Bighorn Basin RMP Revision

Wind River/Bighorn Basin District

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What's New Scoping Report & Appendices Summary of the AMS - 676pgs, 9.77mb Recreation & Travel Mgmt. Report Site Links Cooperating Agencies Document Library - updated 04/07/09 Scoping Information Planning Area Map

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) on October 17, 2008 to prepare the Bighorn Basin (BB) Resource Management Plan (RMP) Revision and associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The BB RMP Revision Project is a combined effort revising RMPs for both the BLM Cody and BLM Worland Field Offices. Public lands within the field offices are currently managed according to three RMPs: the Washakie RMP (1988) and Grass Creek RMP (1998) for the Worland Field Office; and the Cody RMP (1990). The field offices will produce a single RMP and EIS encompassing both field offices that will be called the Bighorn Basin RMP Project. Each field office will issue its own Record of Decision for its jurisdictional area.

The revised plan will provide future direction for approximately 3.2 million surface acres and 4.2 million acres of federal mineral estate in north-west Wyoming. The revised plan will establish goals and objectives for resource management; identify lands that are open or available for certain uses, including any restrictions and lands that are administratively unavailable to certain uses; provide comprehensive management direction for all resources and uses; and make broad scale decisions guiding future site-specific implementation decisions. The area includes 12 Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs), nine Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs), two areas of special designation, and seven special recreation management areas. The planning area includes part of Hot Springs, and all of Park, Washakie, and Big Horn County, Wyoming.

Cooperating Agencies

As part of the planning process, BLM invites tribal, state, and local governments, as well as other federal agencies to serve as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the RMP. After signing a memorandum of understanding with the BLM, cooperators play a key role in developing the RMP and associated EIS. A complete list of cooperating agencies on the Bighorn Basin RMP is available on the Cooperating Agencies page. 

Public Involvement

When people, communities, and governments collaborate to identify common ground, share information, and listen to each other the planning process is more effective. Community specific input and comments are welcome throughout the RMP as they help shape the environmental analysis and inform the decision makers. Throughout the planning process, there will be formal periods during which the public may submit comments on the RMP. The first formal comment period (scoping) began with the NOI published in the Federal Register on October 17, 2008.

Additional information on the scoping meetings and the scoping process is available on the Scoping Information & Materials page.