[Federal Register: April 28, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 82)]
[Notices]
[Page 25223-25224]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28ap06-93]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CA-350-1610-DP]
Notice of Availability of Draft Resource Management Plans and
Associated Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Three Bureau of
Land Management Field Offices in Northeast California and Northwest
Nevada: the Eagle Lake Field Office; the Alturas Field Office; the
Surprise Field Office
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, and under the authority of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared three Draft Resource Management Plans/Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DRMP/DEIS) for public lands managed by the Eagle Lake
Field Office, Susanville, Calif.; the Alturas Field Office, Alturas,
Calif.; and the Surprise Field Office, Cedarville, Calif. These drafts
are now available for public review.
DATES: Written comments on the DRMP/DEIS documents will be accepted for
90 days following the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of
the Notice of Availability of these DRMP/DEIS documents in the Federal
Register. Public meetings and any other public involvement activities
will be announced at least 15 days in advance through public notices,
media news releases and direct mailings.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to: Resource Management
Plan, Bureau of Land Management, 2950 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA
96130, or via e-mail to: necarmp@ca.blm.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or to have
your name added to the project mailing list, contact Jeff Fontana,
Public Affairs Officer, Bureau of Land Management, 2950 Riverside Dr.,
Susanville, CA 96130, or e-mail your request to: necarmp@ca.blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Eagle Lake, Alturas and Surprise field
office jurisdictions encompass approximately three million acres of
Public Lands. The Eagle Lake Field Office is headquartered in
Susanville, Calif.; the Alturas Field Office in Alturas, Calif.; and
the Surprise Field Office in Cedarville, Calif. New DRMP/DEIS for lands
administered by these offices have been developed based on current
policies and
[[Page 25224]]
regulations, changed circumstances and new information on natural
resources and natural resource management. New resource management
plans are needed because current management direction for the three
field offices is contained in 18 separate land use plans and subsequent
amendments. The RMPs will fulfill the needs and obligations set forth
by the NEPA, FLPMA, and BLM management policies. The BLM has worked
collaboratively with interested parties to identify the management
decisions that are best suited to address local, regional and national
concerns.
The BLM held six public scoping meetings and three field tours in
August and September 2003 as part of the process to identify issues to
be addressed in these resource management plans. Two internal scoping
meetings were held in November of 2003 to solicit input from BLM staff
and other agency personnel. Participants provided the BLM with comments
and issues for the RMPs. BLM personnel have been in contact with a
number of tribes, county governments and state and Federal agencies
about the planning project. These entities have been invited to
participate as cooperating agencies in the development of the DRMP/DEIS
documents. To date, the BLM has received 32 letters, 73 comment forms
and 1,300 e-mail messages.
The DRMP describes five management alternatives, including the No
Action Alternative (continuation of existing management). Alternatives
1, 2, 3, and the preferred alternative present a range of management
scenarios with varying amounts of natural resource protection and
focus.
The preferred alternative for the Alturas FO includes the following
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC): Ash Valley ACEC--1322
acres (existing); Timbered Crater ACEC--17,896 acres; Emigrant Trails
ACEC--1,750 acres; Mountain Peaks ACEC--3,500 acres; Old Growth Juniper
ACEC--3,115 acres; Mount Dome ACEC--1510 acres; Tablelands/Yankee Jim/
Fitzhugh Creek ACEC--1,400 acres. Four additional ACECs: Lava, Pit
River Canyon, Juniper Creek, and Beaver Creek, were considered but not
included in the preferred alternative.
The preferred alternative for the Eagle Lake FO includes the
following ACECs: Pine Dunes ACEC/Research Natural Area (RNA)--2,887
acres; Eagle Lake Basin ACEC--34,320 acres; Susan River ACEC--2,495
acres; Willow Creek ACEC--2,130 acres; Lower Smoke Creek ACEC--894
acres; Buffalo Creek Canyons ACEC--36,515 acres; and North Dry Valley
ACEC--10,156 acres. One additional ACEC, Aspen Groves, was considered
but not included in the preferred alternative. The preferred
alternative for the Surprise FO includes the following ACECs: Massacre
ACEC--44,780 acres; Bitner ACEC--1,921 acres; and Rahilly-Gravelly
ACEC--957 acres. Use of public lands within these ACECs would vary,
depending on the resources and/or values identified in Chapter 2 of the
Draft RMP/EIS, but would include limitations on off-highway vehicle use
and ground-disturbing development projects.
Please note that comments, including names and street addresses of
respondents, are available for public review and release under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Individual respondents may request
confidentiality by stating this request prominently at the beginning of
their written comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent
allowed by law. The BLM will not consider anonymous comments. All
submissions from organizations or businesses and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
and businesses will be made available for public inspection in their
entirety.
Printed and compact disc copies of the Draft RMP/Draft EIS
documents have been sent to affected federal, tribal, state and local
government agencies and to interested publics. The documents are
available by contacting the Bureau of Land Management Eagle Lake Field
Office, 2950 Riverside Dr., Susanville, CA 96130. Documents are
available online at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.blm.gov/ca/pa/planning/landuseplanning.html.
Additionally, the documents may be reviewed at
the following BLM offices: California State Office, Information Access
Center, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, Calif.; Alturas Field Office, 708
West 12th St., Alturas, Calif.; and the Surprise Field Office, 602
Cressler St., Cedarville, Calif.
Dated: August 5, 2005.
Dayne Barron,
Eagle Lake Field Office Manager.
Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the
Federal Register April 25, 2006.
[FR Doc. 06-4033 Filed 4-27-06; 8:45 am]
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