[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 250 (Tuesday, December 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79899-79900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30960]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA-340-08-1220-DD]


Notice of Order Closing Public Lands at the Knoxville Recreation 
Area, Lake County, CA, to Recreational and Target Shooting.

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 8364.1, an 
Order has been issued by the Ukiah Field Office, Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM), prohibiting recreational and target practice shooting 
on six (6) acres previously available for such shooting within the 
Knoxville Recreation Area. These six acres, managed by the Ukiah BLM 
Field Office, are located in the SE\1/4\ SW\1/4\ section 28, Township 
12 North, Range 5 West, Mount Diablo Meridian. The BLM land base for 
the Knoxville Recreation Area is located in southeastern Lake, northern 
Napa, and northwestern Yolo counties, California. This shooting closure 
is necessary to protect persons, property, and public lands. An 
increase in visitors, coupled with housing/subdivision development of 
adjacent ranches, has led to a significant increase in documented cases 
where stray bullets have narrowly missed public land users, vehicles, 
and adjacent private buildings. This Closure Order does not apply to 
hunting under the laws and regulations of the State of California. 
Other BLM managed public lands of the Knoxville Recreation Area remain 
unavailable for shooting due to the lack of identified designated 
shooting areas as defined by the Ukiah Resource Management Plan (June 
2006.)

DATES: This Order is effective upon publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rich Burns, Field Manager, BLM Ukiah 
Field Office, 2550 North State Street, Ukiah, California, 95482. 
Telephone: (707) 468-4000; Fax: (707) 468-4027, during regular business 
hours, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday except holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Knoxville Recreation Area is located in 
a remote region of northern California where Lake, Napa, and Yolo 
counties meet. The entire Knoxville region is approximately 35,000 
acres of lands open to the public of which 11,000 acres are managed by 
the State of California Department of Fish and Game and 24,000 acres 
are managed by the BLM, Ukiah Field Office. The BLM-managed area is 
open to most types of recreational activities including motorized and 
non-motorized recreational pursuits. The Ukiah Resource Management Plan 
designated 5,236 acres as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern for 
botanical studies and research because the Knoxville region is 
considered a ``hot spot'' for plant evolution.
    BLM has issued this shooting closure because of increased shooting 
pressures. The Ukiah Resource Management Plan limited shooting at the 
Knoxville Recreation Area to a designated six (6) acre site 
historically used for recreational shooting and target practicing. 
Since designation, the BLM Ukiah Field Office has been receiving an 
increasing number of public complaints from recreational users, 
researchers, and adjacent private property owners about near misses to 
people, animals, buildings, and equipment from stray bullets fired in, 
around, and from the designated shooting range. In addition, serious 
resource degradation has been occurring throughout the Knoxville 
Recreation Area, including the Hunting Creek Campground, caused by 
indiscriminate shooting of BLM signs, buildings, and natural resources. 
This shooting closure is necessary to protect resources and meet the 
documented health and safety concerns raised by the surrounding land 
owners and public land users regarding the dangers of stray bullets 
fired by indiscriminate shooters.
    Closure Order: Notice is hereby given that effective on this date 
of publication in the Federal Register and pursuant to 43 CFR 8364.1, 
the public lands described as the Knoxville Shooting Range within SE\1/
4\ SW\1/4\ sec. 28, Township 12 North, Range 5 West, MDM., containing 
approximately six (6) acres are closed to the public for recreational 
shooting and target practice. These lands, managed by the Ukiah BLM 
Field Office, are located at the Knoxville Recreation Area in 
southeastern Lake County, California. Be advised that other BLM-managed 
public lands of the Knoxville Recreation Area remain unavailable for 
shooting due to the lack of identified designated shooting areas as 
defined by the Ukiah Resource Management Plan. This

[[Page 79900]]

Closure Order is necessary to protect people, public and private 
property, and public land resources due to an increase in documented 
cases of stray bullets fired by indiscriminate shooters.
    The following persons are exempt from this closure order:
    (1) Federal, State, or local law enforcement officers, while acting 
within the scope of their official duties.
    (2) BLM personnel or their representatives while acting within the 
scope of their official duties.
    (3) Any member of an organized rescue, fire-fighting force, or 
emergency medical services organization while in the performance of 
their official duties.
    (4) Any person in receipt of a written authorization of exemption 
obtained from the authorized officer.
    (5) Any person with a current legal California hunting license in 
his/her possession and hunting in accordance with state law.
    This Notice and maps of the restricted area will be clearly posted 
at main entry points to the Knoxville Recreation Area and at the area 
affected by this Order and will also be available at the BLM Ukiah 
Field Office.
    This Closure Order is effective on the date published in the 
Federal Register and will remain in effect until revoked.
    Failure to comply with this order is punishable by a fine not to 
exceed $1,000 and/or imprisonment not to exceed 12 months pursuant to 
43 CFR 8360.0-7. A failure to comply may also be subject to the 
enhanced fines provided for by 18 U.S.C. 3571.
    This Shooting closure is supported by NEPA document number CA-340-
08-020. The NEPA document and its associated decision record are 
available upon request at the BLM Ukiah Field Office.

Rich Burns,
Ukiah Field Manager.
[FR Doc. E8-30960 Filed 12-29-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P