Department of the Interior August 17, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for lease under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act, as amended, approximately 0.9 acre of public land in Granite County, Montana. The Valley Fire District, Philipsburg, Montana, proposes to use the land as a fire station.

A 40-acre parcel of public land in Archuleta County, Colorado, is being considered for direct sale to Archuleta County under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) at no less than the appraised fair market value.

Two parcels of public land totaling 118.82 acres in Mohave County, Arizona are being considered for competitive sale under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), at no less than the appraised fair market value.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, and the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act (Steens Act) of 2000, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze potential effects of implementing the North Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project (North Steens Project). The proposed project area lies within the Andrews Management Unit (AMU) and the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA), designated October 30, 2000 by Act of Congress. The North Steens Project is located in Harney County, Oregon, and affects approximately 336,000 acres of public and private lands.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arizona Resource Advisory Council (RAC), will meet on September 6, 2007, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the BLM National Training Center located at 9828 North 31st Avenue in Phoenix from 8 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 p.m. Morning agenda items include: Review of the June 8, 2007, meeting minutes for RAC and Recreation Resource Advisory Council (RRAC) business; BLM State Director's update on statewide issues; presentations on: the BLM wilderness program in Arizona, how recreation benefits communities, and Arizona water rights; RAC questions on BLM Field Managers Rangeland Resource Team proposals; and, reports by RAC working groups. A public comment period will be provided at 11:30 a.m. on September 6, 2007, for any interested publics who wish to address the Council on BLM programs and business. Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the RAC has been designated the RRAC, and has the authority to review all BLM and Forest Service (FS) recreation fee proposals in Arizona. The afternoon meeting agenda on September 6 will include discussion and review of the Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) Working Group Report, the Fiscal Year 2008 (Tentative) quarterly schedule for BLM and FS recreation fee proposals, and one FS fee proposal in Arizona: (1) Upper Salt River Canyon Wilderness Private River Permit System(Tonto National Forest). The Forest Service is considering a change for the Private Permit Fees for running the Upper Salt River through the Salt River Canyon Wilderness from March 1 to May 15 each year. The application fee of $10 will remain the same. The permit fee is proposed from the current $75 to a fee of $125. The purpose of the proposed fee increase is to help better cover the cost of managing the river program for the Upper Salt River Canyon Wilderness. The proposed fees are in line with those charged by other Forest Service and Federal Government agencies for similar river permits in the western United States. Following the FS proposals, the RRAC will open the meeting to public comments on the fee proposal. After completing their RRAC business, the BLM RAC will reconvene to provide recommendations to the RAC Designated Federal Official on the fee proposal and discuss future RAC meetings and locations.

Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a General Management Plan (GMP) amendment for Petrified Forest National Park. The park is currently managed under a GMP that was completed in 1993. This plan describes a proposed boundary expansion for the park of approximately 93,000 acres. However, the 1993 GMP does not prescribe management for the proposed expansion lands. The GMP was revised in 2004 to address specific aspects of the park's management; this GMP Revision also does not address management activities for proposed expansion lands. Public Law 108-430 was passed by congress and signed by the President in December 2004. This Act expanded Petrified Forest National Park boundaries by approximately 125,000 acres, and directed the NPS to prepare a management plan for the new park lands within three years. Planning for the new lands is the focus of this GMP amendment and its associated EIS. The GMP amendment will establish the overall direction for park expansion lands, setting broad management goals for the area for the next 15 to 20 years. Among the topics that will be addressed are protection of natural and cultural resources, protection of riparian resources, appropriate range of visitor uses, impacts of visitor uses, adequacy of park infrastructure, visitor access to the park expansion area, education and interpretive efforts, and external pressures on the park. Management zones that were established in the current GMP will be applied to expansion lands. These zones outline the kinds of resource management activities, visitor activities, and developments that would be appropriate in the expansion lands. A range of reasonable alternatives for managing the park, including a no-action alternative and a preferred alternative, will be developed through the planning process and included in the EIS. The EIS will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the alternatives. As the first phase of the planning and EIS process, the National Park Service is beginning to scope the issues to be addressed in the GMP amendment. All interested persons, organizations, and agencies are encouraged to submit comments and suggestions regarding the issues or concerns the GMP amendment should address, including a suitable range of alternatives and appropriate mitigating measures, and the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts.