[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 210 (Monday, October 31, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67205-67206]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28064]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLORM040 L17110000.DU0000.241A; HAG11-0336]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Amendment to the Cascade-Siskiyou 
National Monument Resource Management Plan, Oregon, and Associated 
Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
Medford District Office, Ashland Resource Area, Medford, Oregon, 
intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) which will amend 
the 2008 Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Resource Management Plan 
(CSNM RMP), and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the 
scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the RMP 
Amendment with associated EA. Comments on issues may be submitted in 
writing until November 30, 2011. The date(s) and location(s) of any 
scoping meeting(s) will be announced at least 15 days in advance 
through the local news media, mailings to interested individuals, and 
on the BLM Medford Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/medford/index.php. In order to be included in the EA, all comments must 
be received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period or 15 days 
after the last public meeting, whichever is later. The BLM will provide 
additional opportunities for public participation upon publication of 
the EA.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria 
related to the CSNM RMP Amendment and associated EA by any of the 
following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: (541) 618-2400, Attention: Kathy Minor.
     Mail or hand delivery: Bureau of Land Management, Medford 
District Office, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, Oregon 97504, Attention: 
Kathy Minor.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Medford 
District Office. All comments must contain the name and address of the 
submitter, regardless of delivery method, in order to be considered.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: And/or to have your name added to our 
mailing list, contact Kathy Minor, CSNM Planner, telephone (541) 618-
2245; address Medford District Office, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, 
Oregon 97504; email [email protected]. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-(800) 877-8339 to contact the 
above individual during normal business hours. This service is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal 
business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM 
Medford District Office, Ashland Resource Area, Medford, Oregon, 
intends to prepare an RMP amendment with an associated EA for the 
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, announces the beginning of the 
scoping process, and seeks public input on issues and planning 
criteria. The planning area is located in Jackson County, Oregon and 
encompasses approximately 55,930 acres of public lands. The purpose of 
the public scoping process is to determine relevant issues that will 
influence the scope of the environmental analysis, including 
alternatives, and guide the planning process.
    This RMP amendment and associated EA will modify land tenure 
adjustment decisions in the CSNM RMP to allow for land exchanges that 
``furthers the protective purposes of the monument,'' where the public 
land involved is located within the CSNM. Currently, the CSNM RMP 
allows for exchanges only where the public land involved is located 
outside the CSNM. This amendment would be consistent with the 
Presidential Proclamation 7318, dated June 9, 2000, which states, ``All 
Federal lands within the boundaries of this monument are hereby 
appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, 
selection, sale, or leasing or other disposition under the public land 
laws, including but not limited to withdrawal from location, entry, and 
patent under the mining laws, and from disposition under all laws 
relating to mineral and geothermal leasing, other than by exchange that 
furthers the protective purposes of the monument [emphasis added].''
    The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis, 
including alternatives, and guide the plan amendment process. The 
Medford BLM seeks public input on issues and planning criteria. 
Federal, State, and local agencies, along with other stakeholders that 
may be interested or affected by the BLM's decision on this project are 
invited to participate in the scoping process and, if eligible, may 
request or be requested by the BLM to participate as a cooperating 
agency. BLM personnel identified one preliminary planning issue for the 
planning area. The preliminary planning issue is that the CSNM RMP is 
inconsistent with Presidential Proclamation 7318, dated June 9, 2000. 
The Proclamation provides for exchanges that further the protective 
purposes of the monument. The CSNM RMP precluded exchanges where the 
Federal land is located within the monument, thus making it 
inconsistent with the Proclamation. Preliminary planning criteria 
include:
    1. The plan amendment will be consistent with Presidential 
Proclamation 7318;
    2. Lands addressed in the RMP will be public lands (including split 
estate

[[Page 67206]]

lands) managed by the BLM. There will be no decisions in the RMP for 
lands not managed by the BLM;
    3. The BLM will complete the plan in compliance with FLPMA (43 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), NEPA, and other applicable laws and regulations;
    4. Where existing planning decisions are still valid, those 
decisions may remain unchanged and be incorporated into the new RMP 
amendment;
    5. The plan amendment will recognize valid existing rights;
    6. The BLM will use a collaborative and multi-jurisdictional 
approach, when practical, to determine the desired future condition of 
public lands; and
    7. The BLM will strive to make land use plan decisions compatible 
with existing plans and policies of adjacent local, State, Federal, and 
tribal agencies, and consistent with other applicable laws and 
regulations governing the administration of public land.
    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 comments by the close of the 30-day 
scoping period. Before including your address, phone number, email 
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.
    The minutes and list of attendees for each scoping meeting will be 
available to the public and open for 30 days after the meeting to any 
participant who wishes to clarify the views he or she expressed. The 
BLM will evaluate identified issues to be addressed in the plan, and 
will place them into one of three categories:
    1. Issues to be resolved in the plan amendment;
    2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action; 
or
    3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan amendment.
    The BLM will provide an explanation in the EA as to why an issue 
was placed in category two or three. The public is also encouraged to 
help identify any management questions and concerns that should be 
addressed in the plan. The BLM will work collaboratively with 
interested parties to identify the management decisions that are best 
suited to local, regional, and national needs and concerns.
    The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan 
amendment in order to consider the variety of resource issues and 
concerns identified. Specialists with expertise in the following 
disciplines will be involved in the planning process: Lands and realty, 
botany, wildlife and fisheries, hydrology, soils, archeology, 
recreation, fire and fuels management, and Geographic Information 
Systems.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7, 43 CFR 1610.2, 40 CFR 1508.22.

Dayne Barron,
BLM Medford District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2011-28064 Filed 10-28-11; 8:45 am]
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