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Red Rock Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, AZ, Outfitter and Guide Management Plan
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: January 26, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 17)]
[Notices]
[Page 4346-4348]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26ja06-27]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Red Rock Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, AZ, Outfitter
and Guide Management Plan
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Coconino National Forest is proposing to develop an
Outfitter-Guide Management Plan for the Red Rock Ranger District that
will serve the public need for outfitting and guide activities in ways
that protect the area's natural and cultural resources as well as the
more primitive social settings desired for the National Forest by most
visitors. The area being considered is limited to the Red Rock Ranger
District and the scope of the analysis is limited to primarily
outfitter and guide operations on the ranger district. A few general
recreation management proposals are being considered when they are
connected with outfitter and guide activities. Some changes to
guidelines and objectives in the Coconino National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan direction are also being considered.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
within 30 days of the publication of this Notice of Intent in the
Federal Register. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
May 2006 and the final environmental impact statement is expected
December 2006.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Outfitter-Guide Team Leader, Red
Rock Ranger District, PO Box 20249, Sedona, AZ 86341.
For further information, mail correspondence to: Outfitter-Guide
Team Leader, Red Rock Ranger District, PO Box 20249, Sedona, AZ 86341.
More detailed information on this project is also posted on the
Coconino National Forest Web site at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino
link is under NEPA/EFOIA
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Stafford, Recreation Staff,
Red Rock Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, USDA Forest
Service, telephone (928) 203-7529, see address above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The Purpose and Need for this project relates to the unique
character of the Red Rock Ranger District's landscape, particularly
around the Sedona, Arizona community. It is attracting increasing
numbers of people; including many visitors who look to outfitter-guides
to assist them have a safe, enjoyable, and learning experience on the
National Forest. Additionally an ever increasing number of people
living and working nearby in adjacent communities are also using the
same National Forest areas. Consequently, the National Forest's natural
and cultural resources are getting unprecedented pressure (and impact),
sometimes eliminating, or at least diminishing solitude, natural quiet,
and the natural appearing landscapes.
The red rock landscape around Sedona is currently the focus of the
commercial outfitter-guide services. The Forest Service has issued
permits to these outfitter-guides because they offer opportunities that
visitors might not otherwise have. Outfitter-guides provide knowledge,
skills, and equipment that enhance a visitor's experience or are
required for safe participation in an activity. For the Forest Service,
outfitter-guides can assist in the protection of the natural and
heritage resources (such as ``Leave no trace'', etiquette, and
interpretation/education) and management of infrastructure.
During the last 10 years in particular, competition between permit-
holders and potential permit-holders has become evident and continues
to grow in intensity. The Coconino National Forest Land and Resource
Management Plan for the area around Sedona, where interest for permits
is most intense, states that opportunities for additional guided
services are very limited. Interest in permits for this area currently
exceeds what the Forest Service has been willing to authorize.
Compounding this issue is the popularity of the area and visitation
each year by literally millions of others involved in a similar set of
activities but without the services of an outfitter. In previous
analysis and studies for the Forest Plan, Forest users in the Sedona
area indicated their preference for small group, non-commercial
activities on the National Forest.
As activities from commercial and non-commercial activities have
increased over the years, local residents and neighborhoods have been
affected. They have developed a high level of interest in outfitter-
guide activities since many of the desirable tour areas on national
forest lands are within the Sedona-area urban interface. Tour and
general public use often occurs near private lands and residential
subdivisions and sometimes adversely impacts these neighborhood areas.
Additionally, impacts due to high use from both groups of users and
inadequate maintenance are evident across the landscape. Physical
impacts include loss of vegetation due to trampling and soil
compaction, un-planned roads and trails, and rutting affecting water
quality and soil erosion. Social impacts include reduced quality of
experience, noise, and dust. These impacts are contrary to the
direction in the current Forest Plan for the areas around Sedona.
Areas of the Red Rock Ranger District outside the immediate
vicinity of Sedona have little outfitter-guide use and offer locations
and activities that could provide services the public and assist in
management and protection of the National Forest.
The focus of this analysis will be to develop an outfitter-guide
management plan for the Red Rock Ranger District that will serve the
public need for outfitting and guide activities in ways that protect
the area's natural and cultural resources as well as the more primitive
social settings desired for the National Forest by most visitors.
Proposed Action
? The Red Rock Ranger District has been divided into 39 Recreation
use units (RUU's) that reflect vegetation, topography, social settings.
? Opportunities for types of outfitter-guide operations have
been identified for each RUU as well as the need for services in each
unit. These opportunities would be offered through a competitive
process in the future if the proposed action is selected. Most of the
[[Page 4347]]
RUU's within 1 mile of the Sedona area will not have new motorized
opportunities offered.
? New opportunities near Sedona include: public transit,
mountain biking, weddings, coach/bus tours, metaphysical tours and hiking.
? New opportunities in the remainder of the Red Rock Ranger
District include: tours of selected heritage sites, mountain bike
tours, scenic touring (i.e., jeeps), ATV tours, rock climbing, 4-wheel
drive trips, hummer tours, equestrian/trail rides, hiking, hot air
balloons, backpacking, livestock packing, hunting, geo-caching,
fishing, river rafting, winter sports and metaphysical tours.
? All outfitter-guide operations will be subject to area-
wide and site specific mitigation measures to protect natural, historic
and infrastructure resources of the National Forest as well as balance
use with the general public and experiential objectives.
? Establish local procedures for administration of
outfitter-guide permits as defined in national policy, including
priority use commensurate with actual use, adjustments of permitted use
based on actual use.
? Establish Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) for outfitter
operations, including a monitoring plan.
? Optimize the availability of Broken Arrow for popular
outfitter-guide activities and help mitigate impacts to adjacent
residents and to the National Forest by:
1. Installation of a night gate with motorized traffic hours of
daylight to dark.
2. Requiring private motorized vehicle users to have a ``non-fee''
permit.
3. Setting an annual cap on the historic Pink Jeep Tours permit.
4. Authorizing additional (new) outfitter-guide services at no more
than 2 vehicles per day using an annual lottery to select the permit-
holder.
? Optimize the availability of Soldier Pass for popular
outfitter-guide activities and help mitigate impacts to adjacent
residents and to the National Forest by:
1. Requiring private motorized vehicle users to have a ``non-fee''
permit.
2. Reducing the at-one-time 4x4 vehicle limit for outfitter-guides
from 10 to 3 vehicles.
3. Increasing the annual cap for outfitter-guide vehicles.
4. Authorizing additional (new) outfitter-guide services at no more
than 1 vehicle per day using an annual lottery to select the permit-holder.
? Optimize the availability of Greasy Spoon and the
``pipeline'' for popular outfitter-guide activities:
1. Use an annual lottery to offer and authorize additional
outfitter-guide services at no more than 2 vehicles per day.
? Address public's interest and need for outfitter-guides
and address competitive interest in providing outfitter-guide services:
1. Issue Prospectus to offer new outfitter-guide opportunities
throughout the ranger district.
2. Issue Temporary Permits for the first 5 years to the successful
applicants. Make priority use permits with a 5-year Term available
after 5 years if the LAC monitoring supports continuation of the
outfitter-guide service.
3. Make Permits, with standard/pre-defined Terms and Conditions,
available to wedding planners on demand (across the counter) as long as
LAC monitoring supports. Adjust Terms and Conditions and availability
of Permits commensurate with LAC monitoring.
4. Designate group (60 or less participants) recreation event sites
and make permits with preset Terms and Conditions available on-demand
(across the counter) on a first-come, first serve basis. (Designated
sites are also appropriate for non-commercial group activities, i.e. 75
or more people for personal wedding activities or reunions.)
5. Annually accept Proposals for institutional outfitter-guide
activities. Make 1-Year Temporary Permits available with preset and
other (based on Proposal and LAC monitoring) Terms and Conditions if
LAC monitoring supports.
? Mitigate impacts to natural and cultural resources on the
National Forest:
1. Include terms and conditions in all outfitter-guide permits that
relate to vehicle use of roads, noise mitigation, permit
identification, wet weather procedures, Leave No Trace principles,
Forest closures and restrictions, First Aid and CPR, land stewardship
tasks, regulation violation notification, wildlife mitigation, weed
control and riparian protection.
2. Include terms and conditions a part of all outfitter-guide
permits for Wilderness areas that all Wilderness activities must be
wilderness dependent, limit group size provide Leave No Trace messages
and preserve Wilderness values.
? Address the issue of business growth:
1. Manage unallocated opportunities as a ``reserve'' for
``temporary'' use and business growth potential. Accept Proposals for
temporary use authorization for business growth regularly under
specified conditions.
Responsible Official
District Ranger, Red Rock Ranger District is the responsible
official related to decision on issuance of permits and outfitter-guide
uses of National Forest. There is potential for some minor decisions
that will result in changes to the Coconino National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan. Nora Rasure, Coconino National Forest
Supervisor, is the responsible official for any decision related to
amendments to the Coconino National Forest Land and Resource Plan.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
This decision is intended to determine the locations, limitations,
management and terms of outfitter-guide permits and opportunities on
the Red Rock Ranger District for the next 5-10 years. There are some
decisions that may result in changes to general public recreation use
as they relate to outfitter-guide activities and locations. A few
decisions may result in changes to recreation use guidance and
objectives in the Coconino National Forest Land and Resource Plan such
as recreation opportunity spectrum.
Scoping Process
Public participation will be especially important at several points
during the analysis. The Forest Service will be seeking information,
comments and assistance from the Federal, State, and local agencies and
other individuals or organizations that may be interested in or
affected by the proposed action. Public comment will be accepted 30
days following the printing of this Notice in the Federal Register. The
Red Rock Ranger District is sending out letters with an executive
summary of the proposed action to a mailing list of parties who have
expressed interest in these activities asking for comments on the
proposals. In addition, news releases announcing the proposal and
public open house meeting were sent to media resources in northern
Arizona. The Open House Public Meeting is scheduled for February 9,
2006, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 110 Airport Road in Sedona,
Arizona. Information related to the proposed action and
interdisciplinary specialists will be present to answer questions about
the proposal and the public will be able to provide comments at this
meeting. Comments may also be submitted as described above before or
after the meeting. The Draft EIS is expected to be published in May
2006 and a Notice of Availability will be published in the Federal
Register at the time it is available for public review and
[[Page 4348]]
comment. The final EIS and decision is expected in December 2006.
Public questions and comments regarding this proposal are an integral
part of the environmental analysis process. Comments will be used to
identify issues and develop alternatives to this proposal. To assist
the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues and concerns
on the proposed action, comments should be as specific as possible.
Preliminary Issues
A. Long standing outfitter guide operators have not received 5-year
term or priority use permits.
B. Levels of authorized outfitter-guide use (too much commercial
use for some and not enough opportunities for others) and limits on the
number of permits in the popular and highly marketable tourist
locations: such as, Broken Arrow, Soldier Pass, Greasy Spoon, Honanki, etc.
C. The Forest Service has not authorized increased opportunities
for existing outfitter-guides with temporary permits.
D. Sustaining of historic permits, versus adjusting/limiting
authorizations and opening up new competitive opportunities.
E. The Forest Service has not issued new outfitter-guide
authorizations in the greater Sedona area.
F. Inconsistencies and deficiencies in outfitter-guide quality of
service and performance.
G. Demand for group and large community events on the National
Forest is inconsistent with current emphasis in the Forest Plan.
H. Lack of permit system for commercial wedding planning and
operations on the National Forest.
I. Authorization and management of recreation events, such as size,
location, type of event, limitations.
J. Authorization and management of institutional outfitter-guide
activities.
K. Inconsistencies between desire of permit holders for unlimited
business growth and current Forest Plan direction for encounter
frequencies and limited commercial activities.
L. Perceived monopoly of business income related to certain locations.
M. Concern related to resource and infrastructure impacts and
damage from outfitter-guide activities and general recreation use.
N. Implementation of new regulations.
O. Some existing outfitter guides allocations are not used and that
non-use has not been available for others or administered under current
policy.
P. Concerns about delay in completing reallocation of existing
permitted guides.
Q. Displacement of general public use of area as a result of
outfitter guide use, (common wedding or large group use locations.)
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. Comments should
be as specific as possible including location of concern area, why the
concern is important, and data supporting any information considered
not accurate. Comments should also indicate interest in being included
on a mailing list for the project with accurate mailing address and
contact information.
Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review: A draft environmental impact statement will be
prepared for comment. The comment period on the draft environmental
impact statement will be 45 days from the date the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal
Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft environmental impact statements must structure their
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490
F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings,
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action
participate by the close of the 45-day comment period so that
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to
them in the final environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal
and will be available for public inspection.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook
1909.15, Section 21)
Dated: January 20, 2006.
Nora B. Rasure,
Forest Supervisor, Coconino Naitonal Forest.
[FR Doc. 06-737 Filed 1-25-06; 8:45 am]
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