WRNF seeks public comments on rock collection plan

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — The White River National Forest is seeking comments on the Conger Rock Harvest plan of operations submitted by Gallegos Corp. to manually remove rock from a talus slope near Marble.

The proposed 23-acre collection area rests in the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District with the only access to the site from a private road off of Gunnison County Road 3. Rock would be gathered using temporary roads in the area that would be re-seeded and re-graded as the process is completed. No new access roads are proposed for the work.

Operations call for one- to two-week sessions throughout the summer season for up to 30 years and would see the removal of up to 1,244 tons of rock that would be sold for use in construction projects.

Additional information about the proposal and instructions for commenting are at www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/projects. If you have questions or would like a hard copy of the scoping notice, contact Skye Sieber at 625-6864.

Comments regarding the scope of this proposal should be addressed to: Skye Sieber, 0094 County Road 244, Rifle, Colorado 81650; by fax at 625-2532; or by e-mail at, wrnf_scoping_comments@fs.fed.us. People commenting need to include their name, address, telephone number and organization represented, if any; the title of this project (Conger Rock Harvest); and specific facts and supporting reasons for the responsible official to consider.

Initial comments concerning this proposal will be most helpful if received by Oct. 17, 2008. An environmental assessment is expected to be published later this year.