[Federal Register: September 17, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 180)]
[Notices]
[Page 54487-54488]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17se03-100]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NV-025-1610-DQ-020F]
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement / Proposed Resource Management Plan, Black Rock Desert-High
Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, NV
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement/Proposed Resource Management Plan (FEIS/PRMP), Black Rock
Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, a FEIS/
PRMP has been prepared for the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon
Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area Planning Area, Nevada.
DATES: BLM Planning Regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any person
who participated in the planning process, and has an interest that may
be adversely affected, may protest. The protest must be filed within 30
days of the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
this notice in the Federal Register. Instructions for filing of
protests are described in the front cover of the FEIS/PRMP and included
in the Supplementary Information section of this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David C. Cooper, NCA Manager, BLM
Winnemucca Field Office, 5100 East Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV
89445-2921, (775) 623-1500.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon
Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area Act of 2000 [Pub. L. 106-
554] (the Act) gave special designation to 1.2 million acres of public
lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in northwestern
Nevada, collectively known as ``Black Rock-High Rock.'' The Act
designated 815,000 acres as a National Conservation Area (NCA) and
752,000 acres as 10 Wilderness Areas (378,000 of the Wilderness acres
overlap the NCA). The NCA and associated Wilderness Areas were created
specifically to protect one of the last nationally significant segments
of the historic emigrant trails used by pioneers to travel from the
eastern United States to Oregon and California, and a landscape largely
unchanged since the mid-1800s. Black Rock-High Rock contains an array
of unique historic, cultural, educational, wildlife, riparian, and
wilderness resources, threatened species, and recreational values. The
Act also identified wilderness, grazing, and special recreation permit
events as valuable existing land uses that are expected to continue.
Designating Black Rock-High Rock as an NCA and Wilderness Areas
placed new emphasis and requirements on resource uses in the area. The
FEIS/PRMP has been developed to address these changes. This FEIS/PRMP
does not evaluate the designation of the NCA and Wilderness Areas, but
rather develops several resource management alternatives that fully
comply with the NCA Act and the Wilderness Act and other applicable
laws, regulations and policies. The FEIS/PRMP analyzes the
environmental consequences associated with implementation of each
alternative. Additionally, approximately 15,000 acres in the south
playa, 16,000 acres in the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT) Area, and
3,000 acres included in wilderness access and boundary roads and road
corridors located outside the NCA that are not included in the
designation are evaluated in the FEIS/PRMP due to their being
contiguous lands with similar planning issues. These designated and
adjacent areas, totaling approximately 1,221,000 acres of public lands,
are referred to as the planning area.
In addition to other existing laws, regulations and policies, the
NCA Act and the Wilderness Act govern land and resource use decisions
in 97.4% of the planning area. As a result, the range of alternatives
presented in the FEIS/PRMP and the impacts anticipated from their
implementation are more constrained than is typical of BLM management
plans.
Consultation, cooperation and communication in the service of
conservation have guided the Black Rock-High Rock planning process from
its inception. Accordingly, extensive public involvement provided the
foundation upon which the FEIS and PRMP were constructed. The FEIS/PRMP
was developed through a collaborative planning process involving two
BLM State Offices and two BLM Field Offices, other federal agencies,
the State of Nevada Black Rock Planning Team (which assured that State
interests, laws and plans were fully considered throughout the planning
process), area Tribal Government representatives, representatives of
the local communities of Cedarville, California and Empire-Gerlach,
Nevada, Modoc County, California, Humboldt County, Nevada, Pershing
County, Nevada, and many diverse interests represented on two Resource
Advisory Councils (RACs) and a RAC NCA Subgroup formed specifically to
participate with BLM in the planning process. Government-to-government
consultations were conducted with six Native American Indian Tribal
Governments. Four series of public meetings were held in Nevada and
California that involved the public in the planning process to the
greatest extent possible. Five Black Rock-High Rock planning bulletins
were mailed to over 1200 interested parties, and periodic news releases
were issued announcing important steps in the planning process. In
addition, a planning Web site (http://www.BlackRockHighRock.org/) keeps
interested members of the public informed and involved. A total of 74
meetings involving participation of other federal agencies, State and
Tribal representatives, and interested publics were conducted in Nevada
and California.
Copies of the FEIS/PRMP have been sent to affected federal, State
and local government agencies, Tribal governments, and to interested
parties. Copies of the FEIS/PRMP are available for public inspection at
the Web site http://www.BlackRockHighRock.org/, at the BLM-Nevada
Winnemucca Field Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV, and
at the following repositories: U of Nevada-Reno Getchell Library, Reno
NV; Humboldt County Library, Winnemucca NV; BLM-Nevada Carson City
Field Office, Carson City NV; BLM-Nevada State Office, Reno NV; Public
Library, Gerlach NV; Public Library, Reno NV; Pershing County Public
Library, Lovelock NV; Lyon County Library, Dayton NV; Lyon County
Library, Fernley NV; BLM-California Surprise Field Office, Cedarville
CA; Modoc County Library, Cedarville CA; Modoc County Library, Alturas
CA; BLM-California State Office, Sacramento CA; and BLM-California
Eagle Lake Field Office, Susanville CA. Persons who are not able to
inspect the FEIS/PRMP either on-line or at these locations may request
one of a limited
[[Page 54488]]
number of printed copies or compact discs (CDs) by contacting the NCA
Planning Staff at the Winnemucca Field Office by e-mail to
wfoweb@nv.blm.gov, by telephone to (775) 623-1500, or by fax to (775)
623-1503. Requests should be directed to the NCA Planning Staff,
clearly state that it is a request for a printed copy or CD of the
Black Rock-High Rock FEIS/PRMP, and include the name, mailing address
and phone number of the requesting party. Comments on the Draft RMP/EIS
received from the public and internal BLM review comments were
incorporated into the proposed plan. Public comments resulted in the
addition of clarifying text and creation of a new alternative, the
Proposed RMP, to resolve concerns expressed, but did not significantly
change proposed land use decisions. Instructions for filing a protest
with the Director of the BLM regarding the Proposed Plan/Final EIS may
be found at 43 CFR 1610.5. A protest may only raise those issues which
were submitted for the record during the planning process. E-mail and
faxed protests will not be accepted as valid protests unless the
protesting party also provides the original letter by either regular or
overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest period. Under
these conditions, BLM will consider the e-mail or faxed protest as an
advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If you wish to
provide BLM with such advance notification, please direct faxed
protests to the attention of the BLM protest coordinator at 202-452-
5112, and e-mails to Brenda_Hudgens-Williams@blm.gov. Please direct the follow-up letter to the appropriate address
provided below. The protest must contain:
a. The name, mailing address, telephone number, and interest of the
person filing the protest.
b. A statement of the part or parts of the plan and the issue or
issues being protested.
c. A copy of all documents addressing the issue(s) that the
protesting party submitted during the planning process or a statement
of the date they were discussed for the record.
d. A concise statement explaining why the protestor believes the
State Directors' decision is wrong.
All protests must be in writing and mailed to the following
address:
Regular Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, PO Box
66538, Washington, DC 20035.
Overnight Mail: Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, 1620 L
Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036.
The Director will promptly render a decision on the protest. The
decision will be in writing and will be sent to the protesting party by
certified mail, return receipt requested. The decision of the Director
shall be the final decision of the Department of the Interior.
Dated: August 15, 2003.
Terry A. Reed,
Field Manager, Winnemucca Field Office, Bureau of Land Management.
[FR Doc. 03-23763 Filed 9-16-03; 8:45 am]