Notice of Intent To Amend the California Desert Conservation Area Plan Associated With the Mojave Trails National Monument Management Plan and Prepare an Associated Environmental Assessment, 29153-29156 [2023-09619]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 87 / Friday, May 5, 2023 / Notices
Development, telephone: (505) 917–
3235; email: dennis.wilson@bia.gov. If
you have questions regarding the
application process, please contact Ms.
Jo Ann Metcalfe, Grant Officer,
telephone (401) 703–3390; email
jo.metcalfe@bia.gov. Individuals in the
United States who are deaf, deafblind,
hard of hearing, or have a speech
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
Additional Program information can be
found at: https://www.bia.gov/service/
grants/ttgp.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This OIED
announcement for the forthcoming FY
2023 LLGP NOFO provides interested
applicants time to prepare their
applications prior to the opening of the
application period. The OIED expects
the official NOFO solicitation to run for
approximately 90 days on Grants.gov to
receive applications. Additional
information for the FY 2023 LLGP
NOFO, as well as a link to the final
NOFO posting on Grants.gov, will be
available on OIED’s website at the
following URL: https://www.bia.gov/
service/grants/llgp.
The FY 2023 LLGP cohort anticipates
awarding between 18 to 22 grants,
ranging in value from $250,000 to
$300,000 in annual funding, for a threeyear active period of performance. FY
2023 LLGP funding supports immersion
projects that can provide an ‘‘all-ofcommunity’’ language program with
measurable outcomes which will be
achieved within the period of
performance. The forthcoming NOFO
will provide the structure by which the
applications will be reviewed and
evaluated as they provide language
immersion from a collaborative
community approach.
While OIED will not accept
applications at this time, interested
applicants may submit questions to the
grant program contacts. No project shall
be funded that has comparable activities
previously carried out under other
federal assistance programs. The OIED
encourages applicants to conduct the
required registration activities for the
System for Award Management (SAM),
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), the
Automated Standard Application for
Payment (ASAP), as well as acquire a
Tribal Resolution.
The OIED anticipates the FY 2023
LLGP NOFO will publish on Grants.gov
in May 2023, which will signal the
opening of the application period. The
application period will be open for 90
days. All applications must be
submitted through Grants.gov.
The required method of submitting
proposals during the open solicitation
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period is through Grants.gov. For
information on how to apply for grants
in Grants.gov, see the instructions
available at https://www.grants.gov/
help/html/help/Applicants/
HowToApplyForGrants.htm. Eligible
Applicants:
• Native American Tribal Governments
(Federally recognized);
• Native American Tribal Organizations
(Other than Federally recognized);
and
• Indian Tribes and Tribal
Organizations, as defined in Section 4
of the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA)
(25 U.S.C. 5304), including Tribal
Consortia.
Bryan Newland,
Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2023–09653 Filed 5–4–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_CA_FRN_MO4500168353]
Notice of Intent To Amend the
California Desert Conservation Area
Plan Associated With the Mojave Trails
National Monument Management Plan
and Prepare an Associated
Environmental Assessment
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
California State Director intends to
prepare a management plan for the
Mojave Trails National Monument
(MTNM), through an amendment to the
approved California Desert Conservation
Area (CDCA) land use plan, and an
environmental assessment (EA). By this
notice, the BLM is announcing the
beginning of the scoping period to
solicit public comments and Identify
issues, providing the planning criteria
for public review, and issuing a call for
nominations for areas of critical
environmental concern (ACECs).
DATES: The BLM requests that the public
submit comments concerning the scope
of the analysis, potential alternatives,
and identification of relevant
information and studies, and ACEC
nominations by June 20, 2023. To afford
the BLM the opportunity to consider
issues and ACEC nominations raised by
SUMMARY:
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29153
commenters in the draft land use plan
amendment/EA, please ensure your
comments are received prior to the close
of the 45-day scoping period or 15 days
after the last public meeting, whichever
is later. Scoping meetings are expected
to occur in late May to early June 2023
in the cities of Needles, Barstow, and
Twentynine Palms. There will be one
virtual meeting and three meetings in
person. All meetings will be announced
though a new release.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on issues and planning criteria related
to the MTNM Management Plan and
nominations of new ACECs by any of
the following methods:
• Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/
eplanning-ui/admin/project/2022347/
510.
• Email: BLM_CA_NFO_MTNM_
Plan@blm.gov.
• Fax: 760–326–7099.
• Mail: 1303 S U.S. Hwy 95, Needles,
CA 92363.
Documents pertinent to this proposal
may be examined online at https://
eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/admin/
project/2022347/510 and at the Needles
Field Office.
Addresses of meeting locations are
not yet determined but one each will be
held in the:
• City of Twentynine Palms, CA
• City of Needles, CA
• City of Barstow, CA
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Noelle Glines-Bovio, Mojave Trails
National Monument Manager, telephone
(760) 903–8356; address: Mojave Trails
National Monument—Monument Plan
Comments, Bureau of Land
Management, 1303 U.S.–95, Needles,
California 95521–4373; email: BLM_CA_
NFO_MTNM_Plan@blm.gov. Contact
Noelle Glines-Bovio to have your name
added to our mailing list. Individuals in
the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY,
TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services for
contacting Noelle Glines-Bovio.
Individuals outside the United States
should use the relay services offered
within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
document provides notice that the BLM
California State Director intends to
prepare a management plan for the
MTNM, through an amendment to the
approved CDCA land use plan, which
will include an EA; announces the
beginning of the scoping process; seeks
public input on issues and planning
criteria; and invites the public to
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nominate ACECs. The land use plan
amendment would change the approved
CDCA plan as amended. In particular,
the BLM anticipates potential
amendments to decisions associated
with special designations, visual
resources, lands and realty, cultural
resources, and recreation. The planning
area is located in San Bernardino and
Riverside counties, California, and
encompasses approximately 1.6 million
acres of public land.
Purpose and Need
The MTNM Management Plan and
CDCA land use plan amendment
responds to the following overarching
requirements and guidance in
determining the management framework
necessary to protect the monument’s
resources, objects, and values.
FLPMA provides the basic
underpinnings for the BLM’s
management of public lands. Section
302 of FLPMA states that the BLM is to
manage public lands under the
principles of multiple-use and sustained
yield ‘‘except that where a tract of such
public land has been dedicated to
specific uses according to other
provisions of law, it shall be managed
in accordance with such law.’’ In
section 601 of FLPMA, Congress
designated the CDCA with the purpose
of ‘‘provid[ing] for the immediate and
future protection and administration of
the public lands in the California desert
within the framework of a program of
multiple use and sustained yield, and
the maintenance of environmental
quality.’’ The MTNM is located within
the boundaries of the CDCA.
The MTNM is a part of the National
Landscape Conservation System, which
was established by section 2002 of the
Omnibus Public Land Management Act
of 2009 ‘‘in order to conserve, protect,
and restore nationally significant
landscapes’’ and specifically includes
national monuments. This section also
directs the BLM to manage the lands in
the National Landscape Conservation
System ‘‘in a manner that protects the
values for which the components of the
system were designated.’’
In 2016, Presidential Proclamation
9395 established the MTNM. This
proclamation identified the resources,
objects, and values for protection. In
addition, this proclamation required the
BLM to prepare and maintain a
management plan for the monument.
The BLM needs to modify some of the
existing CDCA land use plan decisions
and make implementation-level
decisions for the MTNM.
The purpose of the MTNM Plan and
CDCA land use plan amendment is to
provide a management framework,
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including goals, objectives, and
management direction to guide
management of BLM administered lands
in the MTNM consistent with applicable
laws, regulations, and policy.
The purpose of this action is focused
on the protection of the MTNM to
preserve its cultural, prehistoric, and
historic legacy and maintain its diverse
array of natural and scientific resources,
ensuring that the prehistoric, historic,
and scientific values of the area remain
for the benefit of all Americans.
Purpose and need statements serve to
frame issue identification, alternative
development, and effects analyses for
the environmental document. The
following additional purposes and
desired outcomes are provided for in
Proclamation 9395 or have been
identified based on key present and/or
historical MTNM management
challenges. Associated challenges and
opportunities that the monument
management plan and land use plan
amendments will address are also
summarized.
1. Manage the National Monument’s
scarce springs and riparian areas in a
manner that provides refuge for a wide
variety of plants and animals.
Challenges and opportunities: There
are over 30 springs within the MTNM
that provide habitat for a variety of plant
and wildlife populations. In addition,
underlying groundwater resources
support both springs and riparian areas.
Groundwater pumping (as described in
Proclamation 9395), the spread of
invasive plants, and climate change all
have the potential to impact springs and
riparian areas. The BLM will establish
management guidance to manage
springs and riparian areas to meet the
express provisions of law and the
proclamation. Implementation-level
decisions and modifications to existing
land use plan-level decisions can help
provide management direction for these
springs and riparian areas.
2. Emphasize the MTNM as a
landscape for geological,
paleontological, hydrological, and
ecological research, including studies
on the effects of climate change and
land management practices on
ecological communities and wildlife.
The MTNM also provides opportunity
for further research on ecological
connectivity in the Mojave Desert
region.
Challenges and opportunities: The
MTNM provides invaluable resources to
scientists. The unique area contains a
stunning diversity of lava flows,
mountains, playas, sand dunes, bajadas,
washes, and other features that have
been extensively studied and provide
insight for numerous disciplines. The
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monument also provides opportunity
for further research on ecological
connectivity in the Mojave Desert
region, as it is among the most
ecologically intact areas in Southern
California. Scientific research plays a
crucial role in further understanding the
monument’s resources, objects, and
values and informing BLM management
decisions. The BLM needs to establish
implementation-level management
guidance to allow research to take place
while protecting the monument’s
resources, objects, and values, and
establishes a process for the BLM to
obtain research results and data
collected on the monument.
3. Properly care for and manage the
outstanding paleontological resources
for their protection.
Challenges and opportunities: The
fossil history in the MTNM has been
used to understand the climate history
of the Mojave Desert. Implementationlevel decisions and modifications to
existing land use plan-level decisions
should be made to support protection of
paleontological resources.
4. Protect the specific habitat types
found in the MTNM that support plant
and wildlife species.
Challenges and opportunities: Uses of
the monument include increasing
recreational activity, lands and realty
activities such as rights-of-ways, and
mineral use that can impact various
plant and wildlife communities and
habitats. Existing ACECs protect plants
and wildlife and their associated
habitat. Implementation-level decisions
and modifications to existing land use
plan-level decisions will allow the BLM
to manage and maintain the MTNM’s
diverse array of natural resources.
5. Protect the cultural, prehistoric,
and historic legacy of the MTNM.
Challenges and opportunities:
Recreational use, permitted activities,
and climate change have the potential to
impact the cultural, prehistoric, and
historic legacy of the Mojave Trails area.
The BLM will establish management
guidance to help inform the public and
protect the cultural, prehistoric, and
historic legacy of the Mojave Trails area.
Implementation-level decisions and
modifications to existing land use planlevel decisions will provide
management direction to protect and
preserve the cultural, prehistoric, and
historic legacy of the MTNM and ensure
that the prehistoric, historic, and
scientific values of this area remain
available for the benefit of all
Americans.
6. Provide for use of these public
lands while protecting and preserving
the area’s cultural, prehistoric, and
historic legacy, maintaining its diverse
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array of natural and scientific resources,
and ensuring that the prehistoric,
historic, and scientific values of this
area remain for the benefit of all
Americans.
Challenges and opportunities:
Recreational activities in the area
include hiking, camping, wildlife
viewing, motorized sight-seeing,
horseback riding, picnicking, mountain
biking, hunting, target shooting, and offhighway vehicle use. In addition, uses
of the monument also include rights-ofway and mineral activities associated
with valid existing rights pre-dating
designation of the monument.
Recreational use accounts for the
majority of visitation to the MTNM and
is an important land use in the area.
Implementation-level decisions and
modifications to existing land use planlevel decisions will consider how to
protect monument resources, objects,
and values when considering other uses
of monument lands.
Preliminary Alternatives
The BLM will be analyzing
alternatives that explore and evaluate
different ways of achieving the purpose
and need listed above through both
implementation-level decisions in the
new monument management plan and
modifications to existing land use planlevel decisions. The alternatives will
explore different management strategies
during this planning effort to
understand the trade-offs of different
land management approaches. The BLM
welcomes comments on all preliminary
alternatives as well as suggestions for
additional alternatives.
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Planning Criteria
The planning criteria guide the
planning effort and lay the groundwork
for effects analysis by identifying the
preliminary issues and their analytical
frameworks. Preliminary issues for the
planning area have been identified by
BLM personnel and from early
engagement conducted for this planning
effort with Federal, State, and local
agencies; Tribes; and stakeholders. The
BLM has identified preliminary issues
for this planning effort’s analysis and
will provide them for public review as
part of the planning criteria within the
timeframe identified in DATES above.
The planning criteria are available for
public review and comment at the
ePlanning website (see ADDRESSES).
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the
scoping period and public review of the
planning criteria, which guide the
development and analysis of the
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management plan, land use plan
amendment, and EA.
The BLM will hold four scoping
meetings, one virtually, and three in
person at the following locations: the
cities of Needles, Barstow, and
Twentynine Palms. The specific date(s)
and location(s) of these scoping
meetings will be announced at least 15
days in advance through local media,
newspapers, ePlanning project page, the
BLM website, and the BLM social
media.
Areas of Critical Environmental
Concern (ACECs)
The following 15 ACECs are currently
designated in the planning area: Afton
Canyon (9,194 acres; rare vegetation and
wildlife habitat relevant and important
values), Amboy Crater (639 acres; rare
vegetation and wildlife habitat relevant
and important values), Bigelow Cholla
Research Natural Area (5,801 acres;
wildlife, cultural, and scenic relevant
and important values), Bristol
Mountains (229,397 acres; scenic
values, cultural, and wildlife relevant
and important values), Cadiz Valley
(171,791 acres; rare vegetation/wildlife
habitat [old growth] relevant and
important values), Cady Mountains
(104,315 acres; rare vegetation relevant
and important values), Chemehuevi
(471,323 acres; rare vegetation/wildlife
habitat [old growth] relevant and
important values), Chuckwalla to
Chemehuevi Tortoise Linkage (34,777
acres; rare vegetation/wildlife habitat
[old growth] relevant and important
values), Marble Mountain (231 acres;
natural values [active and stabilized
sand dunes, wetlands and endangered
and BLM sensitive plants] relevant and
important values), Mesquite HillsCrucero (4,388 acres located within the
MTNM and 616 acres located outside
MTNM; slender Orcutt grass habitat,
cultural resources and wildlife relevant
and important values), Mojave fringetoed lizard (11,127 acres located within
MTNM and 1,278 acres located outside
MTNM; rare habitats, vegetation,
wildlife, and cultural resources relevant
and important values), Patton Military
Camps (14,064 acres located within
MTNM and 107 acres located outside
MTNM; cultural and historic resources
relevant and important values), Pisgah
Research Natural Area (20,990 acres;
cultural resources and wildlife and
plant assemblages relevant and
important values), Piute-Fenner (4,706
acres located within MTNM and
151,004 acres located outside MTNM;
desert tortoise habitat, vegetation and
sensitive botanicals, cultural and
historical resources relevant and
important values), and Santos Manuel
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29155
(800 acres located within MTNM and
26,750 acres located outside MTNM;
desert tortoise habitat, culturally
significant area relevant and important
values). Information about each existing
ACEC, including the size, relevant and
important values, and other helpful
information is available in the CDCA
Plan as amended by the Desert
Renewable Energy Conservation Plan
online at on the project’s website (see
ADDRESSES). The BLM will reevaluate
existing designated ACECs in the draft
land use plan amendment to determine
if relevant and important values still
exist and if special management
attention is still warranted and analyze
additional areas for consideration of
designation. No additional areas were
identified for consideration as ACECs
during preplanning and early
engagement. This notice invites the
public to nominate additional areas for
ACEC consideration within the
planning area. To assist the BLM in
evaluating nominations for
consideration in the draft land use plan
amendment, please provide supporting
descriptive materials, maps, and
evidence of the relevance and
importance of resources or hazards by
the close of the public comment period
to facilitate timely evaluation. The BLM
has identified the anticipated issues
related to the consideration of ACECs in
the planning criteria.
Interdisciplinary Team
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary
approach to develop the plan to
consider the variety of resource issues
and concerns identified. Specialists
with expertise in the following
disciplines will be involved in this
planning effort: rangeland management,
minerals and geology, outdoor
recreation, archaeology, paleontology,
wildlife and fisheries, lands and realty,
hydrology, soils, fire and fuels, visual
resources, sociology and economics,
climate, and air.
Additional Information
The BLM will identify, analyze, and
consider mitigation to address the
reasonably foreseeable impacts to
resources from the proposed monument
management plan and land use plan
amendment, and all analyzed
reasonable alternatives, and, in
accordance with 40 CFR 1502.14(e),
include appropriate mitigation measures
not already included in the proposed
management plan and land use plan
amendment, or alternatives. Mitigation
may include avoidance, minimization,
rectification, reduction or elimination
over time, and compensation; it may be
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considered at multiple scales, including
the landscape scale.
The BLM will utilize and coordinate
the NEPA and land use planning
processes for this planning effort to help
support compliance with applicable
procedural requirements under the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C.
1536) and section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C.
306108) as provided in 36 CFR
800.2(d)(3), including public
involvement requirements of section
106. The information about historic and
cultural resources and threatened and
endangered species within the area
potentially affected by the proposed
monument management plan and land
use plan amendment will assist the
BLM in identifying and evaluating
impacts to such resources.
The BLM will consult with Tribal
Nations on a government-to-government
basis in accordance with Executive
Order 13175, BLM MS 1780, and other
Departmental policies. Tribal concerns,
including impacts on Indian trust assets
and potential impacts to cultural
resources, will be given due
consideration. Federal, State, and local
agencies, along with Tribes and
stakeholders that may be interested in or
affected by the BLM’s proposed MTNM
Management Plan and CDCA land use
plan amendment are invited to
participate in the scoping process and,
if eligible, may request or be requested
by the BLM to participate in the
development of the environmental
analysis as a cooperating agency.
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 1501.9 and 43 CFR
1610.2.)
Karen E. Mouritsen,
BLM California State Director.
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[FR Doc. 2023–09619 Filed 5–4–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331–15–P
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–NPS0035779;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile
District, Mobile, AL
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
In accordance with the Native
American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile
District, has completed an inventory of
human remains and associated funerary
objects and has determined that there is
a cultural affiliation between the human
remains and associated funerary objects
and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations in this notice. The human
remains and associated funerary objects
were removed from Monroe County,
MS.
SUMMARY:
Repatriation of the human
remains and associated funerary objects
in this notice may occur on or after June
5, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Ms. Alexandria Smith, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile
District, 109 St. Joseph Street, P.O. Box
2288, Mobile, AL 36628–0001,
telephone (251) 690–2728, email
Alexandria.N.Smith@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice is published as part of the
National Park Service’s administrative
responsibilities under NAGPRA. The
determinations in this notice are the
sole responsibility of the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Mobile District. The
National Park Service is not responsible
for the determinations in this notice.
Additional information on the
determinations in this notice, including
the results of consultation, can be found
in the inventory or related records held
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Mobile District.
DATES:
Description
Human remains representing, at
minimum, three individuals were
removed from Monroe County, MS.
During the early phases of mitigation for
the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway,
multiple sites, including Sharpley
Bottoms (22MO656), were surveyed and
evaluated under the direction of Judith
A. Bense, and test excavations were
performed between December 1978 and
May 1979. No follow-up investigations
were completed. The age and sex of
these individuals is unidentified. The
14 associated funerary objects are nine
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lots consisting of lithics, one lot
consisting of clay, two lots consisting of
faunal remains, one soil sample, and
one ferrous sandstone.
Cultural Affiliation
The human remains and associated
funerary objects in this notice are
connected to one or more identifiable
earlier groups, tribes, peoples, or
cultures. There is a relationship of
shared group identity between the
identifiable earlier groups, tribes,
peoples, or cultures and one or more
Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations. The following types of
information were used to reasonably
trace the relationship: archeological,
geographical, historical, other relevant
information, and expert opinion.
Determinations
Pursuant to NAGPRA and its
implementing regulations, and after
consultation with the appropriate
Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian
organizations, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Mobile District has
determined that:
• The human remains described in
this notice represent the physical
remains of three individuals of Native
American ancestry.
• The 14 objects described in this
notice are reasonably believed to have
been placed with or near individual
human remains at the time of death or
later as part of the death rite or
ceremony.
• There is a relationship of shared
group identity that can be reasonably
traced between the human remains and
associated funerary objects described in
this notice and the Jena Band of
Choctaw Indians; Mississippi Band of
Choctaw Indians; The Chickasaw
Nation; and The Choctaw Nation of
Oklahoma.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the
human remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice must be sent to the
Responsible Official identified in
ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation
may be submitted by:
1. Any one or more of the Indian
Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations
identified in this notice.
2. Any lineal descendant, Indian
Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization
not identified in this notice who shows,
by a preponderance of the evidence, that
the requestor is a lineal descendant or
a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization.
Repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this
notice to a requestor may occur on or
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 87 (Friday, May 5, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29153-29156]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09619]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_CA_FRN_MO4500168353]
Notice of Intent To Amend the California Desert Conservation Area
Plan Associated With the Mojave Trails National Monument Management
Plan and Prepare an Associated Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
California State Director intends to prepare a management plan for the
Mojave Trails National Monument (MTNM), through an amendment to the
approved California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) land use plan, and
an environmental assessment (EA). By this notice, the BLM is announcing
the beginning of the scoping period to solicit public comments and
Identify issues, providing the planning criteria for public review, and
issuing a call for nominations for areas of critical environmental
concern (ACECs).
DATES: The BLM requests that the public submit comments concerning the
scope of the analysis, potential alternatives, and identification of
relevant information and studies, and ACEC nominations by June 20,
2023. To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider issues and ACEC
nominations raised by commenters in the draft land use plan amendment/
EA, please ensure your comments are received prior to the close of the
45-day scoping period or 15 days after the last public meeting,
whichever is later. Scoping meetings are expected to occur in late May
to early June 2023 in the cities of Needles, Barstow, and Twentynine
Palms. There will be one virtual meeting and three meetings in person.
All meetings will be announced though a new release.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria
related to the MTNM Management Plan and nominations of new ACECs by any
of the following methods:
Website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/admin/project/2022347/510.
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 760-326-7099.
Mail: 1303 S U.S. Hwy 95, Needles, CA 92363.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined online at
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/admin/project/2022347/510 and at
the Needles Field Office.
Addresses of meeting locations are not yet determined but one each
will be held in the:
City of Twentynine Palms, CA
City of Needles, CA
City of Barstow, CA
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Noelle Glines-Bovio, Mojave Trails
National Monument Manager, telephone (760) 903-8356; address: Mojave
Trails National Monument--Monument Plan Comments, Bureau of Land
Management, 1303 U.S.-95, Needles, California 95521-4373; email:
[email protected]. Contact Noelle Glines-Bovio to have your
name added to our mailing list. Individuals in the United States who
are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may
dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay
services for contacting Noelle Glines-Bovio. Individuals outside the
United States should use the relay services offered within their
country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the
United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM
California State Director intends to prepare a management plan for the
MTNM, through an amendment to the approved CDCA land use plan, which
will include an EA; announces the beginning of the scoping process;
seeks public input on issues and planning criteria; and invites the
public to
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nominate ACECs. The land use plan amendment would change the approved
CDCA plan as amended. In particular, the BLM anticipates potential
amendments to decisions associated with special designations, visual
resources, lands and realty, cultural resources, and recreation. The
planning area is located in San Bernardino and Riverside counties,
California, and encompasses approximately 1.6 million acres of public
land.
Purpose and Need
The MTNM Management Plan and CDCA land use plan amendment responds
to the following overarching requirements and guidance in determining
the management framework necessary to protect the monument's resources,
objects, and values.
FLPMA provides the basic underpinnings for the BLM's management of
public lands. Section 302 of FLPMA states that the BLM is to manage
public lands under the principles of multiple-use and sustained yield
``except that where a tract of such public land has been dedicated to
specific uses according to other provisions of law, it shall be managed
in accordance with such law.'' In section 601 of FLPMA, Congress
designated the CDCA with the purpose of ``provid[ing] for the immediate
and future protection and administration of the public lands in the
California desert within the framework of a program of multiple use and
sustained yield, and the maintenance of environmental quality.'' The
MTNM is located within the boundaries of the CDCA.
The MTNM is a part of the National Landscape Conservation System,
which was established by section 2002 of the Omnibus Public Land
Management Act of 2009 ``in order to conserve, protect, and restore
nationally significant landscapes'' and specifically includes national
monuments. This section also directs the BLM to manage the lands in the
National Landscape Conservation System ``in a manner that protects the
values for which the components of the system were designated.''
In 2016, Presidential Proclamation 9395 established the MTNM. This
proclamation identified the resources, objects, and values for
protection. In addition, this proclamation required the BLM to prepare
and maintain a management plan for the monument.
The BLM needs to modify some of the existing CDCA land use plan
decisions and make implementation-level decisions for the MTNM.
The purpose of the MTNM Plan and CDCA land use plan amendment is to
provide a management framework, including goals, objectives, and
management direction to guide management of BLM administered lands in
the MTNM consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and policy.
The purpose of this action is focused on the protection of the MTNM
to preserve its cultural, prehistoric, and historic legacy and maintain
its diverse array of natural and scientific resources, ensuring that
the prehistoric, historic, and scientific values of the area remain for
the benefit of all Americans.
Purpose and need statements serve to frame issue identification,
alternative development, and effects analyses for the environmental
document. The following additional purposes and desired outcomes are
provided for in Proclamation 9395 or have been identified based on key
present and/or historical MTNM management challenges. Associated
challenges and opportunities that the monument management plan and land
use plan amendments will address are also summarized.
1. Manage the National Monument's scarce springs and riparian areas
in a manner that provides refuge for a wide variety of plants and
animals.
Challenges and opportunities: There are over 30 springs within the
MTNM that provide habitat for a variety of plant and wildlife
populations. In addition, underlying groundwater resources support both
springs and riparian areas. Groundwater pumping (as described in
Proclamation 9395), the spread of invasive plants, and climate change
all have the potential to impact springs and riparian areas. The BLM
will establish management guidance to manage springs and riparian areas
to meet the express provisions of law and the proclamation.
Implementation-level decisions and modifications to existing land use
plan-level decisions can help provide management direction for these
springs and riparian areas.
2. Emphasize the MTNM as a landscape for geological,
paleontological, hydrological, and ecological research, including
studies on the effects of climate change and land management practices
on ecological communities and wildlife. The MTNM also provides
opportunity for further research on ecological connectivity in the
Mojave Desert region.
Challenges and opportunities: The MTNM provides invaluable
resources to scientists. The unique area contains a stunning diversity
of lava flows, mountains, playas, sand dunes, bajadas, washes, and
other features that have been extensively studied and provide insight
for numerous disciplines. The monument also provides opportunity for
further research on ecological connectivity in the Mojave Desert
region, as it is among the most ecologically intact areas in Southern
California. Scientific research plays a crucial role in further
understanding the monument's resources, objects, and values and
informing BLM management decisions. The BLM needs to establish
implementation-level management guidance to allow research to take
place while protecting the monument's resources, objects, and values,
and establishes a process for the BLM to obtain research results and
data collected on the monument.
3. Properly care for and manage the outstanding paleontological
resources for their protection.
Challenges and opportunities: The fossil history in the MTNM has
been used to understand the climate history of the Mojave Desert.
Implementation-level decisions and modifications to existing land use
plan-level decisions should be made to support protection of
paleontological resources.
4. Protect the specific habitat types found in the MTNM that
support plant and wildlife species.
Challenges and opportunities: Uses of the monument include
increasing recreational activity, lands and realty activities such as
rights-of-ways, and mineral use that can impact various plant and
wildlife communities and habitats. Existing ACECs protect plants and
wildlife and their associated habitat. Implementation-level decisions
and modifications to existing land use plan-level decisions will allow
the BLM to manage and maintain the MTNM's diverse array of natural
resources.
5. Protect the cultural, prehistoric, and historic legacy of the
MTNM.
Challenges and opportunities: Recreational use, permitted
activities, and climate change have the potential to impact the
cultural, prehistoric, and historic legacy of the Mojave Trails area.
The BLM will establish management guidance to help inform the public
and protect the cultural, prehistoric, and historic legacy of the
Mojave Trails area. Implementation-level decisions and modifications to
existing land use plan-level decisions will provide management
direction to protect and preserve the cultural, prehistoric, and
historic legacy of the MTNM and ensure that the prehistoric, historic,
and scientific values of this area remain available for the benefit of
all Americans.
6. Provide for use of these public lands while protecting and
preserving the area's cultural, prehistoric, and historic legacy,
maintaining its diverse
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array of natural and scientific resources, and ensuring that the
prehistoric, historic, and scientific values of this area remain for
the benefit of all Americans.
Challenges and opportunities: Recreational activities in the area
include hiking, camping, wildlife viewing, motorized sight-seeing,
horseback riding, picnicking, mountain biking, hunting, target
shooting, and off-highway vehicle use. In addition, uses of the
monument also include rights-of-way and mineral activities associated
with valid existing rights pre-dating designation of the monument.
Recreational use accounts for the majority of visitation to the MTNM
and is an important land use in the area. Implementation-level
decisions and modifications to existing land use plan-level decisions
will consider how to protect monument resources, objects, and values
when considering other uses of monument lands.
Preliminary Alternatives
The BLM will be analyzing alternatives that explore and evaluate
different ways of achieving the purpose and need listed above through
both implementation-level decisions in the new monument management plan
and modifications to existing land use plan-level decisions. The
alternatives will explore different management strategies during this
planning effort to understand the trade-offs of different land
management approaches. The BLM welcomes comments on all preliminary
alternatives as well as suggestions for additional alternatives.
Planning Criteria
The planning criteria guide the planning effort and lay the
groundwork for effects analysis by identifying the preliminary issues
and their analytical frameworks. Preliminary issues for the planning
area have been identified by BLM personnel and from early engagement
conducted for this planning effort with Federal, State, and local
agencies; Tribes; and stakeholders. The BLM has identified preliminary
issues for this planning effort's analysis and will provide them for
public review as part of the planning criteria within the timeframe
identified in DATES above. The planning criteria are available for
public review and comment at the ePlanning website (see ADDRESSES).
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping period and public
review of the planning criteria, which guide the development and
analysis of the management plan, land use plan amendment, and EA.
The BLM will hold four scoping meetings, one virtually, and three
in person at the following locations: the cities of Needles, Barstow,
and Twentynine Palms. The specific date(s) and location(s) of these
scoping meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through
local media, newspapers, ePlanning project page, the BLM website, and
the BLM social media.
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs)
The following 15 ACECs are currently designated in the planning
area: Afton Canyon (9,194 acres; rare vegetation and wildlife habitat
relevant and important values), Amboy Crater (639 acres; rare
vegetation and wildlife habitat relevant and important values), Bigelow
Cholla Research Natural Area (5,801 acres; wildlife, cultural, and
scenic relevant and important values), Bristol Mountains (229,397
acres; scenic values, cultural, and wildlife relevant and important
values), Cadiz Valley (171,791 acres; rare vegetation/wildlife habitat
[old growth] relevant and important values), Cady Mountains (104,315
acres; rare vegetation relevant and important values), Chemehuevi
(471,323 acres; rare vegetation/wildlife habitat [old growth] relevant
and important values), Chuckwalla to Chemehuevi Tortoise Linkage
(34,777 acres; rare vegetation/wildlife habitat [old growth] relevant
and important values), Marble Mountain (231 acres; natural values
[active and stabilized sand dunes, wetlands and endangered and BLM
sensitive plants] relevant and important values), Mesquite Hills-
Crucero (4,388 acres located within the MTNM and 616 acres located
outside MTNM; slender Orcutt grass habitat, cultural resources and
wildlife relevant and important values), Mojave fringe-toed lizard
(11,127 acres located within MTNM and 1,278 acres located outside MTNM;
rare habitats, vegetation, wildlife, and cultural resources relevant
and important values), Patton Military Camps (14,064 acres located
within MTNM and 107 acres located outside MTNM; cultural and historic
resources relevant and important values), Pisgah Research Natural Area
(20,990 acres; cultural resources and wildlife and plant assemblages
relevant and important values), Piute-Fenner (4,706 acres located
within MTNM and 151,004 acres located outside MTNM; desert tortoise
habitat, vegetation and sensitive botanicals, cultural and historical
resources relevant and important values), and Santos Manuel (800 acres
located within MTNM and 26,750 acres located outside MTNM; desert
tortoise habitat, culturally significant area relevant and important
values). Information about each existing ACEC, including the size,
relevant and important values, and other helpful information is
available in the CDCA Plan as amended by the Desert Renewable Energy
Conservation Plan online at on the project's website (see ADDRESSES).
The BLM will reevaluate existing designated ACECs in the draft land use
plan amendment to determine if relevant and important values still
exist and if special management attention is still warranted and
analyze additional areas for consideration of designation. No
additional areas were identified for consideration as ACECs during
preplanning and early engagement. This notice invites the public to
nominate additional areas for ACEC consideration within the planning
area. To assist the BLM in evaluating nominations for consideration in
the draft land use plan amendment, please provide supporting
descriptive materials, maps, and evidence of the relevance and
importance of resources or hazards by the close of the public comment
period to facilitate timely evaluation. The BLM has identified the
anticipated issues related to the consideration of ACECs in the
planning criteria.
Interdisciplinary Team
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan
to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns identified.
Specialists with expertise in the following disciplines will be
involved in this planning effort: rangeland management, minerals and
geology, outdoor recreation, archaeology, paleontology, wildlife and
fisheries, lands and realty, hydrology, soils, fire and fuels, visual
resources, sociology and economics, climate, and air.
Additional Information
The BLM will identify, analyze, and consider mitigation to address
the reasonably foreseeable impacts to resources from the proposed
monument management plan and land use plan amendment, and all analyzed
reasonable alternatives, and, in accordance with 40 CFR 1502.14(e),
include appropriate mitigation measures not already included in the
proposed management plan and land use plan amendment, or alternatives.
Mitigation may include avoidance, minimization, rectification,
reduction or elimination over time, and compensation; it may be
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considered at multiple scales, including the landscape scale.
The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA and land use planning
processes for this planning effort to help support compliance with
applicable procedural requirements under the Endangered Species Act (16
U.S.C. 1536) and section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(54 U.S.C. 306108) as provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), including public
involvement requirements of section 106. The information about historic
and cultural resources and threatened and endangered species within the
area potentially affected by the proposed monument management plan and
land use plan amendment will assist the BLM in identifying and
evaluating impacts to such resources.
The BLM will consult with Tribal Nations on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175, BLM MS 1780,
and other Departmental policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts on
Indian trust assets and potential impacts to cultural resources, will
be given due consideration. Federal, State, and local agencies, along
with Tribes and stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by
the BLM's proposed MTNM Management Plan and CDCA land use plan
amendment are invited to participate in the scoping process and, if
eligible, may request or be requested by the BLM to participate in the
development of the environmental analysis as a cooperating agency.
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 1501.9 and 43 CFR 1610.2.)
Karen E. Mouritsen,
BLM California State Director.
[FR Doc. 2023-09619 Filed 5-4-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-15-P