[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 141 (Friday, July 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36736-36737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-17574]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD06000-L16100000]


Notice of Availability of Draft South Coast Resource Management 
Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Santa 
Ana River Wash Land Exchange, California

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 (NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 
(FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft South 
Coast Resource Management Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Santa Ana River Wash Land Exchange and by this 
Notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.

DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft EIS within 90 days following the date the 
Environmental Protection Agency

[[Page 36737]]

publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM 
will announce future meetings or hearings and any other public 
involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through public 
notices, media news releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
    Web Site: http://www.blm.gov/ca/palmsprings.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (760) 833-7199.
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast 
Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262.
    Copies of the Draft South Coast Resource Management Plan Amendment 
and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Santa Ana Wash 
Land Exchange are available for review at the Palm Springs-South Coast 
Field Office and via the Internet at http://www.blm.gov/ca/palmsprings. 
Electronic (on CD-ROM) or paper copies may also be obtained by 
contacting Michael Bennett at the addresses and phone number below. 
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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Bennett; Bureau of Land 
Management, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird Center 
Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262; (760) 833-7139; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EIS analyzes a proposed exchange 
of ownership of approximately 315 acres of BLM land with approximately 
320 acres of land owned by the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation 
District (District), and the amendment of the South Coast Resource 
Management Plan (SCRMP) to support this exchange. Additional lands, 
including up to 85 acres of BLM lands (Federal lands managed by the 
BLM) and up to 60 acres of District land, will be exchanged if 
necessary to equalize values. The lands proposed for exchange are 
located within the Santa Ana River Wash in southwestern San Bernardino 
County, California. A primary purpose of the exchange is for the BLM to 
dispose of isolated lands which have been previously degraded by mining 
activities within the Santa Ana River Wash ACEC, and in exchange, to 
acquire District lands with high habitat value. Lands acquired by the 
BLM through the proposed exchange would be given the ACEC land use 
designation. These lands would also become part of the planned multi-
jurisdictional, multi-species Habitat Conservation Area (HCA) described 
in the 2008 Upper Santa Ana River Wash Land Management and Habitat 
Conservation Plan (Wash Plan). Of the lands acquired by the District, 
approximately 259 acres would be leased for mining and approximately 56 
acres would be set aside for habitat conservation. This action would 
fulfill the need for a comprehensive solution to competitive land uses 
within the Wash Plan Area by preserving unique habitats under the BLM 
ACEC while allowing mineral development and other uses to occur in 
predominantly disturbed areas. These Federal actions are analyzed in 
the Draft EIS. A Record of Decision for the proposed land exchange and 
plan amendment will be prepared following the Final EIS in accordance 
with the planning regulations at 43 CFR 1610 and the NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq. The Notice of Intent to publish this EIS was published in 
the Federal Register on April 26, 2004. Public workshops and scoping 
meetings were held in the cities of Highland and Redlands in May 2004. 
Predominant issues identified so far include threatened, endangered, 
and other special status species, mineral resources, water resources, 
recreation, visual resources, cultural resources, land management, and 
traffic management.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 43 CFR 1610.2.

John R. Kalish,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. E9-17574 Filed 7-23-09; 8:45 am]
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