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Travel Management on the Tonto National Forest Supplemental

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Travel Management on the Tonto National Forest Supplemental FR 502 United States Department of Agriculture Travel Management on the Tonto National Forest Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Forest Service Tonto National Forest April 2019 For More Information Contact: Greg Schuster, Recreation Program Manager 2324 E. McDowell Road Phoenix, Arizona 85006 (602) 225-5362 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720- 2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632- 9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. Travel Management on the Tonto National Forest Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Travel Management on the Tonto National Forest Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Gila, Maricopa, Pinal, and Yavapai Counties, Arizona April 2019 Lead Agency: USDA Forest Service Cooperating Agencies: Arizona Game and Fish Department Responsible Official: Neil Bosworth, Forest Supervisor 2324 E. McDowell Road Phoenix, Arizona 85006 Tonto National Forest i Travel Management on the Tonto National Forest Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Abstract This Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) supplements the Travel Management on the Tonto National Forest Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) released on June 2016. A Draft Record of Decision for the project was released along with the FEIS. The Forest received 13 letters of objection to the draft decision. A review by the Forest Service Southwest Regional Office determined that additional analysis was required to adequately comply with laws and policy and provide the necessary disclosure for a number of issues brought forward in objections. This SEIS provides that additional analysis and disclosure. Accompanying this document is an interactive map that provides clarity in route designations at both large and small scales. The purpose and need for the project and the alternatives remain the same, with minor revisions from the draft record of decision and the resolution of objections to alternative C, the preferred alternative. The purpose of the project is to comply with the 2005 Travel Management Rule (36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 212 Subpart B) by designating a system of roads and motorized trails and prohibiting motorized cross-country travel, except in designated motorized areas and fixed-distance corridors solely for the purpose of motorized dispersed camping or motorized big game retrieval. The area affected by the proposal and subject to analysis here includes the entire Tonto National Forest. In addition to complying with regulations, this action is needed because the increasing number of unmanaged motorized recreationists on the Forest has been contributing to resource damage. Only those issues and elements identified as needing additional analysis by the regional forester’s objection review will be addressed in the supplemental analysis. All other issues and resource elements were deemed by the regional forester to have been adequately analyzed. This supplement, the 2016 FEIS, the draft record of decision, and all supporting documents can be accessed online at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=28967. We are currently releasing the draft supplemental EIS for public comments. We will analyze comments received, revise the analysis, as necessary, and then release the final supplemental EIS and a new draft record of decision next year. The draft record of decision will be subject to objection, and then the forest supervisor will issue a final record of decision. Comments on the Draft Supplemental EIS Comments are allowed only for those issues brought forward from the objection review and included in the draft supplemental EIS. Comments must be made in writing, must have a direct relationship to the objection issues, and must include supporting reasons. Comments received, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record and will be available for public inspection. Pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows such confidentiality. The comment period lasts for 45 days, starting the day following the publishing of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. Comments will be accepted the following ways: Tonto National Forest iii Travel Management on the Tonto National Forest Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Using our Interactive Web Maps: Pop-up boxes will appear on routes and areas that are eligible to receive comments. You will be able to type your comments directly there, and they will be captured in our comment database, anchored to the spatial location. Using our Online Comment Form: You may submit a general comment, or comments about travel management issues not related to a specific route using the online form available on the project webpage. You can access the comment form by clicking on “Comment/Object on Project” in the right- hand column at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=28967. Comments submitted electronically must be in plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), Word (.doc or .docx), or portable document format (.pdf). By U.S. Mail: Tonto National Forest attn.: Greg Schuster 2324 E McDowell Road Phoenix, AZ 85006 Comments may also be hand delivered at the above address between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm. Comments must be received during the 45-day comment period that follows publication of the Notice of Availability of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in the Federal Register. Publication is estimated for April 5, 2019, with the comment period running from April 6 through May 21, 2019. This Draft Supplemental EIS and the 2016 FEIS are based on documents in the project record that are available on the project webpage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=28967 Tonto National Forest iv Travel Management on the Tonto National Forest Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Comments on the DSEIS ................................................................................................................ iii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Objection Process ........................................................................................................................ 1 Objection Findings ...................................................................................................................... 2 Objection Response ......................................................................................................................... 5 Identifying Routes and Designations for Motorized Use ............................................................ 5 Changes to Recreation Opportunity Spectrum Class .................................................................. 6 Travel Analysis Process as Basis for Travel Planning ................................................................ 6 Application and Analysis of Minimization Criteria .................................................................... 7 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 7 Methods ................................................................................................................................... 8 Results ................................................................................................................................... 19 Discussion ............................................................................................................................
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