The Knox Environmental Assessment (EA) is available for public review and comment for 30 Days. The project area is located approximately 27 air miles southeast of Prairie City near Crane Prairie in the Tamarack Creek Subwatershed. The EA proposes forest management treatment including: commercial thinning, group selection, precommercial thinning, biomass utilization, hand-piling, machine slash treatments, whole tree yarding, lop and scatter methods, and prescribed burning. Three alternatives including a “No Action” were developed and analyzed.

The recommended alternative for decision (Alternative 3) includes group selection on approximately 507 acres, commercial thinning on 513 acres, precommercial thinning on 1,269 acres, biomass utilization on 1,102 acres, and prescribed burning on 6,557 acres. This alternative also includes commercial removal of conifers in 55 acres of upland aspen and 35 acres of Riparian Habitat Conservation Area aspen. Alternative 3 proposes to close 26.3 miles of road and decommission 11.7 miles of road within the subwatershed.

Pursuant to 36 CFR Part 215.5, the opportunity to comment ends 30 days following the date of the publication of this legal notice in the Blue Mountain Eagle, John Day, OR (36 CFR 215.6).

Individual and organizations wishing to be eligible to appeal must provide name and address, title of the proposed action, specific substantive comments on the proposed action, along with supporting reasons that the Responsible Official should consider in reaching a decision, and a signature or other verification of identity upon request (36 CFR 215.5). It the responsibility of all individuals and organizations to ensure that their comments are received in a timely manner. Only those individuals or organizations that submit timely and substantive signed comments will be accepted as appellants (36 CFR 215.13). Individual members of an organization must submit their own substantive comments to meet the requirements of appeal eligibility; comments received on behalf of an organization are considered as those of the organization only (36 CFR.215.6).

The Responsible Official for this project is Elaine Kohrman, District Ranger, Prairie City Ranger District, P.O. Box 337, Prairie City, OR 97869. Send comments to Erin Dailey, Resource Planner, Prairie City Ranger District, P.O. Box 337, Prairie City, OR 97869 or on-line at: comments-pacificnorthwest-malheurHYPERLINK “mailto:prairiecity@fs.fed.us” prairiecity@fs.fed.us. Please submit electronic comments in either .doc or .pdf format. Comments can also be hand delivered to the Responsible Official at the 327 Front Street, Prairie City, Oregon 97869, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Copies of the EA are available for review at the Prairie City Ranger District Office. The Environmental Assessment is available on the internet at: HYPERLINK “http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/malheur/www.fs.fed.us/r6/malheur/” http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/malheur/www.fs.fed.us/r6/malheur/. For further information or a hardcopy of the EA, contact Erin Dailey at the Prairie City Ranger District Office, 327 Front Street, Prairie City, Oregon 97869 (541) 820-3800.