The USDA Forest Service is conducting an analysis of the War Creek Waterline Project. The proposed action is to be located on the Fort Pierre Ranger District of the Fort Pierre National Grassland. Proposed actions would occur on approximately 6,100 acres of National Forest System land in Jones and Stanley Counties, South Dakota, at the west end of the Fort Pierre National Grassland. The proposed action would authorize the installation of eleven miles of buried waterline, fourteen water tanks and six water lots (fenced enclosures between two or more pastures). Additionally, restoration efforts of a natural playa by removing an existing dugout within the wetland are proposed in the Far West Pasture of the Fort Pierre National Grassland. The Responsible Official for this decision is the Fort Pierre District Ranger Dan Svingen. A Draft Environmental Assessment for the War Creek Waterline Project is available upon request at the Fort Pierre Ranger District office, 1020 North Deadwood St., Fort Pierre, SD 57532. This document is also available at the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/nebraska/?project=66211. Additional information regarding this proposed action can be obtained from the project lead, Kelly Waage, at 605-224-5517. The War Creek Waterline Project is an activity implementing a land management plan. This activity is subject to pre-decisional objection under subparts A and B of 36 CFR Part 218. Pursuant to 36 CFR 218.25, comments on this proposed action will be accepted for 30 days beginning on the first day after the date of publication of this notice in the Capital Journal, the newspaper of record. If the comment period ends on a Saturday, Sunday or Federal holiday, comments will be accepted until the end of the next Federal working day. A timely submission will be determined as outlined in 36 CFR 218.25(a)(4). It is the responsibility of the sender to ensure timely receipt of any comments submitted. Only individuals or entities (as defined by 36 CFR 218.2) who submit timely, specific written comments (as specified in 36 CFR 218.2) about this proposed action during this or another public comment period established by the Responsible Official will be eligible to file an objection. Other eligibility requirements are specified in 36 CFR 218.25(a)(3) and include, among other requirements, the commenter’s name, postal address, title of the proposed action, and signature or other verification of identity upon request and identification of the individual or entity who authored the comment(s). All written comments received by the Responsible Official, including names and addresses of commenters shall be placed in the project file and shall become a matter of public record for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide the Agency with the ability to provide the commenter with subsequent environmental documents. Comments should be within the scope of the proposed action, have a direct relationship to the proposed action, and must include supporting reasons for the Responsible Official to consider (36 CFR 218.2). Submit comments to the Responsible Official, District Ranger Dan Svingen, by one of the following methods: mail: 1020 North Deadwood St., Fort Pierre, SD 57532, telephone: 605-224-5517 or the project website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/nebraska/?project=66211 (please include “Comments on War Creek Waterline Project” in the subject line of your response) in order to be considered when making the final decision. Office hours, for those who wish to hand deliver their comments, are 8:00am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 5:00pm Monday – Friday (except Federal holidays). Acceptable formats for electronic comments are text or html e-mail, Adobe portable document format, and formats viewable in Microsoft Office applications. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Kelly Waage
