ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul, Rock Island and St. Louis districts, are seeking public comments on a draft systemic forest stewardship Programmatic Environmental Assessment, or PEA, as part of the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program. Comments are due by Nov. 23.
The proposed actions would be in the Upper Mississippi River from Minneapolis to the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Work will also be located along the Illinois Waterway from its confluence with the Mississippi River to above Starved Rock Lock and Dam in Ottawa, Illinois.
The purpose of the program is to actively manage floodplain forests along the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway System where the Corps of Engineers has forest management responsibilities. This includes a variety of forest management techniques such as thinning, canopy reduction, prescribed burns and planting and seeding. This will have a beneficial effect on the waterways through the restoration, creation and enhancement of floodplain forest habitat.
A final determination on the draft PEA will be made following a 30-day public review period. A copy of the PEA can be viewed and downloaded from the St. Paul District website at: https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/PublicNotices.aspx. The Corps of Engineers is conducting a review of the environmental effects in accordance with the National Environment Policy Act.
Comments on the draft PEA should be submitted no later than Nov. 23. Questions and comments concerning the project should be directed to NESP.ECOS.STP@usace.army.mil. Please address all correspondence on this project to the St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attention: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite E1500, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55101-1678.
These actions are authorized under the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program, which is a dual-purpose integrated program to enhance and improve the Upper Mississippi River system. The program seeks to provide a safe, reliable, cost effective and environmentally sustainable waterborne navigation system.
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