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Forest Service: preliminary review finds no obvious red flags, archaeology and biology surveys needed
Summary
A Forest Service representative told county commissioners the agency's local staff sees no immediate red flags for the proposed north‑of‑Buffalo Gap route but identified at least one historical site and said archaeology and biological surveys plus formal agency public approval would be required before easement dedication.
A Forest Service representative present at the joint meeting told commissioners that the agency had taken a preliminary look at the rough route and did not identify any immediate, obvious obstacles to proceeding with further study. "I think, generally, there aren't any things that we know right now that would be, a red flag for us moving forward," the Forest Service representative said.
The representative (Misty Hayes) cautioned that the route design will require formal surveys and approvals: "We would expect that once the route has been designed that we would have surveys that would need to be completed, both, archaeology and biology related things that we would need to have completed. And then we would have to go through our regular public process to approve the route." The representative noted at least one historic site that may require alignment changes and said any final easement dedication would follow agency processes.
Commissioners and staff said engineers hired through the RFP would work directly with the Forest Service on environmental inventories and any required alignment adjustments. The county staff emphasized the need to know construction impacts and costs before allocating funds.
