[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 117 (Tuesday, June 18, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36568-36569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14436]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAD070000 L16100000 DR0000]


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Approved 
Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area Management Plan and California 
Desert Conservation Area Plan Amendment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
of the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area Record of Decision (ROD)/
approved Recreation Area Management Plan (RAMP) and California Desert 
Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan Amendment, Imperial County, California. 
The BLM California State Director signed the ROD on June 18, 2013, 
which constitutes the final decision of the BLM and makes the Approved 
RAMP/CDCA Plan Amendment effective immediately.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD/approved RAMP/CDCA Plan Amendment are 
available upon request from the Field Manager, El Centro Field Office, 
Bureau of Land Management, 1661 South 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243 
or via the Internet at http://www.blm.gov/ca/elcentro. Copies of the 
ROD/approved RAMP/CDCA Plan Amendment are available for public 
inspection at the BLM El Centro Field Office at the address above; at 
the BLM California Desert District Office, 22835 San Juan de los Lagos, 
Moreno Valley, CA 92553; and the BLM California State Office, 2800 
Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825.
    If you wish to appeal an implementation decision, the notice of 
appeal must be filed in the BLM El Centro Field Office, 1661 South 4th 
Street El Centro, CA 92243, within 30 days from the decision.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Hill, Project Manager, telephone: 
951-697-5395; address: BLM California Desert District, 22835 Calle San 
Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553; 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. The FIRS 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: The Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area 
(ISDRA) and surrounding lands included in the planning area encompass 
about 215,000 acres, of which approximately 12,000 acres are non-
Federal lands for which these planning decisions do not apply. The 
planning area is located in the southeastern portion of Imperial 
County, California, and is part of the CDCA. The primary recreation 
activities in the ISDRA include off- highway vehicle use, camping, 
backcountry auto touring, and sightseeing. The planning area also 
contains the North Algodones Dunes Wilderness, two Areas of Critical 
Environmental Concern, and habitat for several sensitive species. The 
RAMP/CDCA Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
were developed through a collaborative planning process that considered 
eight alternatives. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection-Border 
Patrol and Imperial County were cooperating agencies. Though not a 
cooperating agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was involved 
throughout the planning process. Formal and informal consultation and 
contacts were made with interested tribal entities, including 17 tribal 
governments, the Native American Heritage Commission, and the State 
Historic Preservation Office. The Proposed RAMP/CDCA Plan Amendment and 
Final EIS were released on September 14, 2012. Eight alternatives were 
analyzed in the Proposed RAMP/CDCA Plan Amendment and Final EIS. The 
BLM selected Alternative 8, the Proposed Plan, as the best approach to 
maintaining the naturalness of the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area 
and managing recreation uses, while still protecting the resources and 
values for which the area was established. Since release of the 
Proposed RAMP/CDCA Plan Amendment and Final EIS, the BLM requested a 
Consistency Review by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research, 
and received three protests, one each from the American Sand 
Association, the Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation 
groups, and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. The BLM 
also received a comment letter from the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA). The Governor's Consistency Review found no inconsistencies 
between the Proposed RAMP and any State or local plan, policies, or 
programs. In response to the protests and EPA comment letter, the BLM 
made only minor editorial modifications in preparing the ROD for

[[Page 36569]]

the Approved RAMP and CDCA Plan Amendment. These modifications provided 
further clarification of some of the decisions.
    Implementation decisions in this document that may be appealed 
include the following:
     Site-specific camping, parking, and other restrictions to 
protect special status species or wildlife habitat;
     Management of wildlife guzzlers; fuels management; and 
placement of fencing, signing, or other facilities to protect wildlife 
habitat;
     Signing, fencing, interpretive sites, or other facilities 
to protect cultural and paleontological resources;
     Management and design of actions and facilities to meet 
visual resources management (VRM) class objectives;
     Site-specific protection measures to protect lands with 
wilderness characteristics;
     Site-specific management actions and plans for areas of 
critical environmental concern (ACECs);
     Design, development, management, and administration of 
recreation sites and facilities within Recreation Management Zones; and
     Designation of individual routes and trails within off 
highway vehicle (OHV) management areas as open, limited, or closed.
    These decisions, including identifying routes of travel within 
designated areas for motorized vehicles, are implementation decisions 
appealable under 43 CFR part 4. The route of travel decisions are 
contained in Appendix G of the Approved RAMP and CDCA Plan Amendment 
ROD. Any party adversely affected by the proposed route 
identifications, or other implementation decisions, may appeal within 
30 days of the publication date of this Notice of Availability pursuant 
to 43 CFR part 4 subpart E. The appeal should state the specific 
route(s) or other decision(s), as identified in the ROD.
    The appeal must be filed with the El Centro Field Manager at the 
above listed address. Please consult the appropriate regulations (43 
CFR part 4 subpart E) and the ROD for further appeal requirements.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR 
1610.5.

Thomas F. Zale,
Acting Field Manager, El Centro Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2013-14436 Filed 6-17-13; 8:45 am]
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