18388 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2022 / Notices 

Requirement 

Average 

number 

of annual 

respondents 

Average 

number of 

responses 

each 

Average 

number 

of annual 

responses 

Average 

completion 

time per 

response 

(hours) 

Estimated 

annual burden 

hours 

Government .................................................................. 92 1 92 4 368 

Applications: 

Government .................................................................. 92 1 92 40 3,680 

Amendments: 

Government .................................................................. 10 1 10 3 30 

Financial Reports: 

Reporting ...................................................................... 92 1 92 6 552 

Recordkeeping .............................................................. ........................ ........................ ........................ 2 184 

Performance Reports: 

Reporting ...................................................................... 92 1 92 24 2,208 

Recordkeeping .............................................................. ........................ ........................ ........................ 8 736 

Final 15-month Reports: 

Reporting ...................................................................... 92 1 92 24 2,208 

Recordkeeping .............................................................. ........................ ........................ ........................ 8 736 

Totals ..................................................................... 470 ........................ 470 ........................ 10,702 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor and a person is not required to 

respond to a collection of information 

unless it displays a currently valid OMB 

control number. 

The authority for this action is the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

Jeffrey Parrillo, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2022–06708 Filed 3–29–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4334–63–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLMTC01000–L10600000–MC0000MO# 

4500155770] 

Notice of Intent To Amend the Billings 

Field Office 2015 Resource 

Management Plan and To Prepare an 

Associated Environmental 

Assessment, Montana 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (NEPA), and the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

Billings Field Office, Billings, Montana, 

intends to prepare an amendment to the 

Billings Field Office Resource 

Management Plan (RMP) and an 

associated Environmental Assessment 

(EA). The EA will analyze a proposed 

change to the RMP’s Management 

Decision Wild Horse (MD WH–7) with 

respect to managing genetic diversity in 

the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse herd. 

This notice initiates the EA scoping 

process for the RMP amendment to 

solicit public comments and identify 

issues and announces the opportunity 

for public review of the planning 

criteria. 

DATES: In order to be included in the 

analysis, all comments must be received 

electronically or in writing no later than 

April 29, 2022. The BLM does not plan 

to hold any scoping meetings for this 

RMP amendment. We will provide 

additional opportunities for public 

participation as appropriate. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted electronically through the 

BLM e-planning website at https://

eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/ 

project/1502632/510, or written 

comments may be sent to Wild Horse & 

Burro Coordinator, Billings Field Office, 

Bureau of Land Management, 5001 

Southgate Drive, Billings, MT 59101. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dave LeFevre, telephone 406–896–5349, 

or email dlefevre@blm.gov. Persons who 

use a telecommunications device for the 

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to 

contact Mr. LeFevre during normal 

business hours. The FRS is available 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a 

message or question. You will receive a 

reply during normal business hours. 

Normal business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except for Federal holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

document provides notice that the BLM 

Billings Field Office, Billings, MT, 

intends to amend the Billings Field 

Office RMP and prepare an associated 

EA, announces the proposed plan 

amendment scoping process, and seeks 

public input on issues and planning 

criteria. Planning criteria help define 

decision space and are based upon 

applicable laws, Director and State 

Director guidance, and the results of 

public and governmental participation 

(43 CFR 1610.4–2). The draft planning 

criteria considered in the development 

of the proposed amendment include: 

(1) The proposed amendment will be 

completed in compliance with NEPA, 

FLPMA, the Wild Free-Roaming Horses 

and Burro Act, as amended, and the 

implementing regulations in 43 CFR 

1700, BLM Wild Horses and Burros 

Management Handbook H–1700–1, and 

other applicable laws, regulations, and 

policy. 

(2) The proposed amendment is 

limited to MD WH–7 and would not 

change any other existing planning 

decisions in the Billings Field Office 

RMP. 

(3) The proposed amendment would 

only apply to lands and resources 

managed by the BLM as described in the 

2015 Billings Field Office RMP; it 

would not change management 

direction for other agencies. 

(4) Decisions are compatible with 

existing plans and policies of adjacent 

local, State, Federal, and Tribal 

agencies, so long as the decisions are 

consistent with the purposes, policies, 

and programs of Federal law and 

regulations applicable to public lands. 

The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse 

Range is located in the Pryor Mountains 

in southeastern Carbon County, 

Montana, and northern Big Horn 

County, Wyoming, and encompasses 

approximately 38,000 acres of land. 

In 2009, the BLM approved the Pryor 

Mountain Wild Horse Range/Territory 

Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP) 

that identified management objectives 

for the Pryor Mountain wild horses and 

horse range. The 2009 HMAP managed 

the Pryor Mountain wild horses for a 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2022 / Notices 18389 

phenotype animal reminiscent of a 

‘‘Colonial Spanish Mustang’’ as 

described by ‘‘Sponenberg North 

American Colonial Spanish Horses’’ 

while balancing colors, sex ratios, and 

age structures. 

In 2015, the BLM approved a new 

RMP for the Billings Field Office. That 

RMP at MD WH–2 provides direction 

for the BLM to ‘‘Maintain a wild horse 

herd that exhibits a diverse age 

structure, genetic diversity, and any 

characteristics unique to the Pryor 

horses.’’ Additionally, MD WH–7 states 

that ‘‘Within an HMAP, herd structure 

will be managed for all representations 

in the herd, not allowing specific colors 

or bloodlines to dominate from 

management manipulation.’’ However, 

the 2015 RMP does not define ‘‘all 

representations’’ in the herd, and the 

wording is ambiguous. 

In the 2015 RMP, it is evident that the 

intent of MD WH–7 was to limit the loss 

of genetic diversity, consistent with 

Goal WH–2 (‘‘Maintain a wild horse 

herd that exhibits a diverse age 

structure, genetic diversity, and any 

characteristics unique to the Pryor 

horses.’’). However, maximizing genetic 

diversity at the expense of ecosystem 

sustainability is not a management goal 

or directive for the herd. 

An interpretation that every possible 

crossing of any given mare and any 

given stallion should leave a surviving 

foal (i.e., a ‘‘representation’’ of the 

bloodline from that particular crossing) 

is not practical to implement for several 

reasons. If foals from every possible 

pairing of any stallion and any mare are 

interpreted to be a ‘‘representation,’’ 

then that precludes removal of any 

animal unless it has full siblings. 

However, because individual stallions 

sire offspring with multiple mares, and 

individual mares may mate with 

multiple stallions, there would be an 

ever-increasing number of 

‘‘representations’’ in the herd. Because 

the population recruitment rate far 

exceeds the death rate, not removing 

‘‘representations’’ without full siblings 

would result in unsustainable 

population growth. Under this scenario, 

Appropriate Management Level would 

be mathematically impossible to 

achieve. 

Other impracticalities exist as well. 

The BLM cannot cause all patrilineal or 

matrilineal lines to be propagated. 

When considering patrilineal lines, not 

all stallions get to reproduce; breeding 

is often limited to the band stallion, and 

some horses may forever remain a 

bachelor stallion. There are also 

practical matters related to the wellbeing of animals that are removed from 

the wild. Wild horse adoption programs 

tend to place animals into homes more 

readily with younger horses as they are 

more adoptable and transition more 

readily to domestic life compared to an 

older horse. However, when young 

horses are gathered and removed from 

the range, many of them will not have 

reached maturity and produced an 

offspring. 

The BLM proposes to amend MD 

WH–7 to make it consistent with RMP 

Goal WH2 to maintain genetic diversity 

and to align with management guidance 

in the BLM Wild Horse and Burro 

Handbook H–4700–1 for maintaining 

desirable genetic diversity (avoiding 

inbreeding depression). Specifically, the 

BLM proposes to amend the RMP to 

modify MD WH–7 as stated below: 

‘‘MD WH–7 (Proposed Amendment): 

Maintain desirable levels of genetic 

diversity, as measured by Observed 

Heterozygosity (Ho). Observed 

heterozygosity is a measure of how 

much diversity is found, on average, 

within individual animals in the Herd 

Management Area (HMA). If Ho drops 

below thresholds identified in the BLM 

Wild Horse and Burro Handbook 

H–4700–1, then BLM would take one or 

any combination of the following 

actions to reduce the possible risks 

associated with inbreeding depression: 

(1) Maximize the number of fertile, 

breeding age wild horses (6–10 years) 

within the herd; 

(2) adjust the sex ratio in favor of 

males (but with not more than 

approximately 60 percent males); or 

(3) introduce mares or stallions from 

other wild horse HMAs. Prioritize 

introductions from herds with 

characteristics similar to the Pryor 

Mountain horses, such as the Sulfur 

herd in Utah, the Cerbat Mountain herd 

in Arizona, or others.’’ 

BLM Handbook H–4700–1 guidance 

notes that herds with observed 

heterozygosity values that are one 

standard deviation below the mean are 

considered at critical risk. Hair samples 

last collected from the Pryor Mountain 

herd in February 2013 indicated that 

values for observed heterozygosity were 

above the mean for feral horse herds at 

that time. The BLM would continue to 

collect genetic samples to monitor 

genetic diversity. The results of current 

and future genetic monitoring efforts, 

along with previous monitoring results, 

would indicate if loss of genetic 

diversity is a concern and if any of the 

management actions as noted in the 

proposed amendment would need to be 

taken. 

Maintaining desirable levels of 

genetic diversity would also assure a 

variety of colors are maintained in the 

Pryor Mountain horse herd. Pryor 

Mountain horses exhibit a variety of 

colors, with common colors including 

dun, grulla, bay, black, and roan. Less 

common colors that appear in the herd 

include red or apricot dun, chestnut, 

sorrel, palomino, and buckskin. Color is 

a phenotypic representation of 

dominant or recessive genes passed 

through generations. A horse that is a 

rare color may not produce offspring 

that are also a rare color. BLM is 

proposing to revise MD WH–7 to 

address genetic diversity in a manner 

that is consistent with the Wild Horse 

and Burro Handbook, but consideration 

of color would be addressed through 

MD WH–2 (characteristics unique to the 

Pryors) and Selective Removal Criteria. 

Supplemental information on the 

proposed plan amendment is available 

on BLM’s e-Planning website at the 

project link noted earlier in the 

ADDRESSES section. The BLM will 

prepare an EA to consider the proposed 

plan amendment as well as revisions to 

the 2009 HMAP including objectives for 

fertility control, gather criteria, and 

rangeland and riparian management (the 

public comment period for scoping the 

HMAP revisions is closed, and 

previously submitted comments 

regarding the HMAP revisions do not 

need to be re-submitted). The proposed 

plan amendment is limited to proposed 

changes to MD WH–7 that would 

replace direction to manage for ‘‘all 

representations in the herd’’ with 

direction to maintain desirable levels of 

genetic diversity to reduce the possible 

risks associated with inbreeding 

depression. 

You may submit comments 

electronically or in writing on the 

proposed amendment to the BLM as 

shown in the ADDRESSES section earlier. 

If you already submitted scoping 

comments on proposed revisions to the 

HMAP EA, including any comments 

related to the Appropriate Management 

Level, management objectives for the 

wild horse population, including 

fertility control and gather criteria, and 

management objectives for the Pryor 

Horse Range, during the comment 

period that ran from April 9, 2020, 

through May 15, 2020, you do not need 

to re-submit your comments. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email 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. 


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18390 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2022 / Notices 

The BLM will work collaboratively 

with interested parties to identify the 

management decisions that are best 

suited to local, regional, and national 

needs and concerns. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 

1610.2) 

Theresa M. Hanley, 

Acting BLM Montana/Dakotas State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2022–06680 Filed 3–29–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLCOG01200 L12200000.MA0000 223] 

Notice of Intent To Implement Camping 

Permit and Future Fee Program on 

Public Lands at Rabbit Valley in Mesa 

County, CO 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) is implementing a 

future expanded amenity fee program 

for camping at Rabbit Valley 

campgrounds, located within McInnis 

Canyons National Conservation Area 

(NCA) in Mesa County, Colorado. The 

fee program will allow the BLM to meet 

increasing demand for camping 

activities, protect resources, prevent 

further deterioration of the recreation 

setting, enforce existing rules and 

regulations, and provide for enhanced 

information and educational 

opportunities. 

DATES: Comments on the proposed fee 

changes must be received or postmarked 

by June 28, 2022 and must include the 

commenter’s legible full name and 

address. Starting on Friday, September 

30, 2022, the BLM will have the option 

to initiate fee collection at Rabbit Valley 

campgrounds for overnight visitation, 

unless the BLM publishes a Federal 

Register notice to the contrary. 

Comments received after the close of the 

comment period or delivered to an 

address other than the one listed in this 

notice may not be considered or 

included in the administrative record 

for the proposed fee program. 

ADDRESSES: Please send comments to 

the BLM Grand Junction Field Office at 

2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506 

or by email at blm_co_gj_public_

comments@blm.gov. Documents 

concerning this fee change may be 

reviewed at the Grand Junction Field 

Office. Phone: (970) 244–3000. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Collin Ewing, NCA Manager, email: 

cewing@blm.gov; telephone: (970) 244– 

3000. Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service at (800) 877–8339 to contact Mr. 

Ewing during normal business hours. 

The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 

days a week, to leave a message or 

question. You will receive a reply 

during normal business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

Act (FLREA) and BLM policy, the BLM 

may collect fees in conjunction with 

Recreation Use Permits to manage 

visitor use, protect natural and cultural 

resources, achieve the goals and 

objectives of the applicable management 

plan, and authorize specific types of 

recreational activities. Under Section 

2(g) of the FLREA, certain campgrounds 

qualify as sites where visitors can be 

charged an ‘‘Expanded Amenity 

Recreation Fee.’’ Visitors wishing to use 

the expanded amenities can purchase a 

recreation use permit as described in the 

FLREA implementing regulations at 43 

CFR part 2930. Pursuant to FLREA and 

the regulations at 43 CFR subpart 2933, 

the BLM may charge fees for overnight 

camping and group-use reservations 

where specific amenities and services 

are provided. 

The BLM is implementing fee 

collection in the Rabbit Valley 

campgrounds for overnight camping. 

Rabbit Valley is a popular recreation 

destination for off-highway vehicle 

riding, mountain biking, horseback 

riding, and hiking, located off Interstate 

70, 2 miles east of the Colorado/Utah 

border. In accordance with a July 2019 

decision, the BLM will be constructing 

new campgrounds in the Rabbit Valley 

area. Most campsites in the Rabbit 

Valley campgrounds will require a fee of 

$20 per night, except for group 

campsites, which will range from $20 to 

$50 per night, depending on the number 

of vehicles ($20 per night for the first 

two vehicles, additional vehicles are 

$10 per night up to a maximum of five 

vehicles). The BLM will identify and 

post specific visitor fees at each 

campground. Visitors holding an 

America the Beautiful—National Parks 

and Federal Recreational Lands ‘‘Senior 

Annual Pass,’’ ‘‘Senior Lifetime Pass,’’ 

or ‘‘Access Pass’’ would be entitled to a 

50 percent discount on expanded 

amenity fees. Veterans and ‘‘Annual 

Interagency Pass,’’ ‘‘Fourth Grade Pass,’’ 

and ‘‘Gold Star Families Parks Pass’’ 

holders are not entitled to this discount. 

The BLM is also implementing a 

temporary, fee-free Individual Special 

Recreation Permit (ISRP) for camping in 

both undeveloped and developed 

designated campsites. Within the 

footprint of planned future campground 

development, undeveloped campsites 

for ISRPs will be designated with a sign. 

Dispersed camping outside of developed 

and undeveloped designated campsites 

will be prohibited. The BLM will phase 

out the ISRP as the new campgrounds 

in the Rabbit Valley are constructed. 

In response to increasing visitor 

demand, the BLM issued a July 2019 

Decision Record approving the 

development of additional campsites in 

the Rabbit Valley area as described in an 

Environmental Assessment (EA) (DOI– 

BLM–CO–S081–2018–0005–EA), and 

prepared a Business Plan for the project. 

The proposed action described in the 

EA, and approved in the Decision 

Record, included the option to charge a 

fee for overnight camping within the 

Rabbit Valley project area. The EA 

explained that the fee program would be 

developed through a separate process, 

which would include public 

involvement and consultation with the 

BLM Colorado Southwest District 

Resource Advisory Council (RAC). The 

BLM’s public outreach process and 

analysis of the fee program are detailed 

in the Business Plan. 

The Business Plan outlines the agency 

management direction, the need for fee 

collection, and how the BLM intends to 

use the fees to improve and maintain 

the amenities in the Rabbit Valley area. 

Information about the use of the fee 

revenues will be posted at one or more 

kiosks within the fee area annually. As 

discussed in the Business Plan, the 

camping fees are consistent with other 

established fee sites in the region, 

including other BLM-administered sites 

and those managed by the U.S. 

Department of the Interior—National 

Park Service, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture—Forest Service, and the 

State of Colorado. 

In accordance with the FLREA and 

the Council of Environmental Quality 

regulations implementing the National 

Environmental Policy Act, the BLM has 

notified and involved the public 

throughout this process. The BLM 

released its draft Business Plan and the 

Proposed Action for public scoping 

from June 24 through July 25, 2018. The 

BLM presented the proposed project 

and the results of this scoping to the 

BLM Colorado Southwest District RAC 

on March 8, 2019. The RAC passed a 

resolution to support fees in existing 

and new campgrounds in Rabbit Valley, 

with a separate resolution 

recommending that the BLM release the 

preliminary EA and an updated 

Business Plan for additional public 

comment. The public comment period 

ran from April 16 through May 17, 2019. 


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