Monday, November 7, 2011

Public Comments Encouraged on Proposal to Reauthorize Knights of Columbus’ Special Use Permit

KALISPELL, Montana - In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Flathead National Forest is requesting public comments on a request to reauthorize the special use permit for the Knights of Columbus’ statue of Jesus Christ on Big Mountain near Whitefish, Mont.

The comment period, which runs through December 8, 2011, provides those interested in, or affected by, this proposal an opportunity to make their concerns known prior to a decision being made.   The statue is located on National Forest System lands near the top of Chair 2 within the Whitefish Mountain Resort permit boundary. 

No additions or modifications to the permit are proposed.  If reauthorized, the permit would be granted for 10 years.

The Forest Service has determined and the Montana State Historic Preservation Office has concurred that the statue is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, based on its historic association with the early development of the Big Mountain ski area.  To ensure comments are recorded correctly, comments should be written and sent by email, mail, or fax. 

Comments, in PDF, MS Word, Word Perfect, or RTF formats, can be emailed to:   comments-northern-flathead-tally-lake@fs.fed.us

Please include “Knights of Columbus Special Use Permit Reauthorization Project” in the subject line.  Emailed comments will be confirmed by return email.  Only the first email from each sender will receive an email confirmation.  

Mailed and faxed comments should be addressed to Project Leader Derek Milner, Tally Lake Ranger District, 650 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, MT 59901; fax to (406) 758-5367. 

The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.   Comments previously submitted, including by phone, will also be considered.  All comments become part of the public record, and the comments, as well as the submitter’s name and address may be available for public review, in accordance with applicable law. When published, the Decision Memo will be available for download and review from the forest website. 

Please visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/flathead/projects after the close of the comment period for details on document availability.          

                                           -END-   

Phil SammonPublic & Governmental Relations Media Coordinator and Public Affairs200 E. Broadway, Missoula MT  59804 ofc  406-329-3472cell  406-370-7147

No comments:

Post a Comment