Comment Period Opens on Nov. 5
U.S. Forest Service
The South Platte and Pikes Peak Ranger Districts of the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands are seeking public input and providing two public meetings on the proposed Lower North-South Vegetation Management environmental assessment.
The 30-day public comment period opens Nov. 5, 2024. To be fully considered in the analysis, comments are requested by Dec. 4, 2024.
The project area is located 30 miles west and southwest of Denver, Colo., in Teller, Jefferson, Park, Douglas and El Paso counties. In this project, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service proposes to use a combination of vegetation treatments and prescribed fire to restore sustainable forest conditions that are resilient to fire, insects and disease.
Input may be shared in a variety of ways. To provide electronic comments and learn more about the project’s location, purpose and proposed actions, please visit the project website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/
*A virtual meeting will be held on November 12 from 6-7:30 p.m. Information on how to join can be found on the project webpage https://www.fs.usda.gov/
*An in-person meeting is scheduled for November 13, at Elk Creek Fire Station 1 located at 11993 Blackfoot Road, Conifer, Colo., from 6-7:30 p.m.
Feedback on this proposal during this comment period is imperative as this will be the last opportunity to comment. Comments on this proposed action will be accepted for 30 days beginning on the first day after the date of publication of the legal notice in the Pueblo Chieftain. If the 30-day period ends on a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, comments will be accepted until the end of the next federal working day. For this opportunity to comment, the Forest Service will only accept timely submissions.
The Lower North-South Vegetation Management Project has been approved as an authorized emergency action under Section 40807 of the 2022 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Based on the risks outlined in the Forest Service’s January 2022 Wildfire Crisis Strategy, Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack determined that an emergency exists on 250 high-risk firesheds in the western United States. The Lower North-South Vegetation Management project lies within the Larkspur, Centennial, Morrison, and Bordenville high risk firesheds.
Projects authorized under this emergency authority adhere to specific requirements and follow several processes as compared to non-emergency Forest Service projects. Specifically, projects authorized under this emergency authority are not subject to the pre-decisional objection process under part 218 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations.
For information specific to the project, please contact Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands National Environmental Policy Act Planner, Amber Wyndham at amber.wyndham@usda.gov.
