landusepbb
05-30-2002, 07:29 AM
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CA-650-01-1220-JG-064B]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Amendment to the
California Desert
Conservation Area Plan and Environmental Impact
Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an amendment to
the California
Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement
(EIS) for Surprise Canyon in Panamint Mountains, Inyo
County, CA.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.2(c), notice is
hereby given that the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to amend the
CDCA Plan (1980
as amended). The proposed amendment will establish or
revise trail
designations for off-road vehicles within the Surprise
Canyon Area of
Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). The authority
to designate is in
accordance with 43 CFR 8342. The proposals will
pertain to public lands
addressed by the California Desert Conservation Area
Plan in Inyo
County that lie east of Highway 178 and approximately
23 miles north of
the community of Trona. The proposed plan amendment
will include an EIS
in accordance with the National Environmental Policy
Act and CFR
1610.5-5.
The EIS will evaluate a full range of alternative
means of access
into the Surprise Canyon ACEC. During the 30 days
scoping period, the
public can assist the BLM in developing the range of
alternatives that
will be addressed.
DATES: The public is invited to submit comments on the
scope of the
plan amendment and EIS. Written comments will be
accepted for 30 days
from the publication date of this notice in the
Federal Register. The
specific date, time, and location of public scoping
meetings will be
announced by the Ridgecrest Field Office.
ADDRESSES: Scoping comments in response to this notice
should be sent
to Hector Villalobos, Field Manager, Bureau of Land
Management, 300
South Richmond Road, Ridgecrest CA 93555, (760)
384-5405. Comments,
including names and addresses of respondents, will be
available for
public review at the Ridgecrest Field Office during
normal working
hours (7:45 AM to 4:30 PM, except holidays), and may
be published as
part of the EIS or other related documents.
Individuals may request
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or
address from
public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of
Information Act,
you must state this promptly at the beginning of you
comment. Such
requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law.
All submissions
from organizations or businesses will be made
available for public
inspection in their entirety.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffery Aardahl,
Bureau of Land
Management, Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 South
Richmond Road,
Ridgecrest CA 93555, (760) 384-5420.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 29, 2001, BLM
implemented an interim
closure to all motorized vehicles on Route P71 in the
Surprise Canyon
Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The closure
will remain in
effect until the plan amendment is approved and
implemented.
The following are preliminary issues identified:
(1) The canyon
area currently does not meet the BLM's minimum
standards for a properly
functioning riparian system due to soil erosion and
streambed
alternations caused by motorized vehicle use; (2)
several federal and
state sensitive plant and animal species that inhabit
the area are
being affected; and (3) value of the canyon area for
recreation,
including use of motorized vehicles.
The preliminary planning criteria include: (1) The
CDCA amendment
will be consistent with officially approved resource
related plans,
policies and programs of other Federal agencies, State
and local
governments, and Indian Tribes; (2) the amendment
process and ORV trail
designations shall be conducted in compliance with the
Federal Land
Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), planning
regulations (43 CFR
1600), ORV trail designation regulations (43 CFR
8340), BLM manual
guidance, and all applicable Federal laws affecting
BLM land use
decisions and ORV designations; (3) the planning
process shall include
an EIS with a biological evaluation prepared in
compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the
President's
Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40
CFR 1500), and
BLM guidance.
The public is invited to submit written
information to the BLM that
will be used to identify issues, concerns and
opportunities related to
various alternative means of access in the Surprise
Canyon ACEC. Those
members of the public who simply want to be placed on
the mailing list
for this project can make such a request in writing.
All such
information and requests should be submitted in
writing to: Field
Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Ridgecrest Field
Office, 300 S.
Richmond Rd., Ridgecrest, CA 93555, Attn: Resources
Management Branch
Chief.
Digital electronic photos and maps of the Surprise
Canyon area can
be found at: http://www.ca.blm.gov/ridgecrest.
Dated: April 12, 2002.
Alan Stein,
Acting California Desert District Manager.
[FR Doc. 02-13571 Filed 5-29-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P
Bureau of Land Management
[CA-650-01-1220-JG-064B]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Amendment to the
California Desert
Conservation Area Plan and Environmental Impact
Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an amendment to
the California
Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement
(EIS) for Surprise Canyon in Panamint Mountains, Inyo
County, CA.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to 43 CFR 1610.2(c), notice is
hereby given that the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to amend the
CDCA Plan (1980
as amended). The proposed amendment will establish or
revise trail
designations for off-road vehicles within the Surprise
Canyon Area of
Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). The authority
to designate is in
accordance with 43 CFR 8342. The proposals will
pertain to public lands
addressed by the California Desert Conservation Area
Plan in Inyo
County that lie east of Highway 178 and approximately
23 miles north of
the community of Trona. The proposed plan amendment
will include an EIS
in accordance with the National Environmental Policy
Act and CFR
1610.5-5.
The EIS will evaluate a full range of alternative
means of access
into the Surprise Canyon ACEC. During the 30 days
scoping period, the
public can assist the BLM in developing the range of
alternatives that
will be addressed.
DATES: The public is invited to submit comments on the
scope of the
plan amendment and EIS. Written comments will be
accepted for 30 days
from the publication date of this notice in the
Federal Register. The
specific date, time, and location of public scoping
meetings will be
announced by the Ridgecrest Field Office.
ADDRESSES: Scoping comments in response to this notice
should be sent
to Hector Villalobos, Field Manager, Bureau of Land
Management, 300
South Richmond Road, Ridgecrest CA 93555, (760)
384-5405. Comments,
including names and addresses of respondents, will be
available for
public review at the Ridgecrest Field Office during
normal working
hours (7:45 AM to 4:30 PM, except holidays), and may
be published as
part of the EIS or other related documents.
Individuals may request
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or
address from
public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of
Information Act,
you must state this promptly at the beginning of you
comment. Such
requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law.
All submissions
from organizations or businesses will be made
available for public
inspection in their entirety.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffery Aardahl,
Bureau of Land
Management, Ridgecrest Field Office, 300 South
Richmond Road,
Ridgecrest CA 93555, (760) 384-5420.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 29, 2001, BLM
implemented an interim
closure to all motorized vehicles on Route P71 in the
Surprise Canyon
Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The closure
will remain in
effect until the plan amendment is approved and
implemented.
The following are preliminary issues identified:
(1) The canyon
area currently does not meet the BLM's minimum
standards for a properly
functioning riparian system due to soil erosion and
streambed
alternations caused by motorized vehicle use; (2)
several federal and
state sensitive plant and animal species that inhabit
the area are
being affected; and (3) value of the canyon area for
recreation,
including use of motorized vehicles.
The preliminary planning criteria include: (1) The
CDCA amendment
will be consistent with officially approved resource
related plans,
policies and programs of other Federal agencies, State
and local
governments, and Indian Tribes; (2) the amendment
process and ORV trail
designations shall be conducted in compliance with the
Federal Land
Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), planning
regulations (43 CFR
1600), ORV trail designation regulations (43 CFR
8340), BLM manual
guidance, and all applicable Federal laws affecting
BLM land use
decisions and ORV designations; (3) the planning
process shall include
an EIS with a biological evaluation prepared in
compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the
President's
Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40
CFR 1500), and
BLM guidance.
The public is invited to submit written
information to the BLM that
will be used to identify issues, concerns and
opportunities related to
various alternative means of access in the Surprise
Canyon ACEC. Those
members of the public who simply want to be placed on
the mailing list
for this project can make such a request in writing.
All such
information and requests should be submitted in
writing to: Field
Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Ridgecrest Field
Office, 300 S.
Richmond Rd., Ridgecrest, CA 93555, Attn: Resources
Management Branch
Chief.
Digital electronic photos and maps of the Surprise
Canyon area can
be found at: http://www.ca.blm.gov/ridgecrest.
Dated: April 12, 2002.
Alan Stein,
Acting California Desert District Manager.
[FR Doc. 02-13571 Filed 5-29-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P