Hells Canyon Comprehensive Management Plan
| Author | Environmental Law Institute |
| Pages | 23-24 |
NEPA SUCCESS STORIES 23
is case illustrates how a revision of comprehensive
federal land management plans under NEPA can fa-
cilitate a fresh, in-depth look at current management,
leading to signicant changes in management of Hells
Canyon National Recreation Area (HCNRA).
e HCNRA covers 652,000 acres across three
national forests and three U.S. Forest Ser vice re-
gions in nor theastern Oregon and western Idaho. It
includes 67 miles of Wild and Scenic-status Snake
River, and the 214,000-acre Hells Canyon Wilder-
ness. With an elevation gain of more than 6,000
feet from desert conditions on the Snake River to
alpine ecosystems in Idaho’s Seven Devils Moun-
tains, the HCNRA is the deepest river-cut canyon
in North America.
In September 1993, the Wallowa-Whitman Na-
tional Forest (NF) Supervisor agreed to revise, on
schedule, the original 1982 HCNRA Comprehen-
sive Management Plan (CMP). In January 1994,
ten people representing two tribes; eight national,
regional, state, and local conservation organiza-
tions; and two individual experts formed the Hells
Canyon CMP Tracking Group. In a three-day
marathon, the Tracking Group began drafting a
comprehensive “Native Ecosystem Alternative”
in response to the draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS). is alternative, along with 116
scientic documents and a 60-page bibliography
summarizing each document, was submitted before
the end of the scoping period.
In February 1996, the rst draft EIS was released
-- without the Native Ecosystem Alternative. A new
Supervisor declined to issue a new draft EIS with
the alternative, but six days before the nal EIS was
to be printed, the Washington Oce of the Forest
Service notied the Forest Supervisor that a new
draft EIS should be issued that included the Native
Ecosystem Alternative. e Washington Oce of
the Forest Service had determined that the Native
Ecosystem Alternative was both reasonable and dif-
ferent from the other alternatives.
In December 1999, a second draft EIS was released.
is draft EIS included the Native Ecosystem
Alternative. e Supervisor then convened a multi-
stakeholder Hells Canyon Subcommittee to the
federal Snake River Resource Advisory Committee,
which met for 18 months, made eld visits to Hells
Canyon, and examined the comparative merits of
each competing alternative in detail. e Supervisor
attended nearly every meeting.
On July 22, 2003, the Supervisor and her interdis-
ciplinary team released the nal EIS and Record
of Decision. e nal EIS contained numerous
features from the Native Ecosystem Alternative.
Under the nal EIS one-third of HCNRA’s roads
and user-created routes would be closed to increase
wildlife and watershed integrity, wildlife-sensitive
ridges would be closed to motorized vehicles during
hunting season, and cross-country o-road vehicle
use was ended. Half of the HCNRA, from which
domestic sheep had been recently removed due to
causing native bighorn sheep die-os, would remain
closed to future livestock grazing by cattle. is
alternative had the support of the livestock represen-
tative on the Subcommittee, a Hells Canyon cattle
permittee. e Nez Perce Tribe also supported this
decision, as it would enhance native wildlife on their
ceded lands. Natural and prescribed res were to be
encouraged, and prevention of invasive species was
to be emphasized along side treatments that include
elimination of or restrictions on weed-favoring uses
“where appropriate.”
e Wallowa-Whitman NF was able to settle all six
minor appeals that were led on particular points in
the nal EIS, and no litigation ensued.
NEPA provided a forum for the Forest Service to
consider two diverse, reasonable alternatives submit-
HELLS CA NYON COMP REHENSI VE MANAGE MENT PL AN
A PUBLIC ALTERNATIVE PROMPTS A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO MANAGING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES
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