[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 251 (Thursday, December 31, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72323-72324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-34711]
[[Page 72323]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[OR-050-1220-00; GP9-0053]
Notice of Planning Update for the John Day River Management Plan
and Potential Related Amendments to the Two Rivers and John Day
Resource Management Plans
AGENCY: Prineville District, Central Oregon Resource Area.
ACTION: Notice of Present Status regarding development of a Revised
Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Management Plan for the Wild
and Scenic John Day River and related Resource Management Plans.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the State of Oregon,
Prineville District, Central Oregon Resource Area, is revising the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Management Plan for the Wild
and Scenic John Day River Plan which will further amend sections of the
Two Rivers and John Day Resource Management Plan. Reference may be made
to the original Notice of Intent, Federal Register, Vol. 56, No. 234,
December 5, 1991, page 63742.
The original Plan completion schedule is revised as a result of a
litigated settlement concerning a suit against the BLM.
DATES: The previously announced public scoping period was concluded on
October 30, 1997. The revised draft river management plan and
environmental impact statement (EIS) was previously scheduled for a 90
day public review period in the early summer of 1998; however, this
date has been changed to April of 1999. The proposed river plan,
related RMP amendments, and final EIS are now expected to be available
for public review during November of 1999. Any additional opportunities
for public review and comment will be announced through the Federal
Register, direct mailings to known interested parties, and
announcements in Prineville's newspaper, the Central Oregonian, John
Day's newspaper, the Blue Mountain Eagle, and Condon's newspaper, the
Condon Times.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR RELATED DOCUMENTS CONTACT: Dan Wood, Project
Manager, Prineville District BLM, PO Box 550, Prineville, Oregon 97754
(Telephone 541-416-6751, FAX 541-416-6798). Anyone interested in
participating during the public review process of this planning effort
may request to be added to the mailing list. Individuals should specify
if they wish to have their names and addresses withheld from public
access under the privacy provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
Copies of the two existing approved plans (as amended) are available,
upon request at this location.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bureau of Land Management is developing
a Revised Draft Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for public lands along the John Day River system in Oregon. The
John Day River watershed encompasses all or portions of eleven
counties, six of which would be directly affected by the proposed plan.
The development of the Plan is accomplished through a partnership
consisting of the BLM, the State of Oregon, The Confederated Tribes of
the Warm Springs and the John Day River Coalition of Counties which
consist of Gilliam, Grant, Jefferson, Sherman, Wasco and Wheeler
Counties. Progress of the Plan is reviewed monthly by a Resource
Advisory Council (RAC) Sub-Group, created expressly for this purpose,
which comments back to the BLM and Partners developing the Plan.
The planning and analysis process will comply with the procedural
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Wild and
Scenic River Act (as amended) and the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act. The resulting decisions are expected to satisfy the
requirements of the 1989 Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act,
amend relevant portions of the Two Rivers and John Day Resource
Management Plans (both within and outside the river corridors) and
address relevant issues from ongoing litigation concerning the John Day
River Plan. The federally designated Wild and Scenic segments of the
John Day River managed by the Bureau include 147 miles of the John Day
River mainstem from Service Creek to Tumwater Falls and 47 miles of the
South Fork of the John Day River from the Malheur National Forest
boundary to Smokey Creek. The 54 mile federally designated Wild and
Scenic segment of the North Fork of the John Day River is managed by
the Umatilla National Forest under a previously prepared and approved
plan.
The revised draft plan and EIS will analyze public lands managed by
the Bureau along the John Day River segments which are federally
designated as Wild and Scenic and segments which are not so designated,
some of which may be potentially suitable for designation as additional
components of the National Wild and Scenic River System. Special
emphasis will be given to management strategies that protect and
enhance the outstandingly remarkable values for which the Bureau
managed segments were designated. These outstandingly remarkable values
are scenic, recreational, geologic, fish, wildlife, historic and
cultural. Other values identified as significant are botanical,
ecological, paleontological,, and archeological resources. Planning and
analysis issues will include management, protection and enhancement of
the identified river related values, plus any related Bureau authorized
activities or resource uses such as, but not limited to, livestock
grazing, irrigated agriculture, road and facility construction and
maintenance, noxious weed control, streambank stability and
stabilization, acquisition and management of additional lands within
the river corridor and attainment of State of Oregon approved water
quality standards.
Preliminary future management strategies (alternatives0 to be
addressed are (1) Baseline/ Current Use, Development and Management (No
Action), (2) Maximum Enhancement of Natural Values With Minimal
Development, (3) Required Protection and System Restoration and
Moderate Use and Development, (4) Increased Use and Development to
Enhance Local Economic Activity and Developed recreation Consistent
with River Resource Protection and (5) A Preferred Alternative (to be
developed from elements of the other alternatives with public input).
Any decisions which are inconsistent with the current Two Rivers or
John Day RMPs would result in amendments to the applicable plans as a
result of the Oregon State Director approval of the Record of Decision.
A team of interdisciplinary specialists, whose backgrounds are in the
resources to be affected, will be involved in the review and
development of the description of the affected environment, development
of alternatives and impact analysis. Disciplines to be represented on
the team preparing the plan amendment and EIS include, but are not
limited to: archeology, anthropology, economics, lands and minerals,
recreation, forestry, fisheries, hydrology, botanical, soils wildlife,
geology and hazardous materials.
The Prineville District's Two Rivers (1986) and John Day (1985,
1995) Resource Management Plans (RMPs) currently provide general
management for the river corridors and known river related values as
well as overall land resource use allocations and resource protection
or enhancement. Although it is anticipated that the final decisions for
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river management considered through this analysis could be in full
conformance with the applicable RMPs, it is possible that portions of
some actions under some alternatives may not be in full conformance
with the approved RMPs, as required by 43 Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR), Sub-part 1610.5-3, ``Conformity and Implementation''. The
environmental analysis and public and interagency review process
anticipated for this analysis are expected to fully comply with the
Bureaus regulations for land use planning, including land use plan
amendments, public involvement and coordination with other Federal
agencies, State and local governments and Indian tribes, (43 CFR
1610.2, 1610.3 and 1610.5-5). This will allow the analysis to consider
river corridor and value strategies which are inconsistent with the
current direction or substantially affect other resource uses and
allocations in one or more of the subject approved RMPs. Any approved
decisions which amend the applicable plans will be incorporated into
the plans and become part of the permanent planning record. Any
refinements or clarifications of management direction, priority of
river resource allocations and use of final river corridor boundaries
will be incorporated into the applicable plans and documented through
published plan maintenance reports, as provided under 43 CFR 1610.5-4.
Copies of the two existing approved plans (as amended) will be
available in the same locations as the other elements of the supporting
record, as noted elsewhere in this notice.
The decisions made through this analysis are expected to be
implemented in a series of actions over a period of several years.
Although the intent is to implement the final river plan within
approximately two years of the approval of the decision(s), some
residual actions or independent resource use actions which are in
conformance with the analysis and decisions and associated approved
RMPs may occur over a period of ten or more years. In effect, this
analysis will serve both to facilitate the immediate need for a
comprehensive river plan and some immediate changes in resource use or
resource allocations or vegetation remediation or recreational facility
projects and it will also provide for future long-term actions that
fall under the programmatic nature of this analysis dealing with
``desired future conditions''. Future site developments, land use
allocation changes and projects would be subject to appropriate
environmental analyses, public and interagency reviews and will be
reported in the applicable District periodic planning update reports
which are distributed to known interested parties.
Dated: December 18, 1998.
James L. Hancock,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 98-34711 Filed 12-30-98; 8:45 am]
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