[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 222 (Friday, November 18, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28239]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 18, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------


DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

[OR-930-05-6350-00: GP5-024]

 

Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (PRMP/FEIS); Availability

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management 
Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Eugene District, 
Oregon, on or about November 18, 1994.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1970, 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 (PRMP/FEIS) for 
the Eugene District, Oregon, has been prepared and is available for 
review and comment. The PRMP/FEIS describes and analyzes future options 
for managing approximately 317,000 acres of mostly forested public land 
administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Lane, Linn, Benton, 
and Douglas Counties in western Oregon.
    Decisions generated during this planning process will supersede 
land use planning guidance presented in the 1983 Management Framework 
Plan (MFP) as well as land use guidance for the Eugene District Off-
Highway Vehicle (OHV) Designation Plan, 1976 Upper Willamette and 
Siuslaw Environmental Analysis Records for Oil and Gas Leasing, and the 
1978 Noti-Lorane and Mohawk-Dorena Environmental Assessments for Oil 
and Gas Leasing.
    Copies of the PRMP/FEIS and a summary of it may be obtained from 
the Eugene District Office. Public reading copies will be available for 
review at the public libraries in Eugene, the Lane County Office 
Building, all government document depository libraries, and at the 
following BLM locations.

Office of External Affairs, Main Interior Building, room 5600, 18th and 
C Streets, NW., Washington, DC 20240.
Public Room, Oregon State Office, 1515 5th, Portland, Oregon 97201
Eugene District Office, 2890 Chad Drive, Eugene, Oregon 97401
All other BLM offices in western Oregon.

    A briefing and a open house with opportunity to discuss the PRMP/
FEIS will be held on November 28, 1994, at the Eugene District Office, 
2890 Chad Drive, Eugene, Oregon, from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. and 
7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Additional open houses will be scheduled as 
needed.

DATES: Written comments on the PRMP/FEIS must be submitted or 
postmarked no later than 30 days from when the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes in the Federal Register its Notice of Available of the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement concerning the proposed RMP. The 
Environmental Protection Agency is expected to publish this notice 
November 18, 1994 so the protest period would close on December 19, 
1994.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Judy Ellen Nelson, 
District Manager, Eugene District, Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 
10226, Eugene, Oregon 97740.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Don Wilbur, RMP Team Leader, Eugene District Office; Phone (505) 683-
6994.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRMP/FEIS describes and analyses 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 and SEIS Special Attention 
species habitat; (4) Special areas; (5) Visual resources; (6) Stram/
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.
    In the BLM's Proposed Resource Management Plan, water quality would 
be maintained or improved primarily by a combination of Best Management 
Practices and exclusion of selected areas from planned timber harvest. 
Particularly important exclusion areas would be the riparian zones of 
perennial streams and other streams that carry fish.
    About 224,400 acres would be managed to maintain and strengthen a 
system of old growth ecosystem areas, which are expected to increase 
the amount of old growth stands in the planning area from about 38,000 
acres to about 58,000 acres over the next 100 years.
    About 69,400 acres would be managed for timber production, 
including 31,500 acres managed under substantial restrictions to 
protect or enhance other resource values. The annual Probable timber 
Sale Quantity (PSQ) would be 6.1 million cubic feet. To contribute to 
biological diversity, standing trees, snags, and down, dead woody 
material would be retained.
    In addition to protecting listed or proposed threatened and 
endangered species as required by the Endangered Species Act, BLM would 
manage habitats of Federal Candidate, State Listed, and Bureau 
Sensitive species to maintain their populations at a level that would 
avoid endangering the species.
    Management would provide for a wide variety of recreation 
opportunities with particular emphasis on enhancement of opportunities 
for camping, day-use areas, and various trails.
    Three river segments covering 70 miles could be found suitable for 
designation by Congress under the Wild and Scenic River Act. About 37 
additional miles of river found eligible for designation and studies by 
BLM would be found not suitable for designation.
    All BLM administered lands would remain available to leasing for 
oil and gas and geothermal resources. Most BLM administered lands would 
remain available for the location of mining claims but 13,350 acres 
would be closed to entry under the mining laws.
    The PRMP/FEIS proposes continuation of designation of seven Areas 
of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and designation of seven new 
ACECs. The PRMP would designate or redesignate the following ACECs with 
the noted restrictions:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Vegetation                      Mining        Mineral   
               Area name                    Acres        harvest        OHV use        location       leasing   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Horse Rock Ridge ACEC (proposed ACEC/            378  P              P              P              R            
 RNA).                                                                                                          
Long Tom ACEC..........................            7  P              P              P              R            
Lake Creek Falls ACEC (proposed ACEC/             58  P              P              P              R            
 ONA).                                                                                                          
Mohawk ACEC/RNA........................          292  P              P              P              R            
Camas Swale ACEC/RNA...................          314  P              P              P              R            
Fox Hollow ACEC/RNA....................          160  P              P              P              R            
Upper Elk Meadows ACEC/RNA.............          223  P              P              P              R            
Heceta Sand Dunes (proposed ACEC/ONA)..          218  P              P              P              R            
Hult Marsh (proposed ACEC).............          167  P              P              P              R            
Cougar Mountain (proposed ACEC)........            9  P              P              P              R            
Grassy Mountain (proposed ACEC)........           74  P              P              P              R            
Coburg Hills Relict Forest Island                804  P              P              P              R            
 (proposed ACEC).                                                                                               
Cottage Grove Lake Relict Forest Island           53  P              P P            P              R            
 (proposed ACEC).                                                                                               
Dorena Lake Relict Forest Island.......           18  P              P              P              R            
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P = Use is prohibited
R = Use is allowed but with restrictions
NA = Use is not applicable to this area

    There were eight potential ACEC areas identified that met the 
Bureau ACEC criteria of relevance and importance, which are not 
included in the PRMP. They include Coburg Hills BEHA, Fall Creek 
Reservoir BEHA, McKenzie River BEHA, Dorena Reservoir BEHA, Siuslaw 
River BEHA, Fern Ridge BEHA, Triangle Lake BEHA, and Cannery Dunes 
ACEC/ONA.

(BEHA = Bald Eagle Habitat Area; RFI = Relict Forest Islands)

    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, page 39454).

    Dated: November 10, 1994.
Judy Ellen Nelson,
Eugene District Manager.
[FR Doc. 94-28239 Filed 11-17-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P