[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25746-25747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-11056]


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

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-030-1610-DH-241A]


Notice of Intent to Prepare an Amendment to the Walker Resource 
Management Plan

    The Carson City Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management and 
Douglas County, Nevada will jointly coordinate preparation of the 
following: (1) A County Specific Plan for about 625 acres of Federal 
and private lands in Douglas County, Nevada and (2) a BLM Resource 
Management Plan Amendment for about 430 acres of BLM lands included in 
Douglas County's Specific Plan.
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Carson City Field Office, 5665 
Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, NV 89701.

ACTION:  Notice of intent to prepare an amendment to the Walker 
Resource Management Plan, notice of scoping period and public meetings.

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

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Carson City, Field 
Office, and Douglas County will jointly direct preparation of a County 
Specific Plan and Walker Resource Management Plan Amendment and 
environmental assessment. The Resource Management Plan Amendment will 
identify specific tracts of BLM managed public lands in the North 
Douglas County specific Planning Area for potential disposal through 
exchange or under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (R&PP) and 
criteria for BLM acquisition

[[Page 25747]]

of private lands or interests in private lands within Douglas County, 
Nevada. The environmental assessment, to be produced by a third-party 
contractor, will analyze the impacts (direct, indirect, and cumulative) 
of the potential disposal of BLM managed public lands and criteria for 
acquisition or private lands or interests in private lands by the BLM.

EFFECTIVE DATES: A public scoping meeting will be held on May 17, 2000 
to allow the public an opportunity to identify issues and concerns to 
be addressed in the plan amendment and Environmental analysis. Comments 
will be accepted until June 2, 2000. Scoping comments may be sent to: 
Field Manager, Bureau of Land Management, 5665 Morgan Mill Road, Carson 
City, NV 89701.
    The scheduled public meeting will be held on May 17, 2000 at 6:30 
p.m. at the Carson Valley Community Church, located at 3616 North 
Sunridge Drive.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, write to 
the Field Manager of the Carson City Field Office at the address listed 
in the agency section of this notice, call or email Mike McQueen (BLM 
NEPA Coordinator) at (775) 885-6120, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed plan amendment schedule is as 
follows:

Begin Public Scoping: May 1, 2000
Host Public Scoping Meeting: May 17, 2000
Release Proposed Plan Amendment, EA and FONSI for Public Review, 
Governor's Consistency Review: September 15, 2000
Issue Plan Amendment and Decision Record: January 15, 2000

Planning Criteria

    Planning criteria have been developed to ensure that the plan 
amendment is tailored to the issues identified and ensure that 
unnecessary data collection and analysis would be avoided. These 
criteria may change in response to public comment and coordination with 
state and local governments or other Federal agencies. The criteria 
developed for the North Douglas County Plan Amendment are described 
below. The plan amendment will address the following decisions in the 
North Douglas County Planning Area:
    1. Identify specific parcels of public lands for potential disposal 
through exchange, or under the R&PP Act to private entities.
    2. Identify specific parcels of public lands for potential transfer 
to the Washoe Tribe or to another Federal agency for management on 
behalf of the Tribe.
    3. Adopt criteria for BLM acquisition of private lands or interests 
in lands within Douglas County.
    4. Approximately 430 acres of BLM managed public lands located in 
North Douglas County will be affected by the decisions regarding land 
disposal through exchange, R&PP Act or transfer to the Tribe or other 
Federal agency for management on behalf of the Tribe.
    5. A significant cultural resource site important to the Washoe 
Tribe exists on these lands and will require inventory, delineation, 
management and protection.
    6. Criteria for BLM acquisition of lands or interests in lands will 
focus on the acquisition of conservation easements in the Carson River 
Flood Plain in order to protect agricultural lands and the associated 
open space values, wildlife habitat, and flood plain functions. 
Approximately 25,000 of private lands in the flood plain are expected 
to be threatened by development in the future.
    7. Additional acquisition criteria will be developed or adopted for 
sensitive lands elsewhere in Douglas County.
    8. No lands will be transferred out of or into Federal ownership as 
a direct result of this plan amendment. Specific exchange proposals or 
leases under the R&PP will be considered and analyzed case by case 
after the joint County Specific Plan and BLM Resource Management Plan 
Amendment are completed.

    Dated: April 27, 2000.
Richard Conrad,
Assistant Field Office Manager for Nonrenewable Resources.
[FR Doc. 00-11056 Filed 5-2-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-M