In accordance with a 2019 District Court ruling, the Kootenai National Forest last week released a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for a forest project southwest of Noxon.

In its ruling on the Pilgrim Creek timber sale, the court found that the Forest Service made flawed assumptions about the effectiveness of barriers on closed roads and ordered a reassessment.

In the supplemental draft, the Forest Service incorporates consultation from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the Endangered Species Act. The draft updates the project’s effects on grizzly bears, and includes analysis on wolverines, whitebark pines, yellow-billed cuckoos and pollinators.

According to the supplemental draft, even though the area includes grizzly bear habitat, the project would not lead to “population-level effects” on grizzlies and is consistent with managing the species to a non-listed status.

The project area encompasses about 36,600 acres on the Cabinet Ranger District in Sanders County. 

The Forest Service originally proposed a timber harvest on 1,411 acres and prescribed fire on 4,564 acres. Most of the project has already been implemented. 

Remaining work includes timber harvest on 219 acres, 4,500 acres of prescribed fire and 370 acres of tree planting, as well as some road storage work.

Comments will be accepted through June 2.

Electronic comments may be submitted through the project website or in writing via mail, or in person Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays, to: District Ranger, Cabinet Ranger District, 2693 Montana 200, Trout Creek, Montana 59874. The subject line must contain the name of the project for which you are submitting comments. 

    A map of the Pilgrim Creek Timber Sale.