[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 46 (Thursday, March 7, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9143-9144]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-5354]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Cavanah Analysis Area Multi-Resource Management Projects, Placer
County, CA
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for proposed timber
harvest, plantation thinning, fuelbreak construction, wildlife habitat
improvement projects, and upgrading of the Robinson Flat (#43) road
within the North Fork Middle Fork American River watershed in
accordance with the requirements of 36 CFR 219.19. The project area is
located within portions of T.14N., R.12E., Section 1; T 14N., R.13E.
Sections 5, 6, 7, 8; T.15N., R.12E., Sections 24, 25, 36; and T.15N.,
R.13E., Sections 15-22 and 27-33, MDB&M.
If upgrading of the #43 road is part of the selected alternative in
the EIS project, a site specific Forest Plan amendment will be part of
the Record of Decision.
The agency invites comments and suggestions on the scope of the
analysis. In addition, the agency gives notice of the full
environmental analysis and decision-making process that will occur on
the proposal so that interested and affected people are aware of how
they may participate and contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments should be made in writing and received by April 8,
1996.
ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning the project should be directed
to Rich Johnson, District Ranger, Foresthill Ranger District, 22830
Foresthill Road, Foresthill CA 95631.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
John Bradford, Environmental Coordinator, Foresthill Ranger District,
Foresthill, CA 95631, telephone (916) 478-6254.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Cavanah Analysis Area is located in the
North Fork Middle Fork American River watershed. It lies south of
Screwauger Canyon, west of the top of Mosquito Ridge, east of the #44
road and Little Grisley Creek and north of the Greek Store site. This
area is part of the larger Cavanah Ecosystem Management Area.
The proposed fuelbreak (Defensible Fuel Profile Zone or DFPZ) would
be parallel to the Mosquito Ridge (#96) road from the Greek Store area
north to Little Bald Mountain. This proposal would create a fuelbreak
with widely spaced trees and a low shrub understory. The creation of
the DFPZ will change the appearance of the existing vegetation. Current
visual quality objective for the foreground viewing area on the
Mosquito Ridge (#96) road is Retention. This means that management
activities are not evident to the casual forest user. A visual
management zone in the immediate foreground of the Mosquito Ridge road
(within the DFPZ) would be established to meet this objective. By
establishing this zone this proposal meets current standards and
guidelines for visual quality objectives for Management Area #99
(Mosquito) in the Tahoe National Forest Land and Resource Management
Plan (LRMP).
The proposed improvement of the Robinson Flat (#43) road is
designed to make the section of the road west of Little Bald Mountain
drivable by passenger cars, which would improve the motorized
recreational experience in the Robinson Flat and Mosquito Ridge areas.
The proposal will need Management Practice L2 (Multi-Resource Road
Access Development) available in the Management Area (#91--Sunflower)
in order to accomplish this project. In the current Tahoe LRMP, this
management practice is not available in this Management Area. If this
proposal is part of the
[[Page 9144]]
selected alternative, the Forest LRMP will be amended to include L2 as
a management practice available in Management Area #91.
In preparing the environmental impact statement, the Forest Service
will identify and analyze a range of alternatives that address the
issues developed for this area. One of the alternatives will be no
treatment. Other alternatives will consider differing levels of timber
harvest; different techniques for fuels reduction; differing amounts of
plantation thinning; different types of wildlife habitat improvement;
and whether to upgrade the #43 road. It also means that the needs of
people and environmental values will be considered in such a way that
this area will represent a diverse, healthy, productive, and
sustainable ecosystem.
Public participation will be important during the analysis,
especially during the review of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement. The Forest Service is seeking information, comments, and
assistance from Federal, State, and local agencies and other
individuals or organizations who may be interested in or affected by
the proposed action. This input will be used in preparation of the
draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). The scoping process
includes:
1. Identifying potential issues.
2. Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.
3. Eliminating insignificant issues or those which have been
covered by a relevant previous environmental analysis.
4. Exploring additional alternatives.
5. Identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed
action and alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and cumulative effects
and connected actions).
The following list of issues has been identified through initial
scoping:
(1) To what extent will harvesting and creation of the DFPZ affect
water quality?
(2) What affect will the creation of the DFPZ have on the potential
for large catastrophic wildfires within the project area?
(3) To what extent can forest health be improved within the project
area? In addition, what level of timber commodities could result from
forest health improvement projects?
(4) To what extent will the view form the Mosquito Ridge (#96) road
be affected? What will the visual character be resulting from the
proposed activities?
(5) What affect will the proposed activities have on long-term soil
productivity?
(6) To what extent will air quality in the Sacramento Valley be
affected by proposed activities?
(7) What affect will including harvest of < 10'' diameter trees
have on the potential to sell harvested trees in a commercial timber
sale?
Comments from other Federal, State, and local agencies,
organizations, and individuals who may be interested in, or affected by
the decision, are encouraged to identify other significant issues.
Public participation will be solicited through mailing letters to
potentially interested or affected mining claim owners, private land
owners, and special use permittees on the Foresthill Ranger District;
posting information in local towns; and mailing letters to local timber
industries, politicians, school boards, county supervisors, and
environmental groups. Continued participation will be emphasized
through individual contacts. Public meetings used as a method of public
involvement during preparation and review of the draft environmental
impact statement will be announced in newspapers of general circulation
in the geographic area of such meetings well in advance of scheduled
dates.
The comment period on the draft EIS 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 related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft environmental impact statements 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
draft EIS stage but that are not raised until after 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 Heritages Inc.
v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of the
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 meaningful 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 comments refer to
specific pages or chapters of the draft EIS. Comments may also address
the adequacy of the draft EIS or the merits of the alternatives
formulated and discussed in the 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.
The draft EIS is expected to be available for public review by the
end of April, 1996. The final EIS is expected to be available by the
end of June, 1996.
The responsible official is John H. Skinner, Forest Supervisor,
Tahoe National Forest, PO Box 6003, Nevada City, CA 95959.
Dated: February 28, 1996.
John H. Skinner,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 96-5354 Filed 3-6-96; 8:45 am]
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