[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12718-12719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-5018]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AK-024-05-1610-DU-WMRA]


Notice of Intent To Prepare Plan Amendment for the 1986 White 
Mountains National Recreation Area Resource Management Plan (RMP)

AGENCY: Northern Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, Fairbanks, 
Alaska.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) intends to prepare an RMP amendment for the White 
Mountains National Recreation Area. The amendment 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 priorities. The BLM will work closely with interested 
parties to identify the management decisions that are best suited to 
local, regional and national needs and concerns. The public scoping 
will be used to identify planning issues and develop planning criteria.

DATES: The scoping comment period will commence with the publication of 
this notice. Formal scoping will end 60 days after publication of this 
notice.
    Public Participation: Comments on issues and planning criteria 
should be submitted in writing and should be received on or before the 
end of the scoping period at the address listed below. One public 
meeting will be held in Fairbanks during the scoping and preparation 
period. The meeting will be announced through local news media and the 
BLM Web site (http://aurora.ak.blm.gov/) at least 15 days prior to the 
meeting.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to: Northern Field Office, 
Bureau of Land Management, 1150 University Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska 
99709-3844, attention Lon Kelly.

[[Page 12719]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have 
your name added to our mailing list, contact Lon Kelly, telephone (907) 
474-2368.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The RMP for the White Mountains National 
Recreation Area was signed in 1986. The planning area is approximately 
60 miles northwest of Fairbanks, Alaska, and encompasses approximately 
1,000,000 acres of public lands within the recreation area and 
approximately 20,000 acres of public lands outside of the Recreation 
Area. There are approximately 160 acres of private lands within the 
Recreation Area. A recent evaluation of the RMP found issues related to 
several existing land use plan allocations that will require an 
amendment to the RPM in order to be changed. These resource use 
allocations include: (1) Areas designated for off-highway vehicle use 
are not meeting RMP objectives and need to be reevaluated, (2) two 
transportation corridors were prescribed in the RMP but only one 
corridor was established. The second corridor was replaced by the Nome 
Creek Gateway project. The plan should be updated to reflect the 
change, (3) there are other issues affecting this planning area 
including, (a) federally managed lands exist within the planning area 
boundaries but were not included in or covered by the RMP, (b) there 
has been a change in Federal subsistence regulations since the RMP was 
completed, (c) ownership patterns in the area have changed due to the 
completion of State and native selections, and (d) fire management 
policy. Other issues may be considered depending on public input. 
Additional issues to be addressed in this amendment can be submitted to 
the BLM by interested agencies, groups, and individuals throughout the 
planning process. Documents pertinent to this amendment may be examined 
at the Northern Field Office located in Fairbanks, Alaska. Comments, 
including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available 
for public review at the Northern Field Office during regular business 
hours 7:45 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 BLM 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 or your written comment. 
Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All 
submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Robert Schneider,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 05-5018 Filed 3-14-05; 8:45 am]
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