EIS released on Priest Lake fuels reduction project

November 23, 2011

The Priest Lake Ranger District released the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the Lakeview-Reeder Hazardous Fuels Reduction project today. The DSEIS updates the original Environmental Impact Statement (issued in December 2009) to include recent additional requirements for the evaluation of wildlife habitat within the project area. Implementation of the Lakeview-Reeder project will substantially reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire to communities and forest health in the areas surrounding Reeder Bay, Lakeview Mountain and Bismark Meadows, just west of Priest Lake. “Our local communities have been hugely supportive of this project since its inception, so we are looking forward to working together through the public comment period to develop a decision that provides both improved forest health and improved wildfire resilience,” said Priest Lake District Ranger Glen Klingler. The proposed action for the Lakeview-Reeder DSEIS would reduce fuels on approximately 2,319 acres within the project area. To access fuel treatment areas, road maintenance activities would occur on approximately 18 miles of road; reconstruction activities would occur on 2 miles of road; and approximately 3 miles of road would be constructed (2.4 miles of permanent road, and 0.7 miles of temporary road). This work supplements other road related activities recently implemented, which improve wildlife habitat and minimize the effects of project work on aquatic habitats and wildlife within the project area. The original Environmental Impact Statement for the Lakeview-Reeder project was issued in December 2009 and a final decision was made in April 2010. Shortly after the April decision two court cases in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals resulted in rulings that affect the evaluation of wildlife habitat on Forest Service projects throughout the west. Based on an evaluation of these rulings the Idaho Panhandle Nationals Forests chose to rescind the original project decision to conduct additional scientific analysis of wildlife habitat for the project. With the additional analysis complete, the forest is issuing the Supplemental EIS for public comment before a final SEIS is completed and a new decision released. The Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement is available for review online at the Lakeview-Reeder Hazardous Fuels Reduction web page. A 45 day comment period will begin upon publication of a notice of availability in the Federal Register which is expected to occur on December 2, 2011. A legal notice will also be published in the Coeur d’Alene Press on or around this date. Written comments may be sent to A.J. Helgenberg, Lakeview-Reeder Project Team Leader, Sandpoint Ranger District, 1602 Ontario Street, Sandpoint, Idaho 83864. Comments can be submitted electronically to: ajhelgenberg@fs.fed.us. Members of the public with questions about the project may contact the Priest Lake Ranger District at (208) 443-2512.