The United States Forest Service is soliciting public comments on "a combined environmental analysis for small-scale placer mining (suction dredging) in streams and rivers with ESA [Endangered Species Act] listed species" in the Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forest in Idaho, according to a letter signed by Forest Supervisor Cheryl F. Probert issued April 13.
Comments may be emailed to: comments-northern-nezperce@fs.fed.us. The subject line must contain the words: Small-Scale Placer Mining Project Acceptable formats are MS Word or RTF.
"The Forest [Service] and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Field Office, the Cottonwood Field Office, have had numerous inquiries concerning suction dredging and have received several plans to to conduct small-scale placer mining in the South Fork of the Clearwater River and at several locations on the French and Orogrande Creeks. This project is proposing suction dredging within active channels of stream reaches considered "open" to suction dredging," the letter states. "This letter is to introduce you to the proposed Small-scale Place Mining Project and to solicit comments on how the project design, effects analysis and overall decision making process should move forward, Submitted comments on this proposal will be used to assist in refining our proposal and in developing alternative actions relative to the projects Purpose and Need."
The Purpose and Need for the study is "to have standard procedures in place for small-scale mining in the South Fork Clearwarer River, and Freanch and Orogrande Creeks that effectively protect surface resources including special status fish, prevent unnecessary and undue degradation to public lands and imoroive the efficiency of the approval process for Plans of Operations (POOs.)," according to the letter.
The letter goes on to state that the U.S. Forest Service expects the Environmental Assessment will be provided online or on a CD to those individuals or groups responding to the "Scoping Letter," as well as to any individuals or groups requesting a copy.
For more information, please call Project Team Leader Rebecca Anderson at (208) 476-8351 or email her at:rebeccaanderson@fs.fed.us
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