[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 61 (Tuesday, March 30, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16599-16600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-6993]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CO-501-1610-DU]


Notice of Intent To Prepare the San Luis Valley Travel Management 
Plan and Amend San Luis Valley Resource Management Plan and Start the 
Scoping Period

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 Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) travel and other related road and 
trail issues for the San Luis Valley Public Land Center. The plan, 
entitled the San Luis Valley Travel Management Plan (TMP), will focus 
specifically on 520,000 acres of BLM-administered lands in the San Luis 
Valley that lie in Alamosa County, Conejos County, Costillo County, 
Saguache County, and Rio Grande County, CO.
    The TMP would potentially amend the San Luis Valley RMP. The 
amendment process will be used to establish a travel management system 
of roads and trails that meets the needs of the public and protects the 
cultural and natural resources of the BLM-administered lands. The 
environmental assessment (EA) will analyze and compare the impacts of 
any changes in OHV area and route designations and management 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. 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 work collaboratively with interested parties to 
identify the management decisions that are best suited to local, 
regional, and national needs and concerns. The public scoping process 
will identify planning issues and develop planning criteria. The BLM 
will prepare the TMP through coordination with other federal, state and 
local agencies, and affected users of BLM-administered lands.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process. Comments on 
issues and concerns can be submitted in writing to the address listed 
below and will be accepted throughout the creation

[[Page 16600]]

of the Draft RMP amendment/EA. All public meetings will be announced 
through the local news media and newsletters at least 15 days prior to 
the event. The minutes and list of attendees for each meeting will be 
available to the public and open for 30 days to any participant who 
wishes to clarify the views they expressed.
    Public Participation: The BLM will hold public meetings during the 
plan scoping period. Early participation is encouraged and will help 
determine the future travel management 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 the BLM's publication 
of the BLM draft RMP amendment, the EA, and an (unsigned) Finding of No 
Significant Impact (FONSI).

ADDRESSES: Please send written comments to the Bureau of Land 
Management, San Luis Valley Public Land Center (SLVPLC), Attn: San Luis 
Valley TMP, 1803 W. Hwy 160, Monte Vista, CO 81144; Fax 719-852-6250. 
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the SLVPLC. 
Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the SLVPLC 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have 
your name added to our mailing list, contact Mark Swinney, Team Leader, 
at the SLVPLC address listed above or by calling (719) 852-6260.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The use of roads and trails for motorized 
and non-motorized recreation and other land use activities are 
important uses of BLM-administered lands. In response to 
recommendations made by the Front Range Resource Advisory Council, the 
BLM proposes developing a travel management plan and establishing a 
travel management system of designated roads and trails.
    Preliminary issues and management concerns have been identified by 
BLM personnel, other agencies, and in meetings with individuals and 
user groups. They represent the BLM's knowledge to date about the 
existing issues and concerns with current management. The preliminary 
issues include: Impacts to public land users 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.
    The plan will provide rationale 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. The BLM will use an interdisciplinary 
approach 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.

Mark Swinney,
Acting Associate Center Manager, San Luis Valley Public Land Center.
[FR Doc. 04-6993 Filed 3-29-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P