About the Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA)

The Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA) is a quarterly report used by local units of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to provide notice of projects being considered at the local level, and to track their progress through the environmental analysis steps. The Proposed Actions listed in this SOPA are projects or plans under development on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, and the fie Ranger Districts. These projects and plans are currently in the proposal, development, or analysis phase prior to a final decision. This SOPA indicates opportunities for public participation in the planning process and provides a general overview of the amount and nature of efforts underway. It does not provide a detailed discussion of any particular proposal.

These Proposed Actions are being analyzed under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) as they consist of federal activities that may have effects on the human environment. There are three distinct processes of analysis depending on the nature and scope of the proposal:

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

Major projects and all those expected to have significant effects on the human environment are analyzed through the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement. The process involves publishing a Notice of Intent (NOI) to initiate scoping and Notices of Availability (NOA) on the completion of the Draft and Final EIS. These are published in the Federal Register. A decision made based upon a Final EIS is in the form of a Record of Decision (ROD).

Environmental Assessment (EA)

Projects that are found not to have significant effects may be analyzed in the briefer format of an Environmental Assessment, a concise document that describes the purpose and need for action, the alternatives and their environmental consequences. A Decision Notice with attached Finding of No Significant Impact (DN-FONSI) is used in recording a decision in this case.

Decision Memo (DM) for categorical exclusion of projects

Certain categories of activities have been found to be generally free of significant effects, including routine maintenance, small-scale improvements and low impact vegetation management. These are listed in the Forest Service Handbook 1909.15 as being Categorically Excluded (CE) from the need for analysis under an EA or EIS. When a decision is made to proceed with such a project, a Decision Memo is prepared and, depending on the category, a notice of the decision may be posted in the newspaper of record (Mail Tribune for Rogue River side of the forest, Daily Courier for Siskiyou side of the forest) and this SOPA. (Many activities in these categories do not appear in the SOPA prior to a decision due to the short time frame in which they are proposed and analyzed.)