The Galton Project Kootenai National Forest. The Galton Project

Transcription

1 Introduction The Galton Project The Fortine Ranger District of the Kootenai National Forest is in the early stages of developing a project entitled Galton, named for the mountain range dominating the eastern view of the Tobacco Valley The Galton Range. The project area is located east of US Highway 93 from the US/Canada border to the Kootenai National Forest boundary south of Dickey Lake and includes a small portion of Forest System lands west of US Highway 93 in the Dickey Lake and Ant Flat area. The Galton Project will encompass all of four (4) watersheds (Ksanka, Wigwam, Grave, and Murphy) and a portion of one (1) watershed (Stillwater). This area includes the Ten Lakes Scenic Area, Grave Creek, Therriault Lakes, Dickey Lake, Marston, and Ant Flat. The boundary covers approximately 170,300 acres of which about 127,380 acres is National Forest System (NFS) land. Recreation features and infrastructure include approximately 158 miles of trails, fifteen (15) major recreational lakes, thirteen (13) developed recreation sites, and five (5) cabins and lookouts. District personnel will be assessing the Galton Project Area for possible site-specific project proposals involving recreation facilities, vegetation management, and travel management. We would like to hear from people who use this area and who have knowledge of historical and current uses or conditions of the land. We d also like to have your thoughts on projects that would benefit the land, wildlife, vegetation, water, and/or public in this area Site-specific historical information such as wildfires, mining claims, historic logging activities, water rights, weather events, and wildlife habitat observations can help determine the "natural" condition and traditional uses of the land. Historic disturbance patterns as well as traditional and current uses will be taken into account to define a desired future condition and to develop project opportunities. Examples of proposals which may come out of these assessments might be fuels reduction projects, timber harvest, trail and trailhead construction, wildlife habitat improvement, and travel management designations. The Galton area was discussed extensively with local community members during work on the Forest Plan Revision in Although a group of people spent extensive time working on Forest Plan Revision proposals for this area, the Galton project will not be making many of the decisions discussed at that time (such as assigning broad Management Area designations or setting standards and guidelines for Management Areas). The Galton assessment is to propose and evaluate the environmental impacts of on-the-ground (site-specific) project activities and travel management. Most of the broader decisions discussed during the Forest Plan revision process in 2006 will be made when the Forest Plan revision process continues. The Sideboards There are many different opinions on how the Forest Service should manage the lands in the Galton planning area. It is important to understand that all existing laws, regulations, and management direction for the area will need to be adhered to in the proposals. The Galton Project area contains the following, all of which have standards which will need to be met: a Congressionally designated Wilderness Study Area, a scenic area, all or portions of four Inventoried Roadless Areas, two grizzly Bear Management Units (BMUs), and streams listed by the State as Water Quality Limited Segments which are important to a threatened and a sensitive species, bull trout and westslope cutthroat respectively. In particular, there are strict standards regarding motorized use in many of these areas so the potential for increasing motorized use will be limited. Some areas also have standards regarding mechanized equipment for vegetation management which will limit where timber harvest can occur. January 30,

2 Why are we looking at Galton? In 1977, Congress passed the Montana Wilderness Study Act designating the Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area. The act requires the Forest Service to administer these acres to maintain their presently existing wilderness character and potential for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, meaning the character that existed in 1977 when the Act passed. A 2007 lawsuit settlement agreement with the Montana Wilderness Association commits the Forest Service to develop summer and winter travel plans for the Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area. The Forest Service agreed to begin planning efforts in January of 2008 and to do their best to finish those plans and associated decisions by December of The Galton Project will include travel planning for the Ten Lakes area. In November of 2005, the Forest Service adopted a national rule regarding Travel Management (Travel Management Designated Routes and Areas for Motor Vehicle Use Final Rule, effective 12/9/2005). The Travel Management Rule requires each National Forest to formally designate those roads, trails, and areas where wheeled-motorized travel is permitted and to show them on a Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). Once the rule is implemented, wheeled-motorized travel will be permitted only on those roads, trails, and areas shown on the MVUM. Specific schedules were assigned across Montana to allow for the rule to be fully implemented in the region by The Kootenai National Forest will be publishing its Motor Vehicle Use Map in the fall of There is a need to evaluate the wheeled-motorized opportunities in the Galton Project area to prepare for the production of this map. In addition, the Travel Management Rule directs the Forest Service to identify the minimum transportation system necessary to provide safe, reasonable, and efficient access for Forest Service administrative activities and fire suppression, recreation use and public access. There is a need to evaluate the current transportation system within the Galton area to meet these objectives. The Galton area provides a variety of recreation opportunities hiking, huckleberry picking, camping, swimming, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, and more. Recreation demand appears to have increased over time, with new uses continuing to develop. An assessment of the current demands and desires compared with the existing condition will help us determine where there are opportunities to improve recreational experiences, resolve user conflicts, and ensure sustainability of the land for use by future generations. There is a need to seek a balance between human uses and the wildlife habitat needs of some species such as grizzly bear and wolverine. The Galton Project Area encompasses the most northwest portion of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) grizzly bear recovery area. The Krinklehorn and Therriault BMUs encompass approximately 115,000 acres of high quality grizzly bear habitat. Other wildlife such as wolverine, big horn sheep, white-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk inhabit this area as well. There is a need to evaluate opportunities to improve forage habitat. Forest changes caused by insects and diseases are evident in the Galton area. Our recent extended warm, dry summers have resulted in increased forest insect activity, and in many places this mortality is visible from the valley. Pockets of Douglas-fir beetle mortality can be seen in the lower foothills of the Galton range. Mountain pine beetle activity in the lodgepole component in the late 1980s to the mid 1990s has killed a substantial amount of trees, resulting in very heavy fuel loadings in many stands. Examples of this are noticeable in the Gibralter Ridge area and the Ksanka face visible from Eureka. Fire suppression has also resulted in subalpine fir increasing its range into areas formerly dominated by whitebark pine. Mortality in the mid to upper elevations from the western balsam bark beetle is occurring in subalpine fir. The mountain pine beetle is currently active in whitebark pine in the higher elevations. Whitebark pine is also subject to white pine blister rust, an exotic disease introduced to the west coast in the early 1900s. The combination of mountain pine beetle, white pine blister rust, and encroachment of subalpine fir have all contributed to a loss of the whitebark pine cover type, a tree species closely linked to grizzly bears. January 30,

3 In the lower elevations, where private lands adjoin public lands, fire suppression has lead to increasing densities of Douglas fir. Historically, these low elevation forests had frequent, low severity fires that resulted in stands that were relatively open and dominated by scattered, large diameter seral species such as ponderosa pine and larch. The current high densities of Douglas fir ladder fuels are at increased risk of stand replacement fire. What are we considering? The Galton Project is being developed to respond to the goals and objectives of the Kootenai National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan and Forest Service Manual direction. The Forest Plan provides the overarching direction for management activities on the Kootenai National Forest. Forest wide management goals, as well as specific management area direction represent the desired future condition that management actions are designed to achieve. Some considerations for developing proposals for this project may include: Provide quality outdoor recreation opportunities. Improve existing forest stand conditions related to historic vegetation structure and species composition. Reduce hazardous fuel to varying degrees across the landscape. Create and expand fuel reductions zones to enhance fire suppression control efforts by reducing fire intensity. Maintain and improve terrestrial wildlife species habitat and security. Identify areas for wildland fire use of naturally ignited wildland fires in the remote areas of the Galton range. Initial discussions among District personnel identified three categories this project may evaluate for management opportunities: Recreation Facilities: Proposals to improve recreation facilities in the area to meet growing and anticipated demand may include: New trail construction connecting existing trails for loop access Creating openings in dense tree cover on existing roads and trails to improve scenic views Replacing aging trail bridges Improving trailhead access Construction of a winter warming hut/summer pavilion facility near Big Therriault campground. Travel Management Planning: In consideration of the 2005 Travel Management Rule and the 2007 settlement agreement, some proposals that may be evaluated in this project include: Designating the existing open National Forest System Roads as open to highway legal motorized vehicles for the Motor Vehicle Use Map Designating areas for winter over-the-snow use Converting old roads currently managed as trails to the National Forest Trail System January 30,

4 Vegetation Management: To meet forest health objectives, some proposals that may be evaluated in this project include: Timber harvest to reduce fuels, restore ponderosa pine, create/expand openings for wildlife browse, and provide forest products Prescribed burning to reduce heavy fuel loadings in some areas and enhance habitat for whitebark pine, ponderosa pine, larch, and wildlife browse in some areas Your Input is Needed Your involvement in the planning of activities on National Forest lands is important to us, and we look forward to hearing from you. We invite you to stop by, phone in, or mail any comments, suggestions, concerns, or information you would like to share. If you have no comments at this time but wish to remain on the mailing list for this project, please let us know or your name will be removed. Please feel free to share this information with neighbors or other interested parties in the event we have missed someone. We will be scheduling public workshops and field trips throughout the planning of this project providing additional chances to submit comments and concerns. Please send written comments to the Fortine Ranger District, PO Box 116, Fortine, MT (or drop them off at our office, Hwy 93 S, Fortine, MT 59918). To submit comments electronically, please send to: In order to be most useful to us, send or phone your comments by February 29, 2008 **EXTENDED TO THE END OF MARCH, Please contact Betty Holder, District Ranger at if you have further questions. Additional contacts are Timory Peel, Project Leader; Harmony Hammons, Writer/Editor; or Ron Komac, NEPA Coordinator. Check the Kootenai National Forest webpage at for additional information and links about the Travel Management process. January 30,

5 The Galton Project Vicinity Map January 30,