[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14694-14696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-7163]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID-085-03-1430-AA]


Implementation of Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Management, Upper 
Columbia-Salmon Clearwater District, ID

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Upper Columbia-Salmon Clearwater 
District, Idaho, Interior

ACTION: Implementation of Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) management for the 
Salmon Field Office, Upper Columbia-Salmon Clearwater District, BLM.

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SUMMARY: In a Federal Register notice dated February 25, 2000, the 
Salmon Field Office notified the public of the BLM's intent to amend 
the Lemhi Resource Management Plan (RMP) (BLM 1987) to address several 
management concerns, including the need for Aadditional guidance for 
management of resources, values, and uses on public lands within the 
(Lewis and Clark National Historic) Trail corridor and its surrounding 
area, and for other areas where visitor use is increasing 
substantially.'' This concern has been addressed through amended off-
highway vehicle use (OHV) designations for the approximately 594,837-
acre Salmon Field Office area, as well as other management decisions. 
The Lemhi RMP amendment was approved by the Idaho State Director on 
August 29, 2001. As stated in 43 CFR 8342.2(b), that approval 
constituted the formal designation of off-highway vehicle use areas for 
the Salmon Field Office area. This Notice is published in compliance 
with 43 CFR 8364.1 Closure and restriction orders. Additional efforts 
to inform the public of the changes in OHV designations will be made 
during the next six to twelve months as the Salmon

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Field Office holds informational meetings, prepares and distributes a 
Travel Map, installs signs identifying the restricted or closed areas, 
and contacts public land visitors via the media and in the field.
    Changes in OHV designations were primarily made to address existing 
or potential future impacts to cultural, historic, and scenic 
resources; fisheries and wildlife habitat; undeveloped and non-
motorized recreational opportunities; and native vegetation in the 
Salmon Field Office area. These designations were developed based on 
public and tribal input and an environmental analysis of various 
management alternatives. This closure and restriction order supersedes 
the OHV designation and closure notices published in the Federal 
Register by the Salmon District Office on September 5, 1986; September 
29, 1987; and April 24, 1989.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the 
amended OHV designations or to obtain a copy of the RMP amendment 
(which includes maps of the OHV designations), please contact Michael 
Liner, Outdoor Recreation Planner, by phone at (208) 756-5466, by e-
mail at [email protected], or by mail at the Bureau of Land 
Management, 50 Highway 93 South, Salmon, Idaho 83467.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The majority (about 96.5%) of public lands 
administered by the Salmon Field Office now have an OHV designation of 
``limited,'' which means that motorized vehicle travel within specified 
areas and/or on designated routes, roads, vehicle ways, or trails is 
subject to restrictions. The remaining public lands (approximately 
3.5%) are designated ``closed''; i.e., motorized vehicle travel is 
prohibited in those areas.
    Exceptions for Off-road Vehicle Use--Excluding the Eighteenmile 
Wilderness Study Area (WSA), located about 15 miles southeast of 
Leadore, Idaho (see point ``(1)'' of the Limited and Closed Designation 
Areas in the following two paragraphs), temporary exceptions to the OHV 
limitations and closures for the Salmon Field Office area may be 
authorized for any military, fire, emergency, or law enforcement 
vehicle while it is being used for emergency purposes, any vehicle in 
official use, and any vehicle whose use is expressly authorized in 
writing by the authorized officer.
    The following additional exceptions for off-road travel may apply 
in ``Limited'' Designation Areas; vehicle use may be allowed:
    (a) Within 300 feet of existing roads, vehicle ways, or trails for 
direct access to campsites, to retrieve downed big game, or to harvest 
forest products;
    (b) Immediately adjacent to existing roads, vehicle ways, and 
trails for purposes such as parking, turning around, or passing another 
vehicle;
    (c) If the vehicle weighs 1,500 pounds or less gross vehicle weight 
and is traveling on at least six inches of continuous snow cover; and
    (d) Snowmobiles on groomed trails only.
    These exceptions (a) through (d) are referenced in the ``Limited 
Designation Areas'' section below when they pertain to a given 
limitation.
    ``Closed'' Designation Areas--The areas designated ``closed'' to 
OHV use are as follows. (1) The portion of the Eighteenmile WSA 
recommended to Congress as suitable for wilderness designation (14,796 
acres) is closed to OHV use to maintain the area's suitability for 
wilderness designation. Temporary exceptions for OHV use are allowed in 
emergencies and search and rescue operations, for official purposes by 
the BLM and other Federal, State, and local agencies, and to build or 
maintain structures or installations, as provided for in the Interim 
Management Policy and Guidelines for Lands Under Wilderness Review (BLM 
1995). (2) The 236-acre Trail Creek Area of Critical Environmental 
Concern (ACEC), located approximately 12 miles west of Lemhi, Idaho, is 
closed to OHV use to preserve the unroaded old growth forest and 
riparian habitat and provide additional protection to high quality elk 
habitat. (3) About 1,200 acres on the hillside above the Chief Tendoy 
Cemetery (located about 20 miles southeast of Salmon, Idaho) are closed 
to OHV use for safety reasons (the area is extremely steep and 
hazardous). (4) Approximately 1,080 acres in the Birch Creek Springs 
area located about 35 miles south of Leadore, Idaho, are closed to OHV 
use to protect the unique wetland, riparian, and vegetative resources 
of the area.
    ``Limited'' Designation Areas--Specific restrictions within 
``limited'' designation areas are as follows. (1) OHV travel within the 
portion of the Eighteenmile WSA recommended to Congress as ``non 
suitable'' for wilderness designation (10,126 acres) is limited 
yearlong to one designated route along the northwestern boundary (the 
Powderhorn Gulch Road) to allow some motorized access to the WSA while 
still protecting the WSA's suitability for wilderness designation 
(exception (b) applies). Temporary exceptions for OHV use off of this 
route are allowed in emergencies and search and rescue operations, for 
official purposes by the BLM and other Federal, State, and local 
agencies, and to build or maintain structures or installations, as 
provided for in the Interim Management Policy and Guidelines for Lands 
Under Wilderness Review (BLM 1995). (2) OHV use within the Continental 
Divide National Scenic Trail Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) 
(about 4,600 acres located along the eastern boundary of the Field 
Office area) is limited to designated routes to reduce conflicts 
between motorized and non-motorized recreation opportunities within the 
SRMA and to provide habitat security for wintering big game. The 
following designated routes may be used yearlong: The portion of the 
Divide Road beginning about six miles south of Lemhi Pass, the Copper 
Queen Road, the Cow/Yearian Divide Ridge Road, the two branches of the 
Reese Creek Road, the Reese/Peterson Divide Ridge Road, the Whiskey 
Springs Ridge Road east of State Highway 29, and the ``spur'' road off 
the Whiskey Springs Ridge Road (exceptions (a), (b), and (c) apply). A 
northern section of the Divide Road (beginning at the Copper Queen Road 
intersection and continuing about four miles to the Cow/Yearian 
hydrologic divide) and two spur roads off the Divide Road may be 
traveled seasonally, from May 1 through December 15 (exceptions (a), 
(b), and (d) apply). (3) OHV travel within the Chief Tendoy Cemetery is 
limited yearlong to the designated route to the monument (no exceptions 
for off-road travel) to ensure protection of the Cemetery and 
associated Native American burials. This 40-acre parcel in T19N, R24E, 
B.M.
    Section 28: NE\1/4\ SW\1/4\ was reserved for an Indian Cemetery by 
a Secretarial decree on October 1, 1907. (4) OHV travel within the 
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail SRMA (three areas totaling 
approximately 31,014 acres) is limited to designated routes to protect 
the historic trail from ground disturbance and to maintain the natural 
and historical integrity of the trail area. In the River Bluffs area 
just north of Salmon, Idaho, OHV use is limited yearlong to the 
Recreation and Public Purposes Act lease site designated use areas (two 
areas totaling about 74 acres), the River Bluff Road, the Sagehen Flat 
Road, the Powerline Road, and the road that heads south from the 
Powerline Road toward Kirtley Creek (no exceptions for off-road use 
apply). (Note: The designated use areas within the Recreation and 
Public Purposes Act lease site are provided to be consistent with the 
lease stipulations.) OHV travel within the Agency Creek portion of the

[[Page 14696]]

SRMA is limited to the seasonal and yearlong routes listed in section 
(9) below (exceptions (a), (b), and (d) apply). OHV travel within the 
Tower Creek portion of the SRMA is limited to the seasonal and yearlong 
routes listed in section (10) below (exception (b) applies). (5) OHV 
travel within the 1,060-acre Sevenmile ACEC, located about seven miles 
south of Salmon, Idaho, is limited yearlong to two designated routes in 
the upper portion of the ACEC: The route which accesses the Sunset 
Heights Water District Spring and the route which accesses the upper 
portion of the Sevenmile watershed (exceptions (a) and (b) apply). This 
use limitation is implemented to help ensure public safety and resource 
protection in areas with steep slopes and highly erosive soils, while 
allowing motorized access in more stable areas.
(6) OHV use within the following recreation sites and use areas is 
limited to designated routes and use areas yearlong to ensure visitor 
safety and reduce conflicts between motorized and non-motorized 
recreation use (no exceptions for off-road use apply): The Shoup 
Bridge, Morgan Bar, Williams Lake, Tower Creek, Smokey Cubs, McFarland, 
and Agency Creek Recreation Sites, as well as several access points 
along the Salmon River: Eightmile River Access, Elevenmile River 
Access, Lime Creek Trailhead, and Kilpatrick River Access. (7) OHV use 
on about 29,599 acres in the Hayden, Basin, and Muddy creek areas west 
of Lemhi, Idaho, is limited to designated routes in order to address 
erosion concerns and the potential for sedimentation impacts to 
occupied threatened/endangered fish habitat (exceptions (a), (b), and 
(c) apply). The Hayden Creek Road and Basin Creek Road may be used by 
motorized vehicles yearlong. OHV use on the following designated routes 
is only allowed from June 16 to February 28: Muddy Creek Road, Colson 
Cutoff, Roostercomb Mountain Road, and several additional unnamed 
routes between Basin Creek and Muddy Creek. (8) No vehicle travel is 
allowed on the following roads constructed for previous timber sales, 
unless specifically authorized by the BLM: Baldy Basin, Sawmill Canyon, 
Birch Creek, and McDevitt Creek. These restrictions are implemented to 
reduce water quality impacts. (9) OHV use on about 25,904 acres in the 
Kenney, Pattee, and Agency creek drainages (located approximately 15 
miles southeast of Salmon, Idaho) is limited to designated routes and/
or closed seasonally (exceptions (a), (b), and (d) apply). These 
limitations are implemented to improve habitat security in big game 
winter range and to protect cultural and scenic resources in the Lewis 
and Clark Trail SRMA. Motorized travel is allowed yearlong on the 
Alkali Flat Road, Warm Springs Wood Road, Agency Creek Road, Divide 
Road (excepting about four miles beginning at the Copper Queen Road 
intersection south to the Cow/Yearian hydrologic divide), Copper Queen 
Road, and about four miles of the Pattee Creek Road. OHV use on several 
routes in the Agency, Pattee, and Warm Springs Creek drainages is only 
permitted from May 1 through December 15. The following route is 
designated for snowmobile use: The Divide Road from Lemhi Pass south to 
the Copper Queen Road to the Agency Creek Road. Vehicle travel is 
permitted on existing roads, vehicle ways, and trails from May 1 
through December 15 on about 1,260 acres south of Kenney Creek and 
2,325 acres south of the SRMA boundary (exceptions (a) and (b) apply); 
the remainder of the year these areas are closed to OHV use to protect 
wintering big game. (10) OHV use on about 5,192 acres in the Tower 
Creek area located about 11 miles north of Salmon, Idaho, is limited to 
designated routes to protect wildlife habitat and cultural and scenic 
resources along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail (exception 
(b) applies). Travel is allowed yearlong on the Kriley Gulch Road and 
Tower Creek Road. From May 1 through December 15, travel is also 
allowed on the ridge route (from U.S. Highway 93 to a point about 2.9 
miles from the highway) and the route that bears west off the ridge 
route about 1.5 miles from the highway. (11) OHV use on about 7,805 
acres in the Badger Springs area (located about seven miles north of 
Salmon, Idaho) is prohibited from December 16 through April 30 to 
protect big game winter habitat. The remainder of the year vehicle use 
is limited to existing roads, vehicle ways, and trails. (12) In the 
Henry Creek area (approximately 4,046 acres) located about nine miles 
south-southwest of Salmon, Idaho, OHV use is only allowed on existing 
roads, vehicle ways, and trails from April 11 through September 19; 
during this time, motorized access is limited to vehicles 48 inches in 
width or narrower (exception (b) applies). These limitations are 
implemented to address safety and erosion concerns. (13) OHV use on all 
remaining public lands not affected by the above limitations or 
closures (about 402,385 acres) is limited to the existing roads, 
vehicle ways, and trails visible on 1993-1994 aerial photos and/or 1992 
digital orthophotos, as verified through on-the-ground review 
(exceptions (a), (b), and (c) apply). Vehicle travel on single-track 
vehicle ways is limited to two-wheeled vehicles and will not promote 
expansion of those ways into two-track routes. These limitations are 
implemented to reduce impacts to cultural resources, visual resources, 
native vegetation, and fisheries and wildlife habitat.

    Dated: February 12, 2003.
Jenifer L. Arnold,
Acting District Manager.
[FR Doc. 03-7163 Filed 3-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-GG-P