Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Associated Environmental Assessment for the Castle Rocks and Cedar Fields Areas, Burley Field Office, ID, 52687-52688 [2011-21560]

Agencies

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

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52687-52688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21560]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLIDT02000.L12200000.MA0000.241A.00]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) 
Amendment and Associated Environmental Assessment for the Castle Rocks 
and Cedar Fields Areas, Burley Field Office, ID

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: In compliance 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) Burley Field 
Office, Burley, Idaho intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan 
(RMP) amendment with an associated Environmental Assessment (EA) for 
the Cassia and Monument RMPs to consider closing BLM-managed lands to 
certain activities to protect cultural and historic properties, and by 
this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to 
solicit public comments and identify issues.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the RMP

[[Page 52688]]

amendment with an associated EA. Comments on issues may be submitted in 
writing until September 22, 2011. The date(s) and location(s) of any 
scoping meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through 
local media, newspapers and the BLM Web site at: https://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/info/nepa.html. In order to be included in the EA, all comments 
must be received prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period or 30 
days after the last public meeting, whichever is later.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria 
related to Castle Rocks and Cedar Fields Land Use Plan Amendment by any 
of the following methods:
     Web site: https://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/info/nepa.html
     E-mail: id_burley_fo_@blm.gov
     Fax: 208-677-6699
     Mail: 15 East 200 South, Burley, Idaho 83318
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Burley 
Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Dennis Thompson, Outdoor 
Recreation Planner, for further information and/or to have your name 
added to the Burley BLM's mailing list, at telephone 208-677-6664; 
address 15 East 200 South, Burley, Idaho 83318; or e-mail dennis_thompson@blm.gov. 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: This document provides notice that the BLM 
Field Office, Burley Idaho, intends to prepare an RMP Amendment with an 
associated EA for the Cassia and Monument RMPs, announces the beginning 
of the the scoping process, and is seeking public input on issues and 
planning criteria. The planning area is located in Cassia and Power 
Counties, Idaho and encompasses approximately 1,556 acres of public 
land. The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine 
relevant issues that will influence the scope of the environmental 
analysis, including alternatives, and guide the planning process. The 
BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: the potential for 
damage to cultural resources within the American Falls Archeological 
District at Cedar Fields from rock climbing and other recreational 
activities; potential adverse affects on Historic Properties at Castle 
Rocks from rock climbing and other recreational activities; and the 
impact that closures to certain activities would have on recreational 
climbing in the area.
    At Cedar Fields, ongoing climbing activities have the potential to 
damage cultural resources located within an Archeological District. In 
2010, the BLM prepared an EA to address similar concerns at Castle 
Rocks. The proposed action within the Castle Rocks EA would have 
allowed limited climbing and trail construction. However, due to 
potential adverse cumulative effects of rock climbing activities on 
Historic Properties (as defined in 36 CFR 800.5(a)(1) and 
800.16(l)(1)), a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) could not be 
reached for the Castle Rocks EA (EA ID-220-2009-EA-3768). The EA was 
finalized on March 29, 2010, sent out to interested members of the 
public, and posted to the BLM Idaho Web site. Subsequently, a temporary 
closure notice was published in the Federal Register in November 2010, 
which closed BLM-managed lands in the Castle Rocks Inter-Agency 
Recreation Area to climbing, staging, camping, and construction of new 
trails. This closure will remain in effect until November 16, 2012.
    The RMP Amendment and associated EA will consider the permanent 
designation of no climbing, no staging, no camping, and no construction 
of new trails on BLM-managed lands at Castle Rocks Inter-Agency 
Recreation Area and at Cedar Fields. If a closure is necessary to 
protect Historic Properties at Castle Rocks and cultural resources in 
the Archeological District at Cedar Fields, the BLM will make a 
decision about whether to amend the Cassia and Monument RMPs and will 
address allowable uses of resources, and intensity and limits of use.
    You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria for the 
Plan Amendments in writing to the BLM at any public scoping meeting, or 
you may submit them to the BLM using one of the methods listed in the 
ADDRESSES section above. To be most helpful, you should submit comments 
by the close of the 30-day scoping period or within 30 days after the 
last public meeting, whichever is later. Before including your address, 
phone number, e-mail 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.
    The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan 
in order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns 
identified. Specialists with expertise in the following disciplines 
will be involved in the planning process: minerals and geology, outdoor 
recreation, archaeology, wildlife, and soils.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2

Michael Courtney,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 2011-21560 Filed 8-22-11; 8:45 am]
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