[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 240 (Friday, December 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59579-59580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26952]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Revision of the Land Management Plan for the Flathead National
Forest and Amending the Land Management Plans of the Helena-Lewis and
Clark, Kootenai, and Lolo National Forests
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of opportunity to object to the Revised Land and
Resource Management Plan and to forest plan amendments.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service is revising the Flathead National Forest's
Land and Resource Management Plan (forest plan). The Forest Service is
concurrently amending the forest plans of the Helena-Lewis and Clark,
Kootenai, and Lolo National Forests to incorporate habitat management
direction for the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) grizzly
bear population. The Flathead National Forest is proposing to
incorporate the NCDE grizzly bear habitat management direction as part
of its plan revision process. The Forest Service has prepared a single
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for its revised forest plan
and the forest plan amendments, a draft Record of Decision (ROD) for
the revised forest plan, and a draft ROD for the forest plan
amendments.
This notice is to inform the public that a 60-day period is being
initiated where individuals or entities with specific concerns on the
Flathead National Forest's Revised Land Management Plan and the
Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Conservation
Strategy forest plan amendments for the Helena-Lewis and Clark,
Kootenai, and Lolo National Forests and its associated FEIS may file
objections for Forest Service review prior to the approval of the
Revised Land Management Plan and forest plan amendments. This is also
an opportunity to object to the Regional Forester's list of species of
conservation concern for the Flathead National Forest.
DATES: The FEIS, Flathead National Forest revised forest plan, other
supporting documentation, and the draft RODs are available for review
starting December 1, 2017 on the forest plan revision web page:
www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/fpr; on the forest plan amendments web
page: www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/gba; and the Northern Region
species of conservation concern web page: http://bit.ly/NorthernRegion-SCC.
ADDRESSES: The following address should be used for objections
submitted by regular mail, private carrier, or hand delivery: Objection
Reviewing Officer, USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, 26 Fort
Missoula Road, Missoula, MT 59804. Office hours are Monday through
Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding Federal holidays. Please be
explicit as to whether the objection is for the Flathead Forest Plan,
the NCDE Grizzly Bear Forest Plan Amendments, or the Flathead Species
of Conservation Concern.
Objections can be faxed to the Objection Reviewing Officer at (406)
329-3411. The fax coversheet must include a subject line with
``Flathead Forest Plan Objection,'' ``NCDE Grizzly Bear Forest Plan
Amendments,'' or ``Flathead Species of Conservation Concern'' and
should specify the number of pages being submitted. Electronic
objections must be submitted to the Objection Reviewing Officer via
email to [email protected], with ``Flathead
Forest Plan Objection,'' ``NCDE Grizzly Bear Forest Plan Amendments,''
or ``Flathead Species of Conservation Concern'' in the subject line.
Electronic submissions must be submitted in a format that is readable
with optical character recognition software (e.g. Word, PDF, Rich Text)
and be searchable. An automated response should confirm your electronic
objection has been received.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader, Joe Krueger, 650
Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, MT 59901, (406) 758-5243. Additional
information concerning the draft RODs may be obtained on the internet
at the websites listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through
Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A legal notice of the initiation of the 60-
day objection period is being published in the Flathead, Helena-Lewis
and Clark, Kootenai, and Lolo National Forests' newspapers of record:
Daily Interlake, Great Falls Tribune, Missoulian, and Helena
Independent. The date of the publication of the legal notices will
determine the actual date of initiation of the 60-day objection period.
A copy of the legal notices published in the newspapers of record will
be posted on the websites listed above.
The decisions to approve the revised forest plan for the Flathead
National Forest, the NCDE Grizzly Bear Forest Plan Amendments, and the
Regional Forester's list of species of conservation concern will be
subject to the objection process identified in 36 CFR part 219 subpart
B (219.50 to 219.62). An objection must include the following (36 CFR
219.54(c)):
(1) The objector's name and address along with a telephone number
or email address if available. In cases where no identifiable name is
attached to an objection, the Forest Service will attempt to verify the
identity of the objector to confirm objection eligibility;
(2) Signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a
scanned signature for electronic mail may be filed with the objection);
(3) Identification of the lead objector, when multiple names are
listed on an objection. The Forest Service will communicate to all
parties to an objection through the lead objector. Verification of the
identity of the lead objector must also be provided if requested;
(4) The name of the plan revision or forest plan amendment being
objected
[[Page 59580]]
to, and the name and title of the responsible official;
(5) A statement of the issues and/or parts of the plan revision to
which the objection applies;
(6) A concise statement explaining the objection and suggesting how
the proposed plan decision may be improved. If the objector believes
that the plan revision is inconsistent with law, regulation, or policy,
an explanation should be included;
(7) A statement that demonstrates the link between the objector's
prior substantive formal comments and the content of the objection,
unless the objection concerns an issue that arose after the
opportunities for formal comment; and
(8) All documents referenced in the objection (a bibliography is
not sufficient), except that the following need not be provided:
a. All or any part of a Federal law or regulation,
b. Forest Service Directive System documents and land management
plans or other published Forest Service documents,
c. Documents referenced by the Forest Service in the planning
documentation related to the proposal subject to objection, and
d. Formal comments previously provided to the Forest Service by the
objector during the plan revision comment period.
Responsible Official
The responsible official who will approve the ROD for the Flathead
National Forest revised forest plan is Chip Weber, Forest Supervisor
for the Flathead National Forest, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, MT
59901, (406) 758-5208.
The Regional Forester is the reviewing officer for the revised plan
since the Forest Supervisor is the deciding official (36 CFR
219.56(e)(2)). The Flathead National Forest will provide the Regional
Forester with public comments received on species of conservation
concern (SCC). The Regional Forester will consider comments received
and respond to them in the FEIS and ROD. The decision to approve the
SCC list will be subject to a separate objection process. The Chief of
the Forest Service is the reviewing officer for SCC identification
since the Regional Forester is the deciding official (36 CFR
219.56(e)(2)). Information about species of conservation concern is
available at http://bit.ly/NorthRegion-SCC.
Dated: November 16, 2017.
Jeanne M. Higgins,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2017-26952 Filed 12-14-17; 8:45 am]
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