News Release

For Release: May 28, 2008
Contact: Robbin Boyce (208) 962-3793

BLM Releases Eastside Project Record of Decision

COTTONWOOD, ID - The Record of Decision for the Eastside Township Fuels and Vegetation project near Elk City, Idaho has been approved by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Cottonwood Field Manager Stephanie Connolly and Acting Nez Perce National Forest Supervisor Allen Rowley. The Eastside Project, initiated by the Idaho BLM Cottonwood Field Office, in cooperation with the Nez Perce Forest, is located at the headwaters of the South Fork of the Clearwater River near the small community of Elk City in central Idaho.

The Eastside Township project includes activities to reduce hazardous fuel conditions and risk of a high intensity wildland fire in the Elk City area as well as improve riparian and watershed conditions. This project will implement key components of the National Fire Plan and recommendations in Idaho County’s Wildland Fire and Mitigation Plan (2003).

The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), released in April 2007, analyzed four alternatives, including three action alternatives and a no action alternative. According to Cottonwood Field Manager Stephanie Connolly, “The Selected Alternative includes a combination of actions analyzed in the FEIS. The Selected Alternative includes forest and fuel treatments and restoration activities on BLM administered land; limited temporary road construction; use and maintenance of existing roads on private and National Forest system land; and construction of one temporary road (.26 miles) on National Forest system land to reach a BLM treatment unit.

The project involves about 1,155 acres of forested BLM-managed public land. Treatments would remove surface and ladder fuels; reduce crown and stand density; reduce the amount of area dominated by lodgepole pine; increase the proportion of Douglas-fir, western larch and ponderosa pine in current stands and planting these species following fuel treatments. The project will be implemented through a combination of traditional service contracts, stewardship contracts (exchanging goods for services) and a local assistance agreement.

Additionally, an important part of the project involves watershed restoration activities designed to improve riparian and aquatic habitats within the American River watershed. This area was primarily impacted by historic mining activities. “Natural recovery in these systems is very slow,” continued Connolly. “We hope to accelerate the upward trend by planting trees and shrubs in the riparian areas; recontour streambanks and reconnect one stream with the American River.” The decision also includes replacing stream and river fords with all-terrain vehicle (ATV) bridges; decommissioning some fords and roads; and downsizing existing roads along the American River to ATV trails.

Implementation of the project is expected to begin this year and, depending on funding, could take from five to ten years to complete. Restoration work is expected to be completed concurrently with the vegetation and fuel treatments.

The Nez Perce National Forest (NPNF) is a cooperating agency on this project since a small portion of the project area can only be reached by crossing National Forest system lands.

Copies of the Record of Decision will be mailed to those who previously requested it. The document is also available on the internet (3513k. pdf) or may be reviewed at the following locations:

   Centennial Library in Grangeville 
   Forest Service Ranger Station in Elk City

For more detailed information about this project please contact Robbin Boyce at (208) 962-3793.

 —BLM—

National Marine Fisheries Biological Opinion (2030k. pdf) / US Fish and Wildlife Biological Opinion (2167k. pdf)