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Forest Service extends Shoreline II Outfitter/Guide project comment period
SITKA, Alaska–The Tongass National Forest is extending the comment period to give the public additional time to consider and comment on new outfitter and guide allocations.
The Tongass National Forest is proposing new outfitter and guide allocations on the Tongass National Forest marine shoreline zone to be consistent with the 2008 Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan. The Shoreline II Outfitter/Guide project Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS) proposes to allocate 80,305 service days to non-motorized outfitter/guide activities that originate from the marine shoreline zone on the Sitka, Hoonah, Juneau Ranger Districts and Admiralty Island National Monument. The DEIS proposes
to incorporate an adaptive management strategy that will allow for flexibility to allocate additional service days based on monitoring efforts and an additional strategy to align cross-district consistency in issuing big game guide special use permits.
“Forest Supervisor Earl Stewart received requests to extend the 45-day public comment period,"
said Team Leader Carey Case. “The current 45-day comment period ends today, March 14 and the extended comment
period will end 30-days after an updated notice of availability (NOA) is published in the Federal Register.” The anticipated NOA publication date is March 25. The NOA is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period. The NOA will be available on the
public webpage, http://go.usa.gov/Pzi
after it is published. This DEIS describes four alternatives. The alternatives represent different project designs intended to address issues raised by the public, while achieving to varying
degrees the purpose and need for action. The DEIS discusses the estimated effects of implementing each alternative, and compares them in terms of meeting management objectives and estimated impacts to resources. The Forest Service’s preferred alternative is
Alternative 2. For more information, go to the project website
http://go.usa.gov/Pzi or contact Team Leader Carey Case at 907-772-5906 or
ccase@xxxxxxxxx. Comments can be emailed to:
comments-alaska-tongass-sitka@xxxxxxxxx, or made through the project website by clicking
on “Comment on Project” to submit comments electronically and attach documents. -end- This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately. To manage your subscription visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription.shtml |
