[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 64 (Thursday, April 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16307-16308]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-8079]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR-030-02-1610-DR: GP 2-0358]


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the 
Southeastern Oregon Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental 
Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Vale District.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the 
Southeastern Oregon Resource Management Plan (SEORMP) and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (40 CFR 1550.2), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued a ROD for the 
Proposed SEORMP EIS. The ROD documents approval of BLM's plan to manage 
the public lands within the Jordan and Malheur Resource Areas of the 
Vale District during the next 15-20 years and beyond. The SEORMP 
establishes direction for management on approximately 4.6 million acres 
of BLM administered public lands in southeast Oregon. The SEORMP is the 
same as the Proposed SEORMP published in November 2001.

EFFECTIVE DATES: Two protests were submitted during the 30-day protest 
period for the Proposed SEORMP. Both of the protests were responded to 
and resolved by the Director of the BLM. Resolution of the protests, 
signing of the ROD, and publication of this notice allows for immediate 
implementation of the approved SEORMP.

ADDRESSES: The approved plan is being published and will be mailed to 
all persons or groups who are on the current RMP mailing list. 
Additional copies will be available upon request at the District 
Office. The document will also be available on line at http://www.or.blm.gov/Vale/, and on compact disks available at the Vale 
District Office, 100 Oregon Street, Vale, OR 97918.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry Taylor, Jordan Field Manager; or 
Tom Dabbs, Malheur Field Manager by telephone at (541) 473-3144.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SEORMP is a general land use plan that 
establishes guidance for managing a broad spectrum of land uses and 
allocations and contains resource objectives, land use allocations, 
management actions and direction needed to achieve program and multiple 
use goals. The Record of Decision documents selection of the preferred 
alternative as presented in the Proposed SEORMP and Final EIS issued 
November 2001, with associated Appendices, Tables and Maps, as the 
approved RMP.
    The following are the major components of the approved RMP:

--Direction to meet or exceed Air Quality Standards.
--Provide opportunities for exploration and development of energy and 
mineral resources while protecting other sensitive resources.
--Provide for an appropriate management response on all wildfires, 
while providing for fire fighter and public safety and protecting 
resource values.
--Recognize and utilize fire as a critical natural process to protect, 
maintain, and enhance resources.
--Restore, protect, and enhance the diversity and distribution of 
desirable vegetation communities.
--Manage big sagebrush cover in seedings and on native rangeland to 
meet the life history requirements of sagebrush-dependent wildlife.
--Control the introduction and proliferation of noxious weed species 
and reduce the extent and density of established weed species to within 
acceptable limits.
--Manage ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and western larch communities to 
emphasize forest health.
--Manage western juniper and aspen woodlands to restore and promote 
productivity.
--Manage public land to maintain, restore, or enhance populations and 
habitats of special status plant and animal species.
--Manage public lands by ensuring that surface water and ground water 
influenced by BLM activities comply with or are making progress toward 
achieving State of Oregon water quality standards for beneficial uses 
as established per stream by the Oregon Department of Environmental 
Quality.
--Manage riparian/wetland areas for the restoration, maintenance, or 
improvement of riparian vegetation, habitat diversity, and associated 
watershed function to achieve healthy and productive riparian areas and 
wetlands.
--Restore, maintain, or improve habitat to provide for diverse and 
self-sustaining communities of fishes and other aquatic organisms.
--Manage upland habitats so that the forage, water, cover, and 
structure necessary for wildlife are available on public land.
--Maintain and manage wild horse herds in seven established herd 
management areas (HMA's) of Vale District and Heath Creek-Sheephead HMA 
of Burns District at appropriate management levels (AML's) to ensure a 
thriving natural ecological balance between wild horse populations, 
wildlife, livestock, vegetation resources, and other resource values.
--Provide for a sustained level of livestock grazing consistent with 
other resource objectives and public land use allocations.
--Provide and enhance developed and undeveloped recreation 
opportunities, while protecting resources, to manage the increasing 
demand for resource-dependent recreation activities.
--Manage off-highway vehicle (OHV) use to protect resource values, 
promote public safety, provide OHV use opportunities where appropriate, 
and minimize conflicts among various users. Designate public lands for 
OHV use as ``Open'' on 2,615,066 acres, ``Limited'' on 2,004,369 acres, 
and ``Closed'' on 15,826 acres.
--Manage public land actions and activities in a manner to be 
consistent with visual resource management (VRM) class objectives. 
Designate and manage 1,308,297 acres as VRM Class I, 217,226 acres as 
VRM Class II, 639,657 acres as VRM Class III, and 2,469,509 acres as 
VRM Class IV.
--Retain and/or designate 26 areas totaling 206,257 acres as Areas of 
Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs).
--Manage the congressionally designated Main Owyhee (120 miles, 35,240 
acres), West Little Owyhee (58 miles, 12,520 acres) and North Fork 
Owyhee (10 miles, 1,247 acres) components of the National Wild and 
Scenic Rivers System.
--Recommend and manage four river segments (42.5 miles) as 
administratively suitable for designation as wild and scenic rivers. 
Release from further wild and scenic river consideration 145.5 miles of 
eligible study river segments determined to be non-suitable for wild 
and scenic river designation.
--Continue managing 32 wilderness study areas (WSA's--1,273,015 acres) 
under BLM's ``Interim Management Policy for Land under Wilderness 
Review'' (IMPLWR).

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--Manage public land and pursue partnerships to provide social and 
economic benefits to local residents, businesses, visitors, and future 
generations.
--Provide for the protection and conservation of cultural and 
paleontological resources.
--Consult and coordinate with American Indian groups to ensure their 
interests are considered and their traditional religious sites, 
landforms and resources are taken in to account.
--Meet public needs for use authorizations such as rights-of-way, 
leases and permits consistent with other resource objectives.
--Acquire and maintain legal public access to public land consistent 
with other resource objectives.
--Lands are identified for retention and acquisition to consolidate 
public land holdings while retaining and acquiring land with high and 
public resource values.

David R. Henderson,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 03-8079 Filed 4-2-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P