-Caveat Lector- http://www.fs.fed.us/news/19991208.html Forest Service Seeks Public Comments On Roadless Areas WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 1999 -- The USDA Forest Service wraps up a series of national public meetings on roadless areas with two sessions Thursday, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Hyatt Arlington, 1325 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. "Our goal for these sessions is to hear people's ideas on what we should address in developing a proposal to care for this unique part of their National Forests and Grasslands," said James Furnish, Deputy Chief for the National Forest System (NFS). The listening sessions are designed for "scoping" -- a legally required process of seeking public comment to help identify the scope of issues to be addressed when a federal agency proposes any action potentially affecting the human environment. The Forest Service is seeking comments on what actions, alternatives, values and impacts should be considered in a proposed rule and draft Environmental Impact Statement for administering more than 50 million acres of NFS lands in its roadless area inventory. After a brief overview by Furnish, brief comments from members of the public will be heard and recorded during the two sessions. Citizens who want to listen only and submit comments later will receive background information, comment cards, and instructions on where to send comments. Forest Service Associate Chief Hilda Diaz-Sotero will give a short closeout for each session. The scoping meetings are among 187 held around the country -- 10 national meetings and local meetings hosted by each National Forest and Grassland office. The scoping period ends Dec. 20, 1999. President Clinton kicked off this process Oct. 13, 1999 by asking the Forest Service to address the roadless area issue. On Oct. 19, 1999, the agency published a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for rulemaking on roadless areas. Based on public comments and extensive analysis, the Forest Service will release a proposed rule and draft EIS (DEIS) in spring, 2000, for further public comment. The DEIS will analyze effects of various alternatives for roadless area management. After another public comment period and further analysis, the Forest Service plans to release a final rule and EIS before the end of 2000. Citizens who cannot attend the public meeting can send written comments to USDA Forest Service-CAET, Attention: Roadless Areas NOI, P.O. Box 221090, Salt Lake City, UT 84122, e-mail them to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or fax them to 801-517-1021. A website called roadless.fs.fed.us provides further information on the roadless proposal. -FS- Contact: Cindy Chojnacky (202) 205-1596 === http://www.ohio.com/bj/news/ohio/docs/028826.htm Mich Briefs OSCODA, Mich. (AP) -- The U.S. Forest Service is giving the public one more week to comment on its plan to limit motor vehicle access to national forests. The state has three national forests -- the Hiawatha and Ottawa in the Upper Peninsula and the Huron-Manistee in the Lower Peninsula. President Clinton's ``Roadless Initiative'' calls for preserving certain national forest wilderness areas. It would restrict development activities, like road building, in large forest tracts that have no roads. It also would develop rules for managing forest lands without roads. The first step in drafting the plan is public comment. U.S. Forest Service planners will accept public comment by letter or e-mail until Monday. A series of public meetings also are being held nationwide, including one in Cadillac on Thursday. From snowmobiles to all-terrain vehicles, sport-utility vehicles to vans, motor vehicles seem to be central in the way Michiganians experience their federal forest lands, said Nick Schmelter, a 20-year U.S. Forest Service veteran. The ranger has worked in national forests from California to West Virginia and now works at Oscoda's Huron Shores Ranger Station in the Huron-Manistee National Forest. He said he never has seen forest motor traffic like Michigan's. ``Michigan is a motor state,'' he told The Bay City Times for a story. ``People everywhere like their land, but here, they want to drive it.'' Planners say Michiganians' love affair with motor transport is the chief reason the plan will stir controversy. ------ -- ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. 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