Opportunity to Comment on the Big Creek Aspen Restoration Project

The Forest Service, Malheur National Forest, Prairie City Ranger District, has made a preliminary assessment that this proposal falls within a category of actions listed in the Forest Service NEPA Handbook (FSH) that are excluded from documentation in an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and there are no extraordinary circumstances that would preclude use of the category. FSH 1909.15, Chapter 30, Section 31.2, Category 6 – Categories of Actions for Which a Project or Case File and Decision Memo Are Required. This category includes timber stand and/or wildlife habitat improvement activities which do not include the use of herbicides or do not require more than one mile of low standard road construction. The proposal is to remove encroaching conifers in a 22 – acre aspen stand in the vicinity of Big Creek, in Logan Valley. The legal location is T. 16 S., R. 33.5 E., Center of Section 11. A draft memorandum detailing the proposal is available for review at Prairie City Ranger District. Additional information regarding this action can be obtained from: Erin Dailey, 327 Front St., Prairie City, Oregon; (541) 820-3857; edailey@fs.fed.us.

This comment period is intended to provide those interested in or affected by this proposal an opportunity to make their concerns known prior to a decision being made by the Responsible Official. This comment period is being provided pursuant to the September 16, 2005, order issued by the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Case No. CIV F-03-6386JKS. Those who provide timely and substantive comments will be eligible to appeal the decision pursuant to 36 CFR part 215 regulations.

How to Comment and Timeframe

Written, facsimile, hand-delivered, oral, and electronic comments concerning this action will be accepted for 30 calendar days following publication of this notice in the Blue Mountain Eagle. The publication date in the newspaper of record is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period for this proposal. Those wishing to comment should not rely upon dates or time frame information provided by any other source. The regulations prohibit extending the length of the comment period.

Written comments must be submitted to: Robert Varner, Acting District Ranger. The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are: 8:00 – 4:30 Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Oral comments must be provided at the Responsible Official’s office during normal business hours via telephone (541) 820-3800 or in person, or at an official agency function (i.e. public meeting) that is designed to elicit public comments. Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an email message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc) to comments-pacificnorthwest-malheur-prairiecity@fs.fed.us. In cases where no identifiable name is attached to a comment, a verification of identity will be required for appeal eligibility. If using an electronic message, a scanned signature is one way to provide verification.

Electronic comments must be submitted as part of the actual e-mail message, or as an attachment in Microsoft Word, rich text format, or portable document format only. E-mails submitted to e-mail addresses other than the one listed above, in other formats than those listed, or containing viruses will be rejected.

It is the responsibility of persons providing comments to submit them by the close of the comment period. It is the responsibility of persons providing comments by electronic means to ensure that their comments have been received. Individuals and organizations wishing to be eligible to appeal must meet the information requirements of 36 CFR 215.6.