[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 34 (Wednesday, February 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5105-5106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-02813]



[[Page 5105]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCOS01000.L12200000.DP0000.18X]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan 
Amendment and Preliminary Environmental Assessment for Evaluation of 
Potential Areas of Critical Environmental Concern Within the Tres Rios 
Field Office, Colorado

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, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Preliminary 
Environmental Assessment (EA) evaluating potential Areas of Critical 
Environmental Concern (ACEC) for the Tres Rios Field Office and by this 
Notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.

DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft RMP Amendment and Preliminary EA by April 
22, 2019. The BLM will announce future meetings or hearings and any 
other public participation activities at least 15 days in advance 
through public notices, media releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Tres Rios Field 
Office ACEC RMP Amendment by any of the following methods:
     Website: https://go.usa.gov/xnnTC.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: (970) 882-6481.
     Mail: Tres Rios Field Office, 29211 Highway 184, Dolores, 
CO 81323.
    Copies of the Tres Rios Field Office ACEC RMP Amendment are 
available in the Tres Rios Field Office at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Fox, Planning and Environmental 
Specialist; telephone (970) 882-6856; email [email protected]. 
Persons who use a telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD) may call 
the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above 
individual during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours 
a day, seven 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 BLM has prepared an RMP Amendment with 
an associated EA to evaluate areas nominated by the BLM and the public 
within the Tres Rios Field Office Planning Area and within the 
Silverton area of San Juan County, Colorado (now managed by the BLM 
Gunnison Field Office), for potential designation as ACECs. The 
Preliminary EA considers management alternatives for 17 potential ACECs 
and discloses the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of management 
prescriptions included in each of the four alternatives. The following 
alternatives are considered in the EA:

 Alternative A: No Action--continuation of existing management 
direction for ACECs;
 Alternative B: No ACECs Designated--existing ACECs would not 
be carried forward and proposed areas would not be designated;
 Alternative C: Agency Preferred--reduce the size of existing 
Anasazi Culture and Gypsum Valley ACECs, designate Mesa Verde 
Escarpment ACEC
 Alternative D: Designate all Proposed ACECs

    See the following for potential ACEC acreage by alternative and the 
associated Relevant and Important Values:

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                                                  Alternative A   Alternative C
                 Potential ACEC                    (No Action)     (Preferred)    Alternative D               Relevant and important values
                                                     acreage         acreage         acreage
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Ancestral Puebloan (formerly named Anasazi                1,002             792             792  Cultural and Rare plants.
 Culture).
Cement Creek...................................  ..............  ..............             446  Rare plants.
Cinnamon Pass..................................  ..............  ..............             562  Rare plants.
Coyote Wash....................................  ..............  ..............             642  Rare plants.
Disappointment Valley..........................  ..............  ..............           2,688  Rare plants.
Dolores River Canyon--North....................  ..............  ..............           6,019  Scenic, cultural, rare plants, wildlife and geology.
Dolores River Canyon--South....................  ..............  ..............           5,550  Wildlife and rare plants.
Gypsum Valley..................................          13,135           6,170           6,170  Rare plants.
Lake Como......................................  ..............  ..............             100  Rare plants.
McIntyre Canyon................................  ..............  ..............           2,968  Rare plants.
Mesa Verde Entrance............................  ..............  ..............             626  Rare plants.
Mesa Verde Escarpment (this area was nominated   ..............           7,373           7,373  Cultural and rare plants.
 during the public scoping period, and,
 therefore was not included in the Notice of
 Intent for the RMP Amendment).
Muleshoe Bench.................................  ..............  ..............             665  Wildlife.
Silvey's Pocket................................  ..............  ..............             707  Rare plants.
Slick Rock.....................................  ..............  ..............           3,427  Wildlife and rare plants.
Snaggletooth...................................  ..............  ..............          23,825  Wildlife, cultural and scenic.
Spring Creek Basin.............................  ..............  ..............          25,286  Rare plants.
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    The following ACEC nominations were evaluated to determine if the 
relevance and importance criteria were met, but were not included in 
any alternative because they did not meet relevance or importance 
criteria:
     Grassy Hills; for rare terrestrial plant community.
     Navajo River; for scenic quality and fish and wildlife 
species.
    The following management limitations are recommended for the 
proposed ACECs in the preferred alternative, alternative C:
     Ancestral Puebloan--land use right of ways, utility 
corridors and road construction will avoid cultural resource sites by 
100 meters; leasable mineral development will be restricted to No 
Surface Occupancy.
     Gypsum Valley--no changes in management prescriptions from 
current management.
     Mesa Verde Escarpment--utility right of ways prohibited, 
restrictions on recreation right of ways, facilities, road

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construction, and limiting travel to designated routes.
    Through this Notice, the BLM is inviting the public to provide 
comments regarding the potential environmental impacts related to the 
management alternatives. All public comments will receive consideration 
prior to the BLM's decision regarding ACEC designation.
    Please note that public comments and information submitted, 
including names, street addresses and email addresses of persons who 
submit comments will be available for public review and disclosure at 
the above address during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), 
Monday through Friday, except holidays.
    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.

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

Jamie E. Connell,
BLM Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2019-02813 Filed 2-19-19; 8:45 am]
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