[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 204 (Tuesday, October 21, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62461-62462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24841]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 204 / Tuesday, October 21, 2008 /
Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Ochoco National Forest, Deschutes National Forest; Invasive Plant
Treatment Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare a Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SETS) to document and disclose the
potential environmental effects of proposed invasive plant treatment
activities on the Deschutes National Forest, Ochoco National Forest and
the Crooked River National Grassland. An FEIS was made available in
January 2008. A Record of Decision was signed in January 2008 and
subsequently withdrawn. This project evaluates site-specific treatments
of invasive plants; including manual, mechanical, cultural, biological
and herbicide treatment methods as well as the use of prescribed fire.
Forest Plan direction, including amendments identified in the Pacific
Northwest Region Invasive Plant Program Environmental Impact Statement,
will be incorporated into all alternatives, including the Proposed
Action.
DATES: A Draft SEIS is expected to be available in February of 2009,
and a Final SEIS in May 2009.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments (i.e., letter or fax) to Beth Peer,
Invasive Plant Team Leader, Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger District, 1230 NE.
3rd, Suite A-262, Bend, OR 97701. The FAX number is 541-383-4700.
Submit e-mail comments to: comments-pacificnorthwest-deschutes-bend-
ftrock@fs.fed.us.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Beth Peer, Environmental Coordinator
and Invasive Plant Team Leader, Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger District, 1230 NE.
3rd St., Suite A-262, Bend, Oregon 97701, phone (541) 383-4769. E-mail
bpeer@fs.fed.us. Maps of proposed treatment sites and other information
about the project are available on the Internet at http://
www.fs.fed.us/r6/invasiveplant-eis/sitespecific/DES/.
Approximately 52,000 acres of the total 3 million acres of forests
and grasslands on the Ochoco National Forest, Deschutes National
Forests and Crooked River National Grassland are degraded by
infestations of invasive, non-native plants. These infestations have
been identified on approximately 1,900 individual locations or sites.
These infestations have a high potential to expand and further degrade
forests and grasslands. Infested areas represent potential seed sources
for further invasion onto neighboring lands.
Invasive plants create a host of adverse environmental effects
which are harmful to native ecosystem processes. Examples of these
effects include: Displacement of native plants; reduction in
functionality of habitat and forage for wildlife and livestock; loss of
threatened, endangered, and sensitive species; increased soil erosion
and reduced water quality; alteration of physical and biological
properties of soil, including reduced soil productivity; changes to the
intensity and frequency of wildfires; budget impacts that limit or
reduce land management opportunities due to high costs or dollars spent
for controlling invasive plants; and loss of recreational
opportunities. Without action, invasive plant populations will continue
to grow; compromising our ability to manage for healthy functioning
ecosystems.
Proposed Action
The USDA Forest Service; Deschutes National Forest, Ochoco National
Forest, and Crooked River National Grassland propose to treat areas
currently identified with invasive plant infestations and to provide
timely treatments for expanded and newly identified invasive plant
sites. Treatments, depending upon the species of invasive plants and
site characteristics, would include the use of prescribed fire; manual,
mechanical, cultural, chemical and biological control methods. The
proposed treatments would enhance our ability to protect native
ecosystems from invasive, non-native plants. Some of the infested areas
are small in size, while others are extensive.
Invasive plant treatments are proposed on approximately 15,000
acres that are known to be infested by invasive plants. The Proposed
Action will also analyze treatments for the likely expansion of these
existing sites, and for new (unidentified) invasive plant sites in
areas most susceptible to new introductions.
Treatment methods are based upon information such as the biology of
a particular invasive plant species, invasive plant site location, site
type, and size of the infestation. Long-term site goals would be
established for infested areas. Site goals are based upon treatment
options, monitoring and revegetation potential. Prescriptions are based
upon Integrated Pest Management principles. Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) is a process by which one selects and applies a combination of
management techniques (Example: Prevention then manual or mechanical
treatments, followed by biological treatments) that, together, control
a particular invasive plant species or infestation efficiently and
effectively. IPM seeks to combine two or more management techniques
which interact to provide better control than any one of the actions
might provide alone. It is typically species-specific, site-specific
and designed to be practical; with minimum risk to nontarget species or
the surrounding environment, including wildlife species and human
health.
The proposal also includes an Early Detection/Rapid Response
strategy to timely identify and treat new sites. Actual annual
treatment acres associated with future sites would likely vary because
of variations in invasive plant spread and occurrence of new invasive
plant introductions. Actual annual treatment will likely decline over
the life of this plan because of the effectiveness of these treatment
actions.
Based upon currently known sites with weed infestations, the
Proposed Action includes approximately 25 acres of biological control
treatment, approximately 400 acres of herbicide only treatment,
approximately 14,000 acres of herbicide plus one or more of the
following: Manual, biological, cultural, mechanical, fire.
Scoping
The Forest Service conducted scoping for this project in 2005. The
information
[[Page 62462]]
was used in development of the DEIS. CEQ NEPA regulations exclude
scoping from the procedures for supplementing environmental impact
statements (40 CFR 1 502.9(c)(4)).
In addition to inviting public comments on the DSEIS, the public
may visit Forest Service officials familiar with this project, at any
time during the analysis and prior to the decision. To facilitate
public participation, additional opportunities may include public
meetings and/or field trips. Dates of meetings and field trips are yet
to be determined.
Responsible Official
The responsible officials will be John Allen, Forest Supervisor,
Deschutes National Forest, 1230 NE. 3rd, Suite A-262, Bend, OR 97701
and Jeff Walter, Forest Supervisor, Ochoco National Forest, 3160 NE.
3rd Street, Prineville, OR 97754.
Comments
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 draft EIS 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
objectives that could be raised at the draft EIS stage but that are not
raised until after the completion of the final EIS may be waived or
dismissed by the courts (City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F. 2d 1016, 1022
[9th Cir. 1986] and Wisconsin Heritage, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp.
1334 [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 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 the comments refer to
specific pages or chapters of the draft statement. Comments may also
address the adequacy of the draft EIS or the merits of alternatives
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing
the procedural provision of the National Environmental Policy Act (40
CFR 1503.3) in addressing these points.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names
and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the
public record on this proposed action and will be available for public
inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and
considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments may not have
standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR Part 215.
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.
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under the
FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very 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.
Comments on the draft SEIS will be analyzed, considered, and
responded to by the Forest Service in preparing the final SEIS. The
final SEIS is scheduled to be completed in May 2006. There will be two
responsible officials for this multi-Forest SEIS. Duties of the
Responsible Official will be shared between John Allen, Forest
Supervisor of the Deschutes National Forest, and Jeff Walter, Forest
Supervisor of the Ochoco National Forest. They will consider comments,
responses, and environmental consequences discussed in the final SEIS,
and applicable laws, regulations, and policies in making a decision
regarding this proposed action. The responsible officials will document
the decision and rationale for the decision in the Record of Decision.
It will be subject to Forest Service Appeal Regulations (36 CFR Part
215).
Dated: October 2, 2008.
John Allen,
Deschutes National Forest Supervisor.
Dated: October 14, 2008.
Jeff Walter,
Ochoco National Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E8-24841 Filed 10-20-08; 8:45 am]
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