Land Management Bureau July 3, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document provides notice that the BLM intends to prepare an amendment to the Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan for the Prineville District, Deschutes Resource Area and an associated Environmental Assessment (EA). The proposed amendment would reclassify some lands designated for BLM retention and management (Z-1) in the existing Resource Management Plan (RMP) as suitable for disposal (Z-3). The BLM is also providing notice of the proposed classification of these same lands under Section 7 of the Taylor Grazing Act as suitable for disposal. These classifications are required to allow consideration of transfer of these lands to the State of Oregon (``the State'') under the State Indemnity Selection process. When Oregon was admitted into the Union in 1859, the Federal government granted sections 16 and 36 within every township to the State for support of public schools. However, if the Federal government had already disposed of these specific sections or reserved them for some other purpose, the State is allowed to select other public lands ``in-lieu'' of the unavailable sections. To date the State has received approximately 3,000 of the 5,202 acres owed. The State of Oregon Department of State Lands has selected parcels with potential to produce income for the Common School Fund through subsequent development of the lands. The planning area is located in Deschutes County, Oregon and is described as follows: