Cobalt Helo Salvage Sale; Salmon and Challis National Forests, Lemhi County, Idaho

The proposed action would helicopter harvest approximately three million boardfeet of Douglas-fir from 2,378 acres within the 19,300 acre analysis area. Up to sixteen helicopter landings would be constructed. Approximately 1.5 miles of temporary roads would be build from existing roads to designated landing areas. The temporary roads would be obliterated, recontoured, and revegetated upon completion of the timber harvest. The analysis area is located within the Panther Creek Watershed from Quartz Gulch to Musgrove Creek and is approximately 19,300 acres in size. It includes the lower reaches of Quartz Gulch, Spring, Fawn, Blackbird, Dummy, Copper, Woodtick, Moyer, and Musgrove Creeks. The analysis area also includes the Deep and Napias Creek drainages, from their confluence with Panther Creek to approximately four miles up the drainages. The legal description for the analysis area is T.21N, R.19E., all or portions of sections 9, 11, 12-17, 20-24, 26-28, 32-36; T.20N., R.18E., all or portions of sections 1, 2, 11-13, 23-27, 34-36; and T.20N., R.19E., all or portions of sections, 1, 2, 4-9, 17-19 and 30, BM, ID. The Salmon Forest Plan provides guidance for management activities within the potentially affected area through its goals, objectives, standards and guidelines, and management area direction. The proposed timber harvest would occur within Management Allocations 4A, 5A, 3A-5A, 5B, and 3A-4A. Harvest of green and dead timber will occur on suitable ground and harvest of dead timber only will occur on unsuitable ground. Below is a brief description of the applicable management direction. Management Area 4A--The goals of this area are to provide required forage and cover on big game winter range. Tree stand treatments including clearcut, shelterwood, single tree selection and group selection may be applied to commercial and noncommercial stands, to accomplish specific big game needs (FLRMP, IV-110). Approximately 9,000 acres are within this management area. Mangement Area 5A--The goals of this area are to produce long-term timber outputs through a high level of investment in regeneration and thinning. Approximately 4,300 acres are within this management area. Management Area 3A-5A--The goals of this area are to manage aquatic habitat for anadromous fish species and to produce long-term timber outputs through high investments in regeneration and thinning. Approximately 3,000 acres are within this management area. Management Area 5B--The goals of this area are to meet a medium level of commercial sawtimber output through medium investments in timber management. Timber sales with salvage rights will be used where trees must be removed for site preparation, release, and insect and disease protection. Approximately 2,700 acres are within this management area. Management Area 3A-4A--The goals within this area are to meet anadromous fish habitat needs and provide for big game habitat on key big game winter range. Timber harvest and management is compatible, but activity, intensity, and timing will be appropriate to meeting habitat quality goals. Approximately 300 acres are within this management area. The principal environmental issues identified to date are related to the impacts on the Deep Creek Roadless Area; effects on visuals, including viewsheds from the Panther Creek Road; and impacts on big game winter range. The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of these will be ``no action'' alternative in which the proposed action will not be implemented. Another alternative will examine the harvest of timber outside the roadless area but not inside it. The EIS will analyze the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental effects of the alternatives. Past, present, and projected activities on both private and National Forest lands will be considered. The EIS will disclose the analysis of site-specific measures and their effectiveness. Public participation is an important part of the analysis, commencing with

the initial scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7), which will occur from October of 1996 to November of 1996. In addition, the public is encouraged to visit with Forest Service officials at any time during the analysis and prior to the decision. The Forest Service will be 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. Because Panther Creek is an anadromous fishery and the project proposal includes the construction of three landings in the riparian habitat conservation area, consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service has been initiated with regard to listed species. No public meetings are scheduled. While public participation in this analysis is welcome at any time, comments received within the 30 days of the publication of this notice will be especially useful in the preparation of the draft EIS. The draft is expected to be filed with the EPA and available for public review in January, 1997. A 45-day comment period will follow publication of a Notice of Availability of the draft EIS in the Federal Register. The comments will be analyzed and considered in preparation of a final EIS, which will be accompanied by a Record of Decision. The final EIS is expected to be filed in June, 1997. Comments from the public and other agencies will be used in preparation of the Draft EIS. The scoping process will be used to: 1. Identify potential issues. 2. Identify major issues to be analyzed in depth. 3. Eliminate minor issues or those which have been covered by a relevant previous environmental analysis, such as the Salmon Forest Plan EIS. 4. Identify alternatives to the proposed action. 5. Identify potential effects of the proposed action and alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and cumulative effects). 6. Determine potential cooperating agencies and task assignments. The Forest Service believes it is important at this early stage to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of 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,(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 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 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 on the proposed action, comments should be as specific as possible. 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. I am the responsible official for this environmental impact statement. My address is Salmon and Challis National Forest, RR 2 Box 600, Salmon, Idaho 83467.

Dated: September 5, 1996. George Matejko, Forest Supervisor. [FR Doc. 96-23586 Filed 9-16-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-11-M