[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 18 (Monday, January 28, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3910-3911]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-2131]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT-030-1020-00]


Notice of Intent To Amend Plan

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a plan amendment for the Grand 
Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) Management Plan, 
Escalante Management Framework Plan and Paria Management Framework Plan 
with an associated Environmental Assessment (EA).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Planning 
Regulations (43 CFR 1600) this notice advises the public that the BLM, 
GSENM is considering amending the GSENM Management Plan, Escalante 
Management Framework Plan and Paria Management Framework Plan to 
reallocate forage on the Last Chance grazing allotment and amending the 
GSENM Management Plan and Escalante Management Framework Plan to 
reallocate forage on the Big Bowns Bench grazing allotment. The 
planning area is located in southern Utah; portions of the area are 
jointly administered by GSENM and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
    This amendment will be addressed through an EA. This notice 
initiates a 30-day comment period on the planning criteria and draft 
plan amendment/EA. If you have information, data, or concerns related 
to the potential impacts of reallocating forage on the Big Bowns Bench 
grazing allotment and the Last Chance grazing allotment, have comments 
on the planning criteria, or suggestions for alternatives, please 
submit them to the address below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to: Monument Manager, Grand 
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, 190 East Main, Kanab, Utah 
84741, (435-644-4300). Planning documents and letters received, 
including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available 
for public review at the GSENM Office in Kanab, Utah during regular 
business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Monday through Friday, except 
holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you 
wish to withhold your name or street address from public review and 
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. If you are not currently on our mailing list and wish to 
receive a copy of future planning documents, please send your name and 
address to the address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The permittee has voluntarily relinquished 
all of the existing grazing privileges on the Big Bowns Bench grazing 
allotment and some of the existing grazing privileges on the Last 
Chance allotment. The amendment to the GSENM Management Plan, Escalante 
Management Framework Plan and Paria Management Framework Plan will 
consider a proposal to re-allocate all or part of the forage on the Big 
Bowns Bench allotment and the Last Chance allotment for wildlife, 
watershed conservation, and riparian values. The EA will be prepared by 
an interdisciplinary team to analyze the impacts of these proposals and 
alternatives.
    The BLM has identified the following planning criteria, which will 
guide development of the amendments:
    1. The plan amendment/EA is initiated in response to the voluntary

[[Page 3911]]

relinquishment of the sole grazing preference/permit for the Big Bowns 
Bench allotment and the Last Chance grazing allotment. Analysis and 
decisions in the plan amendment/EA apply only to those allotments.
    2. The plan amendment/EA will be completed in compliance with the 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the National Environmental 
Policy Act, and all other applicable laws.
    3. The plan amendment/EA will be developed using an 
interdisciplinary approach (e.g., a team approach using a variety of 
skills and perspectives such as rangeland management specialists, 
riparian specialists, etc.), with input from interested public, the 
State of Utah, local governments, and other Federal agencies and 
entities.
    4. Decisions in the plan amendment/EA will provide for the balance 
of long-term sustainability with short-term uses.
    5. This plan amendment/EA will incorporate and comply with the 
Fundamentals of Rangeland Health and Standards and Guidelines for 
Grazing Administration.

Elena Daly,
Acting Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning.
[FR Doc. 02-2131 Filed 1-25-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P