[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 26 (Monday, February 9, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6001-6002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-2652]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CO-200-1610-DU]


Notice of Intent To Prepare the South Park Land Tenure Adjustment 
Plan and Amend the Royal Gorge Resource Management Plan

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) will initiate a comprehensive planning effort to 
address land tenure adjustments for a portion of the Royal Gorge Field 
Office. The plan, entitled the South Park Land Tenure Adjustment Plan, 
will focus on 72,000 acres of BLM administered lands that lie in the 
South Park planning unit and the northern end of the Badger Creek 
planning unit in Park County, Colorado. The land tenure plan would 
potentially amend the Royal Gorge RMP, that currently states that BLM 
would dispose of all BLM-administered lands in Park County. The land 
tenure plan and plan amendment would reevaluate these decisions by 
examining other possible land tenure scenarios. The amendment process 
will be used to identify those lands to be retained in public ownership 
and those that can still be disposed of. The amendment process will 
attempt to reconcile the needs of the public while protecting the 
cultural and natural resources of the BLM-managed lands. The EA will 
analyze and compare the impacts of any changes in land tenure 
adjustment status with the continuation of current management, and 
other alternatives that may be identified.
    The BLM will prepare the amendment and associated EA pursuant to 
the BLM planning regulations in 43 CFR 1600.

[[Page 6002]]

The plan will fulfill the needs and obligations set forth by the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act (FLPMA), and BLM management policies. The BLM will ask 
the Park County Commissioners and the Colorado Division of Wildlife to 
be cooperators on the plan amendment. BLM will work with interested 
parties to identify the management decisions that are best suited to 
local, regional, and national needs. The public scoping process will 
identify planning issues and develop planning criteria. The BLM will 
prepare the land tenure plan through coordination with other federal, 
state and local agencies, and affected users of BLM-administered lands.

ADDRESSES: Please send written comments to Bureau of Land Management, 
Royal Gorge Field Office, ATTN: South Park Land Tenure Plan, 3170 East 
Main Street, Canon City, CO 81212; FAX 719-269-8599.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. Comments on 
issues and concerns can be submitted in writing to the address listed 
above and will be accepted throughout the creation of the Draft RMP 
amendment/EA. All public meetings will be announced through the local 
news media, newsletters, and the BLM Web site at: http://www.co.blm.gov/ccdo/canon.htm, at least 15 days prior to the event. The 
minutes and list of attendees for each meeting will be available in the 
Field Office and at the Web site, and they will be open for 30 days to 
any participant who wishes to clarify the views they expressed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have 
your name added to the mailing list, contact Pete Zwaneveld, Co-Team 
Leader, at the Royal Gorge Field Office address listed above or by 
calling (719) 269-8559, or e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM will hold public meetings during the 
plan scoping period. Early participation is encouraged and will help 
determine the future land tenure status of the BLM-administered lands 
involved in this amendment. In addition to the ongoing public 
participation process, the BLM will provide formal opportunities for 
public participation by requesting comments upon BLM's publication of 
the draft RMP amendment, the EA, and the (unsigned) Finding of No 
Significant Impact (FONSI). The BLM will notify the Governor of 
Colorado, the Park County Commissioners, adjacent landowners, and 
potentially affected members of the public on the proposed changes in 
land tenure. Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at 
the Royal Gorge Field Office. Comments, including names and street 
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the 
Royal Gorge Field Office during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 
p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be published as 
part of the EA. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If 
you wish to withhold your name 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. All submissions 
from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety.
    The BLM-managed lands in Park County are scattered and, in many 
cases, difficult to manage and hard for the public to access or use. 
The current RMP decisions call for disposal of most of these lands. 
Since approval of the RMP in 1996, several new issues have arisen that 
bring into question the disposal of some of these lands. These issues 
include an expression by local citizens and the Park County 
Commissioners of the value of the BLM-administered lands to the public 
as a whole; the status of the mountain plover as a BLM sensitive 
species; the recognition by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service of the 
importance of fens (wetlands of concern); and the completion of a 
Strategic Master Plan for Park County. The plover and fen issues 
restrict BLM in the disposal of BLM-administered lands. Consolidation 
of BLM-administered lands to accommodate these issues has become a more 
desirable option. To do this, BLM would have to amend the Royal Gorge 
RMP with new decisions on land tenure.
    Preliminary issues and management concerns have been identified by 
BLM personnel, other agencies, and in meetings with individuals, the 
Park County Commissioners, and user groups. They represent the BLM's 
knowledge to date on the existing issues and concerns with current 
management. The preliminary issues include: impacts to users of BLM-
administered lands and adjacent private landowners; impacts to wildlife 
habitat; and impacts to water quality, vegetation, including riparian 
and wetland areas, and soils. These issues, along with others that may 
be identified through public participation, will be considered in the 
planning process. After gathering public comments on what issues the 
plan amendment should address, the suggested issues will be placed in 
one of three categories:
    1. Issues to be resolved in the plan amendment;
    2. Issues resolved through policy or administrative action; or
    3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan amendment.
    Rationale will be provided in the plan for each issue placed in 
category two or three. In addition to these major issues, a number of 
management questions and concerns will be addressed in the plan 
amendment. The public is encouraged to help identify these questions 
and concerns during the scoping phase.
    An interdisciplinary approach will be used to develop the plan 
amendment in order to consider the variety of resource issues and 
concerns identified. Disciplines involved in the planning process will 
include specialists with expertise in rangeland management, minerals 
and geology, forestry, outdoor recreation, law enforcement, 
archaeology, wildlife and fisheries, lands and realty, hydrology, 
soils, vegetation, and fire.

Roy L. Masinton,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 04-2652 Filed 2-6-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P