[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 241 (Friday, December 14, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74508-74510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30160]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLAKA01000.L16100000.DQ0000.LXSS086L0000]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan
Amendment, Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Ring of Fire
Resource Management Plan--Haines Planning Area, Alaska
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a
Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment/Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Ring of Fire RMP for the Haines Planning
Area and by this notice is announcing the opening of the comment
period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS within 90 days
following the date of publication of this Notice in the Federal
Register. The BLM will announce future meetings or hearings and any
other public involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through
public notices, media news releases, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Ring of Fire RMP--
Haines Planning Area Amendment by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 907-267-1267.
Mail: BLM-Anchorage Field Office, Attention: Haines
Amendment, 4700 BLM Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99507.
Copies of the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS are available at the
Anchorage Field Office at the above address; or, on the Anchorage Field
Office's Planning
[[Page 74509]]
Web site: http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/planning.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Molly Cobbs, Anchorage District
Planning and Environmental Coordinator, 907-267-1221, [email protected],
or in writing at the address above. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business hours. FIRS is available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, to leave a question with the above individual. You
will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Planning Area is located in southeast
Alaska, and consists of approximately 320,000 acres of BLM-managed
public lands located in two main blocks or parcels. The north block is
located northwest of Skagway along the United States-Canada border and
the south block is located southwest of the city of Haines along the
boundary of Glacier Bay National Park. The Planning Area encompasses
the cities of Haines and Skagway.
The Anchorage Field Office began a scoping process for this RMP
Amendment and Draft EIS on March 26, 2009, with the publication of the
Notice of Intent in the Federal Register (74 FR 13222). The formal
scoping period ended June 26, 2009. Public meetings were held during
the scoping period in the communities of Haines, Skagway, and
Anchorage. The majority of comments received discussed wildlife and
wildlife habitat, particularly mountain goats, as a reason to create an
Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). Several comments were
also offered in support of maintaining the existing Monitoring and
Control Area. Other comments focused on whether or not to change the
Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) designation. Based on the
BLM's management concerns and input received from cooperating agencies;
other Federal, State, and local agencies; and the public during the
scoping period, the Draft RMP Amendment and Draft EIS evaluate
potential impacts on wildlife populations from recreation activities
occurring on BLM-managed lands in the Planning Area. Additionally, the
Draft EIS includes, but is not limited to, analysis of noise impacts
from helicopters; impacts on recreational opportunities and
experiences; and impacts to Lands with Wilderness Characteristics from
helicopters. Permitted recreation activities and helicopter landings in
the planning area include commercial filming, glacier landing tours,
and helicopter-supported ski and winter trekking excursions. In 2002, a
Monitoring and Control Area was established in the northwest portion of
the north block. Commercial helicopter landings were prohibited within
the Monitoring and Control Area boundary in order to provide a source
of consistent monitoring data when adaptive management changes were
necessary. Originally, the Monitoring and Control Area consisted of
112,790 acres; however, after recent land conveyances to the State of
Alaska and Native Corporations, the area now consists of 98,000 acres.
The 2008 Ring of Fire RMP Record of Decision (ROD) designated an
SRMA in the north block of the Planning Area. At the time the ROD was
completed, the BLM assumed that most of the BLM-managed lands in the
south block would be conveyed to the State and the SRMA boundary was
not extended to the south block. Due to recent policy changes in the
BLM's focus and use of SRMAs, this planning effort reevaluates whether
to retain this designation or to change it to an Extensive Recreation
Management Area (ERMA) designation.
The Ring of Fire RMP ROD also deferred to a subsequent planning
effort evaluation of whether any ACECs should be designated in the
Haines Planning Area. The BLM has now evaluated the resources in the
Planning Area to determine whether any areas meet the ACEC relevance
and importance criteria found in 43 CFR 1610.7-2 and BLM Manual for
ACECs (MS-1613). The BLM determined that none of the areas in the
Planning Area meet the ACEC relevance and importance criteria and
therefore the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS does not contain any
proposed ACEC designations. Although some areas in the Planning Area
contain exceptional scenery as well as populations of mountain goats
and bald eagles, the areas do not have more than locally significant
qualities when compared to similar resources in the region. The
wildlife populations, scenery, and natural processes in the Planning
Area are typical of all of Southeast Alaska, and are not unique to the
region. Designation of an ACEC in the Planning Area is addressed in the
Draft EIS as an Alternative Considered but Eliminated from Further
Study.
Permitting helicopter and other organized flight excursions in the
project area is one of the primary administrative actions of BLM in the
Planning Area. As of 2011, two helicopter operators are authorized for
up to 2,400 summer landings annually in the Haines Block SRMA (north
block only). However, at least two additional helicopter operators have
also requested landing authorizations on BLM-managed lands in the
Planning Area. All requests for winter landing authorizations are
currently on hold pending the outcome of this planning effort.
Four alternatives were analyzed in the Draft EIS:
Alternative A, the No Action Alternative, is a continuation of
existing management. The SRMA designation would be retained in the
north block, as would the Monitoring and Control Area. A total of 2,400
summer landings would be permitted in the project area annually.
Under Alternative B, the SRMA designation would be retained in the
north block and would be expanded to include the south block. The
Monitoring and Control Area would be eliminated. A maximum of 7,500
summer and winter landings would be permitted in the project area
annually.
Under Alternative C, the SRMA designation would be changed to an
ERMA designation and would be extended to all BLM-managed lands in the
Planning Area. The Monitoring and Control Area would be retained for a
period of 5 years from the signing of the ROD to provide a control area
for mountain goat studies conducted jointly by the BLM and the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game. After the 5-year period expires, the
Monitoring and Control Area would be eliminated and landing permit
applications would be accepted for site-specific NEPA review prior to
the issuance of any new authorizations. A maximum of 4,000 summer and
winter landings would be permitted annually.
Alternative D is the BLM's preferred alternative. Under Alternative
D, the SRMA designation would be changed to an ERMA as described for
Alternative C. The Monitoring and Control Area would be retained for 5
years and would then be eliminated as described for Alternative C. A
maximum of 6,000 summer and winter landings would be permitted
annually.
The 2009 Notice of Intent identified the associated NEPA document
for the plan amendment as a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement. Instead, the associated NEPA document is a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement and will be referred to as such from
this point forward.
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
[[Page 74510]]
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.
Following the public comment period, comments will be used to
prepare the Final Environmental Impact Statement. The BLM will respond
to each substantive comment by making appropriate revisions to the
document or explaining why a comment did not warrant a subsequent
change.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2.
Ted A. Murphy,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-30160 Filed 12-13-12; 8:45 am]
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