[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 65 (Thursday, April 3, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18298-18299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6901]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID-110-1610-DG-053D-DBG081008]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan for the 
Four Rivers Field Office (Idaho) and Associated Environmental Impact 
Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and Section 102 (2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) Four Rivers Field Office (FRFO), Boise, Idaho intends to prepare 
a RMP with an associated EIS for the Four Rivers Planning Area. 
Publication of this notice also initiates a public scoping period to 
extend until 15 days after the last public scoping meeting. RMPs are 
the basic land use documents used by the BLM that guide land use 
decisions and management actions on public lands. RMP level decisions 
establish goals and objectives (i.e. desired future conditions), the 
measures needed to achieve those goals and objectives and the 
parameters for resource use on BLM lands. This RMP will replace the 
1988 Cascade RMP and portions of the 1983 Kuna Management Framework 
Plan (MFP) and the 1987 Jarbidge RMP. The Snake River Birds of Prey 
National Conservation Area (NCA), located in the FRFO, is being 
addressed in a separate, comprehensive RMP currently available as a 
Final EIS.

DATES: The BLM will announce public scoping meetings pursuant to 43 CFR 
1610.2 (BLM Planning Regulations) and 40 CFR 1501.7 (NEPA Regulations) 
to identify relevant issues. Meetings will be announced through local 
news media, newsletters and the Idaho BLM Web site (listed below) at 
least 15 days prior to the first meeting once specific dates and 
locations are finalized. Throughout the planning process, the public 
will be given opportunities to participate through workshops and open 
house meetings. Workshops will provide the public an opportunity to 
work with BLM in (1) identifying the full range of issues to be 
addressed in the RMP/EIS and (2) developing the alternatives to be 
analyzed in the EIS. BLM will also provide an opportunity for public 
review upon publication of the Draft RMP/EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/fo/four_rivers/Planning/four_rivers_resource.html.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: 208-384-3493.
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Attn: RMP Project 
Manager, Four Rivers Field Office, 3948 Development Avenue, Boise, ID 
83705.

    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so. All submissions from organizations or businesses and 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives of organizations 
or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety. Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the 
Four Rivers Field Office at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For further information and/or to have your 
name added to the mailing list, contact Jonathan Beck, FRFO RMP Project 
Manager, Four Rivers Field Office, at the address above. Telephone: 
208-384-3300 or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The planning area is located in southwestern 
Idaho's Ada, Adams, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Payette, Valley and 
Washington counties, encompassing approximately 783,000 public land 
acres administered by the BLM. The planning area includes all of the 
FRFO located outside the Snake River Birds of Prey National 
Conservation Area (NCA), and encompasses an area extending north of the 
Snake River from approximately Glenns Ferry in the

[[Page 18299]]

southeast, west to Weiser, and north to McCall. Much of the planning 
area is comprised of interspersed sections of public, private, State or 
Forest Service lands. While the FRFO includes the approximately one 
half million acre NCA, along about 81 miles of the Snake River, the NCA 
is managed under its own comprehensive RMP. The Four Rivers RMP 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 policies. The BLM will work 
collaboratively with interested parties to identify the management 
decisions best suited to local, regional and national needs and 
concerns.
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis and 
EIS alternatives. These issues also guide the planning process. You may 
submit comments on issues and planning criteria, in writing, to the BLM 
at any public scoping meeting or you may submit them to the BLM using 
one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section above. To be most 
helpful, you should submit formal scoping comments within 15 days after 
the last public meeting.
    Preliminary issues and management concerns have been identified by 
BLM personnel, other agencies, and individuals and user groups. They 
represent BLM's knowledge to date regarding existing issues and 
concerns with current land management. The preliminary issues that will 
be addressed in this planning effort include: land tenure adjustments, 
lands and realty management, special status species management, 
recreation management, public access and transportation, livestock 
grazing management, wild and scenic river evaluations, riparian-wetland 
management, upland vegetation management, noxious weed management, 
wildfire management, social and economic sustainability of local 
communities, and mineral and energy exploration and development.
    In addition, the BLM also requests public input for nominations 
considered worthy of Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) 
designation. To be considered as a potential ACEC, an area must meet 
the criteria of relevance and importance as established and defined at 
43 CFR 1610.72. There are nine ACECs and six ACEC/Research Natural 
Areas within the Four Rivers Planning Area. All ACEC nominations within 
the planning area will be evaluated during RMP development. After 
gathering public comments on which issues the plan should address, the 
suggested issues will be evaluated for their applicability to the 
planning process and categorized into one of following categories:
    1. Issues to be resolved in the plan;
    2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action; 
or
    3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan.
    This evaluation and categorization will be described in the plan 
with associated rationale. In addition to the issues to be resolved in 
the plan, a number of management questions and concerns will also be 
addressed. The public is encouraged to help identify these questions 
and concerns during the scoping period.
    The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan. 
In order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns 
identified, specialists with expertise in the disciplines corresponding 
to the issues listed above will be represented and utilized in the 
planning process.

    Dated: March 27, 2008.
David Wolf,
Associate District Manager.
 [FR Doc. E8-6901 Filed 4-2-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-GG-P