The Sacramento Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest has prepared an Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact and a Draft Decision Notice for the Westside Sacramento Mountains Watershed Restoration and Fuels Reduction Project- Priority Area 3 and is providing an opportunity for objection. The project area covers approximately 3,439 acres of National Forest System lands and 203 acres of City of Alamogordo property, located on the western slope of the Sacramento Ranger District, in the vicinity of Cherry, Alamo, and Gordon Canyons in Otero County, New Mexico. The purpose of the project is to improve forest and watershed health and reduce the threat of a stand-replacing wildfire in the project area. The draft decision (draft decision notice) is to implement the proposed action which includes prescribed burning, hand and mechanical vegetation treatments, and road maintenance.
This proposed project is subject to the objection process pursuant to 36 CFR 218, subparts A and B. An objection, including attachments, must be in writing and filed with the Reviewing Officer: Travis Moseley, Forest Supervisor, Lincoln National Forest, 3463 Las Palomas Road, Alamogordo, NM 88310; (fax) 575-434-7218; (e-mail) objections-southwestern-lincoln@fs.fed.us and include “Westside Sacramento Mountains Project Priority Area 3-Objection” in the subject line, within 45 days of the publication date of the legal notice in the Alamogordo Daily News (Newspaper of Record). The opportunity to object ends on the 45th day after publication in the newspaper. The publication date in the Alamogordo Daily News is the exclusive means for calculating the time frame for filing an objection, objectors should not rely on timeframe information provided in any other source and ensure their objection is received in a timely manner (218.9). Objections must be filed via regular mail, fax, email, hand delivery, express delivery, or messenger service. Hand deliveries can be filed at Forest Supervisor’s Office from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F except holidays. Electronically filed objections, such as email, may be submitted by email in plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), hypertext markup language (.html), portable document format (.pdf), or Word (.doc) format. Only those individuals and organizations that submitted written comments during the designated opportunities for public comment may file an objection pursuant to 36 CFR 218. The public scoping period occurred between October 10-November 9, 2015 and the Draft EA comment period occurred between August 23, 2017 and September 21, 2017. Issues raised in objections must be based on previously submitted timely, specific written comments regarding the proposed project unless based on new information arising after designated opportunities to comment. For further details on the project and the analysis completed, you can visit the Lincoln National Forest website for the project: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=51966, and download the EA, FONSI, and the draft decision notice for review, or for more information about the project contact Ciara Cusack, NEPA Planner at 575-682-2551 or ccusack@fs.fed.us. For more information about the objection process contact Peggy Luensmann, Forest NEPA Coordinator, psluensmann@fs.fed.us or at 575-434-7200.
It is your responsibility to provide sufficient narrative description of those aspects of the Westside Sacramento Mountains Watershed Restoration and Fuels Reduction Project addressed by the objection, specific issues related to the project, and suggested remedies which would resolve the objection. As part of the objection, incorporation of documents by reference is not allowed. At a minimum, the objection must include the following: (1) Objector’s name and address (Please include telephone number if available.); (2) Signature or other verification of authorship upon request (A scanned signature for electronic mail may be filed with the objection.); (3) When multiple names are listed on the objection, provide identification of the lead objector and verification of the identity of the lead objector upon request; and (4) The name of the project (Westside Sacramento Mountains Watershed Restoration and Fuels Reduction Project), the name and title of the Responsible Official (Elizabeth Humphrey, District Ranger), Sacramento Ranger District, Lincoln National Forest; (5) A description of those aspects of the proposed project addressed by the objection, including specific issues related to the proposed project, if applicable; how the objector believes the environmental analysis or draft decision specifically violates law, regulation, or policy; suggested remedies that would resolve the objection; and supporting reasons for the Reviewing Officer to consider; (6)A statement that demonstrates connection between prior specific written comments on the particular proposed project or activity and the content of the objection, unless the objection concerns an issue that arose after the designated opportunities for comment. All objections are available for public inspection during and after the objection process, and names and addresses of objectors will become part of the public record.
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