[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54487-54488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23763]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-025-1610-DQ-020F]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement / Proposed Resource Management Plan, Black Rock Desert-High 
Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, NV

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement/Proposed Resource Management Plan (FEIS/PRMP), Black Rock 
Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, a FEIS/
PRMP has been prepared for the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon 
Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area Planning Area, Nevada.

DATES: BLM Planning Regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any person 
who participated in the planning process, and has an interest that may 
be adversely affected, may protest. The protest must be filed within 30 
days of the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes 
this notice in the Federal Register. Instructions for filing of 
protests are described in the front cover of the FEIS/PRMP and included 
in the Supplementary Information section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David C. Cooper, NCA Manager, BLM 
Winnemucca Field Office, 5100 East Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 
89445-2921, (775) 623-1500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon 
Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area Act of 2000 [Pub. L. 106-
554] (the Act) gave special designation to 1.2 million acres of public 
lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in northwestern 
Nevada, collectively known as ``Black Rock-High Rock.'' The Act 
designated 815,000 acres as a National Conservation Area (NCA) and 
752,000 acres as 10 Wilderness Areas (378,000 of the Wilderness acres 
overlap the NCA). The NCA and associated Wilderness Areas were created 
specifically to protect one of the last nationally significant segments 
of the historic emigrant trails used by pioneers to travel from the 
eastern United States to Oregon and California, and a landscape largely 
unchanged since the mid-1800s. Black Rock-High Rock contains an array 
of unique historic, cultural, educational, wildlife, riparian, and 
wilderness resources, threatened species, and recreational values. The 
Act also identified wilderness, grazing, and special recreation permit 
events as valuable existing land uses that are expected to continue.
    Designating Black Rock-High Rock as an NCA and Wilderness Areas 
placed new emphasis and requirements on resource uses in the area. The 
FEIS/PRMP has been developed to address these changes. This FEIS/PRMP 
does not evaluate the designation of the NCA and Wilderness Areas, but 
rather develops several resource management alternatives that fully 
comply with the NCA Act and the Wilderness Act and other applicable 
laws, regulations and policies. The FEIS/PRMP analyzes the 
environmental consequences associated with implementation of each 
alternative. Additionally, approximately 15,000 acres in the south 
playa, 16,000 acres in the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT) Area, and 
3,000 acres included in wilderness access and boundary roads and road 
corridors located outside the NCA that are not included in the 
designation are evaluated in the FEIS/PRMP due to their being 
contiguous lands with similar planning issues. These designated and 
adjacent areas, totaling approximately 1,221,000 acres of public lands, 
are referred to as the planning area.
    In addition to other existing laws, regulations and policies, the 
NCA Act and the Wilderness Act govern land and resource use decisions 
in 97.4% of the planning area. As a result, the range of alternatives 
presented in the FEIS/PRMP and the impacts anticipated from their 
implementation are more constrained than is typical of BLM management 
plans.
    Consultation, cooperation and communication in the service of 
conservation have guided the Black Rock-High Rock planning process from 
its inception. Accordingly, extensive public involvement provided the 
foundation upon which the FEIS and PRMP were constructed. The FEIS/PRMP 
was developed through a collaborative planning process involving two 
BLM State Offices and two BLM Field Offices, other federal agencies, 
the State of Nevada Black Rock Planning Team (which assured that State 
interests, laws and plans were fully considered throughout the planning 
process), area Tribal Government representatives, representatives of 
the local communities of Cedarville, California and Empire-Gerlach, 
Nevada, Modoc County, California, Humboldt County, Nevada, Pershing 
County, Nevada, and many diverse interests represented on two Resource 
Advisory Councils (RACs) and a RAC NCA Subgroup formed specifically to 
participate with BLM in the planning process. Government-to-government 
consultations were conducted with six Native American Indian Tribal 
Governments. Four series of public meetings were held in Nevada and 
California that involved the public in the planning process to the 
greatest extent possible. Five Black Rock-High Rock planning bulletins 
were mailed to over 1200 interested parties, and periodic news releases 
were issued announcing important steps in the planning process. In 
addition, a planning Web site (http://www.BlackRockHighRock.org/) keeps 
interested members of the public informed and involved. A total of 74 
meetings involving participation of other federal agencies, State and 
Tribal representatives, and interested publics were conducted in Nevada 
and California.
    Copies of the FEIS/PRMP have been sent to affected federal, State 
and local government agencies, Tribal governments, and to interested 
parties. Copies of the FEIS/PRMP are available for public inspection at 
the Web site http://www.BlackRockHighRock.org/, at the BLM-Nevada 
Winnemucca Field Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV, and 
at the following repositories: U of Nevada-Reno Getchell Library, Reno 
NV; Humboldt County Library, Winnemucca NV; BLM-Nevada Carson City 
Field Office, Carson City NV; BLM-Nevada State Office, Reno NV; Public 
Library, Gerlach NV; Public Library, Reno NV; Pershing County Public 
Library, Lovelock NV; Lyon County Library, Dayton NV; Lyon County 
Library, Fernley NV; BLM-California Surprise Field Office, Cedarville 
CA; Modoc County Library, Cedarville CA; Modoc County Library, Alturas 
CA; BLM-California State Office, Sacramento CA; and BLM-California 
Eagle Lake Field Office, Susanville CA. Persons who are not able to 
inspect the FEIS/PRMP either on-line or at these locations may request 
one of a limited

[[Page 54488]]

number of printed copies or compact discs (CDs) by contacting the NCA 
Planning Staff at the Winnemucca Field Office by e-mail to 
[email protected], by telephone to (775) 623-1500, or by fax to (775) 
623-1503. Requests should be directed to the NCA Planning Staff, 
clearly state that it is a request for a printed copy or CD of the 
Black Rock-High Rock FEIS/PRMP, and include the name, mailing address 
and phone number of the requesting party. Comments on the Draft RMP/EIS 
received from the public and internal BLM review comments were 
incorporated into the proposed plan. Public comments resulted in the 
addition of clarifying text and creation of a new alternative, the 
Proposed RMP, to resolve concerns expressed, but did not significantly 
change proposed land use decisions. Instructions for filing a protest 
with the Director of the BLM regarding the Proposed Plan/Final EIS may 
be found at 43 CFR 1610.5. A protest may only raise those issues which 
were submitted for the record during the planning process. E-mail and 
faxed protests will not be accepted as valid protests unless the 
protesting party also provides the original letter by either regular or 
overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest period. Under 
these conditions, BLM will consider the e-mail or faxed protest as an 
advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If you wish to 
provide BLM with such advance notification, please direct faxed 
protests to the attention of the BLM protest coordinator at 202-452-
5112, and e-mails to [email protected].
    Please direct the follow-up letter to the appropriate address 
provided below. The protest must contain:
    a. The name, mailing address, telephone number, and interest of the 
person filing the protest.
    b. A statement of the part or parts of the plan and the issue or 
issues being protested.
    c. A copy of all documents addressing the issue(s) that the 
protesting party submitted during the planning process or a statement 
of the date they were discussed for the record.
    d. A concise statement explaining why the protestor believes the 
State Directors' decision is wrong.
    All protests must be in writing and mailed to the following 
address:
    Regular Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, PO Box 
66538, Washington, DC 20035.
    Overnight Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, 1620 L 
Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036.
    The Director will promptly render a decision on the protest. The 
decision will be in writing and will be sent to the protesting party by 
certified mail, return receipt requested. The decision of the Director 
shall be the final decision of the Department of the Interior.

    Dated: August 15, 2003.
Terry A. Reed,
Field Manager, Winnemucca Field Office, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 03-23763 Filed 9-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P