[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 113 (Monday, June 12, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36840-36841]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-14786]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WY-020-1210-00]


Notice of Availability of the Decision Record and Plan Amendment 
Addressing Management for Bureau of Reclamation Withdrawn Lands 
Restored to Bureau of Land Management Jurisdiction in the Cody Field 
Office Planning Area, and Notice of Off-road Vehicle (ORV) Designations

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Cody Field Office, 
announces the availability of a decision record and plan amendment 
addressing the management of approximately 149,783.31 acres of Federal 
lands in Park and Big Horn counties of Wyoming. The lands were formerly 
withdrawn for use by the Bureau of Reclamation and have been restored 
to BLM jurisdiction in the Cody Field Office Planning Area. The BLM is 
also providing Notice of ORV Designations affecting these Federal 
lands.
    The decision record includes a general management plan which amends 
the 1990 Cody Resource Management Plan (RMP). The general management 
plan is adopted as the management prescription for the formerly 
withdrawn Federal lands

[[Page 36841]]

which have been restored to BLM jurisdiction. (The decision record 
describes these as restored lands). The process used in developing the 
plan amendment involved the publication of an Environmental Assessment 
(EA) (WY-020-EA9-126) in September 1999 to document the review of 
existing planning decisions in the 1990 Cody RMP. The purpose of that 
review was to determine (1) Which of the decisions would apply to the 
restored lands; (2) whether any decisions would need to be deferred 
because further analysis was needed before RMP decisions could be 
applied or made for any of the restored lands; and (3) whether it would 
be necessary to pursue new withdrawals to protect specific resources on 
any of the restored lands. By virtue of the former Bureau of 
Reclamation withdrawals, the lands have remained closed to surface 
entry and (or) mining, prohibiting activities such as desert land 
entry, the transfer of public lands through sale or exchange, and the 
staking and development of mining claims for locatable minerals. In 
addition, a moratorium on leasing Federal minerals on the restored 
lands was enacted by the Wyoming BLM State Director, pending completion 
of the planning review and the establishment of multiple-use management 
decisions for the restored lands.
    The planning review determined that there was sufficient National 
Environmental Policy Act analysis, as documented in the 1990 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Cody RMP and the September 1999 
EA, to adopt existing Cody RMP decisions for the restored lands. The 
review further established that, generally, the lands will be opened to 
surface entry and (or) mining through the publication of ``opening 
orders'' in the Federal Register, but that new closures will be pursued 
on about 651.83 acres to provide for expansion of the Park County 
Landfill and to protect public safety, scenic resources, and 
recreational opportunities. With the publication of the decision record 
and RMP amendment, the moratorium on leasing Federal minerals on the 
restored lands has been lifted.
    The decision record also puts applicable restored lands in the 
Rivers and Historic Trails Special Recreation Management Areas (SRMAs). 
Public lands within these SRMAs will be managed intensively for 
recreational use. The remaining restored lands are included within the 
Cody Planning Area extensive recreation management area. ORV 
Designations have been adopted, as well, and are described under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION in this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Hare, Assistant Field Manager, 
Bureau of Land Management, Cody Field Office, P.O. Box 518, Cody, 
Wyoming 82414-0518, or call (307) 587-2216.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EA WY-020-EA9-126 was available for a formal 
30-day review and protest period during September and October 1999. For 
60 days ending on November 8, 1999, the public also had an opportunity 
to comment on potential Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). 
The State of Wyoming participated in a 60-day Governor's consistency 
review during the same period. Six comment letters addressing 33 
concerns were received and were carefully considered in developing the 
decision record. There were no protests received, nor any comments, on 
potential ACEC. Comments received on the EA resulted in a number of 
changes, additions, and clarifications reflected in the decision record 
and plan amendment.
    The plan amendment includes the following ORV Designations: Vehicle 
use on the restored lands is limited to designated roads and trails in 
the following areas: (1) Essential and recovery habitat for threatened 
or endangered species, (2) areas with fragile soils or with Class I or 
II visual resource management ratings, and (3) areas containing 
significant cultural or paleontological resources. In the remainder of 
the planning area, ORV use on BLM-administered public land is limited 
to existing roads and trails. ``Existing'' roads and trails are roads 
and trails in existence as of the date the decision record was signed 
(March 3, 2000) and any BLM-authorized roads and trails constructed 
after that date. Until activity planning specifically addresses the use 
of over-the-snow vehicles, they will be subject to the same 
requirements and limitations as all other vehicles.
    Parties who are interested in, and who wish to be involved in, 
future activity planning and implementation of management actions that 
may involve, or affect, the resource values addressed in the Cody RMP 
(including the RMP amendment for the restored lands) are requested to 
identify themselves. Please contact the Cody Field Office and request 
to be placed on a future contact list for activity planning and 
implementation activities concerning the Cody RMP.

    Dated: June 5, 2000.
Alan R. Pierson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 00-14786 Filed 6-9-00; 8:45 am]
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