Environmental Assessment

Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and

Forest Plan Amendment #62

USDA-Forest Service

Malheur National Forest

Prairie City Ranger District

Grant County, Oregon

An Environmental Assessment (EA), Decision Notice, and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the establishment of the Dugout Creek Research Natural Area and non-significant Forest Plan Amendment #62 have been completed. The project is designed to designate as a Research Natural Area (RNA) 908 acres of natural old growth ponderosa pine/pinegrass and grand fir/pinegrass forest with old growth ponderosa pine communities to preserve an example of a significant natural ecosystem. The Dugout Creek RNA was proposed in the Malheur Land and Resource Management Plan in 1990. It is located on National Forest System Lands, approximately 35 miles southeast of Prairie City, Oregon. The legal location of the RNA is: T16S, R35E, Sections 1, 2, 11, and 12; T16S, R36E, Section 6 and T15S, R36E, Section 31 in Grant County, Oregon.

The Deciding Officer, Pacific Northwest Regional Forester Linda D. Goodman, has decided to implement the Proposed Action because it achieves the purpose and need to maintain biological diversity on National Forest lands.

This decision is subject to appeal pursuant to Forest Service regulations at 36 CFR 217. Any written notice of appeal of the decision must be fully consistent with 36 CFR 217.9 (Content of a notice of appeal) and must include sufficient narrative evidence and argument to show why the decision by the lower level officer should be changed or reversed. The written notice of appeal, in duplicate, must be postmarked or received by the Appeal Reviewing Officer, Abigail Kimbell, within 45 days of the date the legal notice appeared in the Oregonian on April 2, 2007. Submit written notice of appeal to: Chief, USDA Forest Service ATTN: NFS APPEALS, 14th and Independence SW, P.O. Box 96090, Washington D.C. 20090-6090. The publication date of the legal notice in the Oregonian is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an appeal and those wishing to appeal should not rely on dates or timeframes provided by any other source.

If no appeals are filed within the 45 day time period following the date on which the legal notice announcing this decision appeared in the Oregonian (217.10(a)) on April 2, 2007, implementation of this decision may occur on, but not before, 7 business days from the close of the appeal filing period.

For further information, contact Mike Tatum, Malheur National Forest, P.O. Box 909, 431 Patterson Bridge Road, John Day, Oregon 97865, or by phone at (541) 575-3000.