We encourage you to seize this opportunity to share your voice with the Forest Service! It is not often that we are able to contribute to management planning on such a local level, and the outcome of the planning will impact the Okanogan Highlands and larger region for many years to come. 

The scoping letter outlines the planned management activities, which are related to projects involving restoring forest conditions, reducing hazardous fuels, and recreation.

Many of the planned forest management activities are being classified under an Emergency Action Determination, which means that there will be less opportunity for public input for these activities. This is why your input is especially important now!

Your letter does not need to be perfect, just clear, and as specific as possible. It’s great to encourage the strengths you found in the plan as well as point out the weaknesses, missing pieces, and your concerns. 

Thank you for participating, your voice matters! 

Where are we in the process? SCOPING

Scoping is required by federal agencies considering actions in order to determine the scope of the issues to be addressed in the environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS). Scoping helps the agency determine the likely significance of action impacts. 

The agency must consider:

1. Direct impacts: these are impacts “caused by the action and occur at the same time and place.” (these might be things like: impacts of roads used in timber removal on riparian ecosystems)
2. Indirect impacts: these are impacts that “are caused by actions and are later in time or farther removed in the distance, but are still reasonably foreseeable.”  (these are things like: impacts of ATV traffic on wildlife habitat)
3. Cumulative impacts: these are impacts that “result from the incremental impact of the action when added to other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions, regardless of what agency or person undertakes such actions.” (these are things like: the combined impact on the environment of the Buckhorn Project together with mining exploration in a similar or the same area)

During SCOPING, it is important to include everything you can think of that might be worth studying in preparation for this project. Make sure to describe how and why the impacts you’re concerned about may be harmful.

• Consider impacts on: people, water quality, subsistence, habitats, sensitive species, etc.
• Consider impacts that are significant: they will affect a lot of people or a few people severely
• Consider impacts that are reasonably foreseeable: they are likely to result from the proposed project.

Links to More Information:

USFS Buckhorn Project Website

Okanogan Land and Resource Management Plan (1989)

Okanogan County Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Executive Order 14072 “Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies” (2022)

USDA FS Draft EIS “National Old-Growth Amendment” (June 2024)

Suggested outline for your letter:

Impact: Introduce yourself, explain why you are writing, and the potential impacts that concern you. Remember, these impacts could be things such as: recreation, wildlife, visual quality, water quality or quantity, forest health, etc. Here are some tips:

1. 1. Be as specific as you can be by stating the direct, indirect, or cumulative impact you want studied. Examples might include:
      • Analyses of the habitat requirements for canada lynx, pileated woodpecker, white tail deer, or other wildlife that you value in the project area
      • Analyses of the cumulative impacts of mining pollution (from existing mines) and mining exploration in the project area.
      • Analyses of and plans for control for noxious weeds in the project area.
      • Analyses of the impacts of planned actions on the quality and quantity of recreational opportunities in the project area.
   2. Avoid stating an opinion (i.e. “I oppose…”, “I do not believe that…”, “I fear…”)

Significance: Describe the significance of the impact.

1. 1. Define the breadth of the scoping necessary to adequately address the significance of the impact in terms of time, geography, and populations impacted. Examples might include:
      • Consideration of impacts on indigenous peoples’ rights to hunt, fish, and gather on the “North Half” of the Colville Reservation.
      • Consideration of impacts of planned actions on sensitive habitats (e.g. wetlands and riparian habitats) and sensitive or rare species.
      • Consideration of the different management strategies that are necessitated by geographic or topographic variations in habitats (e.g. south-facing cliffs will support a different species composition than a nearby north-facing meadow)
      • Consideration of impacts on quality of life for residents and visitors in terms of forest health, recreation, landscape beauty, and livelihoods.

Foreseeable: Provide support as to why this impact is foreseeable.

1. 1. Link the proposed project to effects that are reasonably foreseeable. For example: 
      • Current conditions that warrant concern, such as tree/wildlife disease, wildfire, noxious weeds, impacts of a changing climate.
      • Examples of impacts of similar actions that have been undertaken in other areas.
   2. As much as possible, provide supporting information or relevant research when arguing potential harms of the impact.

Alternatives: Discuss alternatives that you want the study to consider, including: (a) other reasonable courses of action, (b) the proposal with mitigations, (c) no action.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK): Traditional ecological knowledge can be used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a proposal and to develop alternatives. Some examples include subsistence harvest practices, subsistence resources that may be affected by the project, knowledge of migratory patterns of fish wildlife, etc.

As you write your letter, if you have questions or ideas that you would like to share or run by us, send us an email at: info@okanoganhighlands.org