*IMPORTANT* The comment form application is scheduled for an update on July 26th, 2024 at 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST. The estimated duration of the update is about 2 hours. If you experience issues when submitting your comment during this timeframe try and submit your comment again later or reach out to the contact below.
USDA FOREST SERVICE
BIGHORN NATIONAL FOREST, POWDER RIVER RANGER DISTRICT
POLE CREEK VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PROJECT
The USDA Forest Service has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) and draft decision notice and finding of no significant impact (DN/FONSI) for the Pole Creek Vegetation Management Project. The Pole Creek project area is in the southeast corner of the Bighorn National Forest on the Powder River Ranger District. It is an approximately 92,000-acre area, most of which is in the Clear Creek/Crazy Woman Creek watershed. The Responsible Official for this decision is Thad Berrett, Powder River District Ranger.
The Responsible Official is planning to implement Alternative 2, the proposed action, which proposes the following activities: approximately 8,000 acres of commercial timber harvests including clearcuts greater than 40 acres in size, approximately 5,400 acres of fuel reduction thinning, prescribed burning treatments, 800 acres of aspen and 8,300 acres of riparian habitat improvements, and road system changes are proposed.
The EA and draft DN/FONSI for the Pole Creek Vegetation Management Project are available upon request at the Powder River Ranger District office, 1415 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY 2834. This document is also available on the Bighorn National Forest website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/bighorn/?project=61834. Additional information regarding this proposed action can be obtained from Maya Velasco, Forest Environmental Coordinator, maya.velasco@usda.gov.
The Pole Creek Vegetation Management 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. Objections, including attachments, must be filed with the appropriate reviewing officer within 45 calendar days following publication of this notice in the Casper Star-Tribune, the newspaper of record. The publication date in the newspaper of record is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection. Objectors 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 pursuant to 36 CFR 218.9.
Objections will only be accepted from those who have previously submitted specific written comments regarding the proposed project during scoping or other designated opportunities for public comment in accordance with 36 CFR 218.5(a). Issues raised in objections must be based on previously submitted timely, specific written comments regarding the proposed project unless the issue is based on new information arising after the designated comment opportunities.
The objection must contain the minimum content requirements specified in 36 CFR 218.8(d) and incorporation of documents by reference is permitted only as provided in 36 CFR 218.8(b). Objections that do not adhere to these requirements make review of an objection difficult and are conditions under which the reviewing officer may set aside an objection pursuant to 36 CFR 218.10. All eligible objections are available for public inspection.
Electronic objections are preferred and must be submitted to the Objection Reviewing Officer online at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?project=61834. Electronic submissions must be submitted in a format that is readable with optical character recognition software (e.g., Word, PDF, Rich Text) and be searchable. An automated response should confirm your electronic objection has been received.
Written objections may be submitted via regular mail to: Andrew Johnson, 1415 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY 82834. To arrange for hand-delivery of written comments or facsimile submission, please contact Maya Velasco at maya.velasco@usda.gov.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Matthew Rathbone
