Comment on Roadless Boundaries Colville, Okanogan & Wenatchee NF

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Forest Service Invites Public to Review Proposed

Boundaries of Inventoried Roadless Areas

An opportunity to review proposed changes to inventoried roadless area boundaries is now available.

As the Forest Service continues revision of Forest Plans for three eastern Washington national forests, review of inventoried roadless area boundaries is the first step

toward evaluating and considering areas for wilderness potential.

This public participation opportunity is focused only on review of inventoried roadless area boundaries, not on what kind of management direction the Forest Service should assign to an area or whether it should be recommended for wilderness. Evaluation of a given area

for wilderness recommendation/non-recommendation will occur later in the Forest Plan revision process. The public will have opportunity to participate in this evaluation at a later date.

While reviewing and proposing changes to inventoried roadless area boundaries, the Forest Service used “inventory criteria” listed in Forest Service Handbook 1909.12, Chapter 70, section 71 to map boundaries for each inventoried roadless area. This is an interim directive which expires September 23, 2006 unless a new directive is approved. Anyone proposing a boundary change should use the inventory criteria listed in Chapter 70 as the basis for proposed changes to an inventoried roadless area’s boundary. This must be

done separately for each inventoried roadless area for which boundary changes are proposed.

Please visit our web site to see the inventory criteria or call us for a copy.

If you’d like to review proposed inventoried roadless boundaries, you can do so in one of the three following ways:

1) attend an upcoming public meeting (see schedule on next page)

2) visit the Forest Plan Revision web site and follow the posted directions at www.fs.fed.us/r6/colville/cow

3) call 509-664-9210, or write us at the address listed above to request a packet of information to be sent via the U.S. Mail.

In order for your input to be of most use, we need to have your proposals related to inventoried roadless area boundaries to the Forest Service no later than August 15, 2005.

Schedule of Upcoming Public Meetings

Location Date Time

Bellevue High School, Performing Arts Center, Bellevue, WA - July 12, 2005 7:00-8:30 P.M.

Red Lion Yakima Center Hotel, Yakima, WA - July 13, 2005 7:00-8:30 P.M.

Wenatchee Red Lion Hotel, Wenatchee, WA - July 14, 2005 7:00-8:30 P.M.

Community Colleges of SpokaneDominion Room, Colville, WAJuly 18, 2005 7:00-8:30 P.M.

Okanogan Agriplex Annex Okanogan Fairgrounds,

Okanogan, WA July 20, 2005 7:00-8:30 P.M.

For more information please contact us:

web site: www.fs.fed.us/r6/colville/cow

E-mail address: r6_ewzplanrevision@fs.fed.us

U.S. Postal Address: Forest Plan Revision Team

Okanogan Valley Office

1240 Second Avenue South

Okanogan, WA 98840

Phone: 509-664-9210 (Rick Acosta)

509-826-3275 (Margaret Hartzell)

2005 Planning Rule To Direct Forest Plan Revision

Forest Supervisors of the Colville, Okanogan, and

Wenatchee National Forests have decided to implement

the 2005 Planning Rule to govern Forest Plan revision

efforts already underway on the three national forests.

Rules directing how the Forest Service does planning

were last changed in 1982. By adopting the new planning rule now, Forest Supervisors Rick Brazell and Jim Boynton state that the three national forests of eastern Washington will be positioned well for the future.

Adoption of the 2005 Planning Rule will allow the local national forests to be in sync with future national forest planning and management across the nation.

Aspects of the 2005 Planning Rule direct or allow for:

• Forest Plans to contain more strategic, “big picture” direction

• an emphasis on ecological, social, and economic sustainability

• an increased ability of the Forest Service to respond more rapidly to changing conditions such as wildfires; emerging threats such as invasive species; or new available science

• more timely and cost effective forest planning

• development of an Environmental Management System (EMS) that emphasizes adaptive management (public involvement will be invited to help develop EMS)

• an increased emphasis on collaboration with the public while Forest Plans are revised, and monitored. (A 90 day forest plan public review period as well as a 30 day objection period is also provided.)

The new planning rule only changes how the Forest Service does land management planning. The Forest Service will still need to comply with all existing environmental laws and regulations such as the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental

Policy Act. Project level environmental analysis will still occur along with involvement from the public. The best science will also be considered when making management decisions.

In addition, a thorough process is currently being developed to evaluate sustainability for species of concern and interest.

More can be learned about the 2005 Planning Rule by visiting our web site. We look forward to collaborating with all members of the public as we revise Forest Plans for the Colville, Okanogan, and Wenatchee National Forests.