# West Mountain North Project, Boise National Forest, Idaho > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A99-28846 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Notice - **Published:** November 4, 1999 - **Citation:** 64 FR 60158 ## Text DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service West Mountain North Project, Boise National Forest, Idaho AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare Environmental Impact Statement. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Cascade Range District of the Boise National Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for an integrated resource management project in the North Fork of the Payette River. The entire project area is within watersheds that drain directly into Cascade Reservoir or into the North Fork Payette River above Cascade Reservoir. The project area is located 12 miles northwest of Cascade, Idaho, and about 100 miles north of Boise, Idaho. The agency invites written comments and suggestions on the scope of the analysis. The agency also hereby gives notice of environmental analysis decisionmaking process that will occur on the proposal so interested and affected people are aware of how they may participate and contribute to the final decision. At this time, no public meetings to discuss the project are planned. Proposed Action: Four primary objectives have been identified to the project: (1) reduce current and future stand susceptibility to western spruce budworm; (2) improve long-term stand growth to or near levels indicative of healthy, sustainable forests; (3) implement the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Plan by reducing by 30 percent the total phosphorus delivery from existing sources within the project area, and resulting in an no net increase of total phosphorus from proposed activities; and; (4) contribute to the local economy through the supply of forest [[Page 60159]] products and associated employment opportunities. The proposed action would treat a total of 1,659 acres in the 10,048-acre project area. The project area itself encompasses all of the 2,800-acre Poison Creek Management Area 52A, and a portion of the 19,069-acre West Mountain North Management Area 52. An estimated 12.0 MMBF of timber would be harvested using ground-based (827 acres), skyline (319 acres), and helicopter (513 acres) yarding systems. The proposed action would employ variety of silvicutural prescriptions including commercial thin (148 acres), improvement cut (512 acres), sanitation/salvage (340 acres), individual tree selection (18 acres), seed cut shelterwood (224 acres), and final removal shelterwood (417 acres). The existing transportation system would be improved to facilitate long haul and reduce sedimentation with individual sections of 17.9 miles of road being reconstructed. An estimated 0.8 mile of specified road and 0.4 mile of temporary road would be constructed to facilitate harvest. In addition, 4.9 miles of road not needed for the long-term management of the area would be decommissioned, and, 1.8 miles closed year-round and 1.1 miles closed seasonally (September 15 to June 1) to motorized use with the exception of snowmobiles and administrative use. Management direction in the Boise National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) of the 2,800-acre Poison Creek Management Area (MA) 52A was developed in anticipation of the proposed ValBois Resort. The VlBois project, which was still in its conceptual stage when the LRMP was published in 1990, included numerous developments associated with skiing on Forest Service administered lands with in MA 52A. Due to a number of circumstances, the ValBois project is no longer being considered. Although a similar proposal, WestRock, is currently under consideration on adjacent private and State-owned lands, WestRock officials have stated they have no intention of requesting a permit to operate on Forest Service administered lands. Nonetheless, the LRMP direction for MA 52A still reflects ValBois as a potential activity and would require amending prior to implementation of the proposed action. Given the ongoing LRMP revision and the anticipated timeframes of the effort, proposed amendments would be specific to the West Mountain North Project. Future management of the area would be deferred to that prescribed in the revised LRMP. The following LRMP amendments are included as a part of the proposed action: Amend the Visual Quality Objectives on page IV-438 of the LRMP to foreground retention and middleground partial retention for the West Mountain Cascade Reservoir Road No. 422, and, middleground partial retention for the Cascade Reservoir Area. Visual Quality Objectives specific to Proposed Developments associated with the ValBois Resort would not apply to this project. Amend the standard on page IV-439 of the LRMP that limits timber harvesting to allow management activities, including timber harvest, proposed with the West Mountain North Project. Preliminary Issues: Preliminary concerns with the proposed action include: (1) impacts on phosphorus delivery to Cascade Reservoir; (2) economic returns of the project given projected implementation costs and revenues; (3) impacts on the visual quality of the area as seen from sensitive viewpoints, and (4) potential impacts on boreal owl. Possible Alternative to the Proposed Action: Two alternatives to the proposed action have been discussed thus far: (1) a no action alternative, and, (2) an alternative that would increase the number of acres treated. Other alternatives may be developed as issues are identified and information received. Decision to be Made: The Boise National Forest Supervisor will decide the following: Should roads be built and timber harvested within the West Mountain North Project Area at this time, and if so, where within the project area, and how many miles of road should be built; and which stands should be treated and what silvicultural systems should be use? What mitigation/watershed enhancement measures should be applied to the project? Should the decommissioning of portions of roads Nos. 186H1, 186C, 186A3, and other existing roads be implemented at this time? Should the LRMP be amended to allow proposed activities in MA 52A? DATES: Written comments concerning the proposed project and analysis are encouraged and should be postmarked on or before December 6, 1999. ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Keith Dimmett, Cascade Ranger District, P.O. Box 696, Cascade, ID 83611. Comments received in response to this request will be available for public inspection and will be released in their entirety if requested pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Further information can be obtained from Keith Dimmett at the address mentioned above or by calling 208- 382-7433. SCHEDULE: Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), February 2000. Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), May 2000. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NFMA planning for this project was initiated in the fall of 1997 with the Cascade Reservoir Ecosystem Analysis at the Watershed Scale. In addition to public announcements in The Idaho Statesman (May 14, 1998) and The Long Valley Advocate (May 13, 1998), a scoping package describing a similar proposed action was mailed to 50 individuals and/or groups. A predecisional environmental assessment (EA) was distributed for a 30-day comment period in November 1998. Five letters were received commenting on the EA. A Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impacts was distributed in February 1999. The Forest Supervisor withdrew that decision in April 1999 citing recent judicial interpretations of NEPA at the rationale for preparation of a DEIS. A large portion of an unroaded area, roughly 5,300 acres in size, occurs within the southern portion of the West Mountain North Project Area. Although this area was not identified in the roadless inventory completed in preparation of the LRMP in 1990, it was identified in September 1999 during the ongoing LRMP revision effort. While the proposed action does not include any management activities within this unroaded area, other alternatives developed over the course of this analysis may include timber harvest activities within this area. The comment period on the DEIS will be 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 relates to public participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of the DEIS 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 DEIS stage but are not raised until after completion of the FEIS may be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 [[Page 60160]] 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 very important that those interested in this proposed action participate by the close of DEIS 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 FEIS. To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues and concerns on the proposed action, 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. 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. Responsible Official: David D. Rittenhouse, Forest Supervisor, Boise National Forest, 1249 South Vinnell Way, Suite 200, Boise, ID 83709. Dated: October 28, 1999. W. Wayne Patton, Range, Watershed, Air, Minerals, Wildlife, and Fisheries Officer. [FR Doc. 99-28846 Filed 11-3-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-12-M --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A99-28846. Public record. Not legal advice.