Roanoke, VA - The UDSA Forest Service has issued the Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Revised Plan for the George Washington National Forest. The Forest Service, together with the public, began revising the George Washington Forest Plan in 2007. The federal regulations which guide the planning process have changed; however we will continue to build on the issues and information discussed in our previous meetings. The NOI begins a 60-day comment period in which the public has an opportunity to further refine issues to study in the environmental analysis. To be most helpful in assisting the Forest Service in developing a draft plan and EIS, comments should be submitted by May 7, 2010. Evaluations, analysis, and information discussed at previous meetings are available on our website at www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/forestplan/revision.
Upcoming public meetings will continue examining issues and discuss alternatives to evaluate. We hope you can join us from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at one of the following meetings:
Monday, April 12, 2010
Valley Elementary School, 98 Panther Drive, Hot Springs, VA 24445
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
East Hardy High School, Baker, WV 26801
Monday, April 19, 2010
Rockbridge County High School, 143 Greenhouse Rd., Lexington, VA 24450
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Woodstock National Guard Armory, 541 Hoover Rd., Woodstock, VA 22664
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Lane, Verona, VA 24482
For more information, please contact the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests at (540) 265-5100.
The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to maintain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.