|
In 1992,
the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region (PSW)
initiated a Sierra Nevada-wide planning effort in
response to a 1991 technical report on the declining
status of the California spotted owl. Interim guidelines
for protecting owl habitat were adopted in January 1993.
The Forest Service subsequently began developing a
long-term management plan for owl habitat and other
issues. In 1995, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for
this work was released. A revised DEIS was
scheduled for release in 1996.
However, release of new scientific information in the Sierra Nevada
Ecosystem Project (SNEP)
report influenced the withdrawal of the revised DEIS.
The Secretary of Agriculture empanelled a Federal Advisory Committee
(FAC) to review
and advise on the EIS
and SNEP
report. The committee concluded that the revised DEIS
was inadequate in its current form as either an owl conservation
strategy or ecosystem management planning document. The FAC
report offered recommendations for addressing inconsistencies with
new scientific information, identified shortcomings in some key
elements of the analysis process, and stressed the need for more
collaborative planning. The reports of the Sierra
Nevada Ecosystem Project, and the report by the Federal
Advisory Committee are available on the internet.
In
January 1998, in response to the FAC report and other
information, the Forest Service and the PSW Research
Station initiated a collaborative effort to incorporate
new information into management of Sierra Nevada National
Forests. This effort, known as the Sierra Nevada
Framework for Conservation and Collaboration,
incorporates the latest scientific information into
national forest management through broad public and
intergovernmental participation in natural resource
planning. The Framework includes the Sequoia, Sierra,
Stanislaus, Eldorado, Inyo, Tahoe, Plumas, Lassen and
Modoc national forests, and the Lake Tahoe Basin
Management Unit. In addition, Region 5 (PSW) worked with personnel from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Region 4
to ensure coordination and compatibility of management
across administrative boundaries.
Along with the emphasis on the latest science, the PSW
and the PSW Research
Station paid particular attention to improving their coordination
with and among tribes, county governments, and state and federal
agencies. The Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment EIS
is one of several activities included in the Sierra Nevada Framework
for Conservation and Collaboration. Related efforts are exploring
better ways of working together on near-term projects and longer-term
programs with an emphasis on improved relationships and procedures
to encourage better collaboration. One such effort is the work of
Forest Service personnel and staff from some of the 35 state and
federal agencies, and representatives of county government who are
members of the California Biodiversity Council. This interagency
group is providing advice and ideas on resource management and on
improving public involvement and interagency coordination throughout
the Sierra Nevada.
To provide a foundation for the Sierra Nevada Framework for Conservation
and Collaboration, a team of scientists from the USDA Forest Service,
PSW Research Station,
produced the Sierra Nevada Science Review
in July 1998. The Science Review summarizes new scientific information
with specific attention to issues of urgent priority at the range-wide
scale of the Sierra Nevada. A companion document, the Summary
of Existing Management Direction was released in August 1998.
This document summarizes existing management direction on Sierra
Nevada national forests as it relates to issues brought forward
in the Science Review.
In an effort unprecedented in Region 5 (PSW),
the Forest Service involved interested public in the process to
update forest plans before developing a proposed action and initiating
a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
planning process. One effort by the Forest Service to provide more
information and to hear people's issues and concerns is this website,
which included an electronic forum for public input. Between August
1998 and January 1999, over 60 public meetings and workshops were
held across California, involving some 1,500 people. About 3,300
people sent in comments. Special efforts were made to involve American
Indian tribes in a government-to-government relationship, including
consultation and tribal summits. Ideas from these various workshops
and other activities helped the Forest Service develop a proposed
action for updating forest plans, and influenced the development
of the alternatives and the DEIS.
Informal contacts and outreach continued through development of
the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).
The
amendment focused on five problem areas: old
forest ecosystems; riparian, aquatic, and meadow
ecosystems; fire & fuels; noxious weeds; and lower
westside hardwood forests. The FEIS
and Record of Decision (ROD) were released in January 2001.
Although the EIS covers a broad geographic scale, the project relied on local line officers (Forest Supervisors and
District Rangers) being the key point of contact with
tribal representatives, county supervisors, forest users
and interest groups. Participants worked hard to build
relationships that will enhance coordination and
collaboration on projects that implement plan amendments.
Emphasis on public communication and collaborative
involvement, and the integration of the best science
available will continue.
Following release of the FEIS
and the ROD, appeals
of the amendment were filed by a variety of individuals and groups.
On November 16, 2001, the Chief of the Forest Service completed
his review of the appeals and affirmed the January 2001 ROD. The
Chief also directed the Regional Forester to review certain elements
of the EIS
and ROD.
|
