Idaho Forestry Program
Feb. 12, 2009: Fisheries Northwest Region and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced their intent to conduct public scoping and prepare an environmental impact statement related to the environmental and social effects of implementing the Idaho Forestry Program. This program is a component of the Snake River Basin Adjudication (SRBA) Plan, a water-rights adjudication of the Snake River within the state of Idaho. The two services are working with Idaho to develop a forest-management program for selected state and private timberlands. It will protect habitat for Endangered Species Act-listed salmon, steelhead and bull trout, while providing regulatory assurances for timber managers. The Idaho Forestry Program would be approved as an ESA Section 6 agreement among Idaho, NOAA and Fish & Wildlife. This Section 6 agreement is similar to an ESA Section 10 habitat conservation plan. See the Federal Register notice, below, for more information; or contact Ken Troyer, 208-378–5699. The two services held five public scoping workshops on the Idaho Forestry Program from Feb. 23 to Mar. 3. The public comment period ended Apr. 3, 2009.
Elliott State Forest
Aug. 22, 2008: NOAA Fisheries Service announced availability of a draft ESA habitat conservation plan and environmental impact statement for the Elliott State Forest, and requested public review and comment on it. The comment period closed Nov. 20. The Elliott State Forest encompasses approximately 93,000 acres of state-owned forestlands in Coos and Douglas Counties in Oregon’s Coast Range. Species potentially affected are Oregon coast coho.
Broughton Land Company HCP
Mar. 5, 2008: Fisheries Northwest Region and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced availability of a combined draft environmental assessment/ESA habitat conservation plan for Broughton Land Company, and requested public review and comment on it. The draft EA/HCP addresses the proposed issuance of incidental take permits by the two services to Broughton for land management activities in Columbia County, Wash., that are identified in the HCP portion of the draft document. Species potentially affected are Snake River spring/summer Chinook, Snake River fall Chinook, middle Columbia River steelhead and Snake River steelhead.
