[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 7, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41263-41264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-19674]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID-090-1610-DG]


Environmental Statements; Notice of Intent

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare (1) a Resource Management Plan 
(RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Snake River 
Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) and (2) a RMP and EIS 
for the Bruneau planning area of the Owyhee Field Office in 
southwestern Idaho.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and section 102 (2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), Lower Snake River District will prepare a RMP and EIS for the 
Snake River Birds of Prey NCA and a separate RMP and EIS for the 
Bruneau planning area in southwestern Idaho. These land use plans will 
guide resource management in these areas in the foreseeable future. 
These RMPs will be prepared under guidance provided through 43 CFR part 
1600 (BLM Planning Regulations).

DATES: Public meetings pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.2 (BLM Planning 
Regulations) and 40 CFR 1501.7 (NEPA Regulations) to help identify the 
range of issues to be addressed in each RMP and the scope of each EIS 
will be announced through the local media and direct mailings at a 
later date once specific dates and locations for public participation 
are determined. Throughout the planning process, the public will be 
given opportunities to participate through workshops and open house 
meetings. These workshops will provide the public an opportunity to 
work with BLM in identifying the full range of issues to be addressed 
in the RMPs/EISs and developing the alternatives to be analyzed in the 
EISs.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to: Bureau of Land Management, 
SRBOPNCA-RMP, 3948 Development Avenue, Boise, Idaho 83705, for the 
Snake River Birds of Prey NCA RMP, and Owyhee Field Office, 3948 
Development Avenue, Boise Idaho 83705, for the Bruneau RMP. Comments, 
including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available 
for public review at the above address during regular business hours 
7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may 
be published as part of the EIS. Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street address 
from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information 
Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written 
comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. 
All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Sullivan, NCA Manager, 3948 
Development Avenue, Boise, Idaho

[[Page 41264]]

83705 for the Snake River Birds of Prey NCA RMP; and Jenna Whitlock, 
Field Manager, Owyhee Field Office, 3948 Development Ave., Boise, Idaho 
83705 for the Bruneau RMP; phone for either manager (208) 384-3300. 
Existing documents concerning these planning areas can be seen at the 
above addresses.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The planning process for these two RMPs will 
utilize an open collaborative approach allowing the public, Tribes, 
State and Federal agencies, local elected officials, and BLM subject 
matter specialists to fully develop and analyze the alternatives for 
management of the public lands. To facilitate public comment, promote 
efficiency, and avoid confusion between the two planning efforts, it is 
anticipated that joint scoping meetings will be conducted. Beyond the 
scoping process, each planning effort will develop its own public 
involvement process to be responsive to the issues and concerns unique 
to the planning effort. The plans are expected to be completed in 2004.

Snake River Birds of Prey NCA RMP

    The NCA encompasses 485,000 acres of public land along 81 miles of 
the Snake River. It is located in Ada, Canyon, Elmore, and Owyhee 
Counties and is within a 30 minute drive of Boise in southwestern 
Idaho. The NCA was established on August 4, 1993 by Public Law 103-64 
for the conservation, protection and enhancement of raptor populations 
and habitats and the natural and environmental resources and values 
associated with the area. The current NCA management plan is an 
activity level plan that conforms with, and is used in conjunction with 
five land use plans. The NCA RMP will replace management decisions made 
in the existing five land use plans.
    In order to address issues and meet Bureau requirements for 
determining appropriate public land uses, decisions may be made on the 
following: air resources, soil resources, water resources, vegetation 
(including invasive species and noxious weeds), riparian areas, 
wildlife habitat, fishery habitat, special status species (including 
threatened and endangered species), range management, fire management, 
lands (including tenure adjustments, rights-of-way, and NCA boundary 
adjustments), military training, mineral materials, recreation, visual 
resources, cultural resources, geological and paleontological 
resources, areas of critical environmental concern, and hazardous 
materials.
    The preliminary issues have been identified, based on the NCA 
legislative mandate, and staff knowledge. These preliminary issues will 
be expanded during public scoping and refined throughout the planning 
process. The following issues, at a minimum, will be addressed in the 
RMP: National Guard military training compatibility with NCA purposes; 
management and protection of raptors and scientific research on their 
decline; habitat restoration, including needs as a result of wildfire 
and other disturbances; fire and fuels management strategies to protect 
at risk communities and habitats, especially shrub sites; rangeland 
health assessments and livestock grazing compatibility determinations 
as required by the enabling legislation; special status species 
management (including threatened and endangered species); public access 
and transportation within the NCA that balances public access and 
resource protection; visitor use and environmental education; 
protection and management of significant cultural sites; land tenure 
adjustments and urban interface considerations; and possible withdrawal 
of an unexploded ordnance area. All issues will be considered in the 
context of compatibility with NCA purposes as described in the enabling 
legislation, the Snake River Birds of Prey Act of 1996 (Public Law 103-
64). Disciplines corresponding to these issue areas will be represented 
and used during the planning process.

Bruneau Planning Area

    The Bruneau planning area encompasses approximately 1.4 million 
acres of public land administered by the BLM Owyhee Field Office in 
southwestern Idaho. This area is currently managed in compliance with 
the Bruneau Management Framework Plan (MFP) approved in 1983. 
Reorganization of the Lower Snake River District resulted in 
incorporation of the Bruneau planning area into the Owyhee Field 
Office. In December of 1999, the Owyhee RMP was approved on 1.3 million 
acres. When completed, the Bruneau RMP will be used in conjunction with 
the Owyhee RMP to manage approximately 2.7 million acres administered 
by the Owyhee Field Office.
    In order to address issues and meet BLM planning requirements for 
determining public land uses, decisions may be made for air, soil, and 
water resources; vegetation (including noxious weeds); riparian areas; 
forestry management (including juniper woodlands); wildlife and fishery 
habitat; special status species (including threatened, endangered, 
candidate, and BLM sensitive species); range management; fire and fuels 
management; lands (including tenure adjustments and rights-of-way); 
locatable, leasable, and salable minerals; recreation (including wild 
and scenic rivers); wilderness; visual resources; cultural resources; 
hazardous materials; and areas of critical environmental concern.
    The anticipated issues identified are preliminary and are based on 
staff knowledge. The issues will be expanded during public scoping and 
refined throughout the planning process. As a minimum the following 
issues will be addressed in the RMP: range management including 
compliance with Idaho standards for rangeland health and guidelines; 
public access and transportation to balance access and resource 
protection; recreation; identification of conservation measures for 
special status species; wilderness study area management; management of 
river segments eligible for the wild and scenic river system; 
protection and management of cultural resources; management of riparian 
and wetland habitats; fire and fuel management, including protection of 
low elevation shrub communities from unnatural wildfire; and 
consideration of local community needs, including consideration of the 
socio-economic effects of changes in public land management. 
Disciplines corresponding to the issue areas indicated will be 
represented and used during the planning process.

    Dated: July 16, 2001.
Katherine Kitchell,
Lower Snake River District Manager.
[FR Doc. 01-19674 Filed 8-6-01; 8:45 am]
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