[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 224 (Tuesday, November 22, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28784]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 22, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[OR-120-00--6350-00-G5-018; 5-00151]

 

Resource Management Plans, etc.: Coos Bay District, OR

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Proposed Resource Management Plan/
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Coos Bay District, Coos 
Bay, Oregon.

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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 (PRMP/
FEIS) has been prepared for the Coos Bay District, Oregon. The PRMP/
FEIS describes and analyzes future options for managing approximately 
329,700 acres of mostly forested public land and 12,150 acres of non-
federal surface ownership with federal mineral estate administered by 
the Bureau of Land Management in Coos, Curry, Douglas, and Lane 
counties in southwestern Oregon.

DATES: There will be a 30-day comment/protest period beginning when the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in 
the Federal Register, anticipated to be November 18, 1994. Anyone can 
comment on the PRMP/FEIS but only those persons or organizations who 
participated in the planning process leading to this PRMP/FEIS may 
protest. Protests must be postmarked within the 30-day comment/protest 
period.
    A protesting party may raise only those issues which were submitted 
for the record during the planing process. Protests of proposed plan 
elements that merely adopt decisions made in the Record of Decision for 
Amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Planning 
documents Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl (SEIS ROD) will 
be dismissed as the Director has no authority to overrule those 
decisions. Details of the protest process can be found in the PRMP/
FEIS.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the PRMP/FEIS and a summary of it may be obtained 
from the Coos Bay District Office. Copies will be available for public 
reading and review at the public libraries in Brookings, Gold Beach, 
Bandon, Myrtle Point, Coquille, Coos Bay, North Bend, Reedsport, and 
Powers, all government document depository libraries, and at the 
following BLM locations:

Office of External Affairs, Main Interior Building, room 5647, 1849 C 
Streets, NW., Washington, DC 20240.
Public Room, Oregon State Office, 1515 SW. Fifth Avenue, Portland, 
Oregon 97201.
    Public Room, Coos Bay District Office, 1300 Airport Lane, North 
Bend, Oregon 97459.

    All other BLM offices in western Oregon
    Background information and maps used in developing the PRMP/FEIS 
are available at the Coos Bay District Office.
    Open houses with opportunity to discuss the PRMP/FEIS will be held 
at the Coos Bay District Office. The dates, times, and locations of all 
open house meetings will be announced in a separate mailer as well as 
in the local media.
    Comments should be sent to: District Manager, Bureau of Land 
Management, Coos Bay District Office, 1300 Airport Lane, North Bend, 
Oregon 97459.
    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, DC 20240.
    At the end of the 30-day comment/protest period, the BLM may issue 
a Record of Decision approving implementation of any portion of 
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: Bob Gunther, RMP Team Leader, Coos Bay 
District Office; phone (503) 756-0100.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public participation has occurred throughout 
the RMP process. A Notice of Intent was filed in the Federal Register 
on August 28,1986 (Volume 51, number 167, page 30718). Since that time, 
numerous public meetings, mailings, and briefings were conducted to 
solicit comments and ideas. 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. 
Oral comments were also received at public meetings held in North Bend, 
Reedsport, and Gold Beach Oregon. All comments presented throughout the 
process have been considered in preparation of the PRMP/FEIS.
    The PRMP/FEIS 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 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 61,900 acres would be managed for timber production. 
The annual probable sale quantity would be 5.3 million cubic feet (32.1 
million board feet). To contribute to biological diversity, standing 
trees, snags, and down, dead woody material would be retained.
    Management would provide for a wide variety of recreation 
opportunities, with particular emphasis on enhancement of opportunities 
for dispersed recreational use.
    Approximately 184 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 1,600 acres would be closed 
to leasing for oil and gas and geothermal resources, and 12,500 acres 
would be closed to location of claims.
    The PRMP/FEIS proposes continuation of designation of one Area of 
Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), one Research Natural Area (RNA), 
and designation of nine new ACECs. The Proposed RMP would designate or 
redesignate the following ACECs and RNA with the noted restrictions.

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       Area name        Approx. acres    Veg. harv.      OHV use       Min. loc.      Min. lease        R/W     
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Cherry Creek RNA/ACEC.  570            NC             NC             NC             NC             NC           
New River ACEC........  860            NA             R              P              P              P            
Wassen Creek ACEC.....  3,440          R              R              P              R              P            
North Spit ACEC.......  580            NA             R              P              P              P            
North Fork Coquille     290            P              R              P              R              P            
 River ACEC.                                                                                                    
Tioga Creek ACEC......  40             P              P              P              R              P            
China Wall ACEC.......  240            P              P              P              R              P            
North Fork Hunter       1,730          R              R              P              R              P            
 Creek ACEC.                                                                                                    
Hunter Creek Bog ACEC.  570            P              R              P              R              P            
North Fork Chetco       600            P              R              P              R              P            
 River ACEC.                                                                                                    
Upper Rock Creek ACEC.  460            P              R              P              R              P            
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NC = No Change from existing situation.                                                                         
P = Use is prohibited.                                                                                          
R = Use is allowed but with restrictions.                                                                       
NA = Use is not applicable to this area.                                                                        

    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 PRMP/FEIS 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 9, 1994.
Mel Chase
District Manager
[FR Doc. 94-28784 Filed 11-21-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P