[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 137 (Monday, July 19, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43011-43012]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-16437]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA-190-04-1610-DS]


Notice of Availability of a Draft Resource Management Plan 
Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Clear Creek 
Management Area; Correction to April 2003 Notice of Intent (68 FR 
22733)

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Draft Resource Management Plan 
Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft RMP/Draft 
EIS) for the Clear Creek Management Area, Hollister Field Office, in 
the southern portion of San Benito County and western Fresno County, 
California; Correction to April 2003 Notice of Intent (68 FR 22733).

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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 Draft 
RMP/Draft EIS has been prepared for the Clear Creek Management Area. 
The Draft RMP/Draft EIS considers designations of areas and trails for 
off-road vehicles (ORV) in accordance with 43 CFR Subpart 8342, and the 
delineation of boundaries of the expansion of the San Benito Mountain 
Research Natural Area. This notice and the Draft RMP/Draft EIS also 
fulfill the planning requirements in 43 CFR 1610. The Draft RMP/Draft 
EIS is tiered to the Clear Creek Management Area RMP Amendment/EIS 
(1995).
    This notice will also correct the Notice of Intent (NOI) of April 
29, 2003 (68 FR 22733): BLM will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement instead of an Environmental Assessment as previously 
anticipated.

DATES: The comment period will end 90 days after the Environmental 
Protection Agency's Notice of Availability is published in the Federal 
Register announcing the availability of this Draft RMP/Draft EIS. 
Comments on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS must be submitted on or before the 
end of the comment period at the address listed below. Public meetings 
will be held during the comment period. Public meetings and any other 
public involvement activities will be announced at least 15 days in 
advance through public notices, media news releases, newsletter 
mailings, and the BLM Web site: http://www.ca.blm.gov.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to CCMA RMP Team, Bureau of 
Land Management, Hollister Field Office, 20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, 
CA 95023. Comments may also be sent by e-mail to [email protected]. Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined 
at the Hollister Field Office. Comments, including names and street 
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the 
Hollister Field Office during regular business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be published as 
part of the RMP/EIS. Responses to the comments will be published as 
part of the Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment/Final 
Environmental Impact Statement. Individuals may request 
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or address from 
public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, 
you must state this promptly at the beginning of you comment. Such 
requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. BLM will not 
consider anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations or 
businesses will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.
    Copies of the Draft RMP/Draft EIS have been sent to affected 
Federal, Tribal, State and local Government agencies, and to interested 
publics and are available at the Hollister Field Office. The planning 
documents and direct supporting record for the analysis for the Draft 
RMP/Draft EIS will be available for inspection at the Hollister Field 
Office during normal business hours (7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Monday 
through Friday, except holidays). The Draft RMP/Draft EIS and other 
associated documents may be viewed and downloaded in PDF format at the 
BLM Web site at http://www.ca.blm.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George E. Hill, Assistant Field 
Manager, at the above address, telephone number (831) 630-5036, or e-
mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA) is 
managed for Off-Highway Vehicle recreation and natural values. CCMA 
consists of approximately 75,000 acres of public lands and resources in 
the southern portion of San Benito County and western Fresno County, 
California. Approximately 30,000 acres are within the Serpentine Area 
of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). The serpentine soils within 
the ACEC contain high concentrations of naturally occurring asbestos, 
and comprise an environment with a unique assemblage of plant and 
animal species.
    The CCMA is currently managed under a Record of Decision (ROD) 
approved in 1999. The ROD designated the CCMA a Limited Use Area for 
Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use and also provided for a subsequent land 
use planning effort to further analyze and designate specific areas and 
trails for OHV use. BLM initiated the more subsequent planning in 2003 
with publication of a NOI and preparation of an EA. After considering 
scoping comments from the public requesting that an EIS be prepared, 
and further analysis of impacts of possible area and route designations 
in the management

[[Page 43012]]

area, however, BLM concluded that an EIS was warranted. The scope of 
the plan amendment is unchanged. All scoping comments submitted under 
the April 2003 NOI have been considered by BLM in preparing the Draft 
Amendment and Draft EIS. Additional scoping comments are not requested.
    Issues addressed in the EIS include: access for off-highway vehicle 
use; vehicle access for other casual uses; visitor safety; air quality 
and public health, watershed impacts, providing protection for listed 
and sensitive species and habitats; and, protection and viability of 
the unique forest and vegetation communities within the San Benito 
Mountain Research Natural Area.
    The proposed route of travel and barrens designation changes to the 
Hollister RMP for the Clear Creek Management Area, including 
designation of the boundaries of the San Benito Mountain Research 
Natural Area, requires a formal plan amendment before the designations 
can be implemented. The amendment process and ORV trail designations 
were conducted in compliance with the Federal Land Policy Management 
Act of 1976 (FLPMA), planning regulations (43 CFR 1600), ORV trail 
designation regulations (43 CFR 8340), BLM manual guidance, and all 
applicable Federal laws affecting BLM land use decisions and ORV 
designations.
    Criteria were developed to determine whether areas and routes 
should be designated opened or closed, based on: proximity to sensitive 
resources (stream crossings, special designations/Research Natural 
Area, biological and cultural resources, mine sites), private land, 
erosion hazards and maintenance concerns, motorized and non-motorized 
recreation opportunities, and administrative and local access. This 
Draft Amendment and Draft EIS refines the screening criteria and 
procedures for implementing route and area designation as open, 
limited, or closed to provide sustainable recreation opportunities and 
to establish a clear and understandable network of routes and areas 
available for public use that conforms identified resource condition 
objectives.
    The Draft RMP/Draft EIS considers and analyzes four (4) 
alternatives A) the Proposed Action, B) Enhanced Recreation 
Opportunities, C) Enhanced Environmental Protection, and D, the No 
Action, or Continuation of Current Management alternative. The Bureau 
considered route inventory data, soil loss surveys, monitoring reports, 
field evaluations, watershed studies, information obtained from 
coordination with other federal, state, and local agencies, 
consultation with the Technical Review Team, and public comments in the 
development of the resource management plan amendment.

    Dated: July 12, 2004
George E. Hill,
Acting Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 04-16437 Filed 7-16-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P