Revised Land and Resource Management Plan; San Juan National Forest, Colorado

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Revised Land and Resource Management Plan; San Juan National

Forest, Colorado

AGENCY: USDA Forest Service.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

in conjunction with revision of the land and resource management plan

for the San Juan National Forest, located in Archuleta, Conejos,

Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, and San

Juan Counties, Colorado.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact

statement in conjunction with the revision of its Land and Resource

Management Plan (hereafter referred to as Forest Plan or Plan) for the

San Juan National Forest.

This notice describes the specific portions of the current Forest

Plan to be revised, environmental issues considered in the revision,

estimated dates for filing the environmental impact statement,

information concerning public and tribal participation, and the names

and addresses of the agency officials who can provide additional

information.

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

in writing by January 31, 2000. The agency expects to file a draft

environmental impact statement with the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) and make it available for public, agency, and tribal government

comment in the spring of 2001. A final environmental impact statement

is expected to be filed in the fall of 2002.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Thurman Wilson, Team Leader,

Forest Plan Revision Team, San Juan National Forest, 15 Burnett Court,

Durango, CO 81301.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thurman Wilson, Planning Team Leader,

(970) 385-1246.

Responsible Official: Lyle Laverty, Rocky Mountain Regional

Forester at P.O. Box 25127, Lakewood, CO 80225-0127.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Part 36 Code of Federal

Regulations (CFR) 219.10(g), the Regional Forester for the Rocky

Mountain Region gives notice of the agency's intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement for the revision effort described above.

According to 36 CFR 219.10(g), land and resource management plans are

ordinarily revised on a 10- to 15-year cycle. The existing Forest Plan

was approved on September 29, 1983, with a significant amendment on May

15, 1992.

The Regional Forester gives notice that the Forest is beginning an

environmental-analysis and decision-making process for this proposed

action

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so that interested or affected people can participate in the analysis

and contribute to the final decision.

Opportunities will be provided to discuss the Forest Plan revision

process openly with the public. The public is invited to help identify

issues and define the range of alternatives to be considered in the

environmental impact statement. Forest Service personnel and/or neutral

facilitators will lead these discussions, helping to describe issues

and the preliminary alternatives. They will also explain the

environmental analysis process and the disclosures of that analysis,

which will be available for public review. Written comments identifying

issues for analysis and the range of alternatives will be encouraged.

The United States has a unique legal relationship with Indian

tribal governments, as set forth in the Constitution of the United

States, treaties, statutes, Executive orders, and court decisions. As

part of the overall effort to uphold the federal trust responsibility

to tribal sovereign nations, the Forest Service will establish regular

and meaningful consultation and collaboration with tribal nations on a

government-to-government basis. The Forest Service will work with

tribal governments to address issues concerning Indian tribal self-

government and sovereignty, natural and cultural resources held in

trust, Indian tribal treaty and Executive order rights, and any issues

that significantly or uniquely affect their communities.

The public and tribal governments have already identified a number

of issues. Additional issue identification (scoping) and alternative-

development meetings will be held in early 2000. Specific dates, times,

and locations for the meetings will be posted on the San Juan National

Forest's web site: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/srnf/ and announced in

mailings to those on the forest plan revision mailing list. Requests to

be on the mailing list should be sent to: Forest Plan Revision Team,

San Juan National Forest, 15 Burnett Court, Durango, CO 81301.

Forest plans describe the intended management of National Forests.

Agency decisions in these plans do the following:

Establish multiple-use goals and objectives (36 CFR

219.11).

Establish forestwide management requirements (standards

and guidelines) to fulfill the requirements of 16 U.S.C. 1604 applying

to future activities (resource integration requirements, 36 CFR 219.13

to 219.27).

Establish management areas and management area direction

(management area prescriptions) applying to future activities in that

management area (resource integration and minimum specific management

requirements) 36 CFR 219.11(c).

Establish monitoring and evaluation requirements (36 CFR

219.11(d)).

Determine suitability and potential capability of lands

for resource production. This includes designation of suitable

timberland and establishment of allowable timber sale quantity (36 CFR

219.14 through 219.26).

Where applicable, recommend designations of special areas

such as Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers to Congress.

The authorization of project-level activities on the Forest occurs

through project decisionmaking, the second stage of forest land

management planning. Project-level decisions must comply with National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures and must include a

determination that the project is consistent with the Forest Plan.

In addition to the programmatic decisions described above, the

Forest is considering:

Making site-specific decisions on travel management

through identification of specific management for individual roads and

trails, and

Analyzing currently vacant range allotments for potential

closures.

Any site-specific decisions made from the analysis in the Forest

Plan would be in a separate decision document and the responsible

official would be the Forest Supervisor.

Need for Changes in the Current Forest Plan

It's been approximately fifteen years since the current Forest Plan

was approved and almost seven years since the completion of a

significant amendment. Experience and monitoring have shown the need

for changes in management direction for some resources or programs.

Several sources have highlighted needed changes in the current Forest

Plan. These sources include:

Public involvement that has identified new information and

public values.

Tribal government involvement that has identified new

information and American Indian values.

Monitoring and scientific research that have identified

new information and knowledge gained.

Implementation of the current Forest Plan, which has

identified management concerns to find better ways for accomplishing

desired conditions.

Changes in law, regulations, and policies.

Major Revision Topics

Based on the information sources identified above, the combined

effect on the needed changes demands attention through plan revision.

The revision topics that have been identified so far are described

below.

Biological Diversity

How should ecosystems comprising the San Juan National Forest be

managed in order to ensure biological diversity, long-term

productivity, and ecosystems health? Humans and human activity are

integral parts of ecosystems and will be considered in the analysis of

this topics.

Questions To Address

How should the full variety of life in an area including

the ecosystems, plants, and animal communities' species and genes, and

the processes through which organisms interact with one another and

their environment be maintained?

Should the forest be managed within the historical range

of variability for characteristics such as fire size and frequency,

size and distribution of openings and mix of plants and animals?

Is the relative health and vigor of vegetation declining

compared to historic levels? If so, should anything be done?

Have ponderosa pine and mixed conifer stands changed

significantly in proportion of species, tree size, and ecosystems

processes?

Is there a desired condition of the forest that management

activities should focus on attaining?

Are some species, such as cottonwood and aspen, declining

significantly?

Are there ways to affect forest health in areas with steep

slopes or isolated areas?

How much of the forest should be maintained in old-growth

conditions and how should it be distributed in time and space?

Are large, relatively undisturbed areas needed to provide

adequate habitat for some species? If so, how large should they be and

what conditions are needed? What human activities would be appropriate?

Should reserves, core areas, and corridors be provided for wildlife? If

so, what size, shape, and distribution are needed?

Are some types of ecosystems found on the San Juan

National Forest at risk of not being maintained over time?

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What threatened, endangered, and sensitive species are

found on the San Juan National Forest?

What management direction is needed to preserve viable

populations of these species? What are the effects of activities such

as timber harvesting, grazing, mining, and recreation on threatened,

endangered, and sensitive species?

What role should non-native species play in the San Juan's

ecosystems? How is the spread of noxious weeds affected by activities

such as road construction and use, livestock grazing, timber harvest,

mineral development, fire, recreation, and hunting? What should be done

about noxious weeds or other non-desired, non-native species?

What management direction is needed to identify, protect,

and make available the traditional forest plant and animal products

that Native American people expect through exercising their treaty

rights, or rights provided to them through Executive order? How do

various activities occurring on the National Forest, such as prescribed

fire, noxious-weed elimination, logging, grazing, recreation, road

construction, mining, and oil and gas extraction, affect the

availability of traditional forest products?

Timber Management

How should forested areas of the San Juan National Forest be

managed to maintain or improve ecological conditions with providing a

sustainable and predictable supply of wood products? Developing a

balance between cutting and removing trees to provide raw materials for

wood products and protecting a wide variety of other resource values is

critical. People's needs for wood products, other uses of the forest,

and the ecological well being of the forest must all be considered.

Questions To Address

What lands are suitable for timber harvesting? How much

should be cut? Can the Forest Service ensure a predictable supply of

timber for use? What logging methods should be use? What tree species

and sizes should be cut? Should old-growth forests be harvested?

How should timber harvesting be balanced with other

considerations, such as scenery, heritage resources, water quality,

soil productivity, wildlife and fisheries habitat, biological

diversity, and ecosystem health (composition, structure, and function)

and sustainability? What are the effects of logging and associated road

construction on these desired forest conditions and uses?

Should logging occur in unloaded areas?

Are new roads needed for harvesting? If so, to what

standards should they be built? Should roads be maintained or

obliterated after logging sue? Should logging roads be open or closed

to the general public?

What are the appropriate specifications and constraints

(standards and guidelines) for logging? What kinds of restoration

practices should occur after logging and road building?

What are the economic impacts (jobs and income) of timber

sales in the local community? Can the Forest Service offer timber sales

that are financially efficient (revenues exceed costs), financially

viable to prospective purchasers, and supportive of locally owned mills

and contractors?

Grazing

How should the San Juan National Forest's rangelands be managed to

maintain or improve ecological conditions, while providing a

sustainable supply of forage of both domestic and wild animals?

Allowing any opportunity for ranchers to graze their herds on the

forest for part of the year must be balanced with supplying habitat and

food or wild animals, maintaining water quality, safeguarding heritage

resources, allowing other uses, and preserving the ecological health of

the forest. The potential for change in the amount, timing, and

practices of National Forest grazing may effect private land

development, open space, and traditional lifestyles.

Questions To Address

What lands are capable and suitable for livestock grazing?

How much grazing should be allowed? What types of grazing systems and

practices should be used? Should these vary between wilderness and the

rest of the forest?

What are the appropriate specifications and constraints

(standards and guidelines) for grazing? What grazing activities and

levels are appropriate in riparian areas? What kinds of restoration

practices should accompanying grazing? What types of range improvements

are appropriate?

How should livestock grazing be balanced with other

desired forest conditions or uses, such as recreation, scenic quality,

heritage resources, water quality, wildlife and fisheries habitat,

timber management, and ecosystem health and sustainability? What are

the effects of grazing on other uses of the forest?

What are the relationships between domestic livestock and

elk and deer? How should forage be allocated between them? What are the

relationships between livestock grazing and the southwest willow

flycatcher? Should domestic sheep be excluded from areas to reduce the

likelihood of spreading diseases to wild sheep?

What types of vegetation should grazing lands be managed

to produce or maintain? What are the effects of grazing on the spread

of noxious weeds? How can noxious weeds associated with grazing be

controlled? What are the relationships between livestock grazing and

fire? Has grazing altered the role of fire in the forest's ecosystems?

What are the economic impacts in the local community of

livestock grazing? Can the Forest Service provide grazing that is

financial efficient (revenues exceed costs) and financially viable to

ranchers and still maintain desirable conditions for other uses of the

San Juan National Forest?

What are the relationships between grazing on National

Forest and private lands? What are the potential impacts on open space

and private land development of changes in National Forest grazing

policies?

Minerals and Energy

How can ecological conditions and other uses of the forest be

balanced with providing mineral and energy products? Most of the forest

is available for (hard rock) mineral exploration and development under

the Mining Law of 1872, unless areas are specifically withdrawn. The

Forest Service needs to determine what areas are suitable and available

for oil and gas leasing and what stipulations should be placed on

exploration and development.

Questions To Address

What lands are suitable for oil and gas leasing? What

stipulations should be included in leases? What lands should be

withdrawn from mineral entry because of conflicts with other National

Forest uses?

What types of activities or practices are suitable? What

mitigation measures are needed? What kinds of restoration practices

should occur after mining and oil and gas exploration or development?

How should mineral and energy exploration and development

be balanced with other considerations, such as heritage resources,

aesthetics, water quality, wildlife and fisheries habitat, human

health, and ecosystem health and sustainability? What are the effects

of exploration, development, and associated road construction on other

uses of the forest?

[[Page 51507]]

What are the effects of mining and oil and gas activities

on people outside the local area?

What kind of direction is needed for recreational panning

or dredging?

What special considerations are needed in wilderness?

Is mining financial efficient (revenues exceed costs) for

the government? Can the Forest allow mining that is financially viable

to prospective purchasers? What are the economic impacts in the local

community of mining and oil and gas exploration and development?

Watershed

How can protecting watershed values, including soil resources, be

balanced with the need for activities that potentially disturb the

ground? What is the condition or riparian areas on the National Forest?

San Juan National Forest lands are important watersheds that contribute

greatly to both the quantity and quality of downstream water.

Questions To Address

How do various activities occurring on the forest affect

water quality and quantity, soil resources, and riparian areas?

What is the appropriate balance between watershed

protection and activities that can disturb the ground, such as road

construction, logging, fire, grazing, recreation use, mining, and oil

and gas extraction?

What are the appropriate specifications and constraints

(standards and guidelines) for activities that disturb the ground? What

kinds of mitigation measures are needed for these activities? What

kinds of restoration practices should occur after ground-disturbing

activities?

How can we identify our most valuable riparian resources?

How can we protect their integrity?

Are these areas of the forest, such as abandoned mines,

needing reclamation? If so, what should be done? What are the effects

of wildfires on watershed conditions? Are any special strategies needed

for the prevention or control of wildfires to protest watersheds?

Where is it appropriate to manage for consumptive uses

versus non-consumptive uses? To what extent should water development

occur on the San Juan National Forest?

What are the effects of water diversion on the ecosystem?

What are the effects of water storage (reservoirs, ponds, and water

tanks) on the ecosystem?

What is the importance of water produced from the San Juan

National Forest in surrounding and downstream communities, including

tribal communities?

Wildlife

How can the habitat needs of a wide spectrum of fish and animals be

balanced with a variety of other forest uses? National Forest lands are

important habitat for many types of wildlife and fish, including some

threatened, endangered, or sensitive species. The National Forest

habitat is becoming increasingly important due to loss of habitat on

private lands. Fish and wildlife, and their habitat, are affected by a

variety of forest uses, such as timber harvesting, grazing, and

recreation, and by natural events, such as wildfire.

Questions To Address

How do various activities occurring on the National

Forest, such as logging, grazing, and prescribed fire, affect wildlife

and fish habitats? What is the appropriate balance between providing

adequate habitats and allowing activities that can affect habitats,

such as road construction, logging, fire, grazing, recreation, mining,

and oil and gas extraction?

What are the appropriate specifications and constraints

(standards and guidelines) for activities that affect habitat? What

kinds of mitigation measures are needed for activities that affect

habitat? What kinds of restoration practices should occur after

habitat-disturbing activities?

What is the connection between forest and private land in

providing habitat and migration corridors? What are the implications of

private land development for management of National Forest lands? What

kinds of cooperation are needed between the Forest Service, other

agencies, and private landowners to maintain adequate habitat?

How do wildlife affect the ecosystem? Should anything be

done to affect population sizes?

What areas are important for big-game winter range? How

should they be managed? How is winter range changing? What areas are

used as wildlife migration routes? How should these areas be managed?

What are the implications of increased development of private lands on

big-game winter range and migration corridors?

How should neotropical birds habitat be managed and

monitored? Do National Forest activities affect neotropical birds?

How should conflicts between different species be handled

(for example, rainbow versus Colorado River cutthroat trout)?

How should roads be managed to maintain or improve

wildlife and fish habitat? How does burning logging slash affect

wildlife habitat?

Should portions of the forest be closed to hunting, either

to maintain a sanctuary for wildlife or to reduce conflicts with other

recreations?

Should non-native species (for examples, ruffed grouse and

rainbow trout) be stocked on the forest?

Should predator species be protected?

Do wildlife-harassing dogs pose a significant problem? If

so, what should be done about it?

Are any changes needed in water rights to protect or

enhance fisheries?

Should fish stocking take place in wilderness, especially

pristine areas? If so, how?

What is the connection between tourism and wildlife and

fish? What are the economic impacts to wildlife and fish?

What is the role of education in solving human-wildlife

conflicts'?

Fire

How should the Forest Service react to natural wildfires and what

types of prescribed (controlled) fires should be initiated? The role of

fire in the ecosystem has changed over the past century. The Forest

Service's attitudes about fire have been changing over the last decade.

Whereas in the past, fire was considered an undesirable occurrence to

be controlled, it is now increasingly seen as having a natural role in

the ecosystem which management can seek to emulate or guide.

Questions To Address

What was the historic role of fire in the forest's

ecosystem? How has that changed? What effect has changes in fire

occurrence had on the composition, structure, and functions of the San

Juan National Forest's ecosystems? Should anything be done to adjust

for these changes?

Can a mix of logging and fire be used to maintain and

restore ecosystem conditions? Can fire be used as a tool to establish a

desired structure and composition of vegetation? How much fire is

appropriate? What conditions are needed for successful prescribed

burning?

What are the relationships between:

--Fire, insects, and disease?

--Grazing and fire?

--Thinning trees, slash burning, and wildfire potential?

[[Page 51508]]

How does fire affect air quality, soil stability and

productivity, water quality, threatened, endangered, or sensitive plant

and animal species, heritage resources, and other forest resources?

Should anything be done to reduce the potential for large

wildfires? What kinds of wildfire suppression or control strategies

should be used? How aggressively should fires be fought?

What level of expense is appropriate for fire suppression? Is fire

suppression economically efficient?

How should National Forest lands near private land

development be managed in regard to fire risks? What kind of

cooperation is needed between the Forest Service, other agencies,

private landowners, and the public? What kind of access is needed for

fire protection?

What areas and timeframes are most appropriate for using

prescribed fire? What specific techniques are most appropriate for

prescribed fire? What should be done to prepare an area before

prescribed fire?

How does smoke from prescribed fires affect tourism?

How can the San Juan National Forest best work with the

public to implement an effective fire management program?

Heritage Resources

How can heritage resources best be protected? Heritage resources

provide a major source of public education, recreation, and cultural

identity in this country. Nine concentrations of very unique and

significant archaeological regions exist among thousands of cultural

resources located Forestwide. Five of the nine concentration areas are

already designated as archaeological districts listed on the National

Register of Historic Places. The remaining four areas are proposed

additions to the already existing National Register districts. Only two

of the nine areas are managed to emphasize the preservation or

conservation of the individual cultural properties and the surrounding

landscape, whereas the other seven areas are managed to emphasize other

resources.

Questions To Address

Should the landscape containing cultural resource

properties defining an archaeological district that is eligible for, or

already listed on, the National Register of Historic Places be

designated as a heritage area with a land management prescription that

emphasizes the properties' unique and nonrenewable character?

What is the appropriate balance between providing for site

preservation or conservation and recreational enjoyment, and allowing

other activities that can affect the use of the cultural site and its

setting, such as logging, fire, mining, oil and gas extraction,

grazing, and dispersed recreation? What are the appropriate

specifications, and constraints (standard and guidelines) for

activities affecting cultural properties and their setting?

Should each of the nine heritage areas share one common

land management prescription, or should there be greater flexibility in

these prescription to facilitate management of other resource types and

use types?

Does heritage-area designation increase the risk of loss

of cultural materials from these nine cultural landscapes?

What kinds of cooperation are needed between the Forest

Service, the tribes, other agencies, and private individuals to protect

these areas?

Since each of the proposed heritage areas is defined by

resources that are prehistoric Native American, what kinds of social

values need to be emphasized at each of the nine heritage areas? If

there are conflicting values to be managed at specific sites or areas,

how do conflicts in multiple cultural values get resolved?

If the heritage areas are identified as appropriate for

meeting heritage tourism goals, what types of recreational and

interpretive opportunities or experiences should be developed at the

heritage areas? Should fees be charged for the recreational use of

heritage areas?

Recreation

What levels of various types of recreation can be maintained while

sustaining a healthy and diverse ecosystem? How can wildness be

provided to sustain the human need for solitude, retreat, and renewal?

Although uses of the San Juan National Forest have historically

emphasized commodity activities, recent social, economic, and

demographic transformations have significantly increased the demand for

recreational uses.

Questions To Address

What mix and emphasis of recreation opportunities on the

National Forest accommodates a wide variety of users while ensuring

resource protection? What areas are appropriate for various recreation

uses?

What is the carrying capacity of the forest? How much

recreation use can be sustained from both an ecological standpoint and

a visitor enjoyment perspective? Do any limits need to be placed on

certain areas or types or use? Should fees be charged for recreation

use?

How do various recreation uses affect each other,

ecosystems, and other forest uses?

What are appropriate levels of use for different kinds of

recreation activities? How must of available capacity for each type of

recreation should be allocated to commercial (outfitter-guides), and

institutional users versus individual users?

What should the Forest Service do to interpret recreation,

as well as other resources and opportunities?

How can National Forest and private sector recreation opportunities

best fit with each other?

How should major recreation corridors like the Dolores River, West

Dolores River, Lone Dome, Highway 550, and the designated All-American

Road, the San Juan Skyway, be managed? What kinds of opportunities do

we want to provide there?

What are appropriate development levels for campgrounds,

picnic areas, trailheads, etc.? How many facilities (campgrounds, road,

etc.) can be maintained under reasonable budget expectations?

How can quality and quantity of recreation experiences be

balanced?

What are the impacts of demographic changes and new and

future technologies on recreation?

How accessible is the forest and how accessible should it

be? How should facilities be upgraded to accommodate all users

(including disabled)?

Should potentially conflicting recreation uses, such as

mountain biking and horse riding, occur in the same areas or be

segregated?

Should hunting be allowed everywhere or should it be

restricted?

What are recreation's economic impacts on local economies?

How much opportunity for backcountry recreation should be

provided outside wilderness?

What are the effects of motorized use in the backcountry

and how much is appropriate?

What are the effects of dogs in the backcountry and

wilderness? Should they be restricted?

What is the role of education in resolving recreation and

wilderness problems?

How can recreation opportunities be provided in a way that

limits conflicts with heritage resources?

Travel Management

What degree and types of access should be developed through the

trail

[[Page 51509]]

and road system of the San Juan National Forest, and how can travel

conflicts be minimized? Under what conditions should motorized travel

be allowed off of existing road and trails? What are the effects of

various means of travel on wildlife and erosion? Increasing

recreational use has resulted in more travel by diverse user groups.

Education needed by users is also part of this issue.

While no single solution will fit the entire National Forest, some

travel areas may be shared by mixed uses, while other uses because of

their unique impacts, may need to be separated. Human activities can

impact wildlife corridors and habitats.

Questions To Address

What are the appropriate methods of travel for each part

of the forest? Should some methods of travel be segregated?

Should any areas (as opposed to roads and trails) have

travel restrictions? Should weather affect travel restrictions?

What are the implications of rapidly changing technology

for travel management?

Can a travel management policy be developed that is

understandable and enforceable? Can better travel maps be produced? How

should the Forest Service designate allowable travel methods and inform

the public?

How do various methods of travel affect the forest's

ecosystems? How do various methods of travel affect other forest

visitors?

How do methods of travel affect the spread of noxious

weeds?

Are there any pack animals (horses, mules, pack goats,

llamas) that aren't appropriate uses in the forest?

To what levels or standards should roads and trails be

maintained? How can roads and trails be maintained to an adequate level

with declining budgets and fewer timber sales that include road

maintenance by the purchaser?

What can be done about road damage during hunting seasons?

Are ATV's causing conflicts, especially during hunting

seasons?

How much access to the forest is needed, and what types?

How should the Forest Service deal with increased pressure to access

private inholdings? How can the increasing demands for access to remote

sites for electronic sites be best addressed?

Can some balance be found between people wanting to plow

snow from roads to their property (within the National Forest) and

people wanting to ski and snowmobile on those roads?

How can the Forest Service provide a wide range of

recreational opportunities to people that are physically restricted

from traveling far other than by motorized means?

How many roads does the forest need? What is the

appropriate road density? What are the appropriate road standards? How

many areas should have unroaded versus roaded characteristics?

Should any existing roads or trails be closed (permanently

or seasonally)? Should any existing roads or trails be obliterated?

What rationale should be used in making these determinations?

How should roads and trails be managed? What are the

effects of roads and trails on fish and wildlife, soil and water,

heritage resources, recreation, and other forest resources?

How do the Forest Service's travel management policies

affect private property within the forest boundary?

How much signing should be provided and what types?

Scenery

How can scenic attributes guide the appropriate and sensitive

management of the San Juan National Forest? Everyone experiences forest

lands in a visual sense. For some people the San Juan National Forest

is a scenic backdrop to daily, community life. It is part of most local

residents' and visitors' quality of life. It is also the reason that

many have sought residence in the area. For some, visual indications

are evidence of either a dynamic, healthy ecosystem, or of an

overworked, overused landscape.

Questions To Address

What human activities and natural events affect scenic

quality? Which are short-term versus long-term impacts? How much weight

should be given to short-term versus long-term effects?

How does scenic quality change naturally over time? What

ecosystem dynamics affect it? Does this have any management

implications?

What is the relationship between air quality and scenic

quality? What is the role of fire in this relationship? Should the

Forest Service have a role in setting air-quality guidelines?

How can scenic and cultural attractions, such as historic

mines, cabins, and cultural sites, be preserved?

Should scenic quality be maintained or enhanced,

especially along major travel routes and the designated scenic byway?

If so, where and how?

What is the appropriate amount and type of signing? Should

it vary depending on an area's management emphasis?

Should some activities have buffer zones around them so

that they are visually less evident?

How can littering and trash be controlled in the forest?

How does timber harvesting and slash treatment affect

scenic quality? What types of timber harvesting and slash treatment are

best from a visual standpoint?

Stewardship, Volunteerism, and Education

What is the role of stewardship, volunteerism, and education in

managing public lands? This issue is woven throughout most of the other

issues and considerations. Increasingly, community members and groups

are interested and involved in voluntary, forest-stewardship

opportunities. Public education has also been suggested as a means of

improving the management of ecosystem resources, through increased

awareness of impacts and reduction in conflicting uses. Volunteerism

reinforces the small-town community ethic, gives people ownership in

the forest, and is becoming an essential way of achieving community

resource-conservation objectives.

Questions To Address

What is sustainable stewardship?

What is the role of partnerships in forest management?

How can people feel more ownership in the forest?

What can people do to help the forest?

Can local people be educational links between the forest

and tourists?

What is the role of volunteers in forest management?

What role should the forest play in environmental

education?

Should the National Forest have environmental education

centers or other facilities?

What are the implications of the demographic shift from a

rural to an increasingly urban society on environmental education?

What kinds of interpretive signing are needed:

Can signs be used to help protect fragile resources?

What types of conflict management or resolution are needed

to build long-term positive relationships?

Social Values

What is the appropriate balance between various uses of the

National Forest? People value the San Juan for a variety of reasons,

including as a scenic backdrop, a place to recreate and to find

spiritual renewal, and as a source of livelihood.

[[Page 51510]]

Questions To Address

How can the local quality of life best be sustained?

How can the cultural relationships people have with the

forest best be sustained?

How can traditional cultural places and sacred sites

important to Native Americans best be identified and managed?

What role should the Forest Service have in addressing

social issues that are community and regional in scope (for example,

affordable housing and the homeless)?

How responsive should the Forest Service be to the social,

political, and economic environment of this region? What is the

appropriate balance between National and more local interests?

How should the Forest Service work with state and local

governments in addressing local social problems?

Can the Forest Service provide a stable management

program?

What role does the San Juan NF play in the local economy?

Sense of Place

How should unique or special areas of the San Juan National Forest

be designated and managed, and how should their outstanding values be

preserved for future generations?

Questions To Address

How should areas that are currently unroaded and

undeveloped be managed in the future?

What areas should be recommended for addition to the

National Wilderness Preservation system?

What additional areas should be given a scenic byway

designation?

What areas are eligible for inclusion in the National Wild

and Scenic Rivers?

What kinds of designations should be applied to special

and unique areas of the forest?

What special management considerations apply to urban

interface areas?

Which, if any, additional areas should be considered for

Research Natural Area (RNA) status?

How should the newly designated Piedra Special Area be

managed?

Does the Purgatory Ski Area prescription need boundary

adjustments?

Should the Wolf Creek Ski Area boundary be adjusted to

include lands within the San Juan National Forest?

How should lands designated as potential ski areas in the

current Forest Plan be managed with the Wolf Creek Valley and East Fork

areas no longer proposed for ski area development?

What To Do With This Information

This revision effort is being undertaken to develop management

direction to:

Provide goods and services to people, and

Sustain ecosystem functions.

The Forest Plan revision for the San Juan National Forest will be

done using a concept that has locally been labeled ``community-

ecosystem stewardship'' and is more broadly known as ``collaborative

stewardship.'' Community-ecosystem stewardship is a style of land

management characterized by:

Sharing power and accepting mutual responsibility.

Sustaining long-term interdependencies of communities,

economies, public lands, and cultures.

Facilitating an appropriate integration of desired

community and ecological futures.

Integrating scientific information with community

knowledge.

Adapting to the future based on past experiences.

Framework for Alternatives To Be Considered

A range of alternatives will be considered when revising the Forest

Plan. The alternatives will address different options to resolve

concerns raised as the revision topics listed above. A reasonable range

of alternatives will be evaluated and reasons given for eliminating

some alternatives from detailed study. A ``no-action alternative'' is

required, meaning that management would continue under the existing

Plan. Alternatives will provide different ways to address and respond

to public issues, management concerns, and resource opportunities

identified during the scoping process. In describing alternatives,

desired vegetation and resource conditions will be defined. Resource

outputs will be estimated in the Forest Plan based on achieving desired

conditions. Preliminary information is available to develop

alternatives; however, there will be additional public, agency, and

tribal government involvement and collaboration for alternative

development.

Consulting and Collaborating With Tribal Governments

The Forest Service will establish regular and meaningful

consultation and collaboration with tribal nations on a government-to-

government basis. The Forest Service will work with tribal governments

to address issues concerning Indian tribal self-government and

sovereignty, natural and cultural resources held in trust, Indian

tribal treaty and Executive order rights, and any issues that

significantly or uniquely affect their communities. Correspondence,

meetings, and field trips will be used in this effort. The Forest

Service hopes to assemble a group composed of tribal representatives to

also work in a collaborative manner.

Involving the Public

An atmosphere of openness is one of the objectives of the public-

involvement process, in which all members of the public feel free to

share information with the Forest Service regularly. All parts of this

process will be structured to maintain this openness.

The Forest Service is seeking information, comments, and assistance

from individuals, organizations, tribal governments, and federal,

state, and local agencies who are interested in or may be affected by

the proposed action (36 CFR 219.6). The Forest Service is also looking

for collaborative approaches with members of the public who are

interested in forest management. Federal and state agencies and some

private organizations have been cooperating in the development of

assessments of current biological, physical, and economic conditions.

This information will be used to prepare the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS). The range of alternatives to be considered in the

DEIS will be based on public issues, management concerns, resource

management opportunities, and specific decisions to be made.

Public participation will be solicited by notifying in person and/

or by mail known interested and affected publics. News releases will be

used to give the public general notice, and public-scoping

opportunities will be offered in numerous locations. Public-

participation activities will include (but will not be limited to)

requests for written comments, open houses, focus groups, field trips,

and collaborative forums.

Public participation will be sought throughout the revision process

and will be especially important at several points along the way. The

first formal opportunity to comment is during the scoping process (40

CFR 1501.7). Scoping includes (1) identifying potential issues, (2)

from these, identifying significant issues or those that have been

covered by prior environmental review, (3) exploring alternatives in

addition to No Action, and (4) identifying the potential environmental

effects of the proposed action and alternatives.

[[Page 51511]]

Release and Review of the EIS

We expect the DEIS to be filed with the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) and to be available for public, agency, and tribal

government comment in the spring of 2001. At that time, the EPA will

publish a notice of availability for the DEIS in the Federal Register.

The comment period on the DEIS will be 90 days from the date the EPA

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

the DEIS must participate in the environmental review of the proposal

in such a way that their participation 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 DEIS stage but are

not raised until after completion of the Final Environmental Impact

Statement (FEIS) 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

three-month 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 FEIS.

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

and concerns relating to the proposed actions, comments on the DEIS

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 DEIS or the merits of the alternatives

formulated and discussed in the statements. In addressing these points,

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.

After the comment period on the DEIS ends, comments will be

analyzed, considered, and responded to by the Forest Service in

preparing the Final EIS. The FEIS is scheduled to be completed in the

summer of 2002. The responsible official will consider the comments,

responses, environmental consequences discussed in the FEIS, and

applicable laws, regulations and policies in making decisions regarding

these revisions. The responsible official will document the decisions

and reasons for the decisions in a Record of Decision for the revised

Plan. The decision will be subject to appeal in accordance with 36 CFR

217.

Dated: September 15, 1999.

Lyle Laverty,

Regional Forester, Rocky Mountain Region, USDA Forest Service.

[FR Doc. 99-24758 Filed 9-22-99; 8:45 am]

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