Motorized Vehicle Use on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
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United States Department of Agriculture FINAL SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT Volume 2 - Appendices Motorized Vehicle Use on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest for the greatest good September 2015 VicinityVicinity Map Map OREGON Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest High Cascades Powers 5 ¨¦§ Grants Pass Wild Rivers Gold Beach Medford I Siskiyou Mountains Wild Rivers OREGON CALIFORNIA The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's Lead Agency: TARGET CenterUSDA at Forest(202) 720 Service-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaintIn accordance of discrimination, with Federal write civil to rights USDA, law Director, and U.S. Office Department of of Civil Rights,Rogue 1400 River-Siskiyou Independence Avenue,National S.W., Forest Washington,Agriculture D.C. 20250 -(USDA)9410, or civilcall (800)rights 795 regulations-3272 (voice) and or policies, (202) the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on Responsible Official: Robert G. MacWhorter race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender Forest Supervisor expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or For Further Information Peggy O’Keefe Project Lead activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Forest Supervisor’s Office 2164 Spalding Avenue Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication Grants Pass, Oregon 97526 for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Phone: (541) 471-6747 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. 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] . Table of Contents Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Motorized Vehicle Use on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Appendix A - Summary of Comments and Responses to Comments Received on the September 2011 Draft Supplemental EIS Appendix B - Forest Plan Direction and Proposed Amendments Appendix C - Biological Evaluation and Wildlife Report Appendix D - Watershed and Soil Characteristics Appendix E - Current Forest Orders Summary Appendix F - Proposed Actions Triggering the Port-Orford-Cedar Risk Key Appendix G - Aquatic Biota Biological Evaluation & Specialist Report Appendix H - Motorized Trail Class and Season of Use by Ranger District Appendix I - Errata Sheet: Road And Trail Corrections Appendix A Summary of Comments and Responses to Comments Received on the September 2011 Draft Supplemental EIS Compiled and edited by: David Krantz Ken Grigsby Sasha Fertig Kristen Hauge Contributors: Wayne Rolle Joni Brazier Dave Clayton April 2015 Appendix A to Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Motorized Vehicle Use on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Responses to Comments Received on the September 2011 Draft Supplemental EIS A Draft Supplemental EIS (DSEIS) was made available for public review and comment under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 1506.10), and Notice, Comment, and Appeal Procedures for National Forest System Projects and Activities, (36 CFR 215). The Forest Service accepted written, electronic and oral comments as provided in §215.6. Pursuant to 36 CFR 215.6 (b), (1), this appendix documents the Responsible Official’s consideration of all substantive comments submitted in compliance with paragraph (a) of this section. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT A Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Motorized Vehicle Use on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (RRSNF) was dated November, 2009. That FEIS included a Response to Comments (Appendix A) addressing substantive comment received on the March 2009 Draft EIS. A Record of Decision (ROD) based on that FEIS was signed on December 3, 2009. Shortly thereafter, issues were raised through the appeal process that ultimately resulted in the withdrawal of the December decision and the beginning of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) process, designed to address issues raised during the appeal process requiring additional analysis, clarification, or modification. For the Draft Supplemental EIS there was no “Scoping”. Under 40 CFR 1502.9(c)(4), there was no formal Scoping period for this action. Appropriate procedures under NEPA required a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a Supplemental EIS; the Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement was published in the Federal Register on August 2, 2010 (FR page 45089-45090). A 45-day DSEIS public comment period for Motorized Vehicle Use on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest formally began on October 7, 2011, the first day following publication of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register Vol. 76, No. 195 (FR page 62406). The 45-day comment period began on October 8, 2011 and closed on November 21, 2011. Eighty-one paper copies and 63 compact discs of the full DSEIS were produced along with 20 paper copies of the DSEIS and a CD. Two hundred thirty-one letters were mailed to notify participants of the availability of the DSEIS. Copies of the full DEIS were distributed to federal and state agencies, local governments, elected officials, seven Federally recognized tribes, media representatives, libraries, organizations, and businesses (see DSEIS, Chapter VII, for a listing). The full DEIS was provided to others upon request. The document was also made available on the Rogue River National Forest website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/. SUMMARY OF PUBLIC RESPONSE A total of 453 comments (various forms of input; see below) to the DSEIS were received by the Forest at the close of the comment period. All comments received within a few days of the close of the comment period were also reviewed and were considered as part of the comment analysis process. All comments were read and coded based on content and intent, by a Forest Service planning team, with Forest oversight, review and concurrence. The following statistics are provided for information only to show the basis and diversity of public response and comment to the DSEIS. FSEIS APPENDIX A Page A-1 Response to Comments – September 2011 DSEIS Motorized Vehicle Use on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Form of Response The Forest Service tracked the various types of comments by form of response communication. Approximately 91% of the comments were received via the electronic email site established by the Forest Service to receive comments on the DSEIS ([email protected]). Approximately 405 (89%) of these comments were generated via an electronic site established to facilitate an electronic response (that contained a pre-determined viewpoint). Five or more responses received from different individuals but containing identical text, or identical text plus brief additional comments similar in content, were considered an organized response campaign. Type and Geographic Location of Respondent The Forest Service tracked the various types of comments by type of respondent. The following table shows the type or respondent tracked and the number of comments received by each type. As required by Forest Service policy, copies of the actual letters received by governmental agencies are contained at the end of this Appendix. 432 Individual/family 3 Federal Agency 2 County Government 12 Environmental Organization 4 Interest Group 453 Total The geographic location of those providing comment was tracked for informational purposes only and merely offers a sensing of the location of those who chose to comment on the DSEIS. The most respondents were from Oregon, primarily southwest Oregon. Other respondents were from California, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, and Washington. A majority of comments sent by email did not identify the respondent’s geographic location. Summary of Comments Substantive comments received on the 2011 DSEIS generally focused