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United States ForestOkanogan-Wenatchee 215 Melody Lane USDA Department of Service National Forest Wenatchee,WA 98801 Agriculture Supervisors Office File Code: 1950/2360 Date:July 29, 2026 Dear Friends and Neighbors of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, The Draft Environmental Assessment (EA)forthe 1-90 Snoqualmie Pass East— Public Safety/Wildlife Closure Area is available for a 30-day Comment Period beginning July 29, 2026, upon publication of the legal Notice of Opportunity to Comment in The Wenatchee World(expected to occur on July 29, 2026). The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (OWNF) is proposing to implement an area closure on National Forest lands within and adjacent to the 1-90 Snoqualmie Pass East wildlife crossing structures. The public safety/wildlife closure area encompasses 4,888 acres. Areas adjacent to 8 miles of 1-90 have been under short-term emergency closures since 2019.The OWNF proposes to extend the temporary closure for 5 years and add areas adjacent to another 7 miles along 1-90. This public safety/wildlife closure area extends from Hyak, WA, to the south end of Kachess Lake, and was designed to provide a 1000' buffer on either side of the highway. That buffer was extended or retracted to align with natural features, open roads, section lines, or other elements that were easily defined and identifiable by the public. Where roads pass through the closure area (e.g., FS-4832 near Gold Creek, utility access roads, or the county- maintained Kachess Road) the road remains open to a distance of 30 feet from the shoulder. The wildlife closure area does not include any developed facilities or open trails, including winter trails. Winter trails remain open 30' beyond the groomed route. No parking is allowed on the south side of the 4832 road to reduce the risk of access to the largest wildlife overcrossing and undercrossing structures. The wetland restoration sites are included in the closure to meet Clean Water Act permits required by Army Corps of Engineers, Washington Department of Ecology, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. These wetlands are required mitigation for the 1-90 Snoqualmie Pass East (SPE) project. The closure will be implemented immediately to protect current and planned wildlife crossing structures, adjacent habitats, and wetland restoration sites. Approximately 7.5 miles of the 1-90 SPE project is complete, 5.5 miles is under construction, and the remaining 2.5 miles is under design. Background information, effects analyses, and the draft Environmental Assessment for this project are available on the project website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/okay-logan- Anyone wishing additional information on the project should America's Working Forests-Caring Every Day in Every Way Printed on Recycled Paper