Environmental statements; availability, etc.: highway vehicle use management,

[Federal Register: November 15, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 219)]

[Notices]

[Page 61932-61934]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr15no99-110]

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

[MT-060-1220-DE, 1617P]

Notice of Availability of the Draft Off-Highway Vehicle Environmental Impact Statement and Plan Amendment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior and Forest Service, Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service (FS) have prepared a Draft Off-Highway Vehicle Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Plan Amendment. The Draft EIS/Plan Amendment describes the analysis completed on the proposed management changes in off-highway vehicle (OHV) use on public lands administered by the BLM and FS, Northern Region, in Montana, North Dakota, and portions of South Dakota. Five alternatives, including a No Action Alternative, were developed to meet the purpose and need of the project and respond to significant issues. The purpose and need are to address the impacts of OHV travel on open areas that are currently available to motorized cross-country travel. The No Action Alternative would maintain current management. Areas currently open yearlong or seasonally to cross- country travel would remain open. Alternatives 1 and 2 would restrict motorized cross-country travel yearlong. Alternative 3 would restrict motorized cross-country travel yearlong in North Dakota, most of Montana, and portions of South Dakota. Alternative 4 would limit motorized cross-country travel seasonally.

DATES: The comment period on the Draft EIS/Plan Amendment will end 90 days from the date the Environmental Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register. The expected end of the comment period is February 24, 2000. Open houses on the Draft EIS/Plan Amendment will be held in communities in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota during the review period. The locations for the open houses are listed below but also look for an article in your local paper because locations, dates and/or time may change.

Date

Location

Time

Place

November 30.......................... Billings, MT........... 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... BLM Office, 5001 Southgate Drive. November 30.......................... Miles City, MT......... 5:00-7:00 p.m.......... BLM Office, 111 Garryowen Road. December 1........................... Bismarck, ND........... 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... U.S. Forest Service, 240 West Century. December 1........................... Red Lodge, MT.......... 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... U.S. Forest Service. December 1........................... Colstrip, MT........... 5:00-7:00 p.m.......... Bicentennial Library, 415 Willow Avenue. December 2........................... Watford City, ND....... 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... U.S. Forest Service, 1.5 miles south of Watford City. December 2........................... Lincoln, MT............ 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... Lincoln Community Hall. December 2........................... Glendive, MT........... 5:00-7:00 p.m.......... Glendive Medical Center, Carney Conference Room #2. December 2........................... Great Falls, MT........ 4:00-7:00 p.m.......... BLM/FS Office, 1101 15th Street North. December 3........................... Rapid City, SD......... 3:00-7:00 p.m.......... West River Research & Ag. Crt., 1905 Plaza Blvd. December 6........................... Townsend, MT........... 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... Townsend Library. December 6........................... Dickinson, ND.......... 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... BLM Office, 2933 Third Avenue West. December 6........................... Havre, MT.............. 4:00-7:00 p.m.......... BLM Office. December 7........................... Missoula, MT........... 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... Boone and Crocket Club. December 7........................... Malta, MT.............. 4:00-7:00 p.m.......... BLM Office. December 7........................... Broadus, MT............ 5:00-7:00 p.m.......... Powder River County Courthouse Election Rm. December 7........................... Bowman, ND............. 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... Long Pines Steak House, 13 1st Ave. SE. December 7........................... Hamilton, MT........... 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... Senior Center, 820 North 4th. December 8........................... Helena, MT............. 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... U.S. Forest Service, 2880 Skyway Drive. December 8........................... Glasgow, MT............ 4:00-7:00 p.m.......... BLM Office. December 8........................... Bozeman, MT............ 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... Gallatin Co Courthouse, 311 West Main. December 9........................... Dillon, MT............. 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... U.S. Forest Service, 420 Barrett Street. December 9........................... Butte, MT.............. 4:00-8:00 p.m.......... BLM Office, 106 North Parkmont. December 14.......................... Libby, MT.............. 4:00-9:00 p.m.......... Libby City Hall, Ponderosa Room.

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December 14.......................... Browning, MT........... 3:30-7:00 p.m.......... Tribal Offices. December 14.......................... Lewistown, MT.......... 4:00-7:00 p.m.......... BLM Office, Airport Road. December 15.......................... Choteau, MT............ 2:00-7:00 p.m.......... Stage Stop Inn. December 15.......................... Trout Creek, MT........ 4:00-9:00 p.m.......... U.S. Forest Service. December 16.......................... Eureka, MT............. 7:00-10:00 p.m......... Lincoln Co. Electric. January 12........................... Kalispell, MT.......... 5:00-8:00 p.m.......... Outlaw Inn. January 18........................... Lemmon, SD............. 2:00-6:00 p.m.......... Lemmon Elementary School. January 19........................... Buffalo, SD............ 2:00-6:00 p.m.......... Harding County Jury/ Court Room. January 20........................... Pierre, SD............. 2:00-6:00 p.m.......... Governors Inn. January 21........................... Belle Fourche, SD...... 2:00-6:00 p.m.......... BLM Office. January 24........................... Ekalaka, MT............ 2:00-6:00 p.m.......... Carter Country Jury/ Court Room.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments to OHV Plan Amendment, Lewistown Field Office, P.O. Box 1160, Lewistown, MT 59457-1160.

Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the above Lewistown address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays. 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 or 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 CONTACT: Jerry Majerus, 406-538-1924 or Dick Kramer, 406-329-1008.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Draft EIS/Plan Amendment discloses the potential environmental consequences of managing cross-country off- highway vehicle (OHV) use on public lands administered by the BLM and FS, Northern Region, in Montana, North Dakota, and portions of South Dakota (excluding the Black Hills National Forest, Buffalo Gap Grasslands and the Fort Pierre Grasslands). The agencies recognize that many recreation users do not differentiate between BLM and FS lands. The agencies feel it is better customer service to have consistent policies across agency boundaries; therefore, the plan amendment will be a joint BLM and FS proposal. The BLM and FS are joint lead agencies responsible for preparation of the EIS/plan amendment.

The increased popularity and widespread use of OHVs on public lands in the 1960s and early 1970s prompted the development of a unified federal policy for such use. Executive Order 11644 was issued in 1972 and Executive Order 11989 was issued in 1977. They provided direction for federal agencies to establish policies and provide for procedures to control and direct the use of OHVs on public lands so as to (1) protect the resources of those lands, (2) promote the safety of all users of those lands, and (3) minimize conflicts among the various uses on those lands. The BLM and FS have developed regulations in response to the Executive Orders (43 CFR 8342 and 36 CFR 219 and 295). Under those regulations, OHV use can be restricted or prohibited to minimize (1) damage to the soil, watershed, vegetation, or other resources of the public lands; (2) harm to wildlife or wildlife habitats; and (3) conflict between the use of OHVs and other types of recreation.

The BLM and FS recognize in their respective resource management plans and forest plans, policy, and manual direction, that off-highway vehicle use is a valid recreational activity when properly managed. Managing this use along with other recreation uses and the need to protect resource values has become increasingly more difficult with increasing public demands and decreasing budgets.

The purpose of this EIS/plan amendment is to address the impacts of wheeled (motorcycles, four-wheel drive vehicles, sport utility vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, etc.) off-highway vehicle travel on open areas that are currently available to motorized cross-country travel. It will amend forest plan and resource management plan OHV area designations to preserve future options for site-specific travel planning. This would provide timely interim direction that would prevent further resource damage, user conflicts, and related problems, including new user-created roads, associated with motorized cross- country travel until subsequent site-specific travel planning is complete. Site-specific travel planning, or activity planning, will address OHV use on specific roads and trails. This amendment would not change the current limited/restricted yearlong or closed designations, or designated intensive off-road vehicle use areas.

About 16 million acres of public land are currently available to motorized cross-country travel in the analysis area, either yearlong or seasonally, which has the potential to: spread noxious weeds, cause erosion, damage cultural sites, create user conflicts, and disrupt wildlife and damage wildlife habitat.

Problems do not occur equally throughout the analysis area. Motorized cross-country travel is generally limited by current technology to areas that are less steep and have more open vegetative communities. Random use in open areas has created trail networks throughout the analysis area. Some of this use has occurred in riparian areas and on highly erodible slopes.

Monitoring of OHV travel at FS and BLM offices indicates that problems exist where unrestricted motorized cross-country travel is allowed. Many units have completed or begun site-specific travel planning. Most notable efforts are the Elkhorn Mountains near Helena, Montana, and the Whitetail-Pipestone area near Butte, Montana.

Members of the public and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission have shared their concerns about unrestricted OHV travel on public lands. The four BLM Resource Advisory Councils (citizen groups that represent a balance of commodity, conservation, and other public interests) in Montana, North Dakota, and portions of South Dakota, expressed serious concerns about allowing continued, unrestricted, motorized cross-country travel on public lands.

The BLM and FS are concerned that continuing unrestricted use could potentially increase these problems. Areas that are open yearlong or seasonally to motorized cross-country travel in current forest plans and resource management plans will require a plan amendment to address these issues. This proposal to manage the

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cross-country aspect of motorized vehicle use is part of our responsibility as public land managers to balance human use with the need to protect natural resources.

Authority: Sec. 202, Pub. L. 94-579, 90 Stat. 2747 (43 U.S.C. 1712), Sec. 6, Pub. L. 94-588, 90 Stat. 2949 (16 U.S.C. 1604).

Dated: November 5, 1999. Larry E. Hamilton, State Director, Bureau of Land Management. Kathleen A. McAllister, Deputy Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service.

[FR Doc. 99-29542Filed11-12-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODES 4310-DN-P