[Federal Register: April 14, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 72)]
[Notices]
[Page 19540-19541]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14ap06-83]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[MT-050-1610-DR-018E]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Dillon
Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),
Beaverhead and Madison Counties, MT
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA).
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) management policies, the BLM announces the
availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Dillon Resource
Management Plan (RMP) in Beaverhead and Madison counties, southwest
Montana. The BLM Montana/Dakotas State Director signed the ROD and
approved the RMP. Publication of
[[Page 19541]]
the NOA announces the availability of the document and starts the 30-
day appeal period on implementation decisions (route designations)
described in the ROD. All decisions were effective upon approval of the
ROD/RMP.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Dillon Field Office ROD/RMP are available upon
request from the Field Manager, Dillon Field Office, Bureau of Land
Management, 1005 Selway Drive, Dillon, Montana 59725; via the Internet
at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.mt.blm.gov/dfo/rmp (subject to change); or by calling
(406) 683-2337.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Bozorth, Field Manager, BLM Dillon
Field Office, 1005 Selway Drive, Dillon, Montana 59725, telephone (406)
683-2337, fax (406) 683-8066.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Dillon RMP was developed with broad
public participation through a 4-year collaborative planning process
that started in 2001. This RMP addresses management on approximately
900,000 acres of public land and 1.3 million acres of Federal mineral
estate located in Beaverhead and Madison Counties in southwestern
Montana. The Dillon RMP replaces the September 1979 Dillon Management
Framework Plan (MFP). The Dillon RMP is designed to achieve or maintain
desired future conditions developed through the planning process. It
includes a series of management actions to meet the desired resource
conditions for upland and riparian vegetation; forest and woodland
vegetation; wildlife habitats; and cultural, paleontological, and
visual resources while providing for livestock grazing, recreation,
forest product sales, mineral development, rights-of-ways, and other
land uses, and designates eight areas as Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern (ACECs).
The Dillon RMP establishes open, closed and limited travel areas as
described in the Travel Management and OHV Use section of the approved
RMP in accordance with provisions in 43 CFR 8342. These designations
supersede all other prior off-road vehicle travel designations for
lands managed by the BLM Dillon Field Office. The Dillon RMP
implementation decisions on route designations are now subject to a 30-
day appeal period. The specific route designations addressed in the
Record of Decision are found on Maps 26 and 27 of the approved Dillon
RMP. Specific instructions on how to file an appeal on route
designation decisions can be found in the Implementation Decisions
section of the ROD. Appeals should state the specific route(s) by
Township, Range, and Section to clarify which decisions are being
appealed.
The BLM received seven protests on the Proposed Dillon RMP/Final
Environmental Impact Statement (PRMP/FEIS). With two exceptions, as
described in the Notice of Modifications section of the Record of
Decision, the approved Dillon RMP is essentially unchanged from
Alternative B in the April 2005 PRMP/FEIS. In response to one protest,
the proposed prescription to manage for a minimum of 12-inch residual
tall emergent wetland vegetation in wetland and waterfowl production
areas in the Centennial Valley was modified to manage the density and
height of emergent wetland vegetation to provide residual nesting cover
and concealment for trumpeter swans and other waterfowl without
imposing a specific vegetative height. Internal review also resulted in
modification to the proposed decision to establish user days by
Outfitter Permit Area for outfitted big game hunting. Specific use
levels will be reviewed and established within 2 years of issuance of
the ROD, but will not exceed historical levels as intended in the
proposed RMP decision. Some minor modifications were also made in
preparing the ROD/RMP to correct errors noted during review of the
PRMP/FEIS and/or to provide further clarification for some of the
decisions. The section titled Clarifications in the ROD identifies
these corrections and clarifications, none of which, considered either
singly or together, constitute a significant change to the PRMP. In
addition, no inconsistencies with State or local plans, policies or
programs were identified during the Governor's Consistency Review of
the PRMP/FEIS.
Dated: January 11, 2006.
Howard A. Lemm,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. E6-5479 Filed 4-13-06; 8:45 am]