[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 126 (Monday, July 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 39314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-15681]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLAKA02000.L12200000.LXSIWSGK0000.AL0000]


Notice of Availability of the Decision Record for the Delta River 
Special Recreation Management Area and East Alaska Resource Management 
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 Decision Record (DR) for the Delta River Special Recreation 
Management Area and East Alaska Resource Management Plan Amendment 
(Approved Plan). The BLM-Alaska State Director, Bud C. Cribley, signed 
the DR on March 29, 2013. The DR constitutes the final decision of the 
Department on the plan and is effective immediately.

ADDRESSES: The DR is available on the BLM-Alaska Web site at 
www.blm.gov/ak/planning. Hard copies of the DR are available upon 
request from the BLM Glennallen Field Office, P.O. Box 147, Glennallen, 
AK 99588 or by calling 907-822-3217. The Environmental Assessment (EA) 
for the Delta River Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) Plan and 
East Alaska Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment, which provides 
the analysis upon which the decision is based, is also available at the 
above Web site address, the BLM Glennallen Field Office, or by calling 
the office at 907-822-3217.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Serena 
Sweet, telephone 909-271-4543 or by email at [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 Delta River SRMA Plan and East Alaska 
RMP Amendment planning process began in 2005 with a Delta River 
recreation survey designed to obtain river users' opinions on issues, 
management actions, and preferences within the Delta River SRMA. In 
February and March of 2007, the BLM-Alaska Glennallen Field Office 
conducted a series of Benefits Based Management focus group meetings 
with Delta River stakeholders and Alaska Native tribes and corporations 
to discuss primary uses of the Delta River planning area and desired 
future conditions and management options. A Notice of Intent was 
published in the Federal Register on April 10, 2008 to initiate the 
formal planning process. A 60-day formal scoping period began July 15, 
2008 and ended September 15, 2008. After the scoping period, the BLM, 
in consultation with the cooperating agencies and tribes, received 
input from the public, collected information on the resources and uses 
of the area, developed a range of reasonable future management 
alternatives, and analyzed the impacts of those alternatives. These 
analyses were reviewed within the BLM and among the cooperating 
agencies, and were used to develop the Environmental Assessment for the 
Delta River SRMA Plan and East Alaska RMP Amendment released on March 
23, 2010. The comment period for the EA ended May 6, 2010. Comments 
received were used in the development of the Proposed Delta River SRMA 
Plan and Eastern Alaska RMP Amendment. The Proposed Delta River SRMA 
Plan and Eastern Alaska RMP Amendment was released August 1, 2011 for a 
30-day protest period and a 60-day Governor's Consistency Review (GCR). 
The protest period ended August 31, 2011 and the GCR ended September 
30, 2011. The BLM received two protests, both of which were denied in 
part. However, in response to issues raised in the protests, the BLM 
made some minor modifications to clarify terminology in the Approved 
Plan. On September 20, 2011, the Governor of Alaska submitted a GCR 
Finding of Inconsistency to the BLM Alaska State Director for the EA 
and Finding of No Siginficant Impact for the Delta River SRMA Plan and 
East Alaska RMP Amendment. On March 28, 2012, the State Director 
determined the Governor's finding was outside the scope of the GCR 
process and did not accept the Governor's recommendations. On April 27, 
2012, the Governor appealed the BLM-Alaska State Director's decision to 
the BLM Director. On January 15, 2013, the BLM Director issued a letter 
to the Governor affirming the BLM-Alaska State Director's decision to 
reject the Governor's Inconsistency Finding.
    The Approved Plan provides for a mix of river recreation uses and 
users, while managing to protect the environment and the outstandingly 
remarkable values of the Delta River SRMA. It provides a balanced 
management approach by emphasizing the protection of river resources 
from human impacts by utilizing an adaptive management approach to 
track the implementation and effectiveness of management actions, while 
still allowing for a wide range of current and future public uses and 
high quality recreational experiences in the Delta River SRMA. The 
Approved Plan also provides management direction that will minimize 
social conflicts, with a strong emphasis on public education and 
interpretive outreach.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6.

Bud C. Cribley,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 2013-15681 Filed 6-28-13; 8:45 am]
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