Notice of Availability of Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Colorado River Valley Field Office, Colorado, 57760-57762 [2011-23621]
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57760
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 180 / Friday, September 16, 2011 / Notices
management of the public lands and
resources in the planning area.
Alternative A (No Action) would
continue the current management
situation, managing the lands under the
1984 Kremmling RMP. Alternative B
(the BLM’s preferred alternative) seeks
to allocate limited resources among
competing human interests, land uses,
and conserve natural and cultural
resource values by strategically
addressing demands across the
landscape. Alternative C emphasizes
resource protection and sustaining the
ecological integrity of habitats for all
priority plant, wildlife and fish species,
particularly the habitats needed for
conserving and recovering threatened
and endangered plant and animal
species. Alternative D emphasizes
maximizing resource production while
maintaining the basic protection needed
to sustain resources.
Major issues identified during the
public scoping process and addressed in
the Draft RMP/EIS include but are not
limited to: Travel management and
transportation, recreational demand and
uses, lands and realty, special
designations, urban interface, energy
development, rangeland health/upland
management, vegetation resources,
wildlife resources, water/riparian
resources, sagebrush habitat and
species, and cultural resources. Section
202(c)(3) of FLPMA requires the Draft
RMP/EIS to examine Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern (ACEC)
designations on BLM-administered
lands. ACECs determined to meet the
relevance and importance criteria were
analyzed within the range of
alternatives. The ACECs considered for
designation are: Barger Gulch Heritage
Area, Kremmling Cretaceous Ammonite
Research Natural Area, Kremmling
Potential Conservation Area, Kinney
Creek, Laramie River, North Park
Natural Area, North Sand Hills and
Troublesome Creek. If designated, the
BLM would limit some resource uses, as
needed, to protect the relevant and
important values of the ACECs. The
ACEC values and resource-use
limitations vary by ACEC, and the
designation of ACECs themselves varies
by alternative.
Consistent with the requirements
found at 43 CFR 1610.2, a hearing on
potential coal leasing will be combined
with a public meeting that will be
scheduled and announced during the
comment period.
The KFO reviewed its wilderness
resource inventory and ensured it was
current and maintained in accordance
with FLPMA. The inventory consists of
wilderness, wilderness study areas and
lands with wilderness characteristics.
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Upon reviewing its wilderness resource
inventory, the KFO identified an
additional 16,420 acres that possess
wilderness characteristics. They were
Drowsy Water (8,220 acres), Strawberry
(5,830 acres) and the Troublesome
Addition (2,340 acres). These additional
lands were included in the Draft RMP/
EIS’ range of alternatives analysis,
which considered the impacts of
management options on and protection
of their wilderness characteristics.
Please note that public comments and
information, including names, street
addresses and e-mail addresses will be
available for public review and
disclosure at the above address during
regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m.), Monday through Friday, except
holidays.
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.
Helen M. Hankins,
Colorado State Director.
Authority : 40 CFR 1506.6, 1506.10, and 43
CFR 1610.2.
[FR Doc. 2011–23622 Filed 9–15–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCON04000 L16100000.DP0000]
Notice of Availability of Draft Resource
Management Plan and Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Colorado River Valley Field Office,
Colorado
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976
(FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) has prepared
a Draft Resource Management Plan
(RMP) and Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the Colorado River
Valley Field Office and by this notice is
announcing the opening of the comment
period.
SUMMARY:
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To ensure that comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft RMP/
Draft EIS within 90 days following the
date the Environmental Protection
Agency publishes its notice of the Draft
RMP/Draft EIS in the Federal Register.
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 Colorado River Valley
Draft RMP/Draft EIS by any of the
following methods:
• Web site: https://www.blm.gov/rmp/
co/kfo-gsfo.
• E-mail: co_crvrmp@blm.gov.
• Fax: (970) 876–9090.
• Mail: Bureau of Land Management,
Colorado River Valley Field Office, RMP
Comments, 2300 River Frontage Road,
Silt, Colorado 81652.
Copies of the Colorado River Valley
DRMP/Draft EIS are available in the
Colorado River Valley Field Office at the
above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John
Russell, RMP Project Manager,
telephone: (970) 876–9025; see address
above; e-mail: jdrussell@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: The Draft
RMP/Draft EIS addresses public lands
and resources managed by the Colorado
River Valley Field Office (formerly the
Glenwood Springs Field Office) in
Eagle, Garfield, Mesa, Pitkin, Rio
Blanco, and Routt Counties, Colorado.
These lands are currently managed
under the 1984 Glenwood Springs RMP,
as amended. The planning area includes
approximately 505,000 BLMadministered surface acres and
approximately 707,000 subsurface acres
of Federal mineral estate.
Decisions in the Colorado River
Valley RMP will only apply to BLMadministered public lands and federally
owned subsurface mineral estate. Except
for addressing the wild and scenic river
suitability for stream segments
determined to be eligible, the Draft
RMP/Draft EIS does not address the
decisions made in the Roan Plateau
Planning Area RMP Amendment and
EIS (2008).
DATES:
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 180 / Friday, September 16, 2011 / Notices
The Draft EIS also incorporates and
analyzes the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service (USFS),
White River National Forest Wild and
Scenic River suitability study
determinations for the USFS-managed
segments of the Colorado River
(Glenwood Canyon) and Deep Creek.
The Colorado River Valley Field
Office and the Kremmling Field Office
were originally revising their respective
RMPs jointly. Since the two field offices
border one another and share some
common issues, a combined planning
effort was an efficient way to complete
the first stages of the plan revisions,
such as public scoping and studies.
However, given the complexity of the
RMP revisions and in response to
cooperating agency and internal BLM
comments, each field office will issue
separate Draft RMP/Draft EISs. The
planning effort for the two field offices
will continue as separate processes on
separate schedules.
This Draft RMP/Draft EIS proposes
and analyzes four alternatives for future
public land and resource management
in the planning area. Alternative A (No
Action) would continue the current
management situation, managing the
lands under the 1984 Glenwood Springs
RMP, as amended. Alternative B (the
BLM’s preferred alternative) seeks to
allocate limited resources among
competing human interests, land uses,
and conservation of natural and cultural
resource values by strategically
addressing demands across the
landscape. Alternative C emphasizes
protecting resources and sustaining the
ecological integrity of habitats for all
priority plant, wildlife, and fish species,
particularly the habitats needed for the
conserving and recovering threatened
and endangered plant and animal
species. Alternative D emphasizes
maximizing resource production while
maintaining the basic protection needed
to sustain resources.
Major issues identified during the
public scoping process and addressed in
the Draft RMP/Draft EIS include, but are
not limited to, travel management and
transportation, wilderness
characteristics, recreational demand and
uses, lands and realty, special
designations, urban interface, energy
development, rangeland health/upland
management, vegetation resources,
wildlife resources, water/riparian
resources, sagebrush habitat and
species, and cultural resources.
Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.7–2(b), this
notice announces a concurrent public
comment period on proposed Areas of
Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).
ACECs meeting the relevance and
importance criteria were analyzed
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Jkt 223001
within the range of alternatives. ACECs
considered for designation include
Abrams Creek, Blue Hill, Bull Gulch,
Colorado River Seeps, Deep Creek,
Dotsero Crater, Glenwood Springs
Debris Flow, Grand Hogback, Greater
Sage Grouse Habitat, Hardscrabble
Mayer Gulch, Hardscrabble Mayer
Gulch/East Eagle Ridge, Lower Colorado
River, Lyons Gulch, McCoy Fan Delta,
Mount Logan Foothills, Sheep Creek
Uplands, The Crown Ridge and
Thompson Creek.
The proposed ACECs and resourceuse limitations are:
• Abrams Creek, 190 acres,
Alternative C: No Surface Occupancy
(NSO); Visual Resource Management
(VRM) Class II; Right-of-Way (ROW)
exclusion area; closed to motorized
vehicles including snowmobiles.
• Blue Hil, 3,700 acres, Alternatives
A, B, C, D: Close to leasing; NSO; VRM
Class II; ROW exclusion area; prohibited
net increase in motorized/mechanized
routes; travel limited to designated
routes, including snowmobiles for
action alternatives; vegetation
treatments allowed if they maintain or
enhance the identified relevant and
important (R&I) values.
• Bull Gulch, 10,400 acres,
Alternatives A, B, C, D: Closed to
leasing; NSO; VRM Class I; ROW
exclusion area; closed to motorized
vehicles, including snowmobiles.
• Colorado River Seeps, 470 acres,
Alternative C: NSO; ROW avoidance
area; prohibited net increase in
motorized/mechanized routes.
• Deep Creek, 2,400 acres,
Alternatives A, B, C: Closed to leasing;
NSO; closed to motorized/mechanized
vehicles, including snowmobiles;
vegetation treatments allowed only for
the benefit of the identified R&I values;
recommended for mineral withdrawal.
• Dotsero Crater, 100 acres,
Alternative C: NSO; VRM Class II; ROW
exclusion area; closed to motorized
vehicles.
• Glenwood Springs Debris Flow,
6,100 acres, Alternatives A, B, C, D:
NSO; VRM Class II; ROW avoidance
area; prohibited net increase in
motorized/mechanized routes; travel
limited to designated routes, including
snowmobiles for the action alternatives;
prescribed fire allowed; natural fire
managed for resource benefits;
vegetation treatments allowed if they
maintain or enhance the identified R&I
values.
• Grand Hogback, 14,000 acres,
Alternative C: NSO; VRM Class II; ROW
avoidance area; unavailable for coal
leasing; prohibited net increase in
motorized/mechanized routes;
prescribed fire allowed; natural fire
PO 00000
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57761
managed for resource benefits;
vegetation treatments allowed if they
maintain or enhance the identified R&I
values.
• Greater Sage Grouse Habitat, 24,600
acres, Alternative C: Closed to leasing;
NSO; VRM Class II; ROW avoidance
area; new transmission lines excluded;
prohibited net increase in motorized/
mechanized routes; closed Castle Peak
portion to snowmobiles; Conditions of
Approval attached to project proposals,
including additional onsite or offsite
mitigation to minimize impacts to the
R&I values; prescribed fire allowed;
natural fire managed for resource
benefits; vegetation treatments allowed
if they maintain or enhance the
identified R&I values.
• Hardscrabble Mayer Gulch, 3,400
acres, Alternative B; 4,200 acres
including East Eagle Ridge addition,
Alternative C: NSO; VRM Class II; ROW
avoidance area; prohibited net increase
in motorized/mechanized routes; closed
to snowmobiles; prescribed fire allowed;
natural fire managed for resource
benefits; vegetation treatments allowed
if they maintain or enhance the
identified R&I values.
• Lower Colorado River, 130 acres,
Alternative A: VRM Class II; ROW
avoidance area.
• Lyons Gulch, 480 acres, Alternative
B, C: NSO; prohibited net increase in
motorized/mechanized routes;
prescribed fire allowed; natural fire
managed for resource benefits;
vegetation treatments allowed if they
maintain or enhance the identified R&I
values.
• McCoy Fan Delta, 220 acres,
Alternative C: NSO; VRM Class II;
prohibited net increase in motorized/
mechanized routes; ROW avoidance
area; closed to fossil collection;
prescribed fire allowed; natural fire
managed for resource benefits;
vegetation treatments allowed if they
maintain or enhance the identified R&I
values.
• Mount Logan Foothills, 3,900 acres,
Alternative C: NSO; VRM Class II; ROW
avoidance area; travel limited to
designated routes including
snowmobiles; prescribed fire allowed;
natural fire managed for resource
benefits; vegetation treatments allowed
if they maintain or enhance the
identified R&I values.
• Sheep Creek Uplands, 4,500 acres,
Alternative C: NSO; VRM Class II; ROW
avoidance area; prohibited net increase
in motorized/mechanized routes; travel
limited to designated routes including
snowmobiles; prescribed fire allowed;
natural fire managed for resource
benefits; vegetation treatments allowed
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 180 / Friday, September 16, 2011 / Notices
if they maintain or enhance the
identified R&I values.
• The Crown Ridge, 1,000 acres,
Alternative C: NSO; VRM Class II; ROW
avoidance area; prohibited net increase
in motorized/mechanized routes; travel
limited to designated routes including
snowmobiles; prescribed fire allowed;
natural fire managed for resource
benefits; vegetation treatments allowed
if they maintain or enhance the
identified R&I values.
• Thompson Creek, 4,300 acres,
Alternative A; 3,400 acres, Alternatives
B, C: Closed to leasing; NSO; VRM Class
I and III for Alternative A, VRM Class
I only for Alternative C; ROW exclusion
area; closed to motorized travel
including snowmobiles; closed to
mechanized travel in Alternative C;
vegetation treatments allowed if they
maintain or enhance the R&I values;
recommended for mineral withdrawal;
climbing bolt installation outside the
existing climbing fin prohibited.
Consistent with the requirements
found at 43 CFR 1610.2, the BLM will
schedule and announce a combined
hearing on potential coal leasing and a
public meeting during the Draft RMP/
Draft EIS comment period.
Please note that public comments and
information submitted including names,
street addresses, and e-mail 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, 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.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 1506.10, and 43
CFR 1610.2.
Helen M. Hankins,
Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2011–23621 Filed 9–15–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:26 Sep 15, 2011
Jkt 223001
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[NPS–WASO–NRSS–0906–8363; 2380–
OCR2–NWZ]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed New Collection—
Social Science Assessment and
Geographic Analysis of Marine
Recreational Uses and Visitor
Attitudes at Dry Tortugas National Park
and Biscayne National Park
Department of the Interior,
National Park Service.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
To comply with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), we are notifying the public that
we have submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) an
information collection request (ICR) for
a proposed new collection. This notice
provides the public and other Federal
agencies an opportunity to comment on
the paperwork burden of this collection.
To comply with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 and as a part of
our continuing efforts to reduce
paperwork and respondent burden, we
invite the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on this IC.
We may not conduct or sponsor and a
person is not required to respond to a
collection unless it displays a currently
valid OMB control number.
DATES: To ensure that your comments
on this ICR are considered, please
submit them on or before October 17,
2011.
SUMMARY:
Please submit written
comments on this information
collection directly to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Attention: Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior via e-mail to
OIRA_DOCKET@omb.eop.gov or fax at
202–395–5806; and identify your
submission as 1024–DRTO/BISC. Please
also send a copy your comments to
Phadrea Ponds, Information Collections
Coordinator, National Park Service,
1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO
80525 (mail); or
phadrea_ponds@nps.gov (e-mail).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David K. Loomis, Ph.D. Institute for
Coastal Science and Policy, Mail Stop
250, Flanagan, East Carolina University,
Greenville, NC 27858–4353, or at
loomisd@ecu.edu (e-mail). To see a copy
of the entire ICR submitted to OMB, go
to https://www.reginfo.gov (Information
ADDRESSES:
PO 00000
Frm 00051
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Collection Review, currently under
review).
OMB Control Number: 1024–NEW.
Title: Social Science Assessment and
Geographic Analysis of Marine
Recreational Uses and Visitor Attitudes
at Dry Tortugas National Park and
Biscayne National Park.
Type of Request: This is a new
collection.
Affected Public: Visitors (18 years and
older) to Biscayne or Dry Tortugas
National Parks.
Respondent Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: One-time.
Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 7,866.
Annual Burden Hours: 952 hours.
Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping ‘‘Non-Hour Cost’’
Burden: None.
Abstract: The National Park Service
(NPS) Act of 1916, 38 Stat 535, 16 USC
1, et seq., requires that the NPS preserve
national parks for the use and
enjoyment of present and future
generations. The National Park Service
is developing a visitor-focused program
to reduce recreational impacts on
marine resource at Dry Tortugas
National Park (DRTO) and Biscayne
National Park (BISC). The program
management at these ocean units aims
to remove and mitigate degradation of
ocean resources by enabling visitors to
avoid boat grounding, anchor damage,
fishing violations, wildlife disturbance,
invasive species introduction, pollution
and other impacts from boating, fishing,
scuba diving, snorkeling and kayaking.
The proposed information collection
will use a series of surveys to
understand visitor attitudes, perceptions
and beliefs concerning marine resources
and provide a geospatial assessment of
geographic locations of visitor uses at
DRTO and BISC. The information
collected will be used to assess levels
and patterns of recreational uses in
these parks and develop and evaluate
strategic communication plans. This
information will support efforts to
address marine recreational impacts on
sensitive habitats and marine resources,
and guide strategies to reduce these
impacts through education and
outreach, navigational aids, and
enhanced compliance with rules and
regulations, working closely with the
public and marine recreational
communities.
Comments: On May 2, 2009, we
published a Federal Register notice (74
FR 20973) announcing that we would
submit this ICR to OMB for approval
and soliciting comments. The comment
period closed on July 6, 2009. We
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 180 (Friday, September 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57760-57762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23621]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCON04000 L16100000.DP0000]
Notice of Availability of Draft Resource Management Plan and
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Colorado River Valley
Field Office, Colorado
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Colorado River Valley 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/Draft EIS within 90 days following
the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice of
the Draft RMP/Draft EIS in the Federal Register. 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 Colorado River Valley
Draft RMP/Draft EIS by any of the following methods:
Web site: https://www.blm.gov/rmp/co/kfo-gsfo.
E-mail: co_crvrmp@blm.gov.
Fax: (970) 876-9090.
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Colorado River Valley
Field Office, RMP Comments, 2300 River Frontage Road, Silt, Colorado
81652.
Copies of the Colorado River Valley DRMP/Draft EIS are available in
the Colorado River Valley Field Office at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Russell, RMP Project Manager,
telephone: (970) 876-9025; see address above; e-mail:
jdrussell@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: The Draft RMP/Draft EIS addresses public
lands and resources managed by the Colorado River Valley Field Office
(formerly the Glenwood Springs Field Office) in Eagle, Garfield, Mesa,
Pitkin, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties, Colorado. These lands are
currently managed under the 1984 Glenwood Springs RMP, as amended. The
planning area includes approximately 505,000 BLM-administered surface
acres and approximately 707,000 subsurface acres of Federal mineral
estate.
Decisions in the Colorado River Valley RMP will only apply to BLM-
administered public lands and federally owned subsurface mineral
estate. Except for addressing the wild and scenic river suitability for
stream segments determined to be eligible, the Draft RMP/Draft EIS does
not address the decisions made in the Roan Plateau Planning Area RMP
Amendment and EIS (2008).
[[Page 57761]]
The Draft EIS also incorporates and analyzes the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service (USFS), White River National Forest
Wild and Scenic River suitability study determinations for the USFS-
managed segments of the Colorado River (Glenwood Canyon) and Deep
Creek.
The Colorado River Valley Field Office and the Kremmling Field
Office were originally revising their respective RMPs jointly. Since
the two field offices border one another and share some common issues,
a combined planning effort was an efficient way to complete the first
stages of the plan revisions, such as public scoping and studies.
However, given the complexity of the RMP revisions and in response to
cooperating agency and internal BLM comments, each field office will
issue separate Draft RMP/Draft EISs. The planning effort for the two
field offices will continue as separate processes on separate
schedules.
This Draft RMP/Draft EIS proposes and analyzes four alternatives
for future public land and resource management in the planning area.
Alternative A (No Action) would continue the current management
situation, managing the lands under the 1984 Glenwood Springs RMP, as
amended. Alternative B (the BLM's preferred alternative) seeks to
allocate limited resources among competing human interests, land uses,
and conservation of natural and cultural resource values by
strategically addressing demands across the landscape. Alternative C
emphasizes protecting resources and sustaining the ecological integrity
of habitats for all priority plant, wildlife, and fish species,
particularly the habitats needed for the conserving and recovering
threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Alternative D
emphasizes maximizing resource production while maintaining the basic
protection needed to sustain resources.
Major issues identified during the public scoping process and
addressed in the Draft RMP/Draft EIS include, but are not limited to,
travel management and transportation, wilderness characteristics,
recreational demand and uses, lands and realty, special designations,
urban interface, energy development, rangeland health/upland
management, vegetation resources, wildlife resources, water/riparian
resources, sagebrush habitat and species, and cultural resources.
Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.7-2(b), this notice announces a concurrent
public comment period on proposed Areas of Critical Environmental
Concern (ACEC). ACECs meeting the relevance and importance criteria
were analyzed within the range of alternatives. ACECs considered for
designation include Abrams Creek, Blue Hill, Bull Gulch, Colorado River
Seeps, Deep Creek, Dotsero Crater, Glenwood Springs Debris Flow, Grand
Hogback, Greater Sage Grouse Habitat, Hardscrabble Mayer Gulch,
Hardscrabble Mayer Gulch/East Eagle Ridge, Lower Colorado River, Lyons
Gulch, McCoy Fan Delta, Mount Logan Foothills, Sheep Creek Uplands, The
Crown Ridge and Thompson Creek.
The proposed ACECs and resource-use limitations are:
Abrams Creek, 190 acres, Alternative C: No Surface
Occupancy (NSO); Visual Resource Management (VRM) Class II; Right-of-
Way (ROW) exclusion area; closed to motorized vehicles including
snowmobiles.
Blue Hil, 3,700 acres, Alternatives A, B, C, D: Close to
leasing; NSO; VRM Class II; ROW exclusion area; prohibited net increase
in motorized/mechanized routes; travel limited to designated routes,
including snowmobiles for action alternatives; vegetation treatments
allowed if they maintain or enhance the identified relevant and
important (R&I) values.
Bull Gulch, 10,400 acres, Alternatives A, B, C, D: Closed
to leasing; NSO; VRM Class I; ROW exclusion area; closed to motorized
vehicles, including snowmobiles.
Colorado River Seeps, 470 acres, Alternative C: NSO; ROW
avoidance area; prohibited net increase in motorized/mechanized routes.
Deep Creek, 2,400 acres, Alternatives A, B, C: Closed to
leasing; NSO; closed to motorized/mechanized vehicles, including
snowmobiles; vegetation treatments allowed only for the benefit of the
identified R&I values; recommended for mineral withdrawal.
Dotsero Crater, 100 acres, Alternative C: NSO; VRM Class
II; ROW exclusion area; closed to motorized vehicles.
Glenwood Springs Debris Flow, 6,100 acres, Alternatives A,
B, C, D: NSO; VRM Class II; ROW avoidance area; prohibited net increase
in motorized/mechanized routes; travel limited to designated routes,
including snowmobiles for the action alternatives; prescribed fire
allowed; natural fire managed for resource benefits; vegetation
treatments allowed if they maintain or enhance the identified R&I
values.
Grand Hogback, 14,000 acres, Alternative C: NSO; VRM Class
II; ROW avoidance area; unavailable for coal leasing; prohibited net
increase in motorized/mechanized routes; prescribed fire allowed;
natural fire managed for resource benefits; vegetation treatments
allowed if they maintain or enhance the identified R&I values.
Greater Sage Grouse Habitat, 24,600 acres, Alternative C:
Closed to leasing; NSO; VRM Class II; ROW avoidance area; new
transmission lines excluded; prohibited net increase in motorized/
mechanized routes; closed Castle Peak portion to snowmobiles;
Conditions of Approval attached to project proposals, including
additional onsite or offsite mitigation to minimize impacts to the R&I
values; prescribed fire allowed; natural fire managed for resource
benefits; vegetation treatments allowed if they maintain or enhance the
identified R&I values.
Hardscrabble Mayer Gulch, 3,400 acres, Alternative B;
4,200 acres including East Eagle Ridge addition, Alternative C: NSO;
VRM Class II; ROW avoidance area; prohibited net increase in motorized/
mechanized routes; closed to snowmobiles; prescribed fire allowed;
natural fire managed for resource benefits; vegetation treatments
allowed if they maintain or enhance the identified R&I values.
Lower Colorado River, 130 acres, Alternative A: VRM Class
II; ROW avoidance area.
Lyons Gulch, 480 acres, Alternative B, C: NSO; prohibited
net increase in motorized/mechanized routes; prescribed fire allowed;
natural fire managed for resource benefits; vegetation treatments
allowed if they maintain or enhance the identified R&I values.
McCoy Fan Delta, 220 acres, Alternative C: NSO; VRM Class
II; prohibited net increase in motorized/mechanized routes; ROW
avoidance area; closed to fossil collection; prescribed fire allowed;
natural fire managed for resource benefits; vegetation treatments
allowed if they maintain or enhance the identified R&I values.
Mount Logan Foothills, 3,900 acres, Alternative C: NSO;
VRM Class II; ROW avoidance area; travel limited to designated routes
including snowmobiles; prescribed fire allowed; natural fire managed
for resource benefits; vegetation treatments allowed if they maintain
or enhance the identified R&I values.
Sheep Creek Uplands, 4,500 acres, Alternative C: NSO; VRM
Class II; ROW avoidance area; prohibited net increase in motorized/
mechanized routes; travel limited to designated routes including
snowmobiles; prescribed fire allowed; natural fire managed for resource
benefits; vegetation treatments allowed
[[Page 57762]]
if they maintain or enhance the identified R&I values.
The Crown Ridge, 1,000 acres, Alternative C: NSO; VRM
Class II; ROW avoidance area; prohibited net increase in motorized/
mechanized routes; travel limited to designated routes including
snowmobiles; prescribed fire allowed; natural fire managed for resource
benefits; vegetation treatments allowed if they maintain or enhance the
identified R&I values.
Thompson Creek, 4,300 acres, Alternative A; 3,400 acres,
Alternatives B, C: Closed to leasing; NSO; VRM Class I and III for
Alternative A, VRM Class I only for Alternative C; ROW exclusion area;
closed to motorized travel including snowmobiles; closed to mechanized
travel in Alternative C; vegetation treatments allowed if they maintain
or enhance the R&I values; recommended for mineral withdrawal; climbing
bolt installation outside the existing climbing fin prohibited.
Consistent with the requirements found at 43 CFR 1610.2, the BLM
will schedule and announce a combined hearing on potential coal leasing
and a public meeting during the Draft RMP/Draft EIS comment period.
Please note that public comments and information submitted
including names, street addresses, and e-mail 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, 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.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 1506.10, and 43 CFR 1610.2.
Helen M. Hankins,
Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-23621 Filed 9-15-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JB-P
