Opportunity to Object to the draft decision regarding the Thorne Bay Basin Integrated Resource Management Project
The Thorne Bay Ranger District of the Tongass National Forest has prepared an environmental assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact, and draft Decision Notice for Thorne Bay Basin Integrated Resource Management Project. The Responsible Official intends to select the Proposed Action to allow harvest of approximately 2,299 acres of young-growth timber resulting in about 47.4 million board feet, approximately 2,884 acres of thinning and gaps and riparian thinning treatments to improve wildlife habitat conditions, and road-related activities which include maintenance or reconditioning of about 60 miles of National Forest System (NFS) roads, 0.11 mile of new National Forest System road construction, 11 miles of temporary road reconstruction, and about 10 miles of new temporary road construction.. The proposed project or activity is subject to the pre-decisional objection process pursuant to 36 CFR 218 Subparts A and B.
The environmental assessment, finding of no significant impact, and draft decision notice are available on-line at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=62854. These documents are also available for review at the Thorne Bay Ranger District. Additional information regarding this project or activity can be obtained from: Jonathan Markovich at jonathan.markovich@usda.gov.
How to Object and Timeframes
The opportunity to object ends 45 days following the date of publication of the legal notice in Ketchikan Daily News. If the objection filing period ends on a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, objections will be accepted until the end of the next Federal working day. The publication date of the legal notice in the newspaper of record is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection. Those wishing to object should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any other source. It is the objector’s responsibility to ensure timely filing of a written objection with the reviewing officer.
Issues raised in objections must be based on previously submitted timely and specific written comments regarding the proposed project or activity during a public comment period, unless based on new information arising after designated comment opportunities. Interested individuals or entities who have not previously commented may gain limited eligibility to object based on new information, but only for issues that arise based on new information where that information is truly new and was not available during the designated public comment opportunity.
At a minimum, the objection must include the following: Name, address, and if possible, a telephone number of the objector; signature or other verification of authorship (a scanned signature for electronic mail may be filed with the objection); identification of the lead objector, when multiple names are listed on an objection; the name of the project being objected to, the name and title of the responsible official, and the name of the National Forest(s) and/or ranger district on which the project is located; a statement of the issues and/or the parts of the project to which the objection applies; if applicable, a statement explaining how the environmental analysis or draft decision specifically violates law, regulation, or policy; suggested remedies; and supporting reasons; and a statement that demonstrates the connection between prior specific written comments and the content of the objection, unless the objection concerns an issue that arose after the designated opportunities for comment. Incorporation of documents by reference is permitted only as provided in 36 CFR 218.8(b).
Written objections, including attachments, must be filed online using the webform below, or via postal mail, fax, hand-delivery, express delivery, or messenger service (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays) to: Barbara Miranda, Acting Forest Supervisor (Objections Reviewing Officer), Tongass National Forest, Federal Building, 648 Mission Street, Suite No. 110, Ketchikan, Alaska 99901-6591, 907-228-6301 (fax). Electronically filed objections may be submitted online in word (.doc), rich text format (.rtf), text (.txt), and hypertext markup language (.html).
Objections received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who object, will be considered part of the public record on these proposed actions and will be available for public inspection during and after the objection process.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
The form below can be used to submit your comments to the responsible project official.
National Forests have the option to post comments for public viewing on this web site via a public reading room. Active reading rooms allow the public to read or download your letter, including your contact information. If this project has an active reading room, a link labeled “Public Comment Reading Room” will appear on the main project page. The agency may withhold letters containing proprietary information, sensitive cultural or habitat locations, profanity, etc. All letters, including those not posted, will be considered and included as part of the project record.
Disclaimer: All contact information is optional; however, anonymous comments will not provide standing to object.
