[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 72 (Friday, April 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19540-19541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-5479]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[MT-050-1610-DR-018E]


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Dillon 
Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), 
Beaverhead and Madison Counties, MT

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA).

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM) management policies, the BLM announces the 
availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Dillon Resource 
Management Plan (RMP) in Beaverhead and Madison counties, southwest 
Montana. The BLM Montana/Dakotas State Director signed the ROD and 
approved the RMP. Publication of

[[Page 19541]]

the NOA announces the availability of the document and starts the 30-
day appeal period on implementation decisions (route designations) 
described in the ROD. All decisions were effective upon approval of the 
ROD/RMP.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Dillon Field Office ROD/RMP are available upon 
request from the Field Manager, Dillon Field Office, Bureau of Land 
Management, 1005 Selway Drive, Dillon, Montana 59725; via the Internet 
at http://www.mt.blm.gov/dfo/rmp (subject to change); or by calling 
(406) 683-2337.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Bozorth, Field Manager, BLM Dillon 
Field Office, 1005 Selway Drive, Dillon, Montana 59725, telephone (406) 
683-2337, fax (406) 683-8066.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Dillon RMP was developed with broad 
public participation through a 4-year collaborative planning process 
that started in 2001. This RMP addresses management on approximately 
900,000 acres of public land and 1.3 million acres of Federal mineral 
estate located in Beaverhead and Madison Counties in southwestern 
Montana. The Dillon RMP replaces the September 1979 Dillon Management 
Framework Plan (MFP). The Dillon RMP is designed to achieve or maintain 
desired future conditions developed through the planning process. It 
includes a series of management actions to meet the desired resource 
conditions for upland and riparian vegetation; forest and woodland 
vegetation; wildlife habitats; and cultural, paleontological, and 
visual resources while providing for livestock grazing, recreation, 
forest product sales, mineral development, rights-of-ways, and other 
land uses, and designates eight areas as Areas of Critical 
Environmental Concern (ACECs).
    The Dillon RMP establishes open, closed and limited travel areas as 
described in the Travel Management and OHV Use section of the approved 
RMP in accordance with provisions in 43 CFR 8342. These designations 
supersede all other prior off-road vehicle travel designations for 
lands managed by the BLM Dillon Field Office. The Dillon RMP 
implementation decisions on route designations are now subject to a 30-
day appeal period. The specific route designations addressed in the 
Record of Decision are found on Maps 26 and 27 of the approved Dillon 
RMP. Specific instructions on how to file an appeal on route 
designation decisions can be found in the Implementation Decisions 
section of the ROD. Appeals should state the specific route(s) by 
Township, Range, and Section to clarify which decisions are being 
appealed.
    The BLM received seven protests on the Proposed Dillon RMP/Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (PRMP/FEIS). With two exceptions, as 
described in the Notice of Modifications section of the Record of 
Decision, the approved Dillon RMP is essentially unchanged from 
Alternative B in the April 2005 PRMP/FEIS. In response to one protest, 
the proposed prescription to manage for a minimum of 12-inch residual 
tall emergent wetland vegetation in wetland and waterfowl production 
areas in the Centennial Valley was modified to manage the density and 
height of emergent wetland vegetation to provide residual nesting cover 
and concealment for trumpeter swans and other waterfowl without 
imposing a specific vegetative height. Internal review also resulted in 
modification to the proposed decision to establish user days by 
Outfitter Permit Area for outfitted big game hunting. Specific use 
levels will be reviewed and established within 2 years of issuance of 
the ROD, but will not exceed historical levels as intended in the 
proposed RMP decision. Some minor modifications were also made in 
preparing the ROD/RMP to correct errors noted during review of the 
PRMP/FEIS and/or to provide further clarification for some of the 
decisions. The section titled Clarifications in the ROD identifies 
these corrections and clarifications, none of which, considered either 
singly or together, constitute a significant change to the PRMP. In 
addition, no inconsistencies with State or local plans, policies or 
programs were identified during the Governor's Consistency Review of 
the PRMP/FEIS.

    Dated: January 11, 2006.
Howard A. Lemm,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. E6-5479 Filed 4-13-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-$$-P