[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3059-3060]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1018]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA-340-1210-PC]


South Cow Mountain Wet Weather Temporary Closure; Temporary Motor 
Vehicle Use Closure of the South Cow Mountain Recreation Area Due to 
Wet Weather/Snow Conditions, Mendocino and Lake Counties, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In order to facilitate temporary operations and protect 
resources in the event of severe seasonal storms and/or natural 
disasters, the Ukiah Field Office is hereby serving notice that it will 
be adopting a temporary closure policy to be enacted on an as-needed 
basis when basic criteria are met. The policy will be in place for up 
to one year, or upon completion of the Ukiah RMP. The closure will be 
invoked or lifted through notices in news media outlets, information 
hot lines and on-the-ground postings. The lands covered by this 
temporary closure include all public lands administered by the Ukiah 
Field Office within the South Cow Mountain Recreation Area. Public 
notices listed on information lines will specify which public lands 
will be temporarily closed, and will reflect local conditions. One of 
the following criteria shall be met to temporarily close the area:
    (1) State, County or Federal road access to the area is closed or 
restricted to residents and emergency personnel;
    (2) BLM or emergency response personnel cannot access and/or 
perform their duties in a given location;
    (3) Roads or trails are saturated with moisture to the point where 
vehicle traffic causes ruts or bogs leading to increased erosion. 
Moisture criteria are detailed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below. 
The above temporary closure is intended to allow the BLM flexibility in 
implementing closures while utilizing the most time-effective method of 
notifying the public. This will also facilitate management to minimize 
threats to public health and safety, as well as the potential for 
resource damage. Any time the closure policy is enacted, the following 
persons will be exempt:
    (1) Federal, State, or local law enforcement officers, while 
engaged in the execution of their official duties.
    (2) BLM personnel or their representatives while engaged in 
execution of their official duties.
    (3) Any member of an organized rescue, fire-fighting force, and/or 
emergency medical services organization while in the performance and 
execution of an official duty.
    (4) Any member of a Federal, State, or local public works 
department while in the performance of an official duty.
    (5) Any person in receipt of a written authorization of exemption 
obtained from the Ukiah Field Office.
    (6) Local landowners, persons with valid existing rights or lease 
operations, or representatives thereof, who have a responsibility or 
need to access their property or to continue their operations on public 
land.
    (7) Human use and associated foot traffic into the area during the 
closure period are exempt from this closure restriction.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This policy will become effective October 1, 2004, and 
shall remain in effect for up to one year, or upon completion of the 
Ukiah RMP.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rich Burns, field manager, BLM Ukiah 
Field Office, 2550 North State St., Ukiah, CA 95482. Telephone: (707) 
468-4000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: These closures and restrictions are under 
the authority of 43 CFR 8364.1. Persons violating this closure shall be 
subject to the penalties provided in 43 CFR 8360.0-7, including a fine 
not to exceed $1,000 and/or imprisonment not to exceed 12 months. 
Parties exempt from the closure action shall be responsible for 
mitigating any resource damage caused by entering the closed area. 
Waivers can be granted for emergency circumstances; however, in the 
event an emergency is caused by a negligent action, the responsible 
party would then be responsible for the mitigation.

[[Page 3060]]

    Criteria for weather-related emergency closures at the South Cow 
Mountain Off-Highway-Vehicle Recreation area are as follows: No action 
would be taken until the annual total precipitation exceeds 6 inches. 
The rain year would be the same as that used by the National Weather 
Service and rainfall data would be acquired from the California Water 
Resources Board, nearest available rain gauge. Once 6 inches of 
precipitation has been exceeded, the following would apply: Additional 
rainfall exceeding \1/2\ inch within a 24 hour period, or 1 inch within 
a 72 hour period will result in a temporary closure to all motorized 
vehicles. Once the closure has been implemented, a 3-day drying period 
will begin after no measurable precipitation is recorded. Once the area 
has been closed, a field inspection will be completed prior to 
reopening, and daily thereafter to determine suitability of road and 
trail conditions. When recorded field observations show that road and 
trail surfaces have not dried sufficiently to allow traffic without 
damage to the surface, the area shall remain closed. Closure criteria 
may be amended or refined as results of area closures are evaluated. 
Specific criteria may be developed for other areas as needed.

    Dated: November 3, 2005.
J. Anthony Danna,
Deputy State Director, Natural Resources, California State Office.
[FR Doc. 05-1018 Filed 1-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4320-40-P