Comments Sought on North “Gateway Monument” Project Proposal

Comments Sought on North “Gateway Monument” Project Proposal
Release Date: May 31, 2012 Bishop, CA
Contact(s): Nancy Upham

The Inyo National Forest, Mammoth Ranger District is soliciting comments on a proposal from the Town of Mammoth Lakes to obtain a special use permit to contruct and maintain the northern half of the “Mammoth Gateway Project.” The location of the “Gateway Monument” is on the north side of Highway 203 between the Mammoth Welcome Center and Sawmill Cutoff Road.

The North Gateway monument sign is a component of a larger citizen initiated project, the Mammoth Gateway Community Project (Gateway Project), to construct two gateway entrance monuments on State Highway 203, one on the south side (South Gateway) and one on the north side (North Gateway) of Main Street, opposite each other. The North and South Gateway monuments are of similar design and are intended to provide a true “gateway” experience at the entrance to Mammoth Lakes, welcoming both residents and visitors, and creating a sense of arrival that is worthy of the magnificent natural beauty of Mammoth Lakes.

The Forest Service has made a preliminary assessment that this proposal falls within a category of actions listed in the Forest Service NEPA Handbook that are excluded from documentation in an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and that there are no extraordinary circumstances that would preclude use of the category regarding Construction and Reconstruction of Trails.

A draft memorandum detailing the proposal will be posted on the Inyo National Forest website on June 2, http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/inyo/landmanagement/projects. Additional information may also be obtained from the Project Leader, Jon Kazmierski, at 760- 924-5503.

How to Comment and Timeframe

This project is subject to the notice and comment provisions of 36CFR 215.3. The public comment period will end 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notice in The Inyo Register, which is expected to be June 2. Those wishing to comment on this proposal should not rely upon dates or timeframes provided by any other source. Only those who provide comment or otherwise express interest in the proposed action during the comment period will be eligible to appeal the decision.

Written comments must be submitted to Jon Kazmierski, District Recreation Officer, Inyo National Forest, P.O. Box 148, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546. Electronic comments may be sent to jkazmierski@fs.fed.us in thefollowing acceptable formats: plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), Adobe (.pdf), or Word (.doc). Written comments may also be submitted by fax (760-924-5537) or by hand-delivery to the Mammoth Ranger Station at 2500 Highway 203, during normal business hours, excluding holidays (Monday -Friday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.)