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	File Code:	1920
	Date:	November 5, 2001
Dear Forest Plan Participant:

The Tongass National Forest is preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) that evaluates and considers roadless areas within the Forest for recommendations as potential wilderness versus continued management of these areas as outlined in the 1997 Forest Plan.

This letter is intended to provide you with some background on the project, inform you about the project schedule, and tell you how you can participate in the process.

Background

In a recent court case, (Sierra Club v. Lyons, J00-0009), the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, ordered the Tongass National Forest to prepare an SEIS evaluating wilderness recommendations for roadless areas. The Court found that the Forest Service did not fully satisfy the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) or the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in the 1997 Forest Plan Revision, by failing to consider any alternatives with new wilderness recommendations in the Revision Final EIS. The SEIS will, therefore, focus only on the roadless areas of the Tongass National Forest and their potential for wilderness.

During the Tongass Forest Plan Revision process, 110 inventoried roadless areas were examined for potential wilderness recommendations. Each of these roadless areas was analyzed and results were recorded in Appendix C of the Analysis of the Management Situation (AMS). The SEIS will update Appendix C of the AMS and the Forest Plan Inventory Map to reflect current conditions. All unroaded lands on the Tongass will be considered in the update of Appendix C. These updates will also evaluate the relative contribution of each inventoried roadless area to the National Wilderness Preservation System.

The 1997 Tongass Forest Plan will be used as a baseline for land allocation and will serve as the No Action Alternative. This represents Alternative 11 in the Forest Plan Revision Final EIS adjusted by the 1997 Record of Decision and subsequent non-significant Forest Plan Amendments made by projects since 1997. A range of alternatives will be developed relative to wilderness recommendations for all roadless areas on the Tongass National Forest.

The Tongass National Forest contains approximately 16.9 million acres, of which about 6.6 million acres are Congressionally designated Wilderness, National Monument and LUD II lands occurring throughout the Forest. The LUD II lands are similar to the designated Wildernesses but are less restrictive on access and activities, primarily to accommodate recreation and subsistence activities. The 110 Inventoried Roadless Areas in the 1997 Revision covered about 9.3 million acres, including the LUD II lands described above.

Project Schedule

The current schedule for the SEIS is summarized below. The process and schedule for these efforts are somewhat dynamic and there will likely be refinements as the project develops:

How You Can Participate

Opportunities for you to participate in the development of the SEIS will be provided throughout the process. We will use a combination of methods to engage and involve the public throughout the development of the SEIS, including public mailings, public meetings, the news media, and establishment of an internet website specific to the SEIS. The website can be accessed through the Tongass National Forest web page and the address can be found on the form included with this letter.

As work progresses, the Planning Team will present findings and recommendations to me so I can provide guidance and direction. When possible, I want to make these working meetings open to the public as they occur. Because these meetings are usually work dependent, they are hard to schedule far in advance and usually occur with relatively short notice. For example, I have just scheduled a working meeting to discuss SEIS issues, potential alternatives, and draft criteria for evaluation of the alternatives for November 19, 2001 here in Ketchikan. The meeting will be in the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Access to the meeting room is at the back of the Center. You are welcome to observe and participate in this meeting.

The SEIS Team will use information from previous public input efforts related to wilderness and management of roadless areas on the Tongass National Forest. These include public comments on the 1997 Forest Plan Revision Draft EIS documents, previous congressional proposals, and public input expressed during project-level EIS analyses. Public input on the Forest Service's 2001 National Roadless Area Conservation Rule and the National Forest Transportation Rule and Policy specific to the Tongass National Forest will also be used.

At least two project update newsletters are anticipated to help you follow our progress and to give you an opportunity to provide feedback or suggestions. One of the updates is expected this fall and will cover the project issues and alternative frameworks. The second will occur after we have had a chance to analyze public comments on the Draft SEIS and have a better idea of the makeup of the Final SEIS.

The comment period on the Draft SEIS will be a minimum of 90 days from the date the EPA publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register. A series of public meetings will be held during the 90-day public comment period.

You have received this letter because you have been actively participating with us since the 1997 Forest Plan Revision, or you are on the Revision mailing lists. Some of you have received this letter via e-mail to test the use of that avenue of correspondence. We want to know how you would like to participate in the SEIS and offer several choices. Please fill out and return the form included with this letter in hard copy or electronically.

We appreciate your continued interest in the Tongass National Forest planning process.

Sincerely,

THOMAS PUCHLERZ
Forest Supervisor