The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the stewardship of our public lands. It is committed to manage,

protect, and improve these lands in a manner to serve the needs of the American people for all times. Management is based on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield of our nation’s resources within a framework 

of environmental responsibility and scientific technology. These resources include recreation; rangelands; timber;

minerals; watershed; fish and wildlife; wilderness; air; and scenic, scientific, and cultural values. 

BLM/MT/PL-07/010+1610 
United States Department of the Interior 

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT 

Butte Field Office 

106 North Parkmont 

In Reply To: Butte, Montana 59701-3388 

1610 (070) Telephone: 406-533-7600 

http://www.mt.blm.gov/bdo/ 

June 2007 

Dear Reader: 

Enclosed for your review and comment is the Draft Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (Draft 

RMP/EIS) for the Butte Field Office. The Draft RMP/EIS considers and analyzes four alternatives that address future 

management of approximately 302,000 acres of federal surface and 678,000 acres of federal mineral estate in southwest 

Montana administered by the Bureau of Land Management’s Butte Field Office. Alternative B is identified as the 

agency’s preferred alternative. While a preferred alternative has been identified, a final decision has not been made. The 

final decision, which will be documented in a Record of Decision, will be made after consideration of the comments 

received on the Draft RMP/EIS and after a Proposed RMP/Final EIS has been released. Additional copies of the 

document may be obtained by contacting the Butte Field Office or from the website at 

http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/butte_field_office.html. 

There are two volumes to the Draft RMP/EIS. Volume I includes an Executive Summary, Chapters 1, 2, 3, and a portion 

of Chapter 4. Volume I ends with discussion of environmental consequences of the RMP alternatives. Volume II begins 

in the middle of Chapter 4 with the discussion of environmental consequences of site-specific travel plan alternatives for 

five Travel Planning Areas. This is followed by Chapter 5, References Cited, Glossary, Index, and Appendices. There is 

also a packet of oversized maps with an envelope provided for storage. 

Enclosed with the Draft RMP/EIS is a compact disk of “Supplemental Electronic Files”. This disk contains a 

“Readme.txt” file and four folders: “Acrobat Reader”, “AMS Figures”, “Grazing Allotment Maps”, and “Travel Plan 

Maps”. The “Readme.txt” file contains guidance on the additional information contained on the disk and how to access 

it. The “Acrobat Reader” folder contains a version of Adobe Acrobat Reader that will enable you to view the maps in 

other folders. 

You are invited to review and comment at this time on the Draft RMP/EIS to ensure that your concerns are adequately 

addressed in the planning process. The public review period for the Draft RMP/EIS is 90 calendar days from the 

publication date of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Additional information on public meeting dates and times to discuss the plan and provide comment will be released via 

news media and on the website identified above after publication of the EPA notice. Written comments should be sent to 

Tim La Marr, Butte Field Office, 106 North Parkmont, Butte, MT 59701, or via email to MT_Butte_RMP@blm.gov.

Comments will be fully considered and evaluated in the preparation of the Proposed RMP and Final EIS, and all 

substantive comments will be addressed. 

Comments will be most useful if they are specific, mention particular pages where appropriate, and address one or more 

of the following: 

• Inaccuracies or discrepancies in information 

• Identify new information that would have a bearing on the analysis 

• Identify new impacts, alternatives, or mitigation measures 

• Make specific suggestions for improving management direction 

Comments, including name and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the Butte Field 

Office during regular business hours between 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday, except holidays, and 

may be published as part of the Final EIS. You may request confidentiality if you are commenting as an individual, but 

you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. 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. Anonymous comments will not be considered. All 

submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives of 

officials or organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their entirety. 

We appreciate your help in this planning effort and look forward to your continued interest and participation. For 

additional information or clarification regarding this document or the planning process, please contact Tim La Marr, 

RMP Project Manager, at (406)533-7645. 

 Sincerely,

 Richard M. Hotaling

 Butte Field Manager 
DRAFT 

BUTTE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN 

AND 

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT 

BUTTE FIELD OFFICE 

BUTTE, MONTANA 

JUNE 2007 
DRAFT 

BUTTE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN 

AND 

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT 

1. Responsible Agency: 

United States Department of the Interior, 

Bureau of Land Management 

2. Draft (X) Final ( ) 

3. Type of Action: Administrative (X) Legislative ( ) 

4. Abstract: The Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement describes and analyzes 

four alternatives for managing the public lands and resources administered by the Bureau of Land Management’s Butte 

Field Office and located in southwestern Montana in Beaverhead, Broadwater, Deer Lodge, Gallatin, Jefferson, Lewis 

and Clark, Silver Bow, Park, and Beaverhead Counties. These alternatives are: Alternative A (continuation of current 

management, or the No Action Alternatives); Alternative B (Preferred Alternative) and Alternatives C and D. Major 

RMP issues include vegetation communities; wildlife, wildlife habitat, special status and priority plant and animal 

species; travel management and access; recreation; and special designations including Areas of Critical Environmental 

Concern, National Trails, Wild and Scenic Rivers, and Wilderness Study Areas. The alternatives present a range of 

management actions to achieve goals and desired future conditions for the Butte Field Office. 

5. Comments on the Draft RMP and Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be accepted for 90 days following 

publication of the Notice of Availability by the Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register. The close of 

the comment period will be announced in news releases, newsletters, and on the RMP website at 

www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/butte_field_office.html. 

6. For further information, contact: 

Tim La Marr, RMP Team Leader 

Bureau of Land Management, Butte Field Office 

106 North Parkmont 

Butte, MT 59701 

(406) 533-7645 

Timothy_LaMarr@blm.gov