[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 43 (Friday, March 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 10720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5458]
[[Page 10720]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CO-034-99-1230-00]
Designation Order; Lifting of the Moratorium on Commercial
Outfitting Permits and the Establishment of Special Stipulations,
Conditions, and an Environmental Analysis Process for New and Existing
Commercial Outfitting Permits for the San Miguel River Special
Recreation Management Area and Area of Critical Environmental Concern
agency: Bureau of Land Management, Uncompahgre Field Office, Montrose,
Colorado.
action: Lifting of the 1995 moratorium on commercial outfitting
permits, establishment of special stipulations and conditions, and
initiating an environmental analysis process to evaluate new and
existing commercial upland and river permits within 32,641 acres of
public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management as the San
Miguel River Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) and Area of
Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) in San Miguel and Montrose
Counties, Colorado.
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summary: In June, 1995, the BLM issued a Federal Register Notice
establishing a moratorium on commercial outfitting permits within the
SRMA and ACEC to hold commercial use at 1994 levels while a multi-
objective watershed plan was being prepared. The Notice of the
moratorium (Vol. 60. No. 125, Thursday, June 29, 1995) stated that when
the watershed plan was completed, the moratorium would be lifted and
constraints on the number of outfitting permits and/or the total number
of user days associated with those permits, if any, would be
implemented.
The San Miguel Watershed Plan was completed in June, 1998 and
actions in the Plan pertaining to Public Lands will be implemented by
the BLM where determined feasible and in compliance with existing BLM
management objectives or approved plan amendments. Additional
environmental analyses will be completed, where determined necessary,
to evaluate the impacts of implementation of general and/or site
specific management actions and projects.
As part of the Watershed Plan implementation process, the BLM is
lifting the commercial permit moratorium until April 15, 1999 and
entering into a two-year analysis period during which time it will: (1)
Issue new annual probationary permits to both river and upland
outfitters that meet Special Recreation Permit application requirements
and BLM management objectives for the SRMA/ACEC; (2) Allow existing
permitted outfitters within the SRMA/ACEC area to propose modifications
to their operating plans and proposed use figures; (3) Conduct on-the
ground monitoring of all uses within the SRMA/ACEC to provide
environmental and social data for analyzing the impacts of those uses;
(4) Establish interim Special Stipulations and Conditions for
commercial permits and site-specific management regulations for all
uses within the management area where needed to protect resources and
reduce user conflicts; and, (5) Work with the public and the San Miguel
Coordinating Council and a San Miguel Watershed Task Force to
prioritize and implement additional resource management actions and
develop resource protection standards, Limits of Acceptable change, and
other similar protection guidelines for recreation uses within the SRMA
and ACEC.
At the end of the two-year period, the BLM will determine, through
an environmental analysis process, how commercial permits will be
issued and managed in the future to ensure maximum protection of the
area's sensitive riparian resources, reduce user conflicts, and provide
the highest quality recreational opportunities for the outfitted
public. The process will include, but not be limited to, analyzing the
impacts of reissuing permits to existing outfitters, the impacts of the
new probationary permits on the existing uses, and the potential
impacts of restricting commercial use in the future under a closure or
allocation system.
effective dates: The moratorium is lifted as of March 10, 1999 and will
be reinstated on April 16, 1999. All new river permit applications for
the San Miguel River must be postmarked by April 15, 1999 and received
no later than five days afterward by the Uncompahgre Field Office. The
environmental analysis period will begin April 15, 1999 and extend
through December 31, 2001.
for further information contact: Karen Tucker, Recreation Planner,
Uncompahgre Field Office, 2505 South Townsend Ave., Montrose, Colorado
80401, (970) 240-5309.
Dated: March 2, 1999.
Allan J. Belt,
Uncompahgre Field Office Manager.
[FR Doc 99-5458 Filed 3-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-M