[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 221 (Thursday, November 17, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28469]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 17, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[4310-OR-100-6332-00; 5-032]

 

Availability of Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final 
Environmental Impact Statement; Oregon

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 102(2)(c) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, section 202(f) of the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act of 1976, and 43 CFR part 1610, a Proposed 
Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement has been 
prepared for the Roseburg District, Oregon. The Proposed Final RMP/EIS 
describes and analyzes future options for managing approximately 
423,900 acres of mostly forested public land and 1,717 acres of non-
federal surface ownership with federal mineral estate administered by 
the Bureau of Land Management in Douglas county in southwestern Oregon.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: The Draft RMP/EIS was available for public review 
and comment from August 21, 1992 to December 21, 1992. Written comments 
were received from agencies, organizations, and individuals. All 
comments provided were considered during the preparation of the 
Proposed Final RMP/EIS.
    Copies of the Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental 
Impact Statement and its summary may be obtained from the Roseburg 
District Office. Copies will be available for review at public 
libraries throughout Douglas County, all government document depository 
libraries, and at the following BLM locations:

Office of External Affairs, Main Interior Building Room 5600, 18th 
and C Streets, N.W. Washington, D.C.
Public Room, Oregon State Office 1515 S.W. 5th Portland, Oregon 
97201
Roseburg District Office 777 NW Garden Valley Blvd. Roseburg, Oregon 
97470

    All other BLM offices in western Oregon.
    Background information and maps used in developing the Proposed 
Final RMP/EIS are available at the Roseburg District Office.
    Open houses with opportunity to discuss the Proposed Resource 
Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement will be held at 
the Roseburg District Office (at the above address). The dates, times, 
and locations of all open house meetings will be announced in a 
separate mailer as well as in the local media.
    Protests should be sent to: Director (760), Bureau of Land 
Management, Chief, Planning and Environmental Coordination, Bureau of 
Land Management, 1849 ``C'' Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.
    The Roseburg District Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be published on or about 
November 10, 1994. Protests must be postmarked within the 30-day 
protest period which would start November 18, 1994 and would close 
December 19. 1994. To be considered complete, your protest must 
contain, at a minimum, the following information:

--Name, mailing address, telephone number, and interest of the person 
filing the protest.
--A statement of the issue or issues being protested.
--A statement of the part or parts of the specific (named) proposed RMP 
being protested. To the extent possible, this should be done by 
reference to specific pages, paragraphs, sections, tables, maps, etc. 
included in the document.
--A copy of all documents addressing the issue or issues that you 
submitted during the planning process or a reference to the date the 
issue or issues were discussed by you for the record.
--A concise statement explaining why the BLM State Director's decision 
is believed to be incorrect. This is a critical part of your protest. 
Document all relevant facts. As much as possible, reference or cite the 
planning documents, environmental analysis documents, and available 
planning records (e.g., meeting minutes or summaries, or 
correspondence). A protest that merely expresses disagreement with the 
Oregon/Washington State Director's proposed decision, without any data, 
will not provide us with the benefit of your information and insight. 
In this case, the Director's review will be based on the existing 
analysis and supporting data.

    At the end of the 30-day protest period, the BLM may issue a Record 
of Decision approving implementation of any portion of the proposed 
plan not under protest. Approval will be withheld on any portion of the 
plan under protest until the protest has been resolved.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Phil Hall, RMP Team Leader Roseburg 
District Office; Phone (503) 440-4930.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final 
Environmental Impact Statement describes and analyzes seven 
alternatives to resolve the following issues: (1) Timber production 
practices; (2) Old-growth forests and habitat diversity; (3) Threatened 
and endangered and other special status species habitat, including 
habitat for the northern spotted owl; (4) Special areas; (5) Visual 
resources; (6) Stream/riparian/water quality; (7) Recreation resources; 
(8) Wild and scenic rivers; (9) Land tenure; and (10) Rural interface 
areas. The issues are analyzed in seven distinct alternatives, with 
each alternative representing a complete management plan for the 
district.
    The Proposed Resource Management Plan responds to the need for a 
healthy forest ecosystem with habitat that will support populations of 
native species (particularly those associated with late-successional 
and old-growth forests). It also responds to the need for a sustainable 
supply of timber and other forest products that will help maintain the 
stability of local and regional economies and will contribute valuable 
resources to the national economy, on a predictable and long-term 
basis. BLM-administered lands are primarily allocated to Riparian 
Reserves, Late-Successional Reserves, General Forest Management Areas, 
and Connectivity/Diversity Blocks. An Aquatic Conservation Strategy 
would be applied to all lands and waters under BLM jurisdiction.
    Approximately 89,900 acres would be managed for timber production. 
The annual probable sale quantity would be 7.0 million cubic feet (45 
million board feet). Standing trees; snags; and down, dead woody 
material would be retained to contribute to biological diversity,
    Management would provide for a wide variety of recreation 
opportunities, with particular emphasis on enhancement of opportunities 
for dispersed recreational use.
    Approximately 29 miles of river found eligible for designation and 
studied by BLM would be found not suitable for designation.
    Most BLM-administered lands would remain available for mineral 
leasing and location of mining claims, but 28 acres would be closed to 
leasing for oil and gas and geothermal resources, and 5,070 acres would 
be closed to location of claims.
    The Proposed Resource Management Plan would designate or 
redesignate the following ACECs and RNAs:

Bear Gulch..................................  ACEC/RNA330 acres.        
Beatty Creek................................  ACEC/RNA331 acres.        
Bushnell-Irwin Rocks........................  ACEC958 acres.            
Myrtle Island...............................  ACEC/RNA30 acres.         
North Bank..................................  ACEC6221 acres.           
North Myrtle Creek..........................  ACEC/RNA472 acres.        
North Umpqua River..........................  ACEC1620 acres.           
Red Pond....................................  ACEC/RNA134 acres.        
Tater Hill..................................  ACEC/RNA280 acres.        
Umpqua River Wildlife Area..................  ACEC 947 acres.           
                                                                        

    There were no potential ACEC areas identified that met the Bureau
ACEC criteria of relevance and importance that are not included in 
whole or in part in the proposed alternative described above.
    This notice meets the requirements of 43 CFR 1610.7-2 for 
designation of
ACECs and the requirements of the final revised Department of the 
Interior-Department of Agriculture Guidelines for Eligibility, 
Classification, and Management of Rivers (FR Vol. 47, No. 173, pg. 
39454).

    Dated: November 10, 1994.
Bennie C. Hobbs,
Acting District Manager, Roseburg District Manager.
[FR Doc. 94-28469 Filed 11-16-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P