From: Subject: FR Doc 07-3653 Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:02:57 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/07-3653.htm X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3138 FR Doc 07-3653 
[Federal Register: July 26, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 143)]
[Notices]              =20
[Page 41051-41052]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26jy07-20]                        =20

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

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Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

PROJECT: Corralled Bear, Clearwater National Forest, Latah County, ID.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an Environmental Impact=20
Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of timber=20
harvest, prescribed fire, fuels reduction, watershed restoration, and=20
access management activities in the Corralled Bear project area on the=20
Palouse Ranger District of the Clearwater National Forest. The=20
Corralled Bear project area is located north of the towns of Deary and=20
Helmer within the East Fork of Big Bear Creek and Corral Creek=20
drainages, approximately 21 air-miles northeast of the town of Moscow,=20
Idaho.

DATES: This project was previously scoped in March 2006, and the=20
comments received will be included in the documentation for the EIS. A=20
45-day public comment period will follow the release of the draft=20
environmental impact statement (DEIS) that is expected in September=20
2007. The final environmental impact statement (FEIS) and Record of=20
Decision (ROD) is expected in February 2008.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corralled Bear project area contains=20
approximately 11,318 acres, which is all National Forest lands except=20
for 160 acres of private land. The project area is located in portions=20
of T40N, R1W; T40N, R2W; T41N, R1W; and T41N, R2W, Boise Meridian,=20
Latah County, Idaho. The proposed actions would occur on National=20
Forest lands and are all outside the boundaries of any inventoried=20
roadless area or any areas considered for inclusion to the National=20
Wilderness System as recommended by the Clearwater National Forest Plan=20
or by any past or present legislative wilderness proposals.
    Purpose and Need for Action is to: (1) Promote stand productivity,=20
restore vegetative successional stages to reflect historical patch=20
sizes and locations, and restore blister rust resistant white pine; (2)=20
reduce fuel buildup in stands where fire suppression has interrupted=20
the short-return fire interval and resulted in unnaturally high amounts=20
of fuel and overgrown understory, and create a more defensible space to=20
control wildfire on Forest Service land adjacent to private property;=20
(3) reduce long-term sedimentation to streams caused by existing=20
unsurfaced roads, and stabilize stream banks made unstable by motorized=20
vehicles, cattle trailing, and channelization (historic railroad=20
grades); (4) update fish/water quality standards for Corral Creek in=20
Appendix K of the Clearwater Forest Plan to better meet the Clean Water=20
Act standards supporting fisheries and reflect better information

[[Page 41052]]

on fisheries collected in stream surveys; and (5) provide for a=20
reasonable level of off-highway vehicle (OHV) access, reduce user=20
conflicts, and provide the necessary resource protection required by=20
law, regulation, and good stewardship practices.
    The Proposed Action would consist of timber harvest on about 812=20
acres, using improvement cuts, commercial thinning, and regeneration=20
harvest methods. Some regeneration harvests could create openings=20
exceeding 40 acres in size; however, all harvest will retain some=20
healthy trees and replacement snags for structural diversity. Road=20
activities associated with the timber sales would include=20
reconstructing about 2.4 miles of existing roads and constructing 3.6=20
miles of temporary road (to be decommissioned after harvest activity).=20
About 8.6 miles of open roads would be treated on each side to reduce=20
fuel concentrations and ladder fuels. Watershed improvements would=20
include 8.2 miles of road decommissioning, putting 14.4 miles of=20
existing roads into intermittent stored service (self-maintaining), and=20
installation of a rocked cattle crossing. Access management would=20
consist of designating existing suitable OHV routes for future use and=20
managing area roads and trails based on a Roads Analysis. Other=20
components of the proposed action include designating areas to be=20
managed for old growth and making a Forest Plan Amendment to raise the=20
fish/water quality standards on Corrall Creek to incorporate better=20
information on fish and their habitat.
    Possible Alternatives the Forest Service will consider include the=20
``no action '' alternative in which none of the proposed activities=20
would be implemented. Additional alternatives being considered include=20
an alternative that does not build any new roads, an alternative that=20
does not create any openings by utilizing only intermediate (non-
regeneration) type harvests like thinnings and improvement cuts, an=20
alternative that promotes patch placement for maximum wildlife and=20
biological benefits, an alternative that does not include a Forest Plan=20
Amendment to increase the fish and water standard for Corral Creek, and=20
an alternative that only includes activities that would help stabilize=20
watershed conditions, such as road obliteration, stream bank=20
stabilization and OHV use management.
    The Scoping Process was initiated with the release of a Scoping=20
Letter on March 29, 2006. Comments received as a result of that effort=20
will be included in the documentation for the EIS. Additional public=20
input will be solicited following the release of the DEIS. This=20
proposal also includes six openings greater than 40 acres in size that=20
would be created by timber harvest. A 60-day public review of the=20
proposed openings will be initiated by public notice in the newspaper=20
of record.
    Preliminary Issues that could be affected by proposed activities=20
include: Access management, air quality, economic feasibility, fish=20
habitat, heritage resources, sensitive and management indicator species=20
of wildlife, sensitive plants, snag habitat, soil productivity, spread=20
of noxious weeds, tribal treaty rights, and water quality. Issues=20
expected not to be affected by the proposal include impacts of grazing,=20
old growth habitat, risk of landslides, and threatened and endangered=20
wildlife and plant species. Issues identified through previous scoping=20
and found to be outside the scope of the project or not consistent with=20
Forest Plan standards include using prescribed fire instead of timber=20
harvest for vegetative treatments within the E1 management area and=20
evaluating cattle grazing laws.
    Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent=20
Environmental Review: A draft environmental impact statement will be=20
prepared for comment. The comment period on the draft environmental=20
impact statement will be 45 days from the date the Environmental=20
Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal=20
Register.
    The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important=20
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public=20
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of=20
draft environmental impact statements must structure their=20
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is=20
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and=20
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,=20
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the=20
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised=20
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may=20
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d=20
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490=20
F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings,=20
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action=20
participate by the close of the 45-day comment period so that=20
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest=20
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to=20
them in the final environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues=20
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft=20
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is=20
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the=20
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft=20
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives=20
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer=20
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing=20
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at=20
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
    Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who=20
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal=20
and will be available for public inspection.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook=20
1909.15, Section 21)

    The Responsible Official for this project is the Forest Supervisor=20
of the Clearwater National Forest, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, ID 83544.=20
The Responsible Official will decide if the proposed project will be=20
implemented and will document the decision and reasons for the decision=20
in a Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest=20
Service Appeal Regulations. The responsibility for preparing the DEIS=20
and FEIS has been delegated to Kara Chadwick, District Ranger, Palouse=20
Ranger District.

ADDRESSES:  Written comments and suggestions concerning this project=20
should be sent to: Kara Chadwick, District Ranger, Palouse Ranger=20
District, 1700 Highway 6, Potlatch, ID 83855 or e-mailed to: 
comments-northern-clearwater-palouse@fs.fed.us.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tam White; Project Leader, North Fork=20
Ranger District, at: twhite@fs.fed.us or phone: (208) =
476-4541.

    Dated: July 19, 2007.
Thomas K. Reilly,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 07-3653 Filed 7-25-07; 8:45 am]

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