[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 18 (Thursday, January 28, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4463-4464]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1967]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[WY-010-1610-00]


Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Worland Field Office, 
Wyoming, announces: (1) The availability of the Record of Decision 
(ROD) for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Grass Creek 
Resource Management Plan (RMP), (2) the approved Grass Creek RMP, and 
(3) notice of off-road vehicle designations for the Grass Creek 
Planning Area.

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SUMMARY: The ROD documents the selection and approval of the Grass 
Creek RMP. The Grass Creek RMP provides multiple use management 
direction for approximately 968,000 acres of public land surface and 
1,171,000 acres of Federal mineral estate administered by the BLM in 
portions of Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, and Washakie counties in north 
central Wyoming.
    The draft EIS for the Grass Creek RMP was made available for public 
review and comment in January 1995. Comments received on the draft EIS 
were considered in preparing the proposed Grass Creek RMP and final EIS 
which was made available for public review and protest in August 1996.
    Planning and management decisions are presented in the Grass Creek 
RMP for all BLM-administered public land and resource values and uses 
within the planning area including air quality; cultural, 
paleontological, and natural history resources; fire; forestlands; 
hazardous materials and wastes; lands and realty; livestock grazing; 
minerals; off-road vehicle use; recreation; vegetation; visual 
resources; watershed; wild horses; wildlife and fish habitat; and areas 
of critical environmental concern. Since wilderness values are 
addressed in other documents, the Grass Creek RMP does not address 
them.
    The Grass Creek RMP is a comprehensive land use plan providing for 
multiple use. It is a refinement of the preferred alternative presented 
in the draft EIS and the proposed RMP presented in the final EIS. While 
the intent and general content of the Grass Creek RMP are not different 
from the proposed RMP, comments from the public, review by BLM staff, 
and new information obtained since the distribution of the final EIS 
have prompted some wording clarifications in the RMP.
    This Federal Register Notice serves as the notice for the Off-Road 
Vehicle (ORV) designations for the Grass Creek Planning Area as 
identified in the Grass Creek RMP. The ORV designations are described 
under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION in this notice.

ADDRESSES: Information on the Grass Creek RMP may be obtained from the 
Worland Field Office, P.O. Box 119 (101 South 23rd Street), Worland, 
Wyoming 82401-0119, (307) 347-5100.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Ross, Planning Coordinator, at the 
Worland Field Office, P.O. Box 119 (101 South 23rd Street), Worland, 
Wyoming 82401-0119, (307) 347-5100.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Thirteen protests were submitted to the 
Director of the Bureau of Land Management during the 30-day protest 
period for the Proposed Grass Creek RMP. Each protest letter was 
responded to and resolved by the Director. Resolution of the protests 
did not result in changes to any of the proposed land-use planning 
decisions.
    The Grass Creek RMP includes the designation of the Upper Owl Creek 
Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) to protect fragile soils, 
alpine tundra, important wildlife habitat, and scenic values on 
approximately 16,300 acres of BLM-administered public lands. The 
management actions for the ACEC include limiting or prohibiting 
surface-disturbing activities and closing the area to, and pursuing 
withdrawal from, the staking and development of mining claims.
    Three areas are designated special recreation management areas 
(SRMAs). These are the Absaroka Mountain Foothills (comprising about 
68,000 acres of public land), Badlands (comprising about 208,600 acres 
of public land), and Bighorn River (comprising about 1,200 acres of 
public land). The remainder of the BLM-administered public lands in the 
planning area are designated an Extensive Recreation Management Area 
(ERMA).
    In the course of conducting the planning effort and preparing the 
Grass Creek RMP, public lands along all waterways in the planning area 
were reviewed to determine their eligibility for inclusion in the 
National Wild and Scenic River System. No public lands were found to 
meet the eligibility criteria.
    Management of wilderness values is not addressed in the Grass Creek 
RMP. The BLM's recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior on four 
Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in the Grass Creek Planning Area have 
been made under separate documentation. These areas were addressed in 
separate

[[Page 4464]]

wilderness EIS and wilderness report documents which are also on file 
in the Worland Field Office. The decisions regarding wilderness area 
designations are made by Congress. When Congress makes the wilderness 
decisions for the WSAs in the Grass Creek Planning Area, those 
decisions will be incorporated into the Grass Creek RMP.
    The Grass Creek RMP includes the following Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) 
designations: areas open to off-road vehicle use, areas closed to off-
road vehicle use, and areas with off-road vehicle use limited to 
designated roads and trails, limited seasonally, and limited to 
existing roads and trails. Maps of the ORV designations are on file in 
the Worland Field Office.
    Specific designations are as follows: An open designation on 
approximately 900 acres west of Worland.
    Closed designations on approximately 80 acres at the Duck Swamp-
Bridger Trail Environmental Education Area and on approximately 900 
acres at the Worland rifle range. In addition, public lands near the 
Sheep Mountain, Red Butte, Bobcat Draw Badlands, and Owl Creek 
wilderness study areas (about 52,460 acres) will be managed as closed 
to ORV use until activity planning specifically addresses ORV use in 
these areas.
    Limited designations: Off-road vehicle use is limited to designated 
roads and trails and limited seasonally on about 68,000 acres of public 
land in the Absaroka Mountain foothills. Off-road vehicle use is 
limited to designated roads and trails on about 9,000 acres of public 
land in the Red Canyon Creek area south of Thermopolis. Off-road 
vehicle use in the Meeteetse Draw Rock Art area is limited to 
designated roads and trails on about 6,800 acres of public land. In the 
remainder of the planning area, ORV use on BLM-administered public land 
is limited to existing roads and trails.
    Parties who are interested in and who wish to be involved in future 
activity planning and implementation of management actions that may 
involve or affect the resource values addressed in the Grass Creek RMP 
are requested to identify themselves. Please contact the Worland Field 
Office at the above address and request to be placed on a future 
contact list for activity planning and implementation activities 
concerning the Grass Creek RMP.

    Dated: January 12, 1999.
Alan R. Pierson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 99-1967 Filed 1-27-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P