[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 3, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17729-17730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8109]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

(NV-050-1610-DO)


Supplement to the Notice of Intent Issued in Vol. 65, No. 74/ 
Monday, April 17, 2000, To Revise the Nellis Air Force Range Resource 
Plan and Prepare a New Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in 
cooperation with the Department of Defense, Nellis Air Force Base and 
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

ACTION: Supplement to the Notice of Intent. The Bureau of Land 
Management is providing updated information on the process, note the 
change in name of the plan, cooperating agencies status, planning 
criteria, and the area covered by the plan. There are no new 
significant issues to present. A separate notice of availability will 
be issued for the Draft Plan, in the near future.

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COOPERATING AGENCY STATUS: The following are cooperating agencies in 
the planning effort: United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the 
Department of Defense, the Nevada Division of Wildlife, Nye County and 
Clark County. Native American interests are represented on the core 
team.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. The Name Change and Geographic Area Covered by the Resource Plan

    The Name of the plan is changed from the Nellis Air Force Range 
Resource Plan to the Nevada Test and Training Range Resource Management 
(NTTR) Plan. The geographic area covered by

[[Page 17730]]

the plan includes only those lands withdrawn from the BLM by Public Law 
106-65, which is approximately 2 million acres. A map is available for 
review at the Las Vegas Field Office, 4765 W Vegas Drive, Las Vegas, 
Nevada 89108.

2. Preliminary Planning Criteria

    A. Provide for military use and management of specified resources.
    B. Actions must comply with laws, executive orders, and regulations 
including Public Law 106-65.
    C. The planning area is defined as that portion of the NTTR which 
was withdrawn from the BLM. The NTTR plan will include planning 
determinations for all public lands located within the planning area 
boundary, including those public lands administered by the Department 
of Interior, the Department of Defense.
    D. Decisions about specific range, wildlife, and watershed 
improvements will not be made in the NTTR plan, but rather in 
subsequent activity-level plans (i.e. habitat management plans, 
allotment management plans) designed to implement the NTTR plan 
decisions.
    E. Management use and protection of water, water resources, 
riparian zones, and other related values will be given a high priority.
    F. Use the Geographic Information System (GIS) when digitized 
information is available.
    G. Watershed determinations will be based on hydrographic basins.
    H. The NTTR plan will incorporate a method for amending the NTTR 
plan on a regularly scheduled basis.
    I. The RMP will be consistent to the maximum extent possible with 
the plans and management programs of local governments, consistent with 
Federal laws and guiding regulations and coordinated with other Federal 
agencies where appropriate.
    J. Participation by the public will be a factor in decision making. 
The Keystone Dialog will help guide preparation of the RMP based on 
previous coordination with the public.
    K. Valid existing management decisions from the 1992 Nellis Air 
Force Range Resource Plan will be brought forward into the Draft NTTR 
Resource Management Plan, with relevant objectives and management 
directions carried forward into the NTTR plan.
    L. The NTTR plan effort will rely on available inventories of the 
lands and resources as well as data gathered during the planning 
process to reach sound management decisions. Any decisions requiring 
additional inventories will be deferred until such times as the 
inventories can be conducted.
    M. Provide for continued use of resources while maintaining a 
desired vegetative community, stabilized soils and visual quality.
    O. Within the non-attainment area, Clark County Health District 
regulation will be followed.

3. Preliminary Plan Alternatives

    Alternative A is the No Action Alternative. This alternative is the 
continuation of current management under the existing Nellis Air Force 
Range Management plan. This alternative provides a baseline for the 
comparison of the environmental effects of the other alternatives. 
Alternative B is the alternative supported by the BLM based on data 
which indicates horses were present in the early 70's throughout the 
vast majority of the North Range. This alternative adopts and documents 
the extent of the 1971 Herd Use Area and adopts that portion of the use 
area within the current NTTR boundary as the Herd Management Area. 
Further, a ``core area'' is identified that will be the basis for 
determining the AML for the entire HMA, in the future. The HMA boundary 
recognizes that animals will move out of the core area seasonally, but 
will use the core area the majority of the time.
    Alternative C is substantially different than alternative B in that 
the HMA is limited to an area smaller than the core area of alternative 
B's HMA.
    Alternative D identifies removal of all wild horses from the NTTR.

4. Disciplines Represented on the Planning Team

    The RMP/EIS will be comprised of the following disciplines: Team 
Leader, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, Wildlife Biologist, 
Archaeologist, Geologist, Reality Specialist, Hydrologist, Hazardous 
Material Specialist, Soil Scientist, Fire Management Specialist, Air 
Force Environmental Staff, Rangeland Management Specialist, Air Force 
Liaison, Department of Energy Environmental Staff, Riparian and Noxious 
Weed Specialist.

5. Public Participation

    Public Scoping meetings were held as identified in the original 
Federal Register Notice. Informal public comments and input are 
encouraged throughout the development of the RMP/EIS. The next formal 
public comment period will be offered with the publication of the Draft 
NTTR RMP/EIS

6. Location of Planning Documents

    Planning documents and other pertinent materials may be examined at 
the Las Vegas Field Office located in Las Vegas, Nevada between 7:30 am 
and 4:15, Monday through Friday.

ADDRESSES/FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information 
contact Jeffrey G. Steinmetz, Las Vegas Field Office Environmental 
Protection Specialist and Team Lead for the BLM at Bureau of Land 
Management, Las Vegas Field Office, 4765 W. Vegas Drive, Las Vegas, 
Nevada 89108, telephone (702)-647-5097.

    Dated: March 6, 2001.
Mark T. Morse,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 01-8109 Filed 4-2-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P