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West Mojave Draft Plan Amendment/Habitat Conservation Plan

karstic

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Milwaukee
News Release
For Release: Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Contact: BLM: Doran Sanchez (909) 697-5220 or Jan Bedrosian (916) 978-4616

CA-CDD-03-56



West Mojave Draft Plan Amendment/Habitat Conservation Plan Released for Public Comment


Based on years of local collaborative efforts, the West Mojave Plan, the largest habitat conservation plan (HCP) ever developed in the U.S., covering 9.3 million acres in San Bernardino, Kern, Los Angeles and Inyo counties, is now available for public comment. If local county and city governments ultimately adopt the plan, it will affect nearly 3 million acres of private land.



The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the county of San Bernardino, and the city of Barstow are jointly releasing the draft plan/HCP. Other agencies are also cooperating in the planning effort. In addition to being a joint agency HCP, it is also an amendment to the California Desert Plan and includes a draft environmental impact statement (EIS)/environmental impact report (EIR).



The focus of the planning effort is a comprehensive strategy to conserve and protect more than 100 listed or sensitive wildlife species and their habitats, including the desert tortoise and Mohave ground squirrel. The draft plan/HCP also provides a streamlined program for public agencies and private parties to comply with requirements of the state and federal Endangered Species Acts. A wide range of land use proposals is presented, including designation of routes of travel throughout the region. An earlier BLM route of travel designation proposal, still in the decision-making process, is also included (with some changes) in the draft plan/HCP, providing the public additional opportunities to comment on this important planning aspect.



BLM Desert District Manager Linda Hansen encouraged the public to comment and participate. "Even though hundreds of community and interest group leaders have been working with us on this plan for years, now is the time for all affected or interested members of the public to attend a meeting or comment on this important plan."



County of San Bernardino Land Use Services Director Michael Hays and Barstow Community Development Director and Deputy City Manager Scott Priester both view the plan as an unprecedented comprehensive approach to protecting environmental resources while accommodating development of private land over the next 30 years and as superior to the current "piece-meal" process. Since the plan has and continues to involve local, state and federal agencies as well as hundreds of private stakeholders, it is important that everyone's input be heard and considered. This environmental process will allow that to occur.



A 90-day public comment period will begin with the document?s listing of availability in the Federal Register scheduled for June 13, 2003. The comment period will end September 12, 2003, and written and email comments will be accepted at the addresses below. A series of public

meetings to accept oral comments will be scheduled throughout the plan area and will be announced shortly.



An executive summary of the draft plan/HCP and draft EIS/EIR is currently online at http://www.ca.blm.gov/pdfs/cdd_pdfs/wemo_pdfs/ExSum.fnForWeb.4.26.pdf (this is a PDF document, about 133 kilobytes) and the full document will be available online at the same web address in the near future. Printed copies are being mailed to interested parties and will also be made available to all participating jurisdictions for public review. These copies are typically made available at public libraries, as well as city, county, and BLM offices. The following are the confirmed locations of plans as of its release, with an updated list available on the BLM website:



BLM Office, 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA;

San Bernardino County Planning Department, 385 N. Arrowhead, First Floor, San Bernardino, CA;

San Bernardino County Planning Department, 15505 Civic Drive, Victorville, CA;

San Bernardino County Building and Safety, 57407 Twentynine Palms Outer Highway S, Yucca Valley, CA;

San Bernardino County Library, 104 W. Fourth Street, San Bernardino, CA;

San Bernardino County Library, 15011 Circle Drive, Victorville, CA;

San Bernardino County Library, 304 East Buena Vista, Barstow, CA;

San Bernardino County Library, 11744 Barlett, Adelanto, CA;

San Bernardino County Library, 57098 29Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, CA;

City of Barstow Community Development, 220 E. Mountain View Street, Suite A, Barstow, CA;

Kern County Planning Department, 2700 "M" Street, Suite 100, Bakersfield, CA;

Tehachapi Library, 450 West "F" Street, Tehachapi, CA;

Mojave Library, 16916 1/2 Highway 14 Space D2, Mojave, CA;

City of Ridgecrest, 100 West California Avenue, Ridgecrest, CA;

City of California City, 21000 Hacienda Boulevard, California City, CA;

Inyo County Planning Department, 168 N. Edwards Street, Independence, CA.



Comments should be sent by mail to "West Mojave Plan," 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, Calif., 92553 or by email to [email protected].



For further information, contact BLM Project Lead Bill Haigh at (760) 252-6080, San Bernardino County representative Randy Scott or Matthew Whinery at (909) 387-4147, or City of Barstow representative Scott Priester at (760) 256-3531.
 
Notice of Availability for the DWMP and DEIS

Notice of Availability for the Draft West Mojave Plan (DWMP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)


http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-14910.htm
[Federal Register: June 13, 2003 (Volume 68, Number
114)]
[Notices]
[Page 35426-35427]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13jn03-101]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA-610-1610-DP]


Notice of Availability for the Draft West Mojave Plan
(DWMP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

AGENCY: California Desert District (California),
Bureau of Land
Management.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft West
Mojave Plan (DWMP) and
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act
(FLPMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), this document
provides notice that the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) has

[[Page 35427]]

prepared a Draft West Mojave Plan (DWMP) and Draft
Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for public review and comment. This
planning activity
encompasses approximately 3.3 million acres of public
land managed by
the BLM's California Desert District, located in Inyo,
Kern, Los
Angeles and San Bernardino Counties in southern
California.
The Draft West Mojave Plan was prepared in
collaboration with state
and local governments, which takes into account local,
regional and
national needs and concerns.
The conservation strategy to be implemented on
public lands include
measures that would be compatible with the development
of a habitat
conservation plan on 3 million acres of private and
local government
lands within the planning area.
This notice initiates the public review process on
the DWMP and
DEIS. The public is invited to review and comment on
the range and
adequacy of the draft alternatives and associated
environmental
effects.

DATES: The comment period will end 90 days following
publication of the
Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of
Availability of the DWMP
and DEIS in the Federal Register. Comments on the
Draft RMP/EIS should
be received on or before the end of the comment period
at the address
listed below.
Public Meetings: Public meetings will be held
during the comment
period. In order to ensure local community
participation and input,
public meetings will be held at selected locations in
Inyo, Kern, Los
Angeles and San Bernardino Counties, California. Early
participation by
all those interested is encouraged. Meeting locations
and dates will be
announced at least 15 days in advance through local
media and online at
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/meetings.html. All
individuals,
organizations, agencies, and tribes with a known
interest in this
planning effort have been sent a copy of the document
for review.
Written comments will be accepted throughout the
planning process
at the address shown below. For comments to be most
helpful they should
relate to specific concerns or conflicts that are
within the legal
responsibilities of the BLM and are feasible to be
resolved in this
planning process.
Written comments should be sent to the Bureau of
Land Management,
California Desert District Office, Attn. West Mojave
Plan Staff, 22835
Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553.
Documents pertinent to this proposal may be
examined at the BLM
California Desert District Office, the BLM Ridgecrest
Field Office, 300
South Richmond Road, Ridgecrest, California 93555, and
the BLM Barstow
Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, California
92311 during
regular business hours from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday,
except holidays. The draft documents also are
available online at
http://www.ca.blm.gov/cdd/wemo.html. Individual
respondents may request
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or
street address
from public review or from disclosure under the
Freedom of Information
Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning
of your written
comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent
allowed by law.
All submissions from organizations and businesses, and
from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials
of organizations
or businesses, will be available for public inspection
in their
entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For further information
and/or to have your
name added to our mailing list, contact William Haigh,
Project Manager,
at (760) 252-6080 (Phone), e-mail at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DWMP addresses the
management of 3.3
million acres of public lands administered by the BLM
in eastern Kern
County, southern Inyo County, northern Los Angeles
County and western
San Bernardino County, all of which are within the
State of California.
The BLM's Ridgecrest and Barstow Field Offices
administer most of these
public lands. A small amount of acreage administered
by the BLM's
Needles and Palm Springs Field Offices is also
affected. All public
lands are within the California Desert Conservation
Area, and all lie
within the jurisdiction of the BLM's California Desert
District.
The DWMP is being prepared collaboratively with
local
jurisdictions, state and other federal agencies. The
purpose of the
West Mojave Plan is to develop conservation strategies
for over 100
listed and sensitive plant and animal species that are
found within the
western Mojave Desert, including the threatened desert
tortoise and the
California-listed Mojave Ground Squirrel, and to
simplify procedures
for complying with the California and federal
Endangered Species Acts.
Other issues being addressed include the development
of a motorized
vehicle access network for public lands in the region,
and effects of
the program on regional economics, growth-inducing
impacts, livestock
grazing, mining, cultural resources and recreation.
The Plan would be
implemented on public lands through amendments to
BLM's California
Desert Conservation Area Plan.
The DEIS considers and analyzes seven (7)
alternatives (A-G),
including the No Action alternative, with Alternative
A identified as
the agency's Preferred Alternative. These alternatives
have been
developed based on extensive public input following an
initial round of
scoping meetings in January 1992, extensive biological
and field survey
work in the late 1990's, nearly 50 ``task group''
attended by
representatives of the participating agencies and
jurisdictions and the
general public between December 1999 and May 2002,
numerous other
public meetings, and a final round of scoping meetings
in June and July
2002. The proposed action and alternatives were based
on comments and
suggestions offered during those meetings.
The alternatives provide for a wide array of land
use allocations
and management direction. The alternatives provide for
variable levels
of commodity production, resource protection, special
areas, and
authorized land and resource uses, including
endangered species
conservation, motorized vehicle access to public
lands, livestock
grazing and various forms of recreation. Any necessary
amendments to
the BLM's CDCA Plan will be addressed. A final
Environmental Impact
Statement and proposed West Mojave Plan are expected
to be available
for public review in October 2003.

Dated: February 14, 2003.
Linda Hansen,
District Manager, California Desert District.
[FR Doc. 03-14910 Filed 6-12-03; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-40-P
 
June 4, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 107)]
[Notices]
[Page 33525]

Notice of Availability of Proposed Amendment; West Mojave
Planning Area; California Desert Conservation Area Plan; Off-Road
Vehicle Designations

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed amendment; West Mojave
Planning Area; California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan; off-
road vehicle designations.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The California Desert District of the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) is considering off-road vehicle designations for the
West Mojave Desert Planning Area in accordance with the criteria and
procedures of 43 Code of Federal Regulations subpart 8342. These
designations, when approved by BLM, will amend the existing
designations established under the CDCA plan in the West Mojave Area.
This planning area encompasses approximately 3.3 million acres of
public land managed by the BLM's California Desert District, located in
Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties in southern
California.

DATES: BLM Planning Regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any person
who participated in the planning process, and has an interest that may
be adversely affected, may protest. The protest must be received no
later than the last day of the 30-day protest period established by the
BLM California Desert District. More specific instructions and
requirements for protests are contained in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Instructions for filing a protest with the
Director of the BLM may be found at 43 CFR 1610.5. Any person who
participated in the planning process and has an interest, which is or
may be affected by the approval of the proposed Resource Management
Plan, may protest such approval. A protest may raise only those issues
that were submitted for the record during the planning process. New
issues raised in the protest period should be directed to the West
Mojave Project Office for consideration in plan implementation, as
potential plan amendments, or as otherwise appropriate. Protests must
be in writing and to be considered ``timely,'' the protest must be
received no later than the last day of the 30-day protest period. Also,
although not a requirement, it is recommended that the protest be sent
by certified mail, return receipt requested. E-mail protests will not
be accepted. Faxed protests will be considered as potential valid
protests provided (1) that the signed faxed letter is received by the
Washington Office protest coordinator by the closing date of the
protest period and (2) that the protesting party also provides the
original letter by either regular or overnight mail postmarked by the
close of the protest period. Please direct faxed protests to ``BLM
Protest Coordinator'' at 202-452-5112. Please direct the follow-up
letter to the appropriate address provided below. The protest must
contain:
i. The name, mailing address, telephone number, and interest of the
person filing the protest;
ii. A statement of the issue or issues being protested;
iii. A statement of the part or parts of the plan or amendment
being protested. To the extent possible, this should be done by
reference to specific pages, paragraphs, sections, tables, maps, etc.,
included in the proposed amendment;
iv. A copy of all documents addressing the issue or issues that
were submitted during the planning process by the protesting party or
an indication of the date the issue or issues were discussed for the
record; and
v. A concise statement explaining why the State Director's decision
is believed to be wrong. This is a critical part of the protest. Take
care to document all relevant facts. As much as possible, reference or
cite the planning documents, environmental analysis documents,
available planning records (i.e., meeting minutes or summaries,
correspondence, etc.).
A protest which merely expresses disagreement with proposed
decision without supporting data will not provide additional basis for
the Director's review of the decision. Please note that comments,
including names and street addresses of respondents, are available for
public review and/or release under the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA). Individual respondents may request confidentiality.
Respondents who wish to withhold name and/or street address from
public review or from disclosure under FOIA, must state this
prominently at the beginning of the written comment. Such requests will
be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials or organizations or
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their
entirety. The Director will promptly render a decision on the protest.
The decision will be in writing and will be sent to the protesting
party by certified mail, return receipt requested. The decision of the
Director shall be the final decision of the Department of the Interior.
File written protest by Surface mail: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Land Management, Director (210), Attn: Brenda Williams, P.O.
Box 66538, Washington, DC 20035 or Overnight mail: U.S. Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Director (210), Attn: Brenda
Williams, 1620 L Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact William Haigh, Project
Manager, at (760) 252-6080 (Phone), e-mail at
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected].
 
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