Caliente Resource Management Plan Revison
The Bureau of Land Management is currently revising the Caliente Resource Management Plan (RMP). The Caliente RMP provides the management direction for most of the public lands managed by the Bakersfield Field Office.
The Caliente RMP was completed in 1997. It identified goals, objectives, and management direction for nearly 600,000 acres of public land. Some of the uses and resources addressed in the plan included:
- Oil & Gas Leasing & Development
- Alternative Energy Development
- Cultural Resource Management & Protection
- Fire Management
- Land Disposals
- Livestock Grazing
- Recreation Use
- Special Area Designations
- Threatened & Endangered Species Management
The RMP is being revised to address several new concerns. The primary consideration is the need to properly evaluate the impacts of increased oil and gas activity on public lands. Other factors include the need to more clearly address the management of newly acquired lands, including the Piedras Blancas Light Station, the Buena Vista Hills Oilfield (formerly known as Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 2), and Atwell Island; the need to provide updated management direction for Madera and eastern Fresno counties, and to address growing recreation demands.
Development of the RMP offers both the BLM and the public an opportunity to re-examine the vision and management prescriptions for these public lands. Public input opportunities and major documents developed during the RMP process will be announced through a variety of means including Federal Register Notices and News Releases, and in the public comment opportunities section of this web page.
Federal Register Notices & News Releases
Notice of Intent to Prepare a Resource Management Plan
BLM Bakersfield Field Office Announces Planning Meetings, March 14, 2008
Public Comment Opportunities
The management of public lands increasingly requires a partnership between all responsible and interested parties. Organizations provide valuable assistance to the Bureau, often providing expertise, funding, and an on-the-ground presence. But it is the individual members of the public who are often most knowledgeable about resources in a given area, the problems or opportunities that may exist there, and how management can be improved. Whatever your interest, we ask for your help in making the best possible decisions to manage your public lands!
Public involvement opportunities include:
-- Scoping Period (March 4 – May 5, 2008) The first phase of the public involvement process, called “scoping,” is designed to help identify the topics the public feels are most important. The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis and EIS alternatives. These issues also guide the planning process. The proposed planning criteria may also be modified based upon public comments.
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. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, are available for public inspection in their entirety. The minutes and list of attendees for each scoping meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days after the meeting to any participant who wishes to clarify the views he or she expressed.
You may participate in the scoping process in one of two ways:
1. Attend one of the public scoping meetings:
April 8, BLM Bakersfield Field Office, 3801 Pegasus Drive, 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
April 9, Taft School District, 820 N. 6th St., 6-8 p.m.
April 10, Lake Isabella Moose Lodge, 6732 Lake Isabella Blvd., 6-8 p.m.
April 15, Fresno Library, 2420 Mariposa St. 6-8 p.m.
April 17, Three Rivers Memorial Building, 43490 Sierra Drive, 6-8 p.m.
April 22, San Luis Obispo, Ludwick Community Center, 864 Santa Rosa St., 6-8 p.m.
2. Provide written comments. You may submit your comments in writing, by either sending an email to cacalrmp@ca.blm.gov, or by sending a letter to:
Caliente RMP Revision
Bureau of Land Management
3801 Pegasus Drive
Bakersfield, CA 93308
Comments should be sent no later than May 5th, 2008 for us to have time to include them.
-- Draft Resource Management Plan The BLM will develop a draft plan and environmental impact statement that addresses area management issues and opportunities, and incorporates public scoping input. This document will be available for public review in late 2009. The draft plan will address several management alternatives. A second set of public meetings will be held once the draft management plan and environmental impact statement are released to the public.
-- If you have questions, contact us by phone or via email anytime during the process: cacalrmp@ca.blm.gov 661-391-6022.
Planning Criteria
The BLM developed preliminary planning criteria that will serve as sideboards & ground-rules in the revision of the plan, and in the selection of a preferred alternative. When all other factors are equal, management options that better meet the criteria will be selected over other options to form the preferred alternative. These preliminary planning criteria are open to public comment and additions and changes can be made during the scoping process.
- The plan will establish new guidance and identify existing guidance upon which the BLM will rely in managing public lands within the Bakersfield Field Office.
- The plan will be completed in compliance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and all other applicable laws.
- The planning process will include an environmental impact statement that will comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) standards.
- The RMP/EIS will incorporate by reference the Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management.
- The RMP/EIS will incorporate by reference all prior wilderness designations and wilderness study area findings that affect public lands in the planning area.
- The plan will provide determinations as required by special program and resource specific guidance detailed in Appendix C of the BLM’s Planning Handbook.
- Decisions in the plan will strive to be compatible with the existing plans and policies of adjacent local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies as long as the decisions are in conformance with Bureau policies on management of public lands.
- The scope of analysis will be consistent with the level of analysis in approved plans and in accordance with Bureau-wide standards and program guidance.
- Resource allocations must be reasonable and achievable within available technological and budgetary constraints.
- The lifestyles and concerns of area residents will be recognized in the plan.
- All lands within the California Coastal National Monument and the Carrizo Plain National Monument—both of which will be covered under separate resource management plans—will be dropped from the revised Caliente Resource Management Plan.
- Decisions and management actions within the existing plan will be evaluated; those that are determined to still be valid will be carried forward into this revised RMP.
Planning Documents
Links to the following documents will be updated as they are completed.
| Document | Link to Document |
| Scoping Report | |
| Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement | |
| Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement | |
| Final Resource Management Plan and Decision Record | |
Project Timeline
The following timeline has been estimated for revision of the Caliente Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. All dates are tentative (except for the scoping period).
| Date | Action |
| 3/4/2008 – 5/5/2008 | Scoping Period |
| 7/15/2008 | Tentative schedule for completion of scoping report. |
| 8/2008 – 10/2008 | Planning team develops alternatives. |
| 1/2009 - 4/2009 | Impact analysis and development of the Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. |
| 10/2009 - 12/2009 | Public comment period on Draft RMP/EIS. This will include public briefings and a written comment period. |
| 1/2010 - 8/2010 | Planning team analyzes comments and develops proposed RMP and Final EIS. |
| 9/2010 | Proposed RMP/Final EIS published. |
| 1/2011 | Record of Decision signed, RMP implementation begins |
Contact Us:
Caliente RMP Revision
Bureau of Land Management
3801 Pegasus Drive
Bakersfield, CA 93308
(661) 391.6022
email: cacalrmp@ca.blm.gov
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