[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 218 (Wednesday, November 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67183-67185]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26618]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[14X LLORE00000.L63500000.DQ0000.LXSS021H0000.HAG14-0117]


Notice of Availability of the Proposed Resource Management Plan 
and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the West Eugene Wetlands 
in Oregon

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the West Eugene Wetlands and by this notice is 
announcing its availability.

DATES: BLM planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations may protest the BLM's 
Proposed RMP/Final EIS. A person who meets the conditions and files a 
protest must file the protest within 30 days of the date that the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in 
the Federal Register.

[[Page 67184]]


ADDRESSES: Copies of the West Eugene Wetlands Final EIS/Proposed RMP 
have been sent to affected Federal, State, and local government 
agencies and to other stakeholders including public libraries in the 
Project Area, tribal governments, and to interested parties that 
previously requested a copy. Copies of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS are 
available for public inspection at at the Eugene District Office 3106 
Pierce Parkway, Springfield, OR, 97477. Interested persons may also 
review the Proposed RMP/Final EIS on the Internet at http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/eugene/plans/eugenermp.php. All protests must 
be in writing and mailed to one of the following addresses:
    Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
    Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest 
Coordinator, 20 M Street SE., Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Panchita Paulete, District Planning 
and Environmental Coordinator, telephone 541-683-6976; address 3106 
Pierce Parkway, Suite E; Springfield, OR 97477; or 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: In the West Eugene Wetlands Final EIS/
Proposed RMP, the BLM analyzes the environmental consequences of seven 
alternatives for managing approximately 1,340 acres of BLM-administered 
lands in and near the city of Eugene, in Lane County, Oregon. The 
planning area does not currently have an RMP. The planning area is made 
up of acquired lands and survey hiatuses. This RMP is being developed 
separately from the Eugene District RMP, because the planning area is 
geographically and ecologically distinct from the rest of the BLM-
administered lands in the Eugene District, and many of the resources 
and issues in the planning area are unrelated to those addressed in the 
Eugene District RMP. The approved West Eugene Wetlands RMP will apply 
only to the BLM-administered lands in the West Eugene Wetlands.
    The purpose of the action is to manage the planning area to 
contribute to the recovery of species listed under the Endangered 
Species Act, while providing other benefits. There are specific 
considerations in the planning area that lead the BLM to focus 
management on threatened and endangered species: the scarcity of the 
listed species and their habitat; the importance of the planning area 
to the recovery of the listed species; and the purposes for which the 
BLM acquired the lands in the planning area. Therefore, the purpose and 
need for this RMP is more specific than the broad mandate of multiple-
use alone.
    The West Eugene Wetlands Proposed RMP/Final EIS analyzes in detail 
six action alternatives and the No Action alternative. The No Action 
alternative would continue the current management approach into the 
future with no change in the management actions and level of management 
intensity in the planning area. Because the current management approach 
was not developed in an RMP, there are no land use allocations, 
management objectives, or management direction established for the 
planning area.
    The design of the action alternatives varies primarily in the 
amount and location of lands within the planning area that would be 
allocated to the restoration of threatened and endangered species 
habitat. The action alternatives also vary in the management emphasis 
for lands which are not managed for habitat restoration. Additionally, 
the action alternatives vary in whether herbicides would be included as 
a management tool. Under the action alternatives, most or all of the 
planning area would be allocated to two land use allocations:
     Prairie Restoration Area, which would have a management 
objective to restore and maintain habitat for prairie-related species; 
and
     Natural Maintenance Area, which would have a management 
objective to maintain existing resources and provide opportunities for 
a variety of goods and services.
    Alternative 1 would allocate most of the planning area to the 
Prairie Restoration Area. The Proposed RMP (Alternative 2A--Modified), 
would allocate to the Prairie Restoration Area all designated critical 
habitat, including a previously overlooked critical habitat area 
adjacent to KL-12B; some extant populations of Willamette daisy and 
Bradshaw's lomatium; and 93 acres of contiguous high-quality habitat to 
support streaked horned lark. This alternative would enhance recreation 
opportunities to the extent compatible with threatened and endangered 
species management.
    Alternative 2B would allocate to the Prairie Restoration Area all 
designated critical habitat. Alternative 2B would emphasize providing 
commodities and services to the extent compatible with threatened and 
endangered species management, and would make approximately two-thirds 
of the planning area open to saleable mineral development. Alternatives 
3A, 3B, and 3C would allocate to the Prairie Restoration Area all good 
quality habitat that is currently occupied by threatened or endangered 
species. Alternative 3C and the Proposed RMP would enhance recreation 
opportunities to the extent compatible with threatened and endangered 
species management.
    Alternatives 1, 2B, and 3A, and the Proposed RMP would include 
herbicides among the management tools.
    The only nomination for an Area of Critical Environmental Concern 
(ACEC) received in this planning effort was to continue designation of 
the currently designated Long Tom ACEC. Under Alternatives 1, 3A, 3B, 
and 3C, and the Proposed RMP, the site of the currently designated Long 
Tom ACEC would be included within the Prairie Restoration Area and 
would not need special management to protect the relevant and important 
values of the ACEC. Therefore, under these alternatives, the ACEC 
designation for this site would be removed. Under the No Action 
alternative and Alternative 2B, the Long Tom site would continue to be 
designated as an ACEC.
    Under all action alternatives, motorized vehicle use would be 
limited to designated roads throughout the planning area. This planning 
effort will include implementation decisions related to travel 
management networks, including a travel management plan identifying the 
specific roads and trails that will be available for public use and the 
limitations on use of roads and trails. These implementation decisions 
are not protestable, and upon approval would be appealable to the 
Interior Board of Land Appeals (43 CFR 1610.5). The land-use planning 
process was initiated on June 8, 2011, through a Notice of Intent 
published in the Federal Register, notifying the public of a formal 
scoping period and soliciting public participation. Cooperating 
agencies in the preparation of this land use plan are the United States 
Army Corps of Engineers, City of Eugene Parks and Open Space Division, 
and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
    Comments on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS received from the public and 
internal BLM review were considered and incorporated as appropriate 
into the proposed plan. Public comments resulted in the addition of 
clarifying

[[Page 67185]]

text, but did not significantly change proposed land use plan 
decisions.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the proposed RMP/final EIS may be found in the ``Dear 
Reader'' Letter of the West Eugene Wetlands proposed RMP/final EIS and 
at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing and mailed to the 
appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES section above. 
Emailed protests will not be accepted as valid protests unless the 
protesting party also provides the original letter by either regular or 
overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest period. Under 
these conditions, the BLM will consider the emailed protest as an 
advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If you wish to 
provide the BLM with such advance notification, please direct emails to 
[email protected]
    Before including your phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware 
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

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

Robert B. Towne,
Acting Eugene District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2014-26618 Filed 11-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P