[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 86 (Friday, May 2, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24306-24307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-9605]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM-510-1610-DT]


Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the Special 
Status Species Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, and the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) management policies, the BLM announces 
the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD)/Special Status Species 
Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) for portions of the 
Carlsbad and Roswell Field Offices. The New Mexico State Director will 
sign the ROD, which constitutes the final decision of the BLM and makes 
the Approved RMP effective immediately.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD/Approved RMPA are available upon request 
from the Pecos District Manager, Pecos District Office, BLM, 2909 W. 
Second St., Roswell, New Mexico 99201; or via the Internet at http://www.blm.gov. Copies are also available at the Carlsbad Field Office, 
BLM, 620 E. Greene St., Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Howard Parman, Planning Team Leader, 
Roswell Field Office, 2909 W. Second St., Roswell, New Mexico 88201, 
(575) 627-0212, or via e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Approved Special Status Species RMPA 
contains management prescriptions to ensure the continued habitat 
protection of two special status species, the lesser prairie-chicken 
(Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) and the sand dune lizard (Sceloporus 
arenicolus), while allowing other resource uses and activities to 
continue in the Planning Area. The Planning Area for the Special Status 
Species RMPA, which includes approximately 850,000 acres of BLM-
administered public lands and 1.15 million acres of Federal minerals, 
is located in Chaves, Eddy, Lea, and Roosevelt Counties, New Mexico. A 
map of the Planning Area is available on the BLM New Mexico Web site at 
http://www.nm.blm.gov. The BLM provided numerous avenues and 
opportunities for meaningful public participation

[[Page 24307]]

throughout the planning process. Chaves, Eddy, and Lea Counties, the 
New Mexico Department of Agriculture, State Land Office, and Department 
of Game and Fish participated as cooperating agencies. The BLM tribal 
government consultation included the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, Mescalero 
Apache Tribe, Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, Kiowa Tribe, and the Comanche 
Tribe of Oklahoma. In 2005, public scoping meetings were conducted to 
help identify planning issues. Identified issues encompassed, but were 
not limited to, the development of energy resources, special management 
designations, special status species management, livestock grazing, and 
off-highway vehicle designations. The Draft RMPA/Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) was released to the public for a 90-day comment period 
in October 2006. The BLM hosted public meetings in Roswell, Carlsbad, 
Artesia, and Hobbs, New Mexico, and Midland, Texas, to answer questions 
about the document, as well as to solicit comments from the public.
    The ROD/Approved RMPA selects the Preferred Alternative, 
Alternative B, which was identified in the Proposed RMPA/Final EIS. 
Alternative B adopts concepts of a Conservation Strategy that was 
developed by a stakeholder group during the planning process, and adds 
measures to provide greater protection of lesser prairie-chicken and 
sand dune lizard habitat. In addition to the Preferred Alternative, the 
BLM will also establish the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Habitat Preservation 
Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). This ACEC is a 
modification of the proposed ACEC as described in Alternative E of the 
Draft RMPA/EIS and Proposed RMPA/Final EIS. The purpose of the ACEC is 
to maintain and enhance habitat for the lesser prairie-chicken and sand 
dune lizard. The decision to designate this ACEC is because the lesser 
prairie-chicken has a high potential for listing as a threatened or 
endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The FWS 
will review the status of the lesser prairie-chicken in 2009; 
therefore, the establishment of this ACEC is to help mitigate the 
potential for listing this species through the provision of specific 
management prescriptions. The Lesser Prairie-Chicken ACEC comprises 
37,082 public land surface acres and 46,902 acres of Federal mineral 
estate.
    The Proposed RMPA/Final EIS was published on November 2, 2007. The 
Governor's 60-day consistency review resulted in no comments from the 
Governor's office. The BLM received one protest to the Proposed RMPA/
Final EIS. No changes were made to the RMPA based on the protest, which 
was dismissed by the Director of the BLM. As a result, only minor 
editorial modifications were made in preparing the Approved RMPA, with 
the exception of adding the Lesser Prairie-Chicken ACEC to the final 
decision. These modifications provided further clarification of some of 
the decisions.

Linda S.C. Rundell,
New Mexico State Director.
 [FR Doc. E8-9605 Filed 5-1-08; 8:45 am]
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