[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30959-30960]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-11436]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CO-500-2824-DD]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Fire and Fuels Management Plan and 
Amend the San Luis Resource Management Plan

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent To prepare a Fire and Fuels Management Plan 
Amendment and an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the San Luis 
Resource Management Plan (RMP).

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that BLM intends to prepare a 
Fire and Fuels Management Plan Amendment, with an associated EA, for 
the San Luis Valley. The Del Norte, La Jara, and Saguache Field Offices 
administer approximately 530,000 acres of public lands in Alamosa, 
Conejos, Rio Grande, and Saguache Counties in south-central Colorado. 
The BLM will work closely with interested parties to identify the 
management decisions that are best suited to the needs of the public. 
This collaborative process will take into account local, regional, and 
national needs and concerns. This notice initiates public review of the 
proposed issues to be addressed and the planning criteria.

DATES: The review period will last 45 days from the publication of this 
notice. To be most useful, comments should be received on or before the 
end of the review period at the addresses listed below. To ensure local 
community participation and input, public workshops will be held during 
the

[[Page 30960]]

review period in Alamosa and Saguache. Specific dates and locations for 
public participation will be published in local papers and broadcast on 
local community calendars at a later date.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, request additional information, or 
request to be put on the mailing list, you may do so by any of several 
methods. You may mail, hand deliver, or call your comments or requests 
to: Tom Goodwin, Field Manager, Saguache Field Office, 46525 Highway 
114, PO Box 67, Saguache, CO 81149, (719) 655-2547; or Neal Beetch, 
Project Manager, La Jara Field Office, 15571 County Road T5, La Jara, 
CO 81140, (719) 274-6301. You may also comment via email to: 
[email protected]. Please submit email comments avoiding the use of 
special characters and any form of encryption. Please include your name 
and address in your email message.
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the BLM offices listed above during 
regular business hours. Individual respondents may request 
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name and/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. We will not, however, consider anonymous comments. 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: Tom Goodwin, Field Manager, or Neal 
Beetch, Project Manager at the addresses or phone numbers listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed plan amendment will: establish 
resource area-wide objectives for fire and fuels; delineate fire 
management areas; identify broad vegetation treatments; and identify 
general restrictions on fire management practices. BLM has identified 
general issues anticipated for this planning effort, including: 
protection of human life; protection of property; protection of 
natural/cultural resources; integration of fire and resource 
management; air quality; and wildlife habitat. These issues, along with 
others that may be identified through public participation, will be 
considered during the planning process. BLM has also identified 
preliminary planning criteria to guide the planning process, including 
compliance with all legal mandates of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (NEPA), the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Administrative 
Procedures Act, and the BLM planning regulations in 43 CFR part 1600, 
as well as consistency with fire plans of other agencies and State and 
local jurisdictions.
    Existing information will be used to develop the plan amendment and 
EA. Selectable alternatives must contribute to the achievement of 
public land health standards and to the protection of communities at 
risk from catastrophic wildfire.
    The planning process will utilize a collaborative approach. This 
will allow the public, tribes, State and Federal agencies, local 
elected officials, and BLM specialists to participate in identifying 
issues and developing and analyzing alternatives. In addition to the 
initial public comment period and workshops, the public will also be 
invited, through a Federal Register notice, local newspapers, and 
mailings, to review the proposed plan and provide comments. The 
Governor of Colorado, County Commissioners for Alamosa, Conejos, Rio 
Grande, and Saguache counties, and potentially affected members of the 
public will be notified of all meetings and comment periods. Agency 
representatives and interested persons are invited to visit with BLM 
officials at any time during the planning process.

Roy L. Masinton,
Front Range Center Manager.
[FR Doc. 02-11436 Filed 5-7-02; 8:45 am]
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