Notice of Availability of Kobuk-Seward Peninsula Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, AK, 55244-55246 [E7-19064]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management
• Land Management Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 188 (Friday, September 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55244-55246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19064]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AK-025-07-1610-DQ-089L]


Notice of Availability of Kobuk-Seward Peninsula Proposed 
Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement, AK

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 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan/
Final Environmental Impact Statement (Proposed RMP/Final EIS) for the 
Kobuk-Seward Peninsula Planning Area in Alaska.

DATES: The BLM Planning Regulations state that any person who 
participated in the planning process, and has an interest that is or 
may be adversely affected, may protest the BLM's approval or amendment 
of an RMP within 30 days of the date that the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. 
Instructions for filing of protests are described in the Dear Reader 
letter of the Kobuk-Seward Peninsula Proposed RMP/Final EIS. Please 
consult BLM's Planning Regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) for further 
instructions on protests.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeanie Cole, BLM Central Yukon Field 
Office, 1150 University Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99709, (907) 474-2340, 
jeanie_cole@ak.blm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Kobuk-Seward Peninsula planning area 
covers approximately 11.9 million acres of BLM-managed land in 
northwestern Alaska. The Kobuk-Seward Peninsula Proposed RMP/Final EIS 
focuses on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield as 
prescribed by section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (FLPMA). The Proposed RMP/Final EIS considers and analyzes four 
alternatives, including a No Action and a Preferred Alternative. The 
alternatives provide for an array of variable levels of commodity 
production and resource protection and restoration. The Proposed RMP/
Final EIS will help the BLM meet its mandate of multiple use and 
sustained yield.
    The alternatives were developed based on public scoping and 
participation, and the requirements of the BLM's Land Use Planning 
Handbook (H-1601-1). The public involvement and collaboration process 
included 9 public scoping meetings, 12 public meetings on the Draft 
RMP/EIS, and meetings with other interested parties.
    Four primary issues were raised and addressed through this planning 
process. (1) Recreation, including how the BLM should manage recreation 
to provide and maintain a diversity of experiences on BLM-managed 
public lands while protecting subsistence

[[Page 55245]]

resources and opportunity, and what level of commercial recreational 
permits is appropriate, particularly in the Squirrel River area; (2) 
Subsistence, including maintaining and protecting subsistence uses; (3) 
Minerals Management, determining which areas should be available for 
mineral exploration and development; (4) Access/Travel Management, 
allowing for access to BLM-managed public lands for various purposes. 
In addition to these issues, the Proposed RMP/Final EIS addresses 
management of various program areas such as vegetation, fish and 
wildlife habitat, fire management, cultural resources, visual 
resources, forest products, livestock grazing, and realty. The Proposed 
RMP/Final EIS also resulted in development of required operating 
procedures (ROP), which are requirements, procedures, management 
practices, or design features the BLM adopts as operational 
requirements for all permitted activities. The ROPs were developed to 
ensure that Alaska Statewide Land Health Standards are met.
    The Squirrel River area contains BLM-and-State-managed land, and is 
surrounded by National Park Service-and Fish and Wildlife Service-
managed lands. Ultimately, the Northwest Arctic Borough will also be a 
land owner. Approximately 14 percent of the public comments were 
related to recreation and 7 percent were specific to the Squirrel 
River. Relatively easy access to this area from Kotzebue by fixed-wing 
aircraft, a large number of gravel bars that can be used for landing 
strips, and the reduced level of regulation compared to other 
surrounding federal lands, make the Squirrel River a popular 
destination for hunters. Local subsistence hunters have expressed 
concern about this area for more than a decade, raising issues such as 
competition with subsistence hunters by large numbers of sport hunters, 
potential deflection of migrating caribou away from subsistence 
villages, waste of game meat, lack of enforcement, and unmanaged 
commercial guiding/transporter operations. Alternatives B, C, and D of 
the Proposed RMP/Final EIS all identify the Squirrel River as a special 
recreation management area. One component of the BLM's preferred 
alternative (D) is to maintain recreational use of the Squirrel River 
at the current level while developing a recreation area management 
plan. This recreation area management plan, developed in concert with 
the State and Northwest Arctic Borough, both of which do or soon will 
own land in the Squirrel River watershed, would develop special rules 
to address the issues in the area.
    As required by 43 CFR 1610.7-2, areas with potential for 
designation as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) have been 
considered during the planning process. Approximately seven percent of 
the total comments submitted during the public-comment period pertained 
to ACECs. The Proposed RMP/Final EIS identifies six ACECs for 
designation in the BLM's preferred alternative. Final acreage for areas 
designated as ACECs will depend on the result of land conveyance to the 
State of Alaska and Native Corporations. The following table provides a 
summary of proposed ACECs and descriptions of resource use limitations 
provided by decisions made in the proposed plan.

       Table 1.--Proposed ACECs under Alternative D (preferred alternative) of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS
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              Name of area                          Acreage                     Resource use limitations
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Nulato Hills ACEC.......................  1.1 million................  Limited OHV designation.
                                                                       Retained in Federal ownership.
                                                                       Closed to grazing outside of existing
                                                                        allotments.
                                                                       Designate as ROW avoidance area.
                                                                       Open to fluid mineral leasing subject to
                                                                        special stipulations.
                                                                       Open to locatable mineral entry subject
                                                                        to required operating procedures.
Western Arctic Caribou Herd Insect        1.5 million................  Same as Nulato Hills except it would not
 Relief ACEC.                                                           be designated as a ROW avoidance area
                                                                        and the entire ACEC would be closed to
                                                                        grazing.
Inglutalik Watershed ACEC...............  466,000....................  Same as Nulato Hills except it would not
                                                                        be a ROW avoidance area.
Ungalik Watershed ACEC..................  264,000....................  Same as Nulato Hills except it would not
                                                                        be a ROW avoidance area.
Shaktoolik Watershed ACEC...............  234,000....................  Same as Nulato Hills except it would not
                                                                        be a ROW avoidance area.
Mount Osborn ACEC.......................  82,000.....................  Same as Nulato Hills except the level of
                                                                        commercial recreational use may be
                                                                        limited, it would be open to grazing,
                                                                        and it would not be a ROW avoidance
                                                                        area.
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    During the public comment period on the Draft RMP/EIS the BLM 
received nine additional ACEC nominations. The areas nominated were: 
Coastal areas near Kivalina, Teller, Koyuk, and Unalakleet; the 
Bendeleben and Darby mountains; the Agiapuk and American rivers; and 
the multiple major pathways and convergence area of caribou migration 
routes in the vicinity of Selawik-Kobuk. The BLM evaluated these areas 
for possible ACEC designation and determined that designation was not 
warranted. The BLM will not retain sufficient land in the Teller, 
Kivalina and Koyuk areas to warrant designation, Unalakleet is outside 
of the Planning Area, and the BLM does not administer any land along 
the American River. The Bendeleben and Darby mountains and the Agiapuk 
River have some relevant values but do not meet the importance criteria 
defined under 43 CFR 1601.7-2. The caribou migration routes meet the 
relevance criteria of supporting a significant wildlife resource. 
However, data on caribou migration routes is not sufficient to support 
the importance criteria. In fact, the limited data available seems to 
indicate that caribou migrate less on BLM-managed public land and more 
on private, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and State 
lands. The primary areas of BLM-managed public land in this migration 
area are the Squirrel River, which was identified as a special 
recreation management area where BLM proposes to develop a recreation 
area management plan, and the northern Nulato Hills, which is within 
the proposed Nulato Hills ACEC.
    All comments received on the plan were analyzed and evaluated. 
Appendix J of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS contains all substantive 
comments received and BLM responses to those comments. Comments on the 
Draft RMP/EIS received from the public and internal BLM review comments 
were incorporated into the Proposed RMP/Final EIS. Public comments 
resulted in changes to the preferred alternative through the addition 
of clarifying text and additional analysis of impacts. A summary of 
these changes is included in the Proposed RMP/Final EIS after the 
Executive Summary.

[[Page 55246]]

    Copies of the Kobuk-Seward Peninsula Proposed RMP/Final EIS have 
been sent to affected Federal, State, and Local Government agencies and 
to interested parties. Copies of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS have also 
been sent to individuals, agencies, and groups as requested or as 
required by regulation or policy. Copies of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS 
are available for public inspection at the BLM Fairbanks District 
Office at 1150 University Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska, during normal 
business hours from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday 
except holidays.
    Interested persons may also view the Proposed RMP/Final EIS on the 
Internet at https://www.ak.blm.gov/ksp or at one of the following 
locations in Alaska: The BLM Fairbanks District Office, Fairbanks; BLM 
Nome Field Station, Nome; BLM Anchorage Field Office, Anchorage; BLM 
Alaska State Office, Public Room, Anchorage; Noel Wien Library, 
Fairbanks; Keyoayah Kozga Library, Nome; Chukchi Consortium Library, 
Kotzebue; Anchorage Municipal Library, Anchorage; Alaska State Library, 
Juneau; Tuzzy Consortium Library, Barrow; Selawik National Wildlife 
Refuge Headquarters, Kotzebue; Northwest Arctic Borough Planning 
Department, Kotzebue.
    E-mail and faxed 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 
to one of the following addresses, or as appropriate:
    Regular Mail: Director (210),
    Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box 66538, Washington, DC 20035.
    Overnight Mail: Director (210),
    Attention: Brenda Williams, 1620 L Street, NW., Suite 1075, 
Washington, DC 20036.
    Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the e-mail or faxed 
protest as an advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If 
you wish to provide the BLM with such advance notification, please 
direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM protest coordinator 
at 202-452-5112, and e-mails to Brenda--Hudgens-Williams@blm.gov.
    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 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.

    Dated: August 20, 2007.
Julia Dougan,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. E7-19064 Filed 9-27-07; 8:45 am]
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