[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 154 (Thursday, August 9, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41884-41885]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-20022]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of land Management

[MT-059-1610-DO-018E]


Public Lands in the Dillon Field Office, Beaverhead and Madison 
Counties, MT

AGENCY: Dillon Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, Dillon, 
Montana, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) 
and associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for public lands in 
the Dillon Field Office, Beaverhead and Madison Counties, Montana.

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) intends to prepare a RMP and associated EIS under the 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The plan will provide a framework to 
guide subsequent management decisions on approximately 902,528 acres of 
public land and 1,305,504 acres of subsurface mineral estate 
administered by the BLM in Madison and Beaverhead Counties. However, 
59,287 acres of public land located immediately south of the Big Hole 
River in Beaverhead County will not be included in this planning 
effort. This land is administered by the BLM Butte Field Office and 
will be considered in future planning efforts for that area.
    The RMP will establish desired conditions for the public lands 
covered by the plan and identify appropriate public land uses for a 
number of resource values and programs. A wide range of alternatives 
will be considered in developing the plan, which will take into account 
local, regional, and national needs and concerns. This notice also 
initiates the public scoping process to examine issues and develop 
planning criteria to guide the planning process. Nominations for Areas 
of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) may also be submitted during 
the comment period.

DATES: The scoping comment period will commence with the publication of 
this notice. Formal scoping will end October 9, 2001. Comments on 
issues, planning criteria, and special area nominations should be 
received on or before the end of the scoping period.

ADDRESSES: For further information and/or to have your name added to 
the mailing list, contact Renee Johnson, RMP Project Leader, Bureau of 
Land Management, Dillon Field Office, 1005 Selway Drive, Dillon, 
Montana; Telephone 406-683-8016; Fax 406-683-2970. Comments should be 
sent to the above address or may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to 
[email protected]. Comments submitted during this planning process, 
including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available 
for public review at the Dillon Field Office during regular business 
hours 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. 
Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to 
withhold your name or address from public review or disclosure under 
the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the 
beginning of your comments. 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The RMP to be prepared for the public lands 
administered by the Dillon Field Office will identify goals, 
objectives, standards and guidelines for management of a variety of 
resources and values. The plan will specify actions, constraints, and 
general management practices necessary to achieve desired conditions. 
The plan will also identify any areas requiring special management such 
as ACECs. The scope of the RMP will be comprehensive. Certain existing 
standards and guidelines and other BLM plans will be incorporated into 
the RMP such as Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for 
Livestock Grazing as set out by the Western Montana Resource Advisory 
Council (RAC), policies and strategies outlined in the Montana Weed 
Management Plan, the Interim Management Policy and Guidelines for Lands 
Under Wilderness Review, the Centennial Travel Management Plan which 
covers BLM land in the southern portion of the Centennial Valley in 
Beaverhead County, and the Montana/Dakotas Statewide Fire Management 
Plan and associated Dillon Fire Management Plan update, once completed. 
The planning process will also analyze and incorporate information 
previously compiled on oil and gas leasing.
    This notice provides the public an opportunity to suggest issues, 
concerns, needs, and resource use, development and protection 
opportunities for consideration in preparation of the plan. A number of 
decisions related to various resource values and programs will be made 
as a result of this planning effort. The major issues identified to 
date include (1) Management of vegetation, especially sagebrush-steppe 
habitats; (2) watershed management especially regarding water quality, 
fishery values and riparian areas; (3) management of areas with special 
values; (4) conservation and recovery of special status species; (5) 
travel management and access to public lands; (6) availability and 
management of public lands for commercial uses; and (7) land tenure 
adjustments. In addition to the major issues, a number of management 
questions and concerns will be addressed in the plan. Issues and 
management concerns may be identified by interested parties during the 
scoping phase. After gathering public comments on what issues the plan 
should address, the suggested issues will be placed in one of three 
categories: (1) Issues to be resolved in the plan; (2) issues resolved 
through policy or administrative action; and (3) issues beyond the 
scope of the plan. BLM will provide feedback to the public on the final 
issues to be addressed in the plan. An interdisciplinary approach will 
be used to develop the plan in order to consider the variety of 
resource issues and concerns identified. Disciplines involved in the 
planning process will include specialists with expertise in rangeland 
management, minerals and geology, forestry, outdoor recreation, 
archaeology, paleontology, wildlife and fisheries, lands and realty, 
hydrology, soils, sociology and economics.
    The following planning criteria have been proposed to guide 
development of the plan, to avoid unnecessary data collection and 
analyses, and to ensure the plan is tailored to the issues. Other 
criteria may be identified during the public scoping process. After 
gathering comments on planning criteria, BLM will finalize the criteria 
and provide feedback to the public on the criteria to be used 
throughout the planning process.
     The RMP will comply with applicable Federal laws and 
regulations.

[[Page 41885]]

     The RMP will be accompanied by an EIS prepared under NEPA.
     The RMP will only cover lands under jurisdiction of the 
Dillon Field Office. This includes split estate, where the surface is 
private, but subsurface minerals are Federal. This does not include BLM 
lands in Beaverhead County along the south side of the Big Hole River 
under jurisdiction of the Butte Field Office.
     The RMP will study public land in the planning area not 
yet inventoried for wilderness characteristics.
     The RMP will consider the recovery plans in place for 
threatened and endangered species which utilize the planning area, 
including Whooping Crane, Bald Eagle, Grizzly Bear, Wolf, and Lynx.
     The RMP will consider the management strategies developed 
for Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Fluvial Arctic Grayling and Sage Grouse 
when developing the plan.
     The RMP will recognize the State of Montana's 
responsibility to manage wildlife populations, including hunting and 
fishing uses.
     RMP decisions will be compatible to the extent possible 
with the plans and mandates of other agencies and governments that 
share jurisdiction in the region.
     The RMP will consider and integrate local, Statewide and 
national interests.
     Actions proposed by the RMP must be achievable given 
technological, budget and staffing limits.
    The BLM is also requesting public input for nominations considered 
worthy of ACEC designation. To be considered as a potential ACEC, an 
area must meet the criteria of relevance and importance as established 
and defined in 43 CFR 1610.7-2. Nominations must include descriptive 
materials, detailed maps, and evidence supporting the ``relevance'' and 
``importance'' of the resource or area. Several nominations have 
already been proposed in previous planning efforts including the 
Madison River Corridor, the Virginia City Historic District, the 
Axolotl Lakes area, the Block Mountain area, the Upper Centennial Basin 
Bald Eagle Nesting Areas, the Sage Creek area, Lima Reservoir area, the 
Muddy Creek/Big Sheep Creek area, Everson Creek, Badger Gulch, Bannack 
Historic District, the Centennial Mountains from Nemesis Mountain to 
Price Creek, Clark Canyon, Maiden Rock, the East Fork of Blacktail Deer 
Creek, and the Ferruginous Hawk Nesting area. The Soap Gulch-Camp Creek 
area and the Jerry Johnson Creek area were previously nominated but are 
now administered by the BLM's Butte Field Office and will not be 
considered in the Dillon planning effort. All other existing and new 
ACEC nominations within the planning area will be evaluated during 
development of the RMP.

Public Participation Opportunities

    The BLM is seeking comments, concerns and views of a diverse array 
of individuals, groups, organizations, agencies, and governments. Early 
participation by all those interested is encouraged and will help 
determine the future management of public lands administered by the 
Dillon Field Office. The BLM anticipates inviting both Beaverhead and 
Madison Counties to become Cooperating Agencies under the provisions of 
the NEPA given special expertise the counties have in certain areas. 
The Montana Consensus Council, established under the Governor's Office, 
has also conducted a situation assessment prior to publication of this 
notice and is making recommendations to BLM to enhance the public 
participation process.
    A scoping brochure will be sent to the public and interested 
parties after publication of this notice. The mailing list will 
continue to be updated and modified during the planning process. Press 
releases will be provided to local and regional newspapers regarding 
the initiation of the plan, availability of the scoping brochure, and 
the comment period. Information on the planning process and notice of 
the scoping period will also be placed on the Dillon Field Office 
website at www.mt.blm.gov/dfo. Public meetings and workshops will be 
held throughout the plan scoping and preparation period. In order to 
ensure local community participation and input, meetings will held in 
the communities of Dillon, Sheridan, and Ennis. Other locations in the 
vicinity of the planning area may be included. At least 15 days public 
notice will be given for activities where the public is invited to 
attend. Meetings and comment deadlines will be announced through the 
local news media, newsletters and the Dillon Field Office Website 
(www.mt.blm.gov/dfo). The minutes and list of attendees for each 
meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days to any 
participants who wish to clarify the views they expressed. Newsletter 
updates and newspaper articles will be used throughout development of 
the RMP to keep the public informed of progress on the plan. Documents 
and other information pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the 
Dillon Field Office located in Dillon, Montana.

    Dated: July 23, 2001.
Scott Powers,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 01-20022 Filed 8-8-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-$$-P