The final EIS is scheduled to be completed by March 30,

2001. In the final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to

substantive comments received during the public comment period. The

responsible official, Acting Forest Supervisor, Bonnie Wood, will

consider in the comments, responses, environmental consequences

discussed in the EIS and applicable laws, regulations, and policies in

making a decision regarding this project. The responsible official will

document the Galena Watershed EIS decision and rational for the

decision in the Record of Decision (ROD). That decision will be subject

to review under Forest Service Appeal Regulations 36 CFR part 215.

Dated: July 8, 1999.

Bonnie Wood,

Acting Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 99-18019 Filed 7-14-99; 8:45 am]

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