The Coconino National Forest has prepared an environmental assessment finding of no significant impact and a draft decision notice for the Oak Creek Watershed Restoration project. 
The selected alternative includes nine activities to improve watershed condi­tions, wildlife habitat and water quality in the water­shed, including closing unau­thorized roadside parking pull-outs in locations along State Route 89A in Oak Creek Canyon in partnership with Arizona Department of Transportation.

To view the EA and draft DN online, visit the Forest Service’s project website at fs.usda.gov/project/ ?project=52793. The docu­ments are also available for review at the Red Rock Ranger District Office in Sedona. 
The activities proposed in the Oak Creek Watershed Restoration Project draft decision notice are subject to 36 CFR 218 Subparts A and B, which allow for objections to the draft deci­sion. Objections must be submitted within 45 calendar days following the July 24 legal notice publication in the Sedona Red Rock News, which is the newspaper of record. The objection period will occur through Monday, Sept. 9. 
This project is based on the 2016 Middle and Lower Oak Creek Canyon Watershed Restoration Action Plan developed to benefit watershed condi­tions. The project builds on collaborative efforts with stakeholders, including area residents, the Oak Creek Watershed Council and the Northern Arizona Forest Foundation. 

There are certain closures related to project activi­ties along SR 89A with the Arizona Department of Transportation. The decision regarding the nine activities include: 

• Oak Creek Canyon unauthorized roadside parking planning. Close and rehabilitate 26 of the 60 unauthorized parking pull-outs and unauthorized trails along SR 89A in Upper Oak Creek Canyon. 
• End of Chavez Ranch Road day-use site plan­ning and toilet installa­tion. Develop this area as a low-impact, day-use site to reduce negative impacts from unmanaged recre­ation, including installing a toilet outside the 100-year floodplain. 
• Angel Valley Forest Road 89B Oak Creek day-use site and toilet installa­tion. Design two designated parking areas, install a toilet outside the 100-year floodplain, and restore areas adversely impacted by unmanaged vehicle and camping uses. 
• Mitigation of unauthor­ized trails to improve habitat for the listed narrow-headed garter snake. Provide access to Oak Creek and West Fork of Oak Creek in hardened, rock-armored locations and decommission unauthorized trails. 
• Spring Creek aquatic organism passage on Willow Point road crossing. Remove and replace the existing Spring Creek crossing struc­ture on Forest Road 796 to improve aquatic organism passage and improve road drainage. 
• Install new pet waste stations near perennial water and trailheads. Add to the number of pet waste stations at 16 trailheads. 
• Protection and riparian restoration at Molina home­stead. Convert the end of Forest Road 9845 into a trail and realign to allow access to Oak Creek. 
• Lower Oak Creek unauthorized motorized trail closure and restoration. Close and restore motorized unauthorized roads leading across Oak Creek from Forest Road 9813 to FR 119B. 
• Road decommis­sioning in the Oak Creek watershed. Decommission approximately 12 miles of roads by placing boulders, using vegetative slash, camouflaging entrance points, ripping and seeding. 

Objections to the draft decision will be accepted only from those who have previously submitted specific written comments regarding the proposed project, either during the December 2017 to January 2018 scoping period or the other designated opportu­nity for public comment in August-September 2018, in accordance with §218.5(a). 
Issues raised in objec­tions must be based on previously submitted timely, specific written comments regarding the proposed project unless based on new information arising after designated comment opportunities. 

Objections, including attachments, must be filed via mail, fax, email, hand-delivery, express delivery, or messenger service from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, to: 

• Regional Forester, Southwestern Region, 333 Broadway SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, via fax to (505) 842-3110, or via email to objections-southwestern-regional-office@fs.fed.us. Please also send a copy of the objection to objections-southwestern-coconino@ fs.fed.us. 

Electronically filed objec­tions may be submitted by email in word, rich text format, text and hypertext markup language.  If an objection is filed during the 45-day objection period, the Forest Service will then have up to 45 days to respond to objec­tions, with additional time, if necessary. A final decision would then be released in fall 2019. 

Additional informa­tion can be obtained from Elizabeth Munding, Red Rock District NEPA planner, at elizabeth.a.munding@