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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260923T215000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260923T215900
DTSTAMP:20260924T005300Z
CREATED:20260902T225151Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260924T005300Z
UID:23163-1790200200-1790200740@phas-wsd.org
SUMMARY:Deadline for scoping comments on rewrite of the Forest Service's Travel Management Rule
DESCRIPTION:Deadline for scoping comment on DEIS and rewrite of the Forest Service’s Travel Management Rule\n\nWednesday\, September 23 @ 9:50 pm – 9:59 pm\nHere is a link to our alert on this issue – https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/PHAS_Travel_Management_Rule_Alert_v4.pdf\nScroll down for links to pre-fab letters.\n\n\n\nQuote from the Forest Service at:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/​visit/​recreation/​programs/​off-highway-vehicle-program.\n:\n “The U.S. Forest Service published a notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for amending the existing Travel Management Rule (36 CFR 212). This proposed revision simplifies the regulatory requirements to enhance quicker local decision-making and increases access for motorized vehicles\, including e-bikes\, and other mobility devices. The public can continue to enjoy motorized access to national forests throughout this process. Existing plans and related maps will remain in place until updated by local line officers.”\nFor full description visit the Federal Register Notice: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/24/2026-17211/travel-management-national-forest-system-lands\n \nTwo days after the Administration proposed the revocation of the 2001 Roadless Rule\, the Forest Service started another national rulemaking: a rewrite of the Travel Management Rule (36 C.F.R. parts 212 and 261). It would drop the national “minimization criteria” that currently require the agency to minimize damage to soil\, water\, wildlife and habitat when designating motorized routes\, and replace them with a presumption that existing roads\, trails and areas are open unless the agency documents a reason to close them. \n\n\n\n\nComments due Wednesday\, September 23\, 2026\,  before midnight Washington DC time\n\n\n\n\n91 Fed. Reg. 54\,686 (Aug. 24\, 2026) · Docket FS-2026-0100\nFederal Register: federalregister.gov/d/2026-17211 · Comment: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FS-2026-0100-0001\nAdditional information\, including the eventual publication of the environmental impact statement and record of decision\, can be found on the following website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/​visit/​recreation/​programs/​off-highway-vehicle-program.\n \nComments must be submitted via one of the following methods:\n\nElectronically (preferred): Through the Federal eRulemaking Portal\, https://www.regulations.gov\, identified by docket number FS-2026-0100. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.\n\n\nMail: Hardcopy letters must be submitted to the Director\, Public Benefits\, 201 14th Street SW\, Public Benefits Office\, Washington\, DC 20250.=\n\n\nWe assume the time-of-day deadline is just before midnight in Washington DC.\n\============\nEarth Justice’s pre-fab comment letter: https://earthjustice.org/action/tell-the-administration-keep-our-forest-protections?ms=web\n========\nHere is a link to sign a petition written by WildEarth Guardians – https://action.wildearthguardians.org/page/102401/petition/1?ea.url.id=5998640\n===========\nHere is a link to their letter: https://pdf.wildearthguardians.org/support_docs/travel-management-rule-letter-rollins-schultz-202609.pdf\nHere is a quote from that letter:\n“The changes outlined in the Forest Service’s Notice of Intent would dismantle core elements of\nthe current protective framework and replace them with an “open unless closed” presumption\,\nessentially creating a motorized free-for-all. The proposal would put greater pressure on land\nmanagers to justify closures and repeatedly reconsider those protections\, eliminate existing\ncriteria for minimizing resource damage and conflicts among recreational uses and with other\npublic land users\, and potentially expand cross-country motorized use through new exemptions.\nThe result would be more uncertainty\, conflict\, and resource damage”\n\n\n\n\n\nQuote from Federal Register Notice:\n\nSUMMARY:\n“The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is initiating an environmental impact statement and rulemaking to revise the Forest Service’s travel management regulations\, 36 CFR part 212. The proposed action would establish a uniform national policy favoring increased access while simplifying regulatory requirements and preserving local decision-making. The proposed access rule would establish a national policy with a presumption that existing roads\, trails\, airfields\, trailheads\, and other access routes and points on National Forest System lands are open to appropriate public use unless closure or restriction is required by applicable law\, valid existing rights\, or another governing instrument\, or supported by specific\, documented and justifiable reasons based on science-based resource conditions\, public safety\, conflicts among uses\, or maintenance and administrative capacity. Commonly available public data sets\, including aerial imagery\, may be used as evidence that a physical route or airfield exists or existed at a time relevant under the definition adopted in the proposed rule\, but would not by themselves establish that the feature is part of the forest transportation system\, that the Forest Service has jurisdiction or sufficient legal access\, or that it is open to a particular public use. The proposed access rule would require annual review of all trails\, roads\, airfields\, trailheads\, and other access routes and points that are closed or highly restricted. The proposed access rule would establish processes and conditions for limited off-route motor vehicle use and other motorized equipment for\, among other things\, downed big-game retrieval\, firewood collection and dispersed camping\, and for designating areas for over-snow and other motorized recreation. \nThe presumption embodied in the national policy would guide future decisions and would not itself change the legal status of any road\, trail\, airfield\, trailhead\, area\, or other access route or point. Any change in lawful use resulting from a vehicle- or use-specific exemption would be limited to the scope and conditions expressly provided in the revised regulations. Existing motor vehicle use designations and maps would remain in effect until revised under the amended regulations. The environmental impact statement will evaluate the impacts of the proposed rule revisions and study alternatives for managing public access\, including the motorized and other forms of access addressed by the proposed rule\, on National Forest System lands in the context of multiple-use resource management. USDA invites written comments on alternatives\, effects\, and relevant information\, studies\, or analyses related to the proposal.”
URL:https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-to-comment-on-rewrite-of-the-forest-services-travel-management-rule/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261004T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261004T170000
DTSTAMP:20260913T121425Z
CREATED:20260913T121248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T121425Z
UID:23213-1791100800-1791133200@phas-wsd.org
SUMMARY:Written Comment Deadline for SDGFP October Commission meeting - Sunday night
DESCRIPTION:Written comments are due Sunday for the SD Game\, Fish and Parks Commission October hybrid meeting 10/8/26-10/9/26 Pierre/Zoom. Details  about meeting and agenda\, will be printed closer to the date at https://gfp.sd.gov/commission/information/\, but likely times will  be Thursday at 1 pm- 5 pm CT and Friday at 8 am till 11 am or so CT.  Written comments are due Sunday night before midnight  submitted at their portal: https://gfp.sd.gov/forms/positions/ -and you can testify in person or by Zoom at the meeting at 2 pm CT Thursday. If there are rule finalizations you get 3 minutes per rule and then there is the “Open Forum” where you can comment on anything.
URL:https://phas-wsd.org/event/written-comment-deadline-for-sdgfp-october-commission-meeting-sunday-night/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261005T235000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261005T235900
DTSTAMP:20260913T052109Z
CREATED:20260913T051957Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T052109Z
UID:23207-1791244200-1791244740@phas-wsd.org
SUMMARY:Deadline to comment on Roby Project Timber sale Environmental Assessment\, BHNF
DESCRIPTION:The USDA Forest Service has completed analysis of the Roby Forest Management project. A preliminary Environmental Assessment is now available for review and comment. \n  \nInformation may be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/blackhills/projects/293810. Submit comments by any of the following means: \n\nhttps://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?Project=293810\nU.S. mail or hand-delivery: Roby Project\, Hell Canyon Ranger District\, 1019 N. 5th St.\, Custer\, SD 57730\nFax: 605-673-9208\n\n  \nComments are requested by October 5\, 2026. \nProject is West of Custer\, South Dakota\, along the Wyoming state line \nPreliminary Environmental Assessment: \nhttps://usfs-public.app.box.com/s/9pxw99pbbsb61xvw9ks47hxhjckqvewk/file/2446543261312 \nMaps: \nhttps://usfs-public.app.box.com/s/9pxw99pbbsb61xvw9ks47hxhjckqvewk/file/2446487630248 \nhttps://usfs-public.app.box.com/s/9pxw99pbbsb61xvw9ks47hxhjckqvewk/file/2446490747586 \nQuote from draft EA: \n“Summary of Proposed Action\nSee Figure 1 (p. 5). Detailed descriptions can be found starting on p. 8.\nCommercial timber harvest is proposed on up to 9\,677 acres. Prescriptions would include\nthinning\, regeneration\, removal\, and improvement cuts. In most areas\, logging slash would be\npiled and either burned or removed. Where slash is not piled\, it would be treated to meet\nForest Plan objectives for hazardous fuels.\nActivities that may include a component of commercial timber harvest are proposed on up to\n39\,059 acres. These activities include thinning of smaller trees\, creation of shaded fuel breaks\,\nand removal of encroaching conifers from aspen stands\, meadows\, and shrublands. Any\nmerchantable trees that are cut as part of these activities would be removed and sold. Slash\nfrom cutting smaller trees would be chipped\, piled and burned\, or otherwise mitigated.\nTo facilitate timber harvest\, approximately one-half mile of new permanent road would be\nconstructed. Reconstruction of 20 miles of roads would also occur\, along with standard\nmaintenance activities on other roads.\nTree planting would occur on 1\,442 acres in areas burned by recent wildfires. \nPrescribed fire is proposed across most of the project area. Broadcast burning would occur in\nsmaller blocks as weather and fuel conditions allow. A detailed burn plan would be prepared\nprior to burning. Qualified burn bosses\, ignition squads\, and holding resources would be\nrequired\, along with any other resources the burn boss deems necessary. Contingency\nresources would include heavy equipment\, additional firefighters\, and cooperating agencies.\nBurned areas would be monitored until the fire is completely extinguished.\nAdjacent to the Fanny/Boles RNA\, fuel breaks would be established to reduce the risk of high-\nseverity fire negatively affecting the characteristics for which the RNA was established. In the\nRNA\, manual thinning and prescribed fire would be applied to restore natural ecological\nconditions. Before implementing any approved management activity in the RNA\, a Forest\nService botanist will develop a site-specific RNA management plan.\nLow-tech process-based riparian restoration techniques are proposed where stream and\nchannel conditions warrant. Most streams (97 percent of stream miles) are ephemeral or\nintermittent. Even where streams are generally dry\, however\, there may be opportunities for\nrestoration\, such as repairing headcuts. Exact locations and techniques would be determined\nbased on field review.\nUp to 16 miles of system roads would be closed and removed from the Motor Vehicle Use Map\nto reduce damage to soil and water\, disturbance of wildlife\, and open road density. Various\nmethods and combinations of methods are proposed\, depending on current road condition and\nfuture needs. User-created roads that connect system roads would be closed. Other\nunauthorized roads would be closed as the opportunity arises.\nBureau of Land Management (BLM) lands are adjacent to the western edge of the project area.\nTo facilitate timber harvest on these lands\, approximately one-half mile of road would be\nconstructed and three to four miles of road would be reconstructed.\nMaps\nGeneralized maps are displayed on the next two pages. Detailed maps may be found at\nhttps://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/blackhills/projects/293810“
URL:https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-to-comment-on-roby-project-timber-sale-environmental-assessment-bhnf/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261006T215000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261006T215900
DTSTAMP:20260923T213241Z
CREATED:20260913T034423Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T213241Z
UID:23191-1791323400-1791323940@phas-wsd.org
SUMMARY:New Comment deadline on revocation of the 2001 Roadless Rule\, EXTENDED DEADLINE
DESCRIPTION:Complete Repeal of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule  \nDue Date: October 6\, 2026 (Extended from September 21)  \nFederal Register Notice: 91 FR 53827 – Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation  \nhttps://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/11/2026-18648/special-areas-roadless-area-conservation \nUnique Comment Submission Link: Regulations.gov Docket FS-2025-0001 / RIN 0596-AD66  \nComments\, identified by RIN 0596-AD66\, should be sent via one of the following methods: \n\nElectronically (preferred): Through the Federal eRulemaking Portal\, https://www.regulations.gov\, identified by docket number FS-2025-0001 or RIN 0596-AD66. Follow the instructions for sending comments; or\n\n\nMail: Hardcopy letters must be submitted to the Director\, Ecosystem Management Coordination\, 201 14th Street SW\, Mailstop 1108\, Washington\, DC 20250-1124.\n\n  \nPre-Fab Action Letter Links: \nThe Wilderness Society Action Portal  \nThe Conservation Alliance Rapid Action Form  \nPlease go back to our posting for the Sept 21st deadline on our calendar. – https://phas-wsd.org/event/comment-deadline-on-trumps-proposed-revocation-of-the-2001-roadless-rule/ \nWe have a very long and more thorough discussion about the issue\, at that original date.  This is very important in the Black Hills\, which are so very aggressively over logged. We  need to keep our roadless areas.
URL:https://phas-wsd.org/event/comment-deadline-on-revocation-of-the-2001-roadless-rule-extended-deadline/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261008T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261009T110000
DTSTAMP:20260913T052910Z
CREATED:20260913T052910Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T052910Z
UID:23210-1791460800-1791543600@phas-wsd.org
SUMMARY:SD Game\, Fish and Parks Commission October meeting 10/8/26-10/9/26  Pierre/Zoom
DESCRIPTION:SD Game\, Fish and Parks Commission October meeting 10/8/26-10/9/26 Pierre/Zoom. Details will be printed closer to the date at https://gfp.sd.gov/commission/information/\, but likely Thursday at 1 pm- 5 pm CT and Friday at 8 am till 11 am or so CT.  Written comments are due Sunday night before midnight  submitted at their portal https://gfp.sd.gov/forms/positions/ -and you can testify in person or by Zoom at the meeting at 2 pm CT. If there are rule finalizations you get 3 minutes per rule and then there is the “Open Forum” where you can comment on anything.
URL:https://phas-wsd.org/event/sd-game-fish-and-parks-commission-october-meeting-10-8-26-10-9-26-pierre-zoom/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20261013T213000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20261013T215900
DTSTAMP:20260913T044341Z
CREATED:20260913T044149Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T044341Z
UID:23201-1791927000-1791928740@phas-wsd.org
SUMMARY:Deadline to comment on Deep Seabed Mining Exploration and Recovery Applications
DESCRIPTION:The Action: Following a rewrite of deep seabed mining regulations earlier in the year\, NOAA has formally accepted a massive consolidated application from The Metals Company USA\, LLC (TMC USA). The application seeks federal exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits to mine the ocean floor for hard minerals. This is heavily focused on regions near Pacific island territories and international waters. NOAA is holding a virtual public hearing on October 13\, 2026\, and gathering public environmental input.  \nComment Deadline: October 19\, 2026. (Virtual Public Hearing scheduled for October 13\, 2026)  \nFederal Register Notice: 91 FR 53608 – Deep Seabed Mining; Notice of Receipt of Consolidated Application   \nUnique Comment Submission Link: Regulations.gov Docket NOAA-NOS- 2026-1751  \nPre-Fab Action Letter Links: Check for updates closer to the October 13 hearing via the Sustainable Ocean Alliance Action Hub or the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition Campaign. \n  \nWhy It’s Problematic:  \nDestruction of Unexplored Ecosystems: Granting these commercial permits opens the floor of the Pacific island territorial waters to massive mechanical extraction. This process directly strips away benthic habitats\, killing rare\, slow-growing deep-sea species before they can even be studied.  \nUnderwater Toxic Plumes: Mining machines kick up massive\, miles-long sediment plumes choked with heavy metals. Traveling on underwater ocean currents\, these clouds can choke midwater marine life\, disrupt fish migratory patterns\, and damage regional fisheries.  \nIrreversible Ecological Damage: The deep ocean floor recovers at a near-zero rate. Compacting the sea floor and altering its chemical matrix constitutes a permanent scar on a vital global common space.  \n 
URL:https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-to-comment-on-deep-seabed-mining-exploration-and-recovery-applications/
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