Dear Editor:
This letter is to inform interested parties that the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Yellowjacket Project, located in Rio Blanco County and on the Blanco Ranger District, is complete and I have drafted my decision.
The EA and draft Decision Notice (DN)/Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Yellowjacket Project are available upon request at the Blanco Ranger District office, 220 East Market St., Meeker, CO 81641. This document is also available at the White River National Forest website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=57654.
The selected alternative (Alternative 2) would provide authorization of approximately 2,300 acres of vegetation management activities, two road realignments, and material source development to maintain and repair existing roads within the Wilson Park, Sawmill Mountain and Ellison Mountain areas, located approximately 16 miles east-northeast of Meeker, Colorado. Vegetation management activities include; clearcuts with leave tree, coppice (aspen clearcuts), group selection, sanitation/salvage, pre-commercial thinning and broadcast burning with hand treatment prep.
The Yellowjacket Project is an activity implementing a land management plan. This activity is subject to pre-decisional objections 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 a legal notice of opportunity to object, to be published in the Rio Blanco Herald Times, 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 objections are available for public inspection during and after the objection process.
Electronic objections are preferred and must be submitted to the Objection Reviewing Officer online at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=57654 with “Yellowjacket Project Objection” in the subject line. 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.
Objections can be faxed to the Objection Reviewing Officer at 970-945-3266. The fax coversheet must include a subject line with “Objection: Yellowjacket Project” and should specify the number of pages being submitted.
Written objections may be submitted via regular mail to: USDA Forest Service, White River National Forest, Attn: Reviewing Officer, 900 Grand Avenue, PO Box 948, Glenwood Springs, CO, 81601.
Objections sent by private carrier or hand delivery must be addressed to: Objection Reviewing Officer, White River National Forest, Attn: Reviewing Officer, 900 Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs, CO 81601. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 p.m., excluding Federal holidays, for hand delivery.
If no objections are filed, I plan to issue a final Decision Notice at which time implementation of the project may begin.
For more information contact Christopher McDonald at 970-625-6856 or email: [email protected].
Thank you for your interest in the management of your National Forest.
Sincerely,
Curtis Keetch
District Ranger
Thoughts expressed on opinion pages are exclusively those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Herald Times. You are welcome to submit signed letters on matters of local interest to [email protected], mail to PO Box 720, Meeker, CO 81641 or drop off at 304 4th St., Meeker. there is no charge.
Due to space constraints, please keep submissions 500 words or less.
