[Federal Register: June 21, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 118)]
[Notices]
[Page 34394]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21jn04-76]
[[Page 34394]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Plan Amendment to the California
Desert Conservation Area Plan of 1980 and an Environmental Assessment
(EA) To Evaluate Incorporation of the Management Areas and Research
Area Identified in the Flat-Tailed Horned Lizard Rangewide Management
Strategy, 2003 Revision, an Arizona-California Conservation Strategy
(Strategy) Into Bureau of Land Management's California Desert Area Land
Use Plan
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701), as amended; the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321), as amended; and the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will prepare a plan amendment to the
California Desert Conservation Area Plan of 1980 and an Environmental
Assessment (EA) to evaluate incorporation of the Management Areas and
Research Area identified in the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard Rangewide
Management Strategy, 2003 Revision, An Arizona-California Conservation
Strategy (Strategy) into BLM's California Desert Area land use plan.
DATES: BLM will accept written and electronic comments on the scope of
the plan amendment until August 5, 2004.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by the following methods:
Written: Gary Taylor, BLM Strategy Plan Amendment and EA, 1661
South 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243.
Electronic: gtaylor@ca.blm.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: For general information, including
information on how to comment, you may contact Gary Taylor, Bureau of
Land Management, El Centro Field Office, 1661 South 4th Street, El
Centro, CA or phone (760) 768-4400.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Individual respondents may request
confidentiality. If you wish BLM to withhold your name or street
address, except for the city or town, from public view or from
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your written comment. We will honor
requests to the extent allowed by law. BLM will not consider anonymous
comments. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in
their entirety.
Background Information: BLM's El Centro Field Office is one 13
participants in the conservation Strategy. BLM has signed the 2003
Strategy as well as the previous 1997 Strategy. Because the Strategy
requires a formal designation of the flat-tailed horned lizard (FTHL)
Management Areas (MAs) and Research Area (RA), BLM proposes to evaluate
formally incorporating the MAs and RA into BLM's CDCA Plan.
The Strategy identifies and prioritizes numerous planning actions.
Planning Actions 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and 1.6 specifically identify the
action to designate and complete the NEPA process for the East Mesa
FTHL MA, West Mesa FTHL MA, the Yuha Desert FTHL MA, and Ocotillo Wells
FTHL RA as shown in Figures 5-7, 9 in the Strategy. The Management
Implementation Schedule identifies these planning actions as ``Priority
1: An action that must be taken in the near term to conserve the
species and prevent irreversible population declines.'' Because the
Strategy is clear on the exact locations and boundaries for the MAs
this plan amendment and EA will evaluate the East Mesa FTHL MA, West
Mesa FTHL MA, the Yuha Desert FTHL MA and the Ocotillo Wells RA as
described in the Strategy. BLM has considered changing the boundaries
of the MAs and the RA, but has decided to limit the scope of this plan
amendment and EA to evaluating the Strategy as signed in 1997 and 2003.
The Plan amendment and EA will identify the preferred action as
adopting the 3 MAs and one RA as identified in the Strategy. The EA
will also address the no-action alternative of not adopting the MAs and
the RA. The no-action alternative will not result in a Plan Amendment.
Under the no-action alternative, BLM will continue to apply the
Strategy to projects on a case by case basis, but would not formally
adopt the MAs and the RA.
As currently envisioned, the Plan amendment and EA will include the
resource disciplines listed: wildlife and wildlife habitat including,
vegetation, wilderness, ACECs, recreation, social, economic and
demographics. The Plan amendment and EA will also address the direct,
indirect, and cumulative impacts associated with the Strategy.
The BLM anticipates that the plan amendment process will be
completed in approximately four months. Additional opportunities for
public involvement, including a schedule of any public meetings, will
be announced separately from this notice.
Lynette Elser,
Acting Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 04-13908 Filed 6-18-04; 8:45 am]
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