Draft Revised Forest Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement Available for Public Comment

Release Date: Jun 8, 2018

HELENA, MONT., June 8, 2018—Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service released the draft revised land and resource management plan (draft revised land management plan) and draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Helena–Lewis and Clark National Forest for public review and comment. Written and electronic comments will be accepted for 90 days. All project documents are located on the Forest Plan Revision website at: www.fs.usda.gov/goto/hlc/forestplanrevision.

“After three years and more than 40 community meetings the Forest has produced a comprehensive draft plan and draft EIS for public review and comment,” Helena-Lewis and Clark Forest Supervisor Bill Avey said. “The four action alternatives outlined in the draft plan are a culmination of the latest science, the specialists’ expertise, and the public’s feedback that we have received over the past three years. We want to hear specific feedback from the public on what they have read in these documents.”

The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest supports roughly 1,800 jobs that contribute to $55 million in annual labor income. The plan allows for active landscape management to support plant and wildlife conservation and a sustainable forest products, grazing, and recreation industries. Each action alternative details the guidelines, standards, and objectives that would provide the foundation of the future management activities across the forest for the next 15 years.

“We manage these National Forest System lands on behalf of the American public, which makes it incredibly important for people to take an active role in helping us design this plan,” Avey said. “What we do now and the decisions we make today will outline how our children will enjoy and utilize these public land resources in the future.”

Ten public meetings are scheduled during the 90-day comment period. These meetings are intended as opportunities to visit with individual planning team members and to review alternative maps. The location and schedule of these meetings will be publicized in local newspapers and can be found on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest website at: www.fs.usda.gov/goto/hlc/forestplanrevision. Please see the website for more information on how to comment.

For more information, contact Deb Entwistle, forest plan revision team leader, at 406-449-5201.

 

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