Apache-Sitgreaves Forest Plan Revision
ARENA White Mountains
“Forest Plan Revision Update-September 2010” A Message from the Forest Supervisor
With fall fast approaching, I want to take this opportunity to provide an update on our forest plan revision process.
As you may recall, in December 2009 we issued the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register to revise the 1987 forest plan and to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS).
In April 2010, we developed and shared a set of 4 draft alternatives (no action + 3 new alternatives) to be analyzed in our EIS process. The alternatives were designed to address the 3 revision topics: 1) Maintenance and Improvement of Ecosystem Health, 2) Managed Recreation, and 3) Community-Forest Interaction. We received over 1,000 comments from the 4 public meetings and comment period that were held to gather public and employee feedback on these draft alternatives.
Currently, I am working with the planning team to incorporate that feedback and refine the alternatives. We will begin our analyses, which will be documented in the Draft EIS. We had originally hoped to have the Draft Plan and Draft EIS available for review this fall. However, changes in the planning regulations require additional analyses and we now anticipate having the documents available this coming spring.
At that time, the Draft Plan and Draft EIS will be available for a 90-day review and comment period. Your input will help me recommend a Final Plan and Final EIS to the Responsible Official, our Regional Forester, Corbin Newman.
If you have any questions or concerns about the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests’ plan revision process, please contact me or one of the planning team members. More information is available at:
Website: www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/plan-revision
E-mail: asnf.p...@fs.fed.us
Phone: (928) 333-4301
TTY: (928) 333-6292 I appreciate your patience and continued involvement in building the revised forest plan— you are helping to shape the future of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Thank you!
Chris Knopp
Forest Supervisor
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individuals income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
September 2010