BEDFORD – The Hoosier National Forest’s Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Houston South Vegetation Management and Restoration Project (Houston South Project) located in Jackson and Lawrence Counties is complete and available for public review and comment.
The purpose of the Draft Supplemental EA is to evaluate new information brought forward since the original decision was issued in 2020, and to provide further analysis on the potential impacts to Monroe Lake. A copy of the Draft Supplemental EA is available online at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/hoosier/?project=64831 and is also available upon request at the Hoosier National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 811 Constitution Avenue, Bedford, IN 47421; telephone: (812) 275-5987.
“We’ve strived to address the concerns of the public and the court with this document while ensuring we use the most recent science to protect water quality, improve forest health and provide for the long-term sustainability of this valued forest landscape,” said District Ranger Chris Thornton.
The analysis in the Draft Supplemental EA concludes that following existing standards and guidelines reduces sedimentation by ensuring erosion control measures are in place and therefore water quality of Monroe Lake will not be affected by the Houston South Project. The Houston South Project will improve degraded forest health and wildlife habitat. It will also protect and improve water quality by reducing erosion through trail and road improvements and restoring stream health in and around the Hoosier National Forest.
Science-based forest management is at the core of the Houston South Vegetation Management & Restoration Project on the Hoosier National Forest. With the goal of long-term health and sustainability in mind, inaction is not an option because we are seeing steady declines in forest health, while climate change models show that we can expect more intense periods of droughts, floods and other stressors which are likely to accelerate the decline.
Public comments will be accepted for 30 days following the publication of the legal notice in the Times-Mail,the newspaper of record. The publication date in the newspaper of record is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period. For information on how to provide comment to the Draft Supplemental EA, please visit the Hoosier National Forest website.
If you would like more information concerning the Houston South Vegetation Management and Restoration Project Draft Supplemental EA, or have any questions regarding the commenting process, please contact Kevin Amick at (812) 276-4746 or via email at Kevin.Amick@usda.gov.
