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This project, also known as Mitchell-Jackson, is a Non-time Critical Removal Action to reduce fuels adjacent to OU3 to reduce the potential of wildfires moving into OU3.
Note: Not all projects may appear on map. See list below for complete list of projects with more information or documentation.
NEPA Project Updates
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Kootenai National Forest
SOPA Reports
The Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA) contains a list of proposed
actions for Kootenai National Forest that will soon begin or are currently undergoing environmental
analysis and documentation. It provides information so that you can become
aware of and indicate your interest in specific proposals. We encourage your
early and ongoing involvement in any proposals of interest to you.
This project includes 5 requests for renewals of existing special use permits. Four of these requests provide access to private land across National Forest System Lands (NFSL). One request provides access across NFSL for the Montana FWP.
Includes requests for renewals of six outfitter and guide special use permits and eleven new outfitter and guide special use permits on the Rexford and Fortine Ranger Districts.
Salvage dead, dying, and high risk off-site ponderosa pine planted in 1958, and lodgepole pine over 43 acres to reduce the likelihood of severe mortality due to bark beetles. Less than 1 mile temporary road construction.
The Cabinet Ranger District is proposing access changes in the Bull Bear Management Unit (BMU4) that reduce the total and open road density and increase the core habitat available to grizzly bears as required by the 2015 Land Management Plan.
The Three Rivers Ranger District plans to install a metal bat grate over an abandoned mine opening in the Callahan drainage. The closure is scheduled to take place mid-September 2019.
Salvage of approximately 208 acres of dead and dying lodgepole pine burned as part of the Gold Hill Fire suppression effort. Salvaged material would contribute to a supply of post and pole materials for a local market.
Trail head relocation, rehabilitation of existing motorized trail, reroute (new construction)of trail to motorized standards (for vehicles less than 50 inches width - ATV).
We are proposing timber harvest; mechanical and hand piling of fuels; wildlife and aquatic habitat improvement such as prescribed burning and stream restoration work; and trail and other recreation improvements.
Project includes timber harvest, prescribed burning, road BMP's, road decommissioining and storage, motorized access changes, temporary road construction, Forest Plan amendment for open road density in MA 12.
To improve the core condition in bear managment unit (BMU) 5, this project proposes to store National Forest System roads 6214 and 6214F. Stabilization work would occur on these yearlong gated roads to store and place into grizzly bear core habitat.
A request for an outfitter and guide permit that would authorize up to 120 user days to operate a 5-day rock climbing instruction course once per year in the Stone Hill climbing area.
Recover economic value of fire affected trees, reduce hazards along roadsides, and move species composition towards desired conditions within the Cub Fire perimeter.
Lolo NF - Montana State DNRC land exchange
State wants to trade isolated, scattered school trust lands surrounded by NFS lands; FS would consolidate ownership, acquire access, riparian, roadless & recreation lands & big game winter range.
Dorr Skeels campground improvement includes removing select lodgepole pine and cedar trees that have become a safety issue, stabilize the beach shoreline to provide resource protection, replace and upgrade site furnishings, and add a new tent site.
Enhance watershed, riparian areas, and habitat conditions for native trout and wildlife along East Fork Bull River by hand-planting native vegetation along about 800 feet of floodplain.
Project includes vegetation managment through commercial timber harvest, precommercial thinning and prescribed burning. It also includes trail access management changes, fuel treatment areas, road storage and dispersed recreation site improvement.
The project improves motorized and non-motorized recreational opportunity within the Allen Peak Inventoried Roadless Area in the Vermilion River drainage and improves grizzly bear habitat in Bear Management Unit 8.
The Elk Rice project would include 93 harvest units, with activities and timber harvest on about 2,500 acres, including: about 1,700 acres of regeneration harvest and 490 acres of intermediate harvest. Eleven regeneration openings exceed 40 acres.
The Flathead NF is revising their forest plan and preparing an amendment providing relevant direction from the NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy into the forest plans for the Lolo, Helena, Kootenai, and Lewis & Clark National Forests.
Project is to reduce the risk or extent of, and increase the resilience to, insect and disease infestations; and to reduce forest fuels in the WUI next to and near the community of Libby, MT.
Prescribed burning of hazardous fuels in the WUI; vegetation management, meadow encroachment reduction, thinning, aspen enhancement; wildlife habitat improvement, reduction of non-native invasive species and noxious weeds; travel system management
Utilize prescribed fire along with minor amounts of slashing, hand piling, and machine piling to treat fuels in the urban interface. The area experienced fire on a 10-25 year interval historically. Treatments are designed to mimic this pattern.
Hazardous fuel reduction activities, including on Forest Service lands in the Wildland Urban Interface in the Glen Lake, Sinclair Creek, and Ksanka foothills areas.
Authorization of residential access to private land adjacent to Kootenai National Forest land through the use and maintenance of a 120ft by 20ft driveway from NFSR #2735
Exploration drilling on MMG's claims in Hellroaring Creek, including one drill site with up to three drill holes. Drilling would be off the side of open National Forest System Road (NFSR) 745, Hellroaring Creek Road.
Includes 23 timber harvest units with treatments including commercial timber harvest on approximately 655 acres, which includes regeneration harvests (345 acres), and intermediate treatments (310 acres). Two harvest units would exceed 40 acres.
The Forest is proposing to harvest 40 trees on the east side of Highway 93 near the South end of Murphy Lake that have been pre-identified as a hazard, and up to 20 additional trees at-risk trees that may die before the project is completed.
The Hoodoo Vegetation Management Project to address forest health and hazardous fuel concerns in the Granite, Snow, No, Deep, Smearl, and Big Cherry drainages in Lincoln County, Montana.
Plug a side channel of Keeler Creek because the road is at risk of washout. The work would armor the head end of the channel against bankfull and higher runoff events to minimize erosive flow down the channel and towards the road.
Improve forest health and wildlife habitat by reducing natural fuel build-up and promoting plant vigor. Proposed activities include non-harvest fuels thinning, hand piling, and prescribed fire.
A forest plan amendment to delineate additional National Forest System lands as Bears Outside the Recovery Zone areas, update linear miles for these lands, and clarify direction for managing motorized access on these lands.
Proposed treatment of noxious weeds using an integrated weed management strategy that includes both aerial and ground herbicide application along with hand-pulling, cultivation, biological control agents, and cultural control.
This project is designed to reduce fire hazard within the WUI north of Libby, Montana. Commercial and non-commercial treatments will be proposed including timber harvest, hand slashing and pile burning, and broadcast burning.
A request for an outfitter and guide permit to authorize launch of chartered fishing boats from Rexford Bench, Peck Gulch and Rocky Gorge (a total of 30 launches).
Fuel reduction/management in the Little Beaver drainage. Proposal includes commercial thinning on 780 acres, regeneration harvest on 398 acres, prescribed burning only on 691 acres, and 5.5 miles of new permanent roads, 2 miles of temp roads.
This project includes timber harvest, hazardous fuels reduction treatments, prescribed burning, watershed improvements, and recreation site improvements. About 52% of the project area is within the wildland urban interface.
Construct improvements to marina including expanding the number of boat mooring slips from 75 to 120; increasing the number of parking spaces from 50 to 120; adding an "upper level" boat ramp, and developing a break water structure.
Treatment of approximately 402 acres to remove dead, dying, and at-risk Douglas-fir to address ongoing Douglas-fir beetle outbreak. Activity to occur in the Trego, Dickey Lake, Ant Flat Area.
Treat approximately 1,371 acres of Douglas-fir beetle National Forest System lands with timber harvest to reduce risk, recover economic value, and reduce fuels in the wildland urban interface.
Realigning a 1,100-foot section of Marten Creek Road due to a failing fill slope. The road is located in Trout Creek, Montana near Marten Creek Bay on the Noxon Reservoir.
Includes vegetation management such as commercial timber harvest on 2,506 acres, access management changes, road storage and obliteration, prescribed fire on 3,148 acres, gravel pit reclamation or expansion, road BMP implementation, and trails work.
Harvest of merchantable timber (commercial) on 545 acres. Approx. 8100 acres of natural fuels burning for forage enhancement. All log yarding in these proposed units would be accomplished with skyline and tractor based systems.
The Kootenai National Forest, in conjunction with Montana's Dept. of Environmental Quality will prepare an EIS for a proposal to permit the development of the Montanore silver/copper mine and associated power transmission line by Mines Management Inc
Preparation of a Supplemental EIS to amend land and resource management plans for the Idaho Panhandle, Kootenai, and Lolo National Forests to address motorized access management within the Selkirk and Cabinet-Yaak Grizzly Bear Recovery Zones.
The Rexford Ranger District is reviewing a number of requests for issuing special use outfitter and guide permits for non-consumptive recreational uses by various institutional groups and individuals.
The Rexford and Fortine Districts have received requests for special use permits for nonconsumptive recreational uses. This includes rock climbing, kayaking/canoeing, bicycling, camping, and equestrian riding.
Construct a new non-motorized trail to access the North Fork of the Bull River trail system from FSR#410. The original access was the former FSR #2722, which was washed out in 2007. This new trail would be located near the old roadway location.
The Three Rivers Ranger District plans to install a metal bat grate over an abandoned mine opening in the Callahan drainage. The closure is scheduled to take place mid-September 2019.
Salvage harvest to recover the economic value of the wood damaged by insects and diseases, reducing hazardous fuels and the spread of pathogens to healthy forest stands.
The Comprehensive Plan will develop administrative and management objectives and practices and desired conditions for the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail on public lands in Forest Service Regions 1 and Regions 6.
authorization for special use permit allowing use and maintenance of water system on and across NFS land for private water use for domestic and irrigation applications.
This project proposed hazardous fuels reduction treatments in the wildland urban interface to promote stand resilience to insects and disease; and reduce the risk or extent of, or increase the resilience to, wildfires.
A proposal to authorize a special use permit to relocate the green box garbage collection site located on Lincoln County right-of-way land near
the intersection of the Pinkham Creek and Othorp Lake roads.
Vegetation Management, Fuels Management, and Transportation Management in the Pinkham and Meadow Planning Areas of the Rexford and Fortine Ranger Districts.
This project authorizes timber harvest, prescribed burning, road decommissioning, road reconstruction and BMP's, motorized access changes, construction of a snowmobile trail, and private land access.
Mineral exploration Plan of Operation, and special use request for access. Includes opening a closed road, construction of approximately 1.5 miles of new road, and reopening two closed mine portals.
Increase resilience to insects/disease & wildfire through commercial harvest and fuel rx. Use natural fuels rx to increase forage for big game species. Trail access changes to create a safe sustainable trail system. Expand campground to match use.
Commercial Mushroom Harvest permit system for areas within several 2017 fires on the Kootenai and Lolo National Forests. Personal use mushroom harvest permit system for other 2017 fire areas.
Issuance of an amended Special Use Authorization for the proposed rebuilding, operation, and maintenance of a 17-mile-long portion of Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) Libby to Bonners Ferry 115-kilovolt (kV) transmission line.
Precommercial thinning of conifers (wui and non-wui), including western white pine daylighting, mountain pine beetle thinning, wildlife habitat enhancement,lynx research thinning provisions
Replacing two culverts with new aquatic organism passage crossings in West Fork Rock Creek and Orr Creek to enhance year-round access to spawning and rearing habitat for bull trout and west slope cutthroat trout in the Rock Creek watershed.
Sanders County Road Department has proposed to reopen and expand the existing Rock Creek Gravel pit. Total area of disturbance could be up to 4.5 acres. No commercial timber would be removed.
The Rock Creek Mine is a proposal for a copper/silver mine under the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness in Sanders County Montana on the Kootenai National Forest. The proposal includes an associated mill, tailings storage facility and a waste water treatme
Realignment of 0.7 miles of existing National Forest System Road 150 (Rock Creek Road) to reduce fine sediment from entering Rock Creek. Decommissioning and stablization of the remaining road bed and additional road maintenance.
The Forest Service would construct a long-term boardwalk on the Ross Creek Nature Trail #405 to improve accessibility for families, elderly and individuals with a disability and to reduce maintenance issues.
The district is proposing non-harvest fuels treatment and harvest treatment in areas surrounding Logan creek and Star creek. The objective of this project is to improve forest health and promote forest resiliency.
The purpose of the Saw Creek Project is to improve forest stand health affected by insects and disease and to reduce hazardous fuels near Trout Creek, MT.
Removal of select trees along existing cross country ski trail that are causing snow intercept; improvement of trail corridor fro grooming of ski trail.
The primary purpose of this project is to reduce the potential for increased outbreaks of western pine beetle and pine engraver beetle by lowering the basal area below 40 square feet and trees per acre of the immediate surrounding area.
Upgrade approximately 1600 feet of existing open road (Road #7308) to meet Lincoln County Subdivision Road specifications and improve access to private lands.
This project involves non-commercial and commercial vegetation treatments to address concerns related to risk of insect and disease and fuels management within the 130-acre project area.
Realignment of two motorized trails, Smeads Bench Trail #1077 and South Fork Pilgrim Creek Trail #1084, to enhance resource protection and user access.
Hand planting of early seral tree seedlings (w. larch, w. white pine, Englemann spruce) to promote accelerated development of desirable species composition within the Miller-Deep Fire perimeter.
Roadside fuels management project within the wildland urban interface, including hazardous fuels reduction, wildfire suppression strategy, firefighter safety, and other resource-specific objectives.
The proposal includes salvage timber harvesting, commercial roadside hazard tree removal, fuel reduction work following harvest and hazard tree removal, non-commercial roadside hazard tree removal, reforestation, riparian revegetation, and road work.
Provide for public safety on the recreation trail (Trail #900);
Manage stand density and species composition to enhance resilience to insects and disease; and contribute forest products to the local and regional economy.
322 acres of timber land with commercial thinning and regeneration harvest, 231 acres of prescribed fire use for forage enhancement. No new perm. roads, and 9 miles of existing road reconditioning
Relocation of the existing trailhead for the St. Paul Lake Trail #646, decommissioning and removal of developments at the remaining trailhead site, and relocation of the beginning portion of the trail to the new trailhead.
The Starry Goat project proposes about 1,550 acres of regeneration harvest and 573 acres of intermediate harvest. 17 units would contribute to 14 openings over 40 acres. Prescribed burning is planned for 3,458 acres in the WUI and 5,870 acres in IRAs
Project proposes to salvage blown down, root sprung, and dead or dying larch, lodgepole pine, spruce and subalpine fir to contribute to a supply of timber for local needs, reduce high fuels accumulations and control insect and disease.
Salvage harvest ~199 acres of dead and dying trees within the fire perimeter and ~26 acres outside the fire perimeter that were affected by suppression activities.
The Kootenai National Forest is proposing to upgrade facilities and address deferred maintenance at Timberlane Campground. Major improvements to accommodate modern day recreation vehicles are needed.
Extension of fiber optic cable across National Forest System Lands to private property. Right of way across Forest System lands anticipated to be six feet in width and approximately three-hundred ninety feet in length.
Recreation site improvements and maintenance of existing roads, water access, and day-use facilities to better accommodate and enhance the recreation opportunity
The project area is located within the Kootenai Complex part of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscape areas and the Lincoln County Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) which was designated to treat hazardous fuels surrounding the community of Troy.
Vegetation and fuels management activities to address insect and disease and hazardous fuels in the project area. Located approximately 5 miles west of Trout Creek, Montana in the Tuscor Creek drainage.
Mineral exploration project in the Vermilion drainage near Trout Creek, Montana. The project proposes to excavate an area of ~1/2 acre (100'x200') on one unpatented mining claim and material processing on a second nearby unpatented mining claim.
Mineral exploration project in the Vermilion drainage near Trout Creek, Montana. Plan of Operation proposing to excavate 10 test pits (10x4x8 feet) using a mini excavator on an unpatented mining claim.
Groundwater well installation in the Vermilion River stream and adjacent floodplain. Wells would be installed in multiple locations throughout a 1.5 mile stream reach to establish a water quality monitoring network.
Allow replacement of temporary overhead electrical service with permanent installation of underground power across National Forest System lands to serve private development.
The West Fork Fire Salvage and Restoration project includes the harvest of dead and dying timber, the cutting of hazard trees along roads, and planting of tree seedlings. Proposed activities would begin in late summer or fall 2018.
"We have received three Plans of Operation to conduct small-scale suction dredging activities in Star Creek, and the Yaak River. The Forest Service will analyze effects to the resources in the project area.
The purpose of this project is to analyze the potential environmental effects of proposed small scale suction dredging operations on approximately 1.5 miles of the Yaak River and respond to the claimants' Plans of Operations submitted to the KNF.
