[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 57 (Friday, March 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15348-15349]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2632]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV-020-1610-DO-015F]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) and 
Associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Initiate the Public 
Scoping Process

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), Winnemucca Field Office (WFO), Nevada, is initiating a planning 
effort to prepare the Winnemucca RMP and associated EIS. The RMP would 
replace the existing 1982 Sonoma-Gerlach and Paradise-Denio Management 
Framework Plans and one land use plan amendment titled the ``Paradise-
Denio and Sonoma-Gerlach Management Framework Plan-Lands Amendment 
(Jan. 1999).''

DATES: The scoping comment period will commence with the publication of 
this notice and will end on May 24, 2005. However, collaboration with 
the public will continue throughout the planning process. Public 
meetings will be announced through the local news media, newsletters, 
and a BLM Web site at least 15 days prior to the event. Comments on 
issues and planning criteria should be received on or before the end of 
the scoping period at the address listed below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the Winnemucca Field 
Office, Bureau of Land Management, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., 
Winnemucca, NV 89445 or via fax at (775) 623-1503. Comments, including 
names and addresses of respondents, will be available for public review 
at the BLM WFO, during regular hours 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-
Friday, except holidays. 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 and 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 Jeff Johnson, Project 
Lead, Telephone (775) 623-1500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the public scoping process is 
to identify issues that should be considered in the RMP/EIS and to 
initiate public participation in the planning process. BLM personnel 
will also be present at scoping meetings to explain the planning 
process and other requirements for preparing the RMP/EIS.
    The planning area includes lands within the BLM WFO administrative 
boundary. The WFO RMP decision area encompasses about 7.1 million acres 
of public lands, which are located within Humboldt, Pershing, Lyon, 
Churchill and Washoe Counties, Nevada. The decision area includes 
public lands administered by the BLM WFO, and does not include private 
lands, state lands, tribal trust lands, federal lands not administered 
by the BLM, and lands located within the planning area of the RMP for 
the Black Rock Desert--High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National 
Conservation Area, associated Wilderness Areas, and other contiguous 
lands.
    The plan will fulfill the needs and obligations set forth by the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and associated Council of 
Environmental Quality Regulations 40 CFR part 1500. The plan also 
fulfills requirements of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
(FLPMA: 43 U.S.C. 1711), applicable planning regulations at 43 CFR part 
1600, and BLM management policies.
    The BLM WFO will work collaboratively with interested parties to 
identify the management actions and decisions that are best suited to 
local, regional, and national needs and concerns of the public, subject 
to planning criteria to be developed to guide the plan. Preliminary 
issues and management concerns have been identified by the BLM, other 
agencies, and meetings with individuals and user groups. The major 
issue themes to be addressed in the RMP effort include:
     Management and protection of public land resources while 
allowing for multiple uses.
     Management of riparian areas and water quality concerns.
     Recreation/visitor use and safety management.
     Travel management, including Off Highway Vehicle.
     Management of areas with special values.
     Energy and minerals management.
     Management of wildlife habitat including protection of 
sensitive species habitat.

[[Page 15349]]

     Land Tenure Adjustments.

After gathering public comments, issues will be placed in one of three 
categories.

    1. Issues to be resolved by the plan;
    2. Issues resolved through policy or administrative action; or
    3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan.

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. 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 in order to consider the variety of issues and 
concerns identified. Disciplines involved in the planning process will 
include specialists with expertise in rangeland management, minerals 
and geology, outdoor recreation, archaeology, paleontology, wildlife, 
fisheries, wild horse & burro, weeds, lands and realty, hydrology, 
soils, engineering, fire, wilderness, hazardous materials, and social 
and economic. The BLM has identified some preliminary planning criteria 
to guide the development of the plan. The following planning criteria 
have been proposed to guide the development of the plan, to avoid 
unnecessary data collection and analyses, and to ensure the plan is 
tailored to issues. Other criteria may be identified during the public 
scoping process. Proposed planning criteria include the following:
     The plan will comply with all applicable laws, regulations 
and current policies.
     Broad-based public participation will be an integral part 
of the planning and EIS process.
     The plan will recognize valid existing rights.
     Areas with special designations as appropriate.

    Dated: December 16, 2004.
Vicki L. Wood,
Acting Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 05-2632 Filed 3-24-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P