We will work to resolve that issue in the future. If you have any additional problems (e.g., your comments are not posting), then please contact me at the Dixie National Forest (435) 865-3700.

MacWhorter began his Forest Service career on the Winema National Forest in Klamath Falls, Oregon in 1978 as a silviculturist. MacWhorter spent 10 years as a District Ranger on the Freemont National Forest and the Ochoco National Forest both in Oregon. Most recently, MacWhorter was the Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Plumas National Forest and spent extended periods as the Acting Forest Supervisor on the Plumas and Cleveland National Forests. He is a certified silviculturist and has years of experience in vegetation management and fire fuels management. MacWhorter graduated from West Virginia University in Morgantown in 1974 earning a bachelor’s of science in Natural Resource Management.

“I look forward to working with the people who care about and use the national forests in southern Utah,” said MacWhorter. “My family and I look forward to becoming part of the Cedar City community.” MacWhorter is married to Susan Skakel, also a Forest Service employee and they are the parents of two daughters and recently became grandparents. His interests include spending time with his wife and children. He enjoys hiking, bicycling, fishing, cross-country skiing, canoeing and community events.

MacWhorter replaces Bob Russell who retired in June of 2006. Kevin Schulkoski Ecosystem Staff Officer for the Dixie National Forest has served as the acting Forest Supervisor since Russell’s retirement. MacWhorter will start in early February.

The Dixie National Forest headquartered in Cedar City, Utah, stretches for about 170 miles, encompassing nearly 2 millions-acres across southern Utah. MacWhorter will start early February.

Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth Announces his Retirement

WASHINGTON, January 12, 2007 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the selection of Abigail Kimbell as the 16th chief of the Forest Service. Kimbell succeeds Chief Dale Bosworth, who is retiring on Feb. 2 after 41 years with the Forest Service.

“Abigail Kimbell is a veteran of the Forest Service who began as a seasonal worker and has since filled an impressive series of field assignments,” said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. “Gail brings a wealth of knowledge to her new position. She is well respected both within the agency and by our stakeholders. I’m confident she will do a terrific job as chief.”

“I am grateful to Dale Bosworth for his 41 years of public service and especially for the tremendous leadership he provided during his six years as chief,” Johanns continued. “I am struck by all that the Forest Service accomplished under his watch, from advancing the Healthy Forest Initiative to a four-fold increase in fuels treatment work. He also bolstered the agency’s financial system, making it a source of pride government wide. I wish Dale all the best in retirement.”

Kimbell currently serves as Regional Forester for the Northern Region in Missoula, Montana, which includes northern Idaho, and North Dakota. As Forest Service Chief, Kimbell will oversee an organization of over 30,000 employees and a budget of just over $4 billion. Before becoming regional forester, Kimbell served in the Washington Office as Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System, with responsibility for assisting in the development of the Healthy Forest Restoration

Over the next year or so, the Dixie National Forest will prepare a forest-wide environmental impact statement (EIS) to decide which Forest lands, excluding designated wilderness areas, to make available for oil and gas leasing. This decision will also specify conditions or constraints should be attached to the oil and gas leases, for environmental protection. More information can be found on the Dixie National Forest website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/dixie/.

The Forest Service is seeking public comments for this project. Open Houses to provide information, answer questions, and receive written comments will be held:

• January 16: St. George, Utah, Best Western Abbey Inn, (5:00-7:00 pm)

• January 17: Cannonville, Utah, Cannonville Visitor Center, 10 Center Street, (11:00 am-2:00 pm, 5:00 - 7:00 pm)

• January 18: Cedar City, Utah, Heritage Center, 105 North 100 East, (5:00 - 7:00 pm).

Susan Baughman, Oil and Gas Leasing Project Manager, Dixie National Forest, commented, “We hope that people will come to the open houses to provide their input about oil and gas leasing. Public comment received will help us to identify key issues for further analysis. These issues will help us create a set of alternatives for the EIS.”

For those who cannot attend an open house but still wish to comment may do so by mail or e-mail. Scoping comments should be sent by January 29, 2007 to be most helpful. Written comments may be sent to: Susan Baughman, Oil and Gas Leasing Project Manager, Dixie National Forest, 1789 N. Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, Utah 84720; phone: (435) 865-3703; fax: (435) 865-3791; e-mail: dixie_oil_gas_eis_comments@fs.fed.us. E-mailed comments must be submitted in MS Word (*.doc) or rich text format (*.rtf). If someone would like to receive a copy of the Draft EIS, they should indicate in their letter or e-mail whether they would like to receive an electronic or hard copy of the Draft EIS.

CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Dixie National Forest will increase fuelwood and Christmas tree prices effective January 1, 2007.
Fuelwood prices will be $10 per cord, with a two-cord minimum. Christmas trees will be $10 per tree, with an additional charge of $1 per foot for trees taller than eight feet.

The new prices reflect an increase of $5 per cord and $5 per Christmas tree. The additional revenue will help cover the costs of administering the forests’ fuelwood and Christmas tree programs.

Permittees remove about 2 million board feet of fuelwood each year from the Dixie National Forest alone, said Phil Eisenhauer, Dixie National Forest forester.

Woodcutters remove most of that fuel from timber project areas and along forest roads, Eisenhauer said, aiding the forests’ hazardous fuels reduction and fuelbreak maintenance efforts.

Popular Christmas tree species like white fir often burn intensely and carry fire rapidly through tree stands, said Kevin Greenhalgh, Dixie National Forest fire management officer. They also tend to encroach upon areas that are traditionally meadows or ponderosa pine forests.

Removing Christmas trees from traditional mixed conifer forests is also beneficial, Greenhalgh said, because trees that size might help carry a ground fire up into the canopy of a mature stand of trees, creating a crown fire.
For more information about fuelwood and Christmas tree permits, please call the Dixie National Forest in Cedar City at (435) 865-3700.
-USFS-

OGDEN, UTAH—January 3, 2007– Are you a retiree, professional, homemaker, student, service club, or organization looking for a rewarding adventure? If you like people and care about our country’s natural resources, the Forest Service needs your time and talents. Just as the trees continue to grow on the National Forests, so does the list of work to be accomplished and services to be provided. As a volunteer, you can make a difference in the Intermountain Region.

The region’s “Volunteer Opportunities Directory for 2007” is now available

and describes opportunities for those with a variety of skills and abilities. Office workers, campground hosts, backcountry rangers, ATV patrols, trail construction and maintenance crewmembers, research assistants, visitor center attendants, tour guides, river rangers, weed control specialists and winter sports assistants, archaeology assistants and many more are needed. In 2006, nearly 10 thousand volunteers accomplished $4.3 million dollars of work in the Intermountain Region.

The Forest Service continues to be an official partner with the Take Pride in America (TPIA) program. TPIA is a partnership of federal, state and local governments, community, youth and civic organizations, conservation and recreation groups and corporations under the leadership of the US Department of Interior. TPIA supports volunteerism and encourages citizen stewardship of our public lands.

You can receive recognition for your volunteer efforts from both the Forest Service and Take Pride in America programs. The partnership also provides
volunteer opportunities with other federal, state and local government agencies.

Intermountain Region volunteer opportunities are located in National Forests of Utah, Nevada, western Wyoming, southern Idaho, and a small portion of eastern California.

The Volunteer Directory for 2007 is available online at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/volunteer/index.html or http://www.volunteer.gov/gov/ . If you would like a hard copy, please send your request to:

Volunteer Coordinator
USDA Forest Service
324 25th Street
Ogden, UT 84401

Telephone request may be made to (801) 625-5458 or 625-5174, or e-mail your request to Bill Lyons at blyons@fs.fed.us. Requests are also accepted via FAX at (801) 625-5170.

For more information about the US Forest Service, visit us on the web at http://www.fs.fed.us .

NEWS RELEASE
USDA FOREST SERVICE ● Intermountain Region 324 25th STREET
OGDEN, UTAH 84401 ● Voice: (801) 625-5331 ● Web: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4

Release No. R4-0701 Contact: Bill Lyons 801-625-5458

-end-

MTP webite is: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/dixie/projects/MTP/index.shtml.

The Dixie National Forest is inviting the public to a series of Motorized Travel Planning Scoping Open Houses scheduled throughout Southern Utah and in Salt Lake City.

January 9, 2007 (Tuesday):
Ramada Inn, 1440 East St. George Blvd. St. George, UT, 12:00 to 8:00 pm

January 10, 2007 (Wednesday):
Hunter Conference Center, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT, 12:00 to 8:00 pm

January 11, 2007 (Thursday):
City Library and Offices, 25 South 200 East, Panguitch, UT, 12:00 to 8:00 pm

January 18, 2007 (Thursday):
Salt Lake City Library, Level 4 Meeting Room, 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, UT, 12:00 to 8:00 pm

January 24, 2007 (Wednesday):
Wonderland Inn, Utah State Highways 12 and 24, Torrey, UT 12:00 to 8:00 pm
(Please note that this is a change from the date stated in the Notice of Intent which was published in the Federal Register.)

January 25, 2007 (Thursday):
Escalante Interagency Visitor Center, Escalante, UT 12:00 to 8:00 pm.
(Please note that this is a change from the date and location announced in the Notice of Intent which was published in the Federal Register.)

During scoping, the forest hopes to gather useful and thoughtful insights from the broad public about a proposed designated system of routes and areas open to motorized travel. Noelle Meier, the project team leader, said, “We hope that that public will provide us with specific information about the routes they enjoy or related issues that they have concerns about.”

If you have any additional questions regarding the motorized travel planning effort, please contact Noelle Meier or Kenton Call at (435) 865-3700 or visit the project website at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/dixie/projects/MTP/index.shtml.

The Dixie National Forest will begin the scoping process for a new motorized travel plan on December 15, 2006. The public comment period will end January 31, 2007. Open houses are scheduled throughout Southern Utah and in Salt Lake City to provide information and to receive public input about the proposed action.

Over the course of the last couple years the forest has been working to develop a motorized travel plan. This plan will designate a system of routes and areas open to motorized travel, and generally prohibit motorized travel off those routes (in other words, cross-country travel).

During scoping, the forest hopes to gather useful and thoughtful insights from the broad public about this system of routes and areas open to motorized travel. Noelle Meier, the project team leader, said, “We hope that that public will provide us with specific information about the routes they enjoy or related issues that they have concerns about.”

Armed with specific information gathered during the public comment period and at open houses, the forest will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The DEIS will detail issues and alternatives that were developed based upon public input and agency expertise. This draft environmental document will be released for public review and then a decision on the motorized travel plan can be made. This decision is anticipated in late 2007.

Open houses to provide information about the scoping effort and to gather information from the public are scheduled as follows:

January 9, 2007 (Tuesday):
Ramada Inn, 1440 East St. George Blvd. St. George, UT, 12:00 to 8:00 pm

January 10, 2007 (Wednesday):
Hunter Conference Center, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT, 12:00 to 8:00 pm

January 11, 2007 (Thursday):
City Library and Offices, 25 South 200 East, Panguitch, UT, 12:00 to 8:00 pm

January 18, 2007 (Thursday):
Salt Lake City Library, Level 4 Meeting Room, 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, UT, 12:00 to 8:00 pm

January 24, 2007 (Wednesday):
Wonderland Inn, Utah State Highways 12 and 24, Torrey, UT 12:00 to 8:00 pm
(Please note that this is a change from the date stated in the Notice of Intent which was published in the Federal Register.)

January 25, 2007 (Thursday):
Escalante Interagency Visitor Center, Escalante, UT 12:00 to 8:00 pm.
(Please note that this is a change from the date and location announced in the Notice of Intent which was published in the Federal Register.)

Maps and other information depicting the proposed action can be viewed on the Internet at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/dixie/projects/MTP/index.shtml. Hard copies of this information will also be available at the following locations:

Pine Valley Ranger District, 196 E. Tabernacle, Suite 40, St. George, UT 84770;
Phone: (435) 652-3100.

Cedar City Ranger District, 1789 Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, UT 84720;
Phone: (435) 865-3200; TTY for the hearing impaired: (435) 865-3719.

Powell Ranger District, 225 East Center Street, Panguitch, UT 84759-0080;
Phone (435) 676-9300.

Escalante Ranger District, 755 West Main, Escalante, UT 84726-0246;
Phone: (435) 826-5400.

Fremont River Ranger District (Loa), 138 South Main, Loa, UT, 84747; Phone: (435) 836-2800.

North Kaibab Ranger District (Kaibab National Forest), 430 South Main Street, Fredonia, AZ, 86022; Phone: (928)-643-7395.

Please send written comments to: Noelle Meier, Dixie National Forest Motorized Travel Plan Team Leader, 1789 N. Wedgewood Ln., Cedar City, Utah 84720; FAX: (435) 865-3791. You may also hand-deliver your comments to the above address during normal business hours from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Oral comments may be provided during normal business hours via telephone 435-865-3700, in person at one of the district offices listed below, or at an official agency function (i.e. public meeting) that is designed to elicit public comments. Electronic comments may be submitted to comments_dixie_motorized_travel_plan@fs.fed.us in a format such as an e-mail message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc).

If you have any additional questions regarding the motorized travel planning effort, please contact Noelle Meier or Kenton Call at (435) 865-3700.

-USFS-

http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/dixie/projects/lmp/collaboration/forum/index.shtml

Our current estimate for the start of the 90-day comment period is early 2007.