Whiskey Campo Resource Management Project, Boise National Forest, Elmore County, ID

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 164 (Wednesday, August 25, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46337-46339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21675]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Whiskey Campo Resource Management Project, Boise National Forest, 
Elmore County, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Revised Notice of Intent to Prepare Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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SUMMARY: The proposed action for the Whiskey Campo Resource Management 
Project has changed. (The original notice of intent appeared in the 
Federal Register on January 5, 1998, pp. 200-201.) The fish passage 
improvement activities in the original Whiskey Campo proposed action 
are being implemented under Trinity Fish Passage Restoration Project 
Decision Memo signed July 22, 1999. The Mountain Home Ranger District 
of the Boise

[[Page 46338]]

National Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the remaining portions of the resource management project in the 
Whiskey Campo project area, located approximately 5 miles west of 
Featherville, Idaho, in the middle to upper elevation of the Trinity 
Creek watershed. The project area encompasses about 12,870 acres of 
National Forest System land. Approximately 5,500 acres of the project 
area are located within the Whiskey Jack Inventoried Roadless Area 
(RARE No. 02009), and about 900 acres of the project area are located 
within the Rainbow Inventoried Roadless Area (RARE No. 02008). Access 
is by Forest Development Road (FDR) 172. The project area is located 
about 130 road miles east of Boise, Idaho.
    The agency invites written comments and suggestions on the scope of 
the analysis. The agency also hereby gives notice of the environmental 
analysis and decisionmaking 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.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is nearly the same as that published in the 
Federal Register January 5, 1998. It does not contain the fish passage 
restoration activities, which are being implemented under the Trinity 
Fish Passage Restoration Project Decision Memo. The proposed action 
also has more specific activity-related numbers than the original.
    Timber Stand Management Activities--Approximately 1,890 acres of 
forested land would be commercially thinned and underburned with low 
severity prescribed fire. Some salvage harvest of large diameter, 
beetle-infested Douglas-fir would occur in these stands. On 
approximately 4,580 acres of forested land, bark beetle infested and 
severely dwarf mistletoe infected trees would be salvage harvested.
    Helicopter yarding would be done on approximately 5,910 acres. 
Skyline yarding would be done on approximately 180 acres. A combination 
of tractor and off-road jammer (excavator) yarding would be done on 
approximately 780 acres. Approximately 2 miles of road would be 
constructed to access timber stands proposed for treatment. The newly 
constructed roads would be closed to all motorized use and revegetated 
following the project. One small culvert on FDR 172N would be replaced. 
Three helicopter landings would be constructed and revegetated. Ten 
existing helicopter landings would be used and revegetated.
    Aspen Stand Rejuvenation--On approximately 400 acres of aspen 
stands dispersed throughout the project area, prescribed fire and/or 
harvest of invading conifer trees would be used to rejuvenate decadent 
stands or maintain vigorous, young stands. These activities would 
promote regeneration of aspen suckers and saplings and prevent 
conversion to conifer stands.
    Elk Habitat Improvement--Approximately 3.5 miles of road in the 
Spring Creek drainage would be decommissioned (closed and removed from 
the transportation system for future use). Approximately 5.4 miles of 
road in the Spring Creek drainage would be modified from seasoned to 
year-long closure. Such closures would bring the elk habitat 
effectiveness of the Spring Creek drainage into compliance with the 
Forest Plan.
    Fish Habitat Improvements--Approximately 13.7 miles of FDR 172 
would be graveled. Graveling of the road surface would help retain the 
fine sediment particles on the road surface.
    Travel Safety Modifications to FDR 172--Approximately 25 ``blind'' 
curves and narrow road sections would be modified to improve sight 
distance and provide sufficient safe passing opportunities.

Preliminary Issues

    Two preliminary issues have been identified.
    Timber harvest would develop a portion of the Rainbow and Whiskey 
Jack Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRA's), changing the wilderness 
attributes on those portions. The developed portion would not be given 
future consideration for wilderness designation under current Forest 
Service guidelines.
    Constructing roads in inventoried roadless areas is of great 
concern to some publics. This is based on landscape and/or watershed 
level concerns of an irreversible or irretrievable nature associated 
with wildlife refugia, watershed stability, recreational opportunity, 
and overall ecological concerns that are partially addressed by other 
issues and effects but not in total. These landscape and watershed 
level concerns are the impetus behind the Forest Service temporary 
suspension of roadbuilding in inventoried roadless areas.

Possible Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Three alternatives to the proposed action have been identified. One 
alternative is the no action alternatives. The issue regarding timber 
harvest developing inventoried roadless areas generated an alternative 
that includes the proposed action's activities except that no 
activities would occur in the inventoried roadless areas except for 
prescribed fire in the Whiskey Jack Inventoried Roadless Areas. The 
issue regarding road construction in inventoried roadless areas 
generated an alternative that includes the proposed action's activities 
except that no new road construction or ground-based logging systems 
would be used in the Whiskey Jack or Rainbow Inventoried Roadless 
Areas.

Decisions To Be Made

    The Boise National Forest Supervisor will decide the following: (1) 
Whether to conduct timber management and harvest activities now or to 
defer them until a later time; (2) if now, which acres to treat and 
which logging systems to use; (3) what, if any, acres to treat with 
prescribed fire; (4) what, if any, road graveling to do; (5) what, if 
any, road obliteration and/or road closure to do; and (6) what, if any, 
road reconstruction or construction to do.

Schedule

    Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), September 1999. Final, 
January 2000.

Public Involvement

    Scoping was initiated in January 1998 with a Notice of Intent in 
the Federal Register, a legal notice in The Idaho Statesman, and a 
letter to individuals, groups, and agencies who have expressed an 
interest in this type of project. Comments were used to determine 
relevant issues and analysis needs. The same individuals, groups, and 
agencies were notified about the decision to revise the Whiskey Campo 
proposed action, and they received a copy of the Trinity Fish Passage 
Restoration Project Decision Memo.

Comments

    Written comments concerning the revised project and analysis are 
encouraged and should be postmarked within 30 days following 
publication of this announcement in the Federal Register. Comments 
received in response to this notice will be released in their entirety 
if requested pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. Mail comments 
to Jane Beaulieu, District Planner, Mountain Home Ranger District, 2180 
American Legion Boulevard, Mountain Home, ID 83647. For further 
information, contact Frank Marsh, Project Leader, at 208-587-7961.
    The comment period on the DEIS will be 45 days from the date the

[[Page 46339]]

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 
DEIS's 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 DEIS stage but are not raised until after 
completion of the final environmental impact statement may be waived or 
dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 1002 
(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 made available to the Forest Service at a time when it 
can meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the final 
environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the DEIS should be as 
specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific 
pages or chapters of the draft statement. Comments may also address the 
adequacy of the DEIS 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. Comments received on the DEIS will be released 
in their entirety if requested pursuant to the Freedom of Information 
Act.

Responsible Official

    David D. Rittenhouse, Forest Supervisor, Boise National Forest, 
1249 South Vinnell Way, Suite 200, Boise, ID 83709.

    Dated: August 12, 1999.
David D. Rittenhouse,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 99-21675 Filed 8-24-99; 8:45 am]
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