[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10811-10813]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4974]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNMP01000 L16100000 DO0000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan Amendment
to the Roswell Resource Management Plan for the Fort Stanton--Snowy
River Cave National Conservation Area and Associated Environmental
Assessment, New Mexico
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), as amended, the Federal
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Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, and the
Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Roswell Field Office, Roswell, New Mexico, intends to
prepare an amendment to the Roswell Resource Management Plan (RMP) with
an associated Environmental Assessment (EA) to guide management of the
Fort Stanton--Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area (NCA), and by
this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to
solicit public comments and identify issues.
DATES: Comments on issues may be submitted in writing until April 8,
2010. The dates and locations of any scoping meetings will be announced
at least 15 days in advance through local media and the BLM Web site
at: http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en.html. In order to be included in the
Draft RMP amendment and EA, all comments must be received prior to the
close of the scoping period or 15 days after the last public meeting,
whichever is later. We will provide additional opportunities for public
participation upon publication of the Draft RMP amendment and EA.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria
related to the Fort Stanton--Snowy River Cave RMP amendment and EA by
any of the following methods:
Web Site: http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en.html;
E-mail: [email protected];
Fax: 575-627-0276; and
Mail: Roswell Field Office, 2909 W. 2nd St., Roswell, New
Mexico 88201.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Roswell
Field Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact Howard Parman, Planning
Team Leader, telephone 575-627-0212; address: Roswell Field Office,
2909 W. 2nd St., Roswell, New Mexico 88201; e-mail [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The planning area is located in Lincoln
County, New Mexico, and encompasses approximately 25,000 acres of
public land. The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine
relevant issues that will influence the scope of the environmental
analysis, including alternatives, and guide the planning process. BLM
personnel, Federal, State and local agencies, and other stakeholders
have identified preliminary issues for the planning area. These issues
include balancing protection of the Snowy River passages with access to
Fort Stanton Cave, and coordinating with State and local agencies for
more effective management of the NCA. Parts of Snowy River passages are
unexplored, and may be within other governmental jurisdictions,
specifically U.S. Forest Service lands (Lincoln National Forest) and
lands owned by the Village of Ruidoso (Sierra Blanca Regional Airport).
Preliminary planning criteria include the following:
1. Management decisions set forth in the Fort Stanton--Snowy River
Cave RMP amendment and EA will be in compliance with the Omnibus Public
Land Management Act of 2009, FLPMA, and NEPA;
2. Decisions in the Fort Stanton--Snowy River Cave RMP amendment
and EA will apply to the surface and subsurface estate managed by the
BLM;
3. For program-specific guidance for decisions at the land use
planning level, the process will follow the BLM's policies in the Land
Use Planning Handbook, H-1601-1;
4. Public participation and collaboration will be an integral part
of the planning process;
5. The BLM will strive to make decisions in the plan compatible
with the existing plans and policies of adjacent local, State, and
Federal agencies, and local American Indian tribes, as long as the
decisions are consistent with the laws, regulations and policies
governing the public lands;
6. The Fort Stanton--Snowy River Cave RMP amendment and EA will
recognize valid existing rights;
7. The Fort Stanton--Snowy River Cave RMP amendment and EA will
incorporate, where applicable, management decisions brought forward
from existing planning documents;
8. The BLM staff will work cooperatively and collaboratively with
cooperating agencies and all other interested groups, agencies, and
individuals;
9. The BLM and cooperating agencies will jointly develop
alternatives for resolution of resource management issues and
management concerns;
10. Fire management strategies will be consistent with the Roswell
Field Office Fire Management Plan (2004);
11. The BLM will consider public safety and welfare when addressing
hazardous materials and fire management;
12. GIS and metadata information will meet Federal Geographic Data
Committee standards, as required by Executive Order 12906, and all
other applicable BLM data standards will be followed;
13. The planning process will provide for ongoing consultation with
Tribes to identify strategies for protecting recognized traditional
uses;
14. Planning and management direction will focus on the relative
values of resources and not the combination of uses that will give the
greatest economic return or economic output;
15. The BLM will consider the quantity and quality of non-commodity
resource values;
16. The best available scientific information, research, and new
technologies will be used in this planning effort;
17. Management decisions must allow for flexibility while
supporting adaptive management principles; and
18. The Economic Profile System will be used as one source of
demographic and economic data for the planning process, which will
provide baseline data and contribute to estimates of existing and
projected social and economic conditions.
You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria in writing
to the BLM at any public scoping meeting, or you may submit them to the
BLM using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section above. To
be most helpful, you should submit comments within 30 days after the
last public meeting. Before including your address, phone number, e-
mail 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. 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. The BLM will evaluate identified issues to be
addressed in the plan, and will place them into one of three
categories:
1. Issues to be resolved in the plan;
2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action;
and
3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan.
The BLM will provide an explanation in the Draft RMP amendment and
EA as to why it placed an issue in category 2 or 3. The public is also
encouraged to help identify any management questions and concerns that
should be addressed in the plan. The BLM will work
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collaboratively with interested parties to identify the management
decisions that are best suited to local, regional, and national needs
and concerns.
The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan
in order to consider the variety of resource issues and concerns
identified. Specialists with expertise in the following disciplines
will be involved in the planning process: Rangeland management,
minerals and geology, outdoor recreation, archaeology, paleontology,
wildlife, lands and realty, hydrology, soils, sociology, economics, and
cave resources.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.3, 40 CFR 1501.7, 43 CFR 1610.2.
Linda S. C. Rundell,
New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-4974 Filed 3-8-10; 8:45 am]
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