Legal Notice
Opportunity to Object
Taneum Restoration
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Cle Elum Ranger District
The Taneum Restoration Draft Decision Notice (DN) and Final Environmental Assessment (EA) have been completed. This notice starts the pre-decisional administrative review (objection) period. The decision includes commercial thinning, non-commercial thinning, pile burning/prescribed burning, treatment of invasive plants, recreation/road/trail management, and aquatic resource restoration. The project area is located 10 miles south of the town of Cle Elum in Kittitas County, Washington. The legal location is as follows: T19N R14E S24, T19N, R15E, Sections 13-16, 20-29 and 31-36; T19N, R16E, Section 28; T18N, R15E, Sections 2, 3 and 10, and T18N, R14E, Section 2. The project is in the North Fork, South Fork, and Taneum Creek drainages and is 27,662 acres.
Copies of the Final EA and DN may be viewed at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=53450. To view or request a hard copy write, call, or visit the Cle Elum Ranger Station at 803 W 2nd St, Cle Elum, WA 98922, (509)-852-1100.
This project is subject to pre-decisional administrative review pursuant to 36 CFR 218, Subparts A and B. The 45-day objection period begins the day following publication of this notice. Only individuals or organizations who submitted specific written or oral comments (36 CFR 218.2) during the designated opportunities for public participation (scoping or 30-day comment periods) may object (36 CFR 218.5). Issues raised in objection must be based on previously submitted specific written comments regarding the proposed project and attributed to the objector, unless the issue is based on new information that arose after the opportunities for comment. The burden is on the objector to demonstrate compliance with the requirement for objection issues 36 CFR 218.8(c).
Minimum requirements of an objection are described in 36 CFR 218.8(d). An objection must include a description of the proposed action addressed by the objection, including specific issues related to the proposed action; how the objector believes the environmental analysis or draft decision specifically violates law, regulation, or policy, if applicable; suggested remedies that would resolve the objection; supporting reasons for the reviewing officer to consider; and a statement demonstrating the connection between prior specific written comments on the proposed action 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 for at 36 CFR 218.8(b).
Objections can be submitted in several forms, but must be received by the Regional Forester, the objection deciding officer, within 45 days from the date of publication in the Ellensburg Daily Record. The publication date in the Ellensburg Daily Record is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection. Attachments to the objection received after the 45-day objection period will not be considered. Those wishing to object to this draft Decision Notice should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any other source. It is the responsibility of all individuals and organizations to ensure their objections are received in a timely manner as described in 36 CFR 218.9. For electronically mailed objections, the sender should normally receive an automated electronic acknowledgement from the agency as confirmation of receipt. If the sender does not receive an automated electronic acknowledgement of the objection from the agency as confirmation, it is the senders’ responsibility to ensure timely receipt by other means.
Objections may be submitted in the following ways: 1) Electronic Submission: Electronic objections will be accepted through the Forest Service online comment system, web address provided above; 2) Hand Delivered to: Pacific Northwest Region Forest Service, ATTN: 1570 Objections, 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97204, between 8:00am and 4:30pm, M-F, except legal holidays; 3) Fax: Objections may also be faxed: Attn: 1570 Objections, at 503-808-2339; or 4) Mailed to: Regional Forester, ATTN: 1570 Objections, PO Box 3623, Portland, OR 97208. Objections delivered by mail must be received before the close of the fifth business day after the objection filing period.
Attachments to comments must be submitted only in one of the following three formats: Microsoft Word, rich text format (rtf) or Adobe Portable Document format (pdf). Objections submitted by other means than listed above or in other formats than those listed or containing viruses will be rejected. Objections received in response to this notice, including names, addresses, and any other information provided with the objection, will be considered a part of the public record and will be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and released if requested.
Joe Rausch
Cle Elum District Ranger
Jamey Basye
