[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 4, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 17926]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8213]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA-610-01-1610-DE]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Northern and Eastern Mojave 
Plan Amendments and Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior, 
California Desert District, Riverside, California.
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Draft Northern and Eastern 
Mojave Plan Amendments and Environmental Impact Statement is available 
for public review and comment. The Draft Plan Amendments and EIS will 
amend BLM's 1980 California Desert Conservation Area Plan. The Draft 
Plan Amendments and EIS identify and describe the probable impacts to 
the 2.4 million acres of BLM-managed lands that would result from the 
proposed amendments to the California Desert Conservation Area Plan. 
The Draft Plan Amendments and EIS also will provide for strategic, 
comprehensive management, including a programmatic biological opinion 
for the desert tortoise, provide for recovery of other threatened or 
endangered species, and in particular the Amargosa vole, Amargosa 
niterwort and gumplant, reduce the need for further species listings, 
and streamline the processing of land-use permits.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of the Draft Plan Amendments and EIS 
have been mailed to those who submitted comments or expressed interest 
during public scoping and the development of the Draft Plan Amendments 
and EIS. Those who requested an electronic format were mailed a bound/
CD-ROM copy. Printed or electronic copies of the Draft Plan Amendments 
and EIS are available upon request from the BLM offices listed below. 
The Draft Plan Amendments and EIS are also available online at http://www.ca.blm.gov/cdd/landuseplanning.html. Reading copies are available 
at most local libraries and the following BLM offices:

BLM California Desert District Office, 1621 Box Springs Blvd., 
Riverside, CA; (909) 697-5200
BLM Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA; (760) 252-
6000
BLM Needles Field Office, 101 West Spikes Road, Needles, CA; (760) 326-
7000
BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 South Richmond Road, Ridgecrest, CA; 
(760) 384-5400

DATES: The 90-day public review and comment period for the Draft Plan 
Amendments and EIS will begin with publication in the Federal Register. 
Written statements on the Draft Plan Amendments and EIS must be 
submitted or postmarked no later than 90 days after notice in the 
Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the document should be mailed to the Bureau of 
Land Management, Attn: Northern and Eastern Mojave Plan, 2601 Barstow 
Road, Barstow, CA 92311. Comments on the Draft Plan Amendments and the 
adequacy of the EIS will be considered in preparing the Proposed Plan 
Amendments and Final EIS. Public meetings will also be held in various 
cities in and around the planning area to receive comments. The dates 
and times of these meetings will be announced later.

Background Information

    Development of the Draft Plan Amendments and the EIS began with 
scoping meetings held in conjunction with the National Park Service 
which is conducting concurrent planning efforts on adjacent lands. The 
Northern and Eastern Mojave Planning Area covers 3.3 million acres of 
land in the southeastern California Desert of which 2.4 million acres 
are public lands. This document describes and analyzes a number of 
alternatives for managing species and habitats on public lands 
administered by the BLM. Issues identified during public scoping 
included (1) recovery of threatened and endangered species, including 
the desert tortoise, the Amargosa vole, the Amargosa niterwort, the Ash 
Meadows Gumplant and spring-loving Centaury (threatened); (2) 
maintenance of public access through the NEMO planning area which 
includes sensitive areas, is surrounded by two national park units and 
two large military bases, and includes all or parts of twenty-four 
wilderness and eight wilderness study areas; (3) addressing impacts to 
other land uses; and (4) protection of County tax base.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edythe Seehafer, NEMO Project Manager, 
Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, California 92311; 
Telephone (760) 252-6021.

    Dated: March 22, 2001.
Tim Salt,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 01-8213 Filed 4-3-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-U