[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 62 (Thursday, March 30, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16955-16956]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7816]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for 
Amendments to the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Resource Management Plans 
Regarding Cross-Country Travel by Off Highway Vehicles and Mountain 
Bikes; 30-Day Scoping Period Announced

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Gunnison and the Uncompahgre 
Field Offices, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Colorado, propose to 
prepare an Environmental Assessment and amend their respective resource 
management plans to prohibit cross-country travel by off-highway 
vehicles and mountain bikes on certain lands managed by each of these 
agency offices. Cross-country travel is defined as travel off 
established, existing roads and trails. Established, existing roads and 
trails, for this proposal, are defined as: roads and trails that exist 
on the ground at the time agency decisions become effective, and are 
described in agency travel inventories, or are easily recognizable on 
the ground as a route, and have been traveled routinely by users. This 
action is interim in nature, and is necessary so these offices can 
responsibly manage the land and meet people needs by preventing the 
proliferation of new, user-created routes and help maintain a quality 
recreation experience until intensive travel management planning can be 
completed by the agencies for the affected lands. The affected BLM 
offices propose changing OHV designations under 43 CFR 8342.2 on BLM-
managed lands currently designated ``open'' year-long, and ``limited 
seasonally'', to ``limited to existing roads and trails'', in order to 
prohibit cross-country travel by OHVs. In addition, under 43 CFR 8364.1 
the offices propose to limit mountain bike use to ``existing roads and 
trails'' on all lands where use is not currently prohibited. Snowmobile 
use would not be addressed in this proposal. Implementing these 
proposed land use plan amendments would be an interim and temporary 
measure until the offices can conduct intensive and detailed travel 
management planning on the affected lands. After the completion of the 
EA, the BLM offices would then issue decisions amending existing 
resource management plans.
    This effort is being undertaken in coordination with the Forest 
Service which is proposing similar measures on National Forest lands 
managed by the Gunnison and Paonia Ranger Districts within the Gunnison 
National Forest, Region 2.
    The public is invited to comment on this proposal and to contact 
the local offices for additional information. The 30-day time period 
for receiving comments from the public will begin on the day this 
notice is published in the Federal Register, and will end 30 days after 
the publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Informal 
scoping occurred from February 24, 2000, through March 24, 2000. This 
notice will satisfy the requirement for the affected BLM offices to 
conduct formal scoping. Comments received during the scoping period 
will be considered during the preparation of the EA.
    All alternatives to be considered during the EA process will be 
formulated after the scoping period is over and all comments are 
received.

DATES: Submit comments on or before May 1, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning this notice to Bill 
Bottomly, Bureau of Land Management, 2465 South Townsend Avenue, 
Montrose, CO 81401. Electronic mail can be sent to 
[email protected]. The local addresses and telephone numbers of 
the affected BLM offices are: Gunnison Field Office, Bureau of Land 
Management, 216 N. Colorado, Gunnison, CO 81230 (970)641-0471; 
Uncompahgre Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 2505 S. Townsend 
Avenue, Montrose, CO 81401 (970)240-5300.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Bottomly at (970)240-5337.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GFO manages approximately 585,000 acres 
in the study area. In the GFO, approximately 365,660 acres are 
currently ``open'' year-long and approximately 73,430 acres are 
``limited seasonally'' to motorized use. Mountain bike use is currently 
unrestricted on approximately 537,000 acres. The UFO manages 
approximately 66,825 acres within the study area for this proposal. Of 
the lands managed by the UFO in the study area, approximately 27,060 
acres are ``open'' year-long and 36,690 acres are ``limited 
seasonally'' to motorized use. Mountain bike use is currently 
unrestricted on all BLM-managed lands in the study area managed by the 
UFO.
    The affected agency resource management plans were prepared prior 
to much of the recent increase in OHV and mountain bike use, and the 
new development of all terrain vehicle technology. One of the many 
opportunities on public land is traveling the back country for 
recreational pursuits, such as sight-seeing, wood cutting, fishing, 
hunting, and other activities. It is the goal of both offices to 
provide for a wide spectrum of dispersed recreation activities while 
minimizing environmental impacts and conflicts between user groups. 
Some of this use occurs on public lands where OHV use is currently 
limited to existing or designated roads and trails. However, there are 
large areas of public land that are open to cross-country travel off 
roads and trails by OHVs, including mountain bikes. This unrestricted 
use has the potential to continue the spread of noxious weeds, create 
user conflicts, cause erosion, damage cultural sites, and disrupt 
wildlife and wildlife habitat. With an increase in OHV and mountain 
bike traffic, and changes in OHV technology, the public, and the land 
management agencies, recognize the need to evaluate current management 
decisions for those areas where driving off roads and trails is 
allowed. A change in management direction would be accomplished through 
an EA and an amendment to the BLM resource management plans. The BLM 
plan amendments would address the use of wheeled, motorized vehicles 
designed for and/or capable of travel off roads and trails, and 
mountain bike use. The BLM proposes changing the areas currently open 
seasonally or year-long to cross-country OHV and mountain bike use to a 
designation that allows for travel only on existing roads and trails. 
These changes in designation would prohibit cross-country travel by 
wheeled, motorized vehicles designed for and/or capable of travel off 
roads and trails, and mountain bike. However, this would not change 
most of the current limited or closed designations, or designated 
intensive use areas.

[[Page 16956]]

Access allowed under the terms and conditions of a federal lease or 
permit would not be affected by the proposal. This broad scale decision 
as proposed would be an interim decision until revision or completion 
of agency travel management plans. If necessary, as a part of a future 
travel management planning process, existing OHV designations that 
affect travel uses by OHVs and mountain bikes on the affected lands 
could be changed to a more appropriate designation, including 
identifying areas for trail development, or further limiting travel off 
roads and trails.
    The 30-day scoping period covering this notice for the BLM plan 
amendments and EA is being provided so interested groups and the 
general public can comment on the proposal in this notice. Please see 
the information after the heading above titled ``DATES'' for the public 
comment period dates. No open houses or public meetings are planned 
during the comment period on this proposal. Proposed BLM plan 
amendments will be published during the EA process, and a 30-day 
protest period will apply to the BLM proposed amendments.

    Authority: Sec. 202, Pub. L. 94-579, 90 Stat. 2747 (43 U.S.C. 
1712), Sec. 6, Pub. L. 94-588, 90 Stat. 2949 (16 U.S.C. 1604).

    Barry Tollefson and Allan Belt, Field Managers, Gunnison and 
Uncompahgre Field Offices, respectively.

    Dated: March 24, 2000.
Barry A. Tollefson,
Field Manager, Gunnison Field Office.
    Dated: March 24, 2000.
Allan J Belt,
Field Manager, Uncompahgre Field Office.
[FR Doc. 00-7816 Filed 3-29-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P