[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 250 (Tuesday, December 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79899-79900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30960]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CA-340-08-1220-DD]
Notice of Order Closing Public Lands at the Knoxville Recreation
Area, Lake County, CA, to Recreational and Target Shooting.
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 8364.1, an
Order has been issued by the Ukiah Field Office, Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), prohibiting recreational and target practice shooting
on six (6) acres previously available for such shooting within the
Knoxville Recreation Area. These six acres, managed by the Ukiah BLM
Field Office, are located in the SE\1/4\ SW\1/4\ section 28, Township
12 North, Range 5 West, Mount Diablo Meridian. The BLM land base for
the Knoxville Recreation Area is located in southeastern Lake, northern
Napa, and northwestern Yolo counties, California. This shooting closure
is necessary to protect persons, property, and public lands. An
increase in visitors, coupled with housing/subdivision development of
adjacent ranches, has led to a significant increase in documented cases
where stray bullets have narrowly missed public land users, vehicles,
and adjacent private buildings. This Closure Order does not apply to
hunting under the laws and regulations of the State of California.
Other BLM managed public lands of the Knoxville Recreation Area remain
unavailable for shooting due to the lack of identified designated
shooting areas as defined by the Ukiah Resource Management Plan (June
2006.)
DATES: This Order is effective upon publication.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rich Burns, Field Manager, BLM Ukiah
Field Office, 2550 North State Street, Ukiah, California, 95482.
Telephone: (707) 468-4000; Fax: (707) 468-4027, during regular business
hours, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday except holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Knoxville Recreation Area is located in
a remote region of northern California where Lake, Napa, and Yolo
counties meet. The entire Knoxville region is approximately 35,000
acres of lands open to the public of which 11,000 acres are managed by
the State of California Department of Fish and Game and 24,000 acres
are managed by the BLM, Ukiah Field Office. The BLM-managed area is
open to most types of recreational activities including motorized and
non-motorized recreational pursuits. The Ukiah Resource Management Plan
designated 5,236 acres as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern for
botanical studies and research because the Knoxville region is
considered a ``hot spot'' for plant evolution.
BLM has issued this shooting closure because of increased shooting
pressures. The Ukiah Resource Management Plan limited shooting at the
Knoxville Recreation Area to a designated six (6) acre site
historically used for recreational shooting and target practicing.
Since designation, the BLM Ukiah Field Office has been receiving an
increasing number of public complaints from recreational users,
researchers, and adjacent private property owners about near misses to
people, animals, buildings, and equipment from stray bullets fired in,
around, and from the designated shooting range. In addition, serious
resource degradation has been occurring throughout the Knoxville
Recreation Area, including the Hunting Creek Campground, caused by
indiscriminate shooting of BLM signs, buildings, and natural resources.
This shooting closure is necessary to protect resources and meet the
documented health and safety concerns raised by the surrounding land
owners and public land users regarding the dangers of stray bullets
fired by indiscriminate shooters.
Closure Order: Notice is hereby given that effective on this date
of publication in the Federal Register and pursuant to 43 CFR 8364.1,
the public lands described as the Knoxville Shooting Range within SE\1/
4\ SW\1/4\ sec. 28, Township 12 North, Range 5 West, MDM., containing
approximately six (6) acres are closed to the public for recreational
shooting and target practice. These lands, managed by the Ukiah BLM
Field Office, are located at the Knoxville Recreation Area in
southeastern Lake County, California. Be advised that other BLM-managed
public lands of the Knoxville Recreation Area remain unavailable for
shooting due to the lack of identified designated shooting areas as
defined by the Ukiah Resource Management Plan. This
[[Page 79900]]
Closure Order is necessary to protect people, public and private
property, and public land resources due to an increase in documented
cases of stray bullets fired by indiscriminate shooters.
The following persons are exempt from this closure order:
(1) Federal, State, or local law enforcement officers, while acting
within the scope of their official duties.
(2) BLM personnel or their representatives while acting within the
scope of their official duties.
(3) Any member of an organized rescue, fire-fighting force, or
emergency medical services organization while in the performance of
their official duties.
(4) Any person in receipt of a written authorization of exemption
obtained from the authorized officer.
(5) Any person with a current legal California hunting license in
his/her possession and hunting in accordance with state law.
This Notice and maps of the restricted area will be clearly posted
at main entry points to the Knoxville Recreation Area and at the area
affected by this Order and will also be available at the BLM Ukiah
Field Office.
This Closure Order is effective on the date published in the
Federal Register and will remain in effect until revoked.
Failure to comply with this order is punishable by a fine not to
exceed $1,000 and/or imprisonment not to exceed 12 months pursuant to
43 CFR 8360.0-7. A failure to comply may also be subject to the
enhanced fines provided for by 18 U.S.C. 3571.
This Shooting closure is supported by NEPA document number CA-340-
08-020. The NEPA document and its associated decision record are
available upon request at the BLM Ukiah Field Office.
Rich Burns,
Ukiah Field Manager.
[FR Doc. E8-30960 Filed 12-29-08; 8:45 am]
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